-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, GXWTqAmYhMQ4e1OyJW221vWgDR+L8GCxV3J6d770W9F88lKxk5nFAsnJkqJyTn6M Y/Qwil5WHRwXBB+beK9p2g== 0001144204-07-013098.txt : 20070316 0001144204-07-013098.hdr.sgml : 20070316 20070316134727 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001144204-07-013098 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 10-K PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 14 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20061231 FILED AS OF DATE: 20070316 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20070316 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: WILSHIRE BANCORP INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001285224 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: STATE COMMERCIAL BANKS [6022] IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: CA FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 10-K SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 000-50923 FILM NUMBER: 07699259 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 3200 WILSHIRE BLVD CITY: LOS ANGELES STATE: CA ZIP: 90010 BUSINESS PHONE: 2134276580 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 3200 WILSHIRE BLVD CITY: LOS ANGELES STATE: CA ZIP: 90010 10-K 1 v068251_10k.htm


SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 

 
FORM 10-K
 
(Mark One)
 
x
Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
   
 
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
 
OR
 
o
Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
   
  For the transition period from _____________ to _____________
           
Commission File Number 000-50923
 

 
 WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
   
California
20-0711133
State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization
I.R.S. Employer Identification Number
   
3200 Wilshire Blvd.
 
Los Angeles, California
90010
Address of principal executive offices
Zip Code
(213) 387-3200
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Common Stock, no par value
 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
 

 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o  No  x
 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o  No  x
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x   No o
 
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No x
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
 
Large accelerated filer o    Accelerated filer x    Non-accelerated filer o
 
The number of shares of Common Stock of the registrant outstanding as of February 28, 2007 was 29,368,016.
 
The aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2006 was approximately $308 million (computed based on the closing sale price of the common stock at $18.02 per share as of such date). Shares of common stock held by each officer and director and each person owning more than ten percent of the outstanding common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of the affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
 
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement relating to the registrant’s 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, where indicated.
 




TABLE OF CONTENTS

   
Page
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information   
4
PART I
 
4
Item 1.
Business
 
4
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
 
24
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
 
29
Item 2.
Properties
 
30
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings
 
31
Item 4.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
 
31
PART II
 
31
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
 
31
Item 6.
Selected Financial Data
 
33
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 
35
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
63
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
 
65
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
 
65
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures
 
66
Item 9B.
Other Information
 
68
PART III
 
68
Item 10.
Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
 
68
Item 11.
Executive Compensation
 
68
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners, Management and Related Shareholder Matters
 
68
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
 
68
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
 
68
PART IV
 
69
Item 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
 
69
 
3


CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION 
 
This Annual Report on Form 10-K, the other reports, statements, and information that we have previously filed or that we may subsequently file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and public announcements that we have previously made or may subsequently make include, may include, incorporate by reference or may incorporate by reference certain statements that may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are intended to enjoy the benefits of that act. The forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K and those reports, statements, information and announcements address activities, events or developments that Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries hereinafter referred to as “we,” “us,” “our” or “Wilshire Bancorp”) expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Any statements in this document about expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “will continue,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “would” and “outlook,” and similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this document. All forward-looking statements concerning economic conditions, rates of growth, rates of income or values as may be included in this document are based on information available to us on the dates noted, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. It is important to note that our actual results may differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements due to fluctuations in interest rates, inflation, government regulations, economic conditions, customer disintermediation and competitive product and pricing pressures in the geographic and business areas in which we conduct operations, including our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other factors discussed elsewhere in this Report, including under the section entitled “Risk Factors.”
 
The risk factors referred to in this Report could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us, and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. 
 
PART I
 
Item 1. Business
 
General
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company offering a broad range of financial products and services primarily through our main subsidiary, Wilshire State Bank, a California state-chartered commercial bank (the “Bank”). Our corporate headquarters and primary banking facilities are located at 3200 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90010. In addition, we have 18 full-service Bank branch offices in Southern California, Texas, and the greater New York City metropolitan area. We also have 7 loan production offices utilized primarily for the origination of loans under our Small Business Administration (“SBA”) lending program in Georgia, Virginia, Washington, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, and California.
 
The Bank is an insured bank up to the maximum limits authorized under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (the “FDI Act”). Like most state-chartered banks of our size in California, we are not a member of the Federal Reserve System, but a member of Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, a congressionally chartered Federal Home Loan Bank. At December 31, 2006, we had approximately $2.01 billion in assets, $1.56 billion in total loans and $1.75 billion in deposits.
 
4

 
We operate a community bank focused on the general commercial banking business, with our primary market encompassing the multi-ethnic population of the Los Angeles County area. Our full-service offices are located primarily in areas where a majority of the businesses are owned by Korean-speaking immigrants, with many of the remaining businesses owned by other minority groups. Our branches in Huntington Park and Garden Grove are located in predominantly Hispanic and Vietnamese communities, respectively. Our client base reflects the multi-ethnic composition of these communities.
 
To address the needs of our multi-ethnic customers, we have many multilingual employees who are able to converse with our clientele in their native languages. We believe that the ability to speak the language of our customers assists us in tailoring products and services for our customers’ needs.
 
Available Information
 
We maintain an Internet website at www.wilshirebank.com. We post our filings with the SEC on the Investor Relations component of our website, which are available free of charge, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K, our proxy and information statements and any amendments to those reports or statements as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed or furnished under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act. In addition to our SEC filings, our Code of Professional Conduct and our Personal and Business Code of Conduct can be found on the Investor Relations page of our website. In addition, we post separately on our website all filings made by persons pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. You may also read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0220. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
 
Expansion
 
As part of our efforts to achieve stable and long-term profitability and respond to a changing economic environment in Southern California, we constantly evaluate a variety of options to augment our traditional focus by broadening the services and products we provide. Possible avenues of growth include more branch locations, expanded days and hours of operation and new types of lending products. To date, we have not expanded into areas of brokerage, annuity, insurance or similar investment products and services but have concentrated primarily on the core businesses of accepting deposits, making loans and extending credit.
 
Over the past few years, our network of branches and loan production offices has been expanded geographically. We currently maintain eighteen branch offices and seven loan production offices. We previously expanded into Texas by converting our loan production office in Dallas, Texas into a full service branch office. In May 2006, we acquired Liberty Bank of New York (“Liberty Bank”), adding two branch offices in the greater New York City metropolitan area. In 2006, we also opened one new branch office in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and opened one loan production office in Annandale, Virginia; both areas complement our multi-ethnic small business focus.
 
The acquisition of Liberty Bank added approximately $66 million in total assets and, as discussed above, two branches in the greater New York City metropolitan area. The purchase price for Liberty Bank was $14.5 million, consisting of $8.6 million in cash and $5.9 million in our common stock (328,110 shares). We also incurred merger-related costs of $625,000, which we recognized as additional consideration in connection with this business combination.
 
Business Segments
 
We operate in three primary business segments: Banking Operations, Trade Finance Services, and Small Business Administration Lending Services. We determine operating results of each segment based on an internal management system that allocates certain expenses to each segment. These segments are described in additional detail below:
 
·  
Banking Operations: Raises funds from deposits and borrowings for loans and investments and provides lending products including commercial, consumer and real estate loans to customers.
 
5

 
·  
Trade Finance Services: Assists our import/export customers with international transactions. Trade finance products include the issuance and collection of letters of credit, international collection and import/export financing. 
 
·  
Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Lending Services: Provides loans through the SBA guaranteed lending program.
 
More detailed information on the financial performance of these business segments can be found in Note 16 of the financial statements included in this Report beginning on page F-1.
 
Lending Activities
 
General
 
Our loan policies set forth the basic guidelines and procedures by which we conduct our lending operations. These policies address the types of loans available, underwriting and collateral requirements, loan terms, interest rate and yield considerations, compliance with laws and regulations and our internal lending limits. Our Board of Directors reviews and approves our loan policies on an annual basis. We supplement our own supervision of the loan underwriting and approval process with periodic loan audits by experienced external loan specialists who review credit quality, loan documentation and compliance with laws and regulations. We engage in a full complement of lending activities, including:
 
·  
commercial real estate and home mortgage lending,
 
·  
commercial business lending and trade finance,
 
·  
SBA lending, and
 
·  
consumer loans, including automobile loans and other personal loans.
 
Loan Procedures
 
Loan applications may be approved by the Director Loan Committee of our Board of Directors, or by our management or lending officers to the extent of their loan authority. Our Board of Directors authorizes our lending limits. Our President, Chief Lending Officer and Chief Credit Administrator are responsible for evaluating the authority limits for individual credit officers and recommending lending limits for all other officers to the Board of Directors for approval.
 
We grant individual lending authority to our President, Chief Lending Officer and selected department managers. Our President has an administrative lending authority of $500,000. The next highest lending authority of $400,000 is reserved for our Chief Lending Officer. Loans for which direct and indirect borrower liability exceeds an individual’s lending authority are referred to our Senior Loan Committee or Director Loan Committee.
 
At December 31, 2006, our authorized legal lending limits were $33.9 million for unsecured loans, plus an additional $22.6 million for specific secured loans. Legal lending limits are calculated in conformance with California law, which prohibits a bank from lending to any one individual or entity or its related interests an aggregate amount which exceeds 15% of shareholders’ equity, plus the allowance for loan losses and capital notes and debentures, on an unsecured basis, plus an additional 10% on a secured basis. The Bank’s shareholders’ equity plus allowance for loan losses and capital notes and debentures at December 31, 2006 totaled $226.2 million.
 
We seek to mitigate the risks inherent in our loan portfolio by adhering to certain underwriting practices. The review of each loan application includes analysis of the applicant’s prior credit history, income level, cash flow and financial condition, tax returns, cash flow projections, and the value of any collateral to secure the loan, based upon reports of independent appraisers and audits of accounts receivable or inventory pledged as security. In the case of real estate loans over a specified amount, the review of collateral value includes an appraisal report prepared by an independent Bank-approved appraiser. From time to time, we purchase participation interests in loans made by other financial institutions. These loans are generally subject to the same underwriting criteria and approval process as loans made directly by us.
 
6

 
Real Estate Loans and Home Mortgages
 
We offer commercial real estate loans to finance the acquisition of, or to refinance the existing mortgages on, commercial properties, which include retail shopping centers, office buildings, industrial buildings, warehouses, hotels, automotive industry facilities and apartment buildings. Our commercial real estate loans are typically collateralized by first or junior deeds of trust on specific commercial properties, and, when possible, subject to corporate or individual guarantees from financially capable parties. The properties collateralizing real estate loans are principally located in the markets where our retail branches are located, which include Southern California, Texas and the greater New York metropolitan area. However, we also provide commercial real estate loans through our Loan Production Offices. Real estate loans typically bear an interest rate that floats with our base rate, the prime rate or another established index. We do, however, offer fixed rate commercial mortgage loans with maturities not to exceed 5 to 7 years. At December 31, 2006, real estate loans constituted approximately 78.8% of our loan portfolio.
 
Commercial real estate loans typically have 7-year maturities with up to 25-year amortization of principal and interest and loan-to-value ratios of 65-70% of the appraised value or purchase price, whichever is lower. We usually impose a prepayment penalty during the period within three to five years of the date of the loan.
 
Construction loans are provided to build new structures, or to substantially improve the existing structure of commercial, residential and income-producing properties. These loans generally have one to two year terms, with options to extend for additional periods to complete construction and to accommodate the lease-up period. We usually require 20-25% equity capital investment by the developer and loan-to-value ratios of not more than 65-70% of anticipated completion value. We also offer mini-perm loans as take-out financing with our construction loans. Mini-perm loans are generally made with an amortization schedule ranging from 15 to 25 years with a lump sum balloon payment due in one to seven years.
 
We offer a wide selection of residential mortgage programs, including non-traditional mortgages such as interest only and payment option adjustable rate mortgages. Most of our salable loans are transferred to the secondary market, but we retain a portion on our books as portfolio loans. Our total home mortgage loan portfolio outstanding at the end of 2006 and 2005 was $40.6 million and $43.3 million, respectively. The residential mortgage loans with unconventional terms such as interest only mortgage and option adjustable rate mortgage at December 31, 2006 were $4.6 million and $1.1 million, respectively, inclusive of loans held temporarily for sale or refinancing. They were $8.0 million and $3.6 million, respectively, at December 31, 2006.
 
 
·  
a possible downturn in the economies of our primary markets,
 
·  
interest rate increases,
 
·  
reduction in real estate values in our primary markets,
 
·  
increased competition in pricing and loan structure, and
 
·  
environmental risks, including natural disasters.
 
We strive to reduce the exposure to such risks by (a) reviewing each new loan request and renewal individually, (b) using a dual signature approval system for the approval of each loan request for loans over a certain dollar amount, (c) adherence to written loan policies, including, among other factors, minimum collateral requirements, maximum loan-to-value ratio requirements, cash flow requirements and personal guarantees, (d) independent appraisals, (e) external independent credit review, and (f) conducting environmental reviews, where appropriate. We review each loan request on the basis of our ability to recover both principal and interest in view of the inherent risks.
 
Commercial Business Lending
 
We offer commercial business loans to sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations. These loans include business lines of credit and business term loans to finance operations, to provide working capital or for specific purposes, such as to finance the purchase of assets, equipment or inventory. Since a borrower’s cash flow from operations is generally the primary source of repayment, our policies provide specific guidelines regarding required debt coverage and other important financial ratios.
 
7

 
Lines of credit are extended to businesses or individuals based on the financial strength and integrity of the borrower and are secured primarily by business assets such as accounts receivable and inventory, and have a maturity of one year or less. Such lines of credit bear an interest rate that floats with our base rate, the prime rate, or another established index.
 
Business term loans are typically made to finance the acquisition of fixed assets, refinance short-term debts or to finance the purchase of businesses. Business term loans generally have terms from one to seven years. They may be collateralized by the assets being acquired or other available assets and bear interest rates, which either float with our base rate, prime rate, or another established index or is fixed for the term of the loan.
 
We also provide other banking services tailored to the small business market. We have focused recently on diversifying our loan portfolio, which has led to an increase in commercial business loans to small and medium-sized businesses.
 
Our portfolio of commercial loans is subject to certain risks, including:
 
·  
a possible downturn of economy in our primary markets,
 
·  
interest rate increases; and
 
·  
deterioration of a borrower’s or guarantor’s financial capabilities.
 
We attempt to reduce the exposure to such risks through (a) reviewing each new loan request and renewal individually, (b) relying heavily on a committee approval system where inputs from experienced committee members with different types and level of lending experience are fully utilized, (c) strict adherence to written loan policies, and (d) external independent credit review. In addition, loans based on short-term assets such as account receivables and inventories are monitored on a monthly or at minimum quarterly basis. In general, we receive and review financial statements of borrowing customers on an ongoing basis during the term of the relationship and respond to any deterioration noted.
 
Small Business Administration Lending Services
 
Small Business Administration, or SBA, lending is an important part of our business. Our SBA lending business places an emphasis on minority-owned businesses. Our SBA market area includes the geographic areas encompassed by our full-service banking offices in Southern California, Texas, and New York City, as well as the multi-ethnic population areas surrounding our loan production offices in Northern California and other states. We are a SBA Preferred Lender nationwide, which permits us to approve SBA guaranteed loans in all our lending areas without further approval from the SBA. As an SBA Preferred Lender, we provide quicker and more efficient service to our clientele, enabling them to obtain SBA loans in order to acquire new businesses, expand existing businesses and acquire locations in which to do business, without having to go through the time-consuming SBA approval process that would be necessary if a prospective SBA borrower were to utilize a lender that is not approved as an SBA Preferred Lender.
 
We have made efforts to diversify our banking and financial services in order to reduce our substantial revenue reliance on SBA loans. However, SBA loans continue to remain an important component of our business. The net revenue from our SBA department was substantially reduced to 29.9%, 29.2%, and 32.2% of our total net revenue in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively, from over 50% prior to the year 2000.
 
Although our participation in the SBA program is subject to the legislative power of Congress and the continued maintenance of our approved status by the SBA, we have no reason to believe that this program (and our participation therein) will not continue, particularly in view of the lengthy duration of the SBA program nationally.
 
Consumer Loans
 
Consumer loans include personal loans, auto loans, and other loans typically made by banks to individual borrowers. Prior to 2003, we did not actively pursue consumer-lending opportunities, but rather typically provided limited consumer loan products as an added service to our existing customers. Consumer loans historically had represented less than 5% of our total loan portfolio. However, since 2003, we have increased our focus on consumer lending as an effort to diversify our product lines by actively offering automobile loans. As of December 31, 2006, our consumer loan portfolio has increased, but still is considered a small portfolio.
 
Our consumer loan portfolio is subject to certain risks, including:
 
·  
general economic conditions of the markets we serve,
 
8

 
·  
interest rate increases, and
 
·  
consumer bankruptcy laws which allow consumers to discharge certain debts.
 
We attempt to reduce the exposure to such risks through the direct approval of all consumer loans by:
 
·  
reviewing each loan request and renewal individually,
 
·  
using a dual signature system of approval,
 
·  
strict adherence to written credit policies and,
 
·  
external independent credit review.
 
Trade Finance Services
 
Our Trade Finance Department is an integral part of our business and assists our import/export customers with their international transactions. Trade Finance products include the issuance and negotiation of commercial and standby letters of credit, as well as handling of documentary collections. On the export side, we provide advising and negotiation of commercial letters of credit as well as transfer and issuance of back-to-back letters of credit.
 
We also provide importers with trade finance lines of credit, which allow for issuance of commercial letters of credit and financing of documents received under such letters of credit, as well as documents received under documentary collections.
 
Exporters are assisted through export lines of credit as well as through immediate financing of clean documents presented under export letters of credit. We work closely with the SBA through their Export Working Capital Program.
 
Most of our revenue from the Trade Finance Department consists of fee income through providing facilities to support import/export customers and interest income from extensions of credit. Our Trade Finance Department’s fee income was $1.8 million, $1.8 million and $1.6 million in 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively, and its net revenue was $2.4 million, $5.3 million and $4.5 million in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively.
 
Deposit Activities and Other Sources of Funds
 
Our primary sources of funds are deposits and loan repayments. Scheduled loan repayments are a relatively stable source of funds, whereas deposit inflows and outflows and unscheduled loan prepayments (which are influenced significantly by general interest rate levels, interest rates available on other investments, competition, economic conditions and other factors) are not as stable. Customer deposits remain a primary source of funds, but these balances may be influenced by adverse market changes in the industry. Other borrowings may be used:
 
·  
on a short-term basis to compensate for reductions in deposit inflows at less than projected levels, and
 
·  
on a longer-term basis to support expanded lending activities and to match the maturity of repricing intervals of assets.
 
We offer a variety of accounts for depositors which are designed to attract both short-term and long-term deposits. These accounts include certificates of deposit (“CDs”), regular savings accounts, money market accounts, checking and negotiable order of withdrawal (“NOW”) accounts, installment savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). These accounts generally earn interest at rates established by management based on competitive market factors and management’s desire to increase or decrease certain types or maturities of deposits. As needs arise, we augment these customer deposits with brokered deposits. The more significant deposit accounts offered by us and other sources of funds are described below:
 
Certificates of Deposit
 
We offer several types of CDs with a maximum maturity of five years. The majority of our CDs have a maturity of one to 12 months and typically pay simple interest credited monthly or at maturity.
 
9

 
Regular Savings Account.
 
We offer savings accounts that allow for unlimited deposits and withdrawals, provided that depositors maintain a $100 minimum balance. Interest is compounded daily and credited quarterly.
 
Money Market Accounts
 
Money market accounts pay a variable interest rate that is tiered depending on the balance maintained in the account. Minimum opening balances vary. Interest is compounded daily and paid monthly.
 
Checking and NOW Account
 
Checking and NOW accounts are generally non-interest and interest bearing accounts, respectively, and may include service fees based on activity and balances. NOW accounts pay interest, but require a higher minimum balance to avoid service charges.
 
Federal Home Loan Bank Borrowings
 
To supplement our deposits as a source of funds for lending or investment, we borrow funds in the form of advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank. We may use Federal Home Loan Bank advances as part of our interest rate risk management, primarily to extend the duration of funding to match the longer term fixed rate loans held in the loan portfolio.
 
As a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank system, we are required to invest in Federal Home Loan Bank stock based on a predetermined formula. Federal Home Loan Bank stock is a restricted investment security that can only be sold to other Federal Home Loan Bank members or redeemed by the Federal Home Loan Bank. As of December 31, 2006, we owned $7,541,700 in FHLB stock.
 
Advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank are secured by the Federal Home Loan Bank stock we own and a blanket lien on our loan portfolio and may be also secured by other assets, mainly securities which are obligations of or guaranteed by the U.S. government. At December 31, 2006, our borrowing limit with the Federal Home Loan Bank was approximately $428 million.
 
Internet Banking
 
We offer Internet banking, which allows our customers to access their deposit and loan accounts through the Internet. Customers are able to obtain transaction history and account information, transfer funds between accounts and make on-line bill payments. We intend to improve and develop our Internet banking products and other delivery channels as the need arises and our resources permit.
 
Other Services
 
We also offer ATM machines located at selected branch offices, customer access to an ATM network and armored carrier services.
 
Marketing
 
Our marketing efforts rely principally upon local advertising and promotional activity and upon personal contacts by our directors, officers and shareholders to attract business and to acquaint potential customers with our personalized services. We emphasize a high degree of personalized client service in order to be able to provide for each customer’s banking needs. Our marketing approach emphasizes our strength as an independent, locally-managed and state chartered bank in meeting the particular needs of consumers, professionals and business customers in the community. Our management continually evaluates all of our banking services with regard to their profitability and makes conclusions based on these evaluations, whether to continue or modify our business plan, where appropriate.
 
We do not currently have any plans to develop any new lines of business which would require a material amount of capital investment on our part.
 
10

 
Competition
 
Regional Branch Competition
 
Our market has become increasingly competitive in recent years with respect to virtually all products and services which we offer. Although the general banking market is dominated by a relatively small number of major banks with numerous offices covering a wide geographic area, we compete in our niche market directly with smaller community banks which focus on Korean-American and other minority consumers and businesses.
 
There is a high level of competition within the ethnic banking market. In the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, our primary competitors include thirteen locally-owned and operated Korean-American banks. These banks have branches located in many of the same neighborhoods in which we operate, provide similar types of products and services, and use the same Korean language publications and media for their marketing purposes. Unlike many other Korean-ethnic community banks, we focus a significant portion of our marketing efforts on non-Korean customers. We seek to distinguish ourselves from these competitors through superior customer service quality provided with our service motto, the “Four S’s - Smile, Sincerity, Speed and Simplicity.”
 
A less significant source of competition in our primary market includes branch offices of major national and international banks which maintain a limited bilingual staff for Korean-speaking customers. Although such banks have not traditionally focused their marketing efforts on the minority customer base in our market, their competitive influence could increase should they choose to focus on this market in the future. Large commercial bank competitors have, among other advantages, the ability to finance wide-ranging and effective advertising campaigns and to allocate their investment resources to areas of highest yield and demand. Many of the major banks operating in our market area offer certain services that we do not offer directly (but some of which we offer through correspondent institutions). By virtue of their greater total capitalization, such banks likely also have substantially higher lending limits than we do. In order to compete effectively, we provide quality, personalized service and fast, local decision making which we feel distinguishes us from many of our major bank competitors. For customers whose loan demands exceed our internal lending limit, we attempt to arrange for such loans on a participation basis with our correspondent banks. Similarly, we assist customers requiring services that we do not currently offer in obtaining such services from our correspondent banks.
 
Regional Loan Production Office Competition
 
We operate loan production offices, or LPOs, in Seattle, Washington; Milpitas, California (the San Jose area); Annadale, Virginia; Las Vegas, Nevada; Aurora, Colorado (the Denver area); Atlanta, Georgia; and Houston, Texas. The Dallas and New York LPOs were consolidated with the new branches that were established in those locations in 2005 and 2006, respectively. In most of our LPO sites, we are competing with local lenders as well as Los Angeles-based Korean-American community lenders operating out-of-state loan production offices. We anticipate more competition from Korean-American community lenders in most of our LPO sites in the future.  In 2007, we plan to add two to three more LPOs following the completion of market research regarding appropriate locations.  
 
Other Competitive Factors
 
In addition to other banks, our competitors include savings institutions, credit unions and numerous non-banking institutions, such as finance companies, leasing companies, insurance companies, brokerage firms and investment banking firms. In recent years, increased competition has also developed from specialized finance and non-finance companies that offer money market and mutual funds, wholesale finance, credit card and other consumer finance services, including on-line banking services and personal finance software. Strong competition for deposit and loan products affects the rates of those products as well as the terms on which they are offered to customers.
 
The more general competitive trends in the industry include increased consolidation and competition. Strong competitors, other than financial institutions, have entered banking markets with focused products targeted at highly profitable customer segments. Many of these competitors are able to compete across geographic boundaries and provide customers increasing access to meaningful alternatives to banking services in nearly all significant products areas. Mergers between financial institutions have placed additional pressure on banks within the industry to streamline their operations, reduce expenses and increase revenues to remain competitive. Competition has also intensified due to the federal and state interstate banking laws, which permit banking organizations to expand geographically. The California market has been particularly attractive to out-of-state institutions. The Financial Modernization Act, which has made it possible for full affiliations to occur between banks and securities firms, insurance companies, and other financial companies, is also expected to intensify competitive conditions.
 
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Technological innovations have also resulted in increased competition in the financial services industry. Such innovations have, for example, made it possible for non-depository institutions to offer customers automated transfer payment services that were previously considered traditional banking products. In addition, many customers now expect a choice of several delivery systems and channels, including telephone, mail, home computer, ATMs, self-service branches and/or in-store branches. To some extent, such competition has had limited effect on us to date because many recent technological advancements do not yet have Korean language capabilities. However, as such technology becomes available, the competitive pressure to be at the forefront of such advancements will be significant.
 
The market for the origination of SBA loans, one of our primary revenue sources, is highly competitive. We compete with other small, mid-size and major banks which originate these loans in the geographic areas in which our full service branches are located, as well as in the areas where we maintain SBA loan production offices. In addition, because these loans are largely broker-driven, we compete to a large extent with banks which originate SBA loans outside our immediate geographic area. Furthermore, because these loans may be written out of loan production offices specifically set up to write SBA loans rather than out of full service branches, the barriers to entry in this area, after approval of a bank as an SBA lender, are relatively low. In order to succeed in this highly competitive market, we actively market our SBA loans to minority-owned businesses. We also plan to expand loan production offices in other states where we can compete effectively. Unlike the market for the origination of SBA loans, the market for the resale of SBA loans is currently a seller’s market, and to date, we have had no difficulty finding buyers for our SBA loans. However, there can be no assurance that the resale market for SBA loans will grow or maintain its current status.
 
Business Concentration
 
No individual or single group of related accounts is considered material in relation to our total assets or deposits, or in relation to our overall business. However, approximately 78.8% of our loan portfolio at December 31, 2006 consisted of real estate-related loans, including construction loans, miniperm loans, residential mortgage loans and commercial loans secured by real estate. Moreover, our business activities are currently focused primarily in Southern California, with the majority of our business concentrated in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Consequently, our results of operations and financial condition are dependent upon the general trends in the Southern California economies and, in particular, the commercial real estate markets. In addition, the concentration of our operations in Southern California exposes us to greater risk than other banking companies with a wider geographic base in the event of catastrophes, such as earthquakes, fires and floods in this region.
 
Employees
 
We had 330 full time equivalent employees (325 full-time employees and 10 part-time employees) in December 2006. None of our employees are currently represented by a union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Management believes its employee relations are satisfactory.
 
Regulation and Supervision
 
The following is a summary description of the relevant laws, rules and regulations governing banks and bank holding companies. The descriptions of, and references to, the statutes and regulations below are brief summaries and do not purport to be complete. The descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to the specific statutes and regulations discussed.
 
General
 
The supervision and regulation of bank holding companies and their subsidiaries are intended primarily for the protection of depositors, the deposit insurance funds of the FDIC and the banking system as a whole, and not for the protection of the bank holding company shareholders or creditors. The banking agencies have broad enforcement power over bank holding companies and banks, including the power to impose substantial fines and other penalties for violations of laws and regulations.
 
Various legislation is from time to time introduced in Congress and California’s legislature, including proposals to overhaul the bank regulatory system, expand the powers of depository institutions and limit the investments that depository institutions may make with insured funds. Such legislation may change applicable statutes and the operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. We cannot determine the ultimate effect that future legislation or implementing regulations would have upon the financial condition and results of operations of us or any of our subsidiaries.
 
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Wilshire Bancorp
 
We are a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act, and are subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve Board. The Bank Holding Company Act and other federal laws subject bank holding companies to particular restrictions on the types of activities in which they may engage, and to a range of supervisory requirements and activities, including regulatory enforcement actions for violations of laws and regulations.
 
Regulatory Restrictions on Dividends; Source of Strength
 
We are regarded as a legal entity separate and distinct from our other subsidiaries. The principal source of our revenues will be dividends received from the Bank. Various federal and state statutory provisions limit the amount of dividends the Bank can pay to us without regulatory approval. It is the policy of the Federal Reserve Board that bank holding companies should pay cash dividends on common stock only out of income available over the past year and only if prospective earnings retention is consistent with the organization’s expected future needs and financial condition. The policy provides that bank holding companies should not maintain a level of cash dividends that undermines the bank holding company’s ability to serve as a source of strength to its banking subsidiaries.
 
Under Federal Reserve Board policy, a bank holding company is expected to act as a source of financial strength to each of its banking subsidiaries and commit resources to their support. Such support may be required at times when, absent this Federal Reserve Board policy, a holding company may not be inclined to provide it. As discussed below, a bank holding company, in certain circumstances, could be required to guarantee the capital plan of an undercapitalized banking subsidiary.
 
In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the trustee will be deemed to have assumed, and is required to cure immediately, any deficit under any commitment by the debtor holding company to any of the federal banking agencies to maintain the capital of an insured depository institution, and any claim for breach of such obligation will generally have priority over most other unsecured claims.
 
As a California corporation, Wilshire Bancorp is restricted under the California General Corporation Law (“CGCL”) from paying dividends under certain conditions. The shareholders of Wilshire Bancorp will be entitled to receive dividends when and as declared by its board of directors, out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends, as provided in the CGCL. The CGCL provides that a corporation may make a distribution to its shareholders if retained earnings immediately prior to the dividend payout at least equal the amount of proposed distribution. In the event that sufficient retained earnings are not available for the proposed distribution, a corporation may, nevertheless, make a distribution, if it meets both the “quantitative solvency” and the “liquidity” tests. In general, the quantitative solvency test requires that the sum of the assets of the corporation equal at least 1¼ times its liabilities. The liquidity test generally requires that a corporation have current assets at least equal to current liabilities, or, if the average of the earnings of the corporation before taxes on income and before interest expenses for the two preceding fiscal years was less than the average of the interest expense of the corporation for such fiscal years, then current assets must equal to at least 1¼ times current liabilities. In certain circumstances, Wilshire Bancorp may be required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board to make capital distributions to its shareholders.
 
Activities “Closely Related” to Banking
 
The Bank Holding Company Act prohibits a bank holding company, with certain limited exceptions, from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of any voting shares of any company which is not a bank or from engaging in any activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks and certain other subsidiaries, or furnishing services to or performing services for its subsidiaries. One principal exception to these prohibitions allows the acquisition of interests in companies whose activities are found by the Federal Reserve Board, by order or regulation, to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks, as to be a proper incident thereto. Some of the activities that have been determined by regulation to be closely related to banking are making or servicing loans, performing certain data processing services, acting as an investment or financial advisor to certain investment trusts and investment companies and providing securities brokerage services. Other activities approved by the Federal Reserve Board include consumer financial counseling, tax planning and tax preparation, futures and options advisory services, check guaranty services, collection agency and credit bureau services and personal property appraisals. In approving acquisitions by bank holding companies of companies engaged in banking-related activities, the Federal Reserve Board considers a number of factors, and weighs the expected benefits to the public (such as greater convenience and increased competition or gains in efficiency) against the risks of possible adverse effects (such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest or unsound banking practices). The Federal Reserve Board is also empowered to differentiate between activities commenced de novo and activities commenced through acquisition of a going concern.
 
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Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act; Financial Holding Companies
 
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act, signed into law on November 12, 1999, revised and expanded the provisions of the Bank Holding Company Act by including a new section that permits a bank holding company to elect to become a financial holding company to engage in a full range of activities that are “financial in nature.” The qualification requirements and the process for a bank holding company that elects to be treated as a financial holding company require that all of the subsidiary banks controlled by the bank holding company at the time of election to become a financial holding company must be and remain at all times “well-capitalized” and “well managed.” We have not yet made an election to become a financial holding company, but we may do so at some time in the future.
 
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act further requires that, in the event that the bank holding company elects to become a financial holding company, the election must be made by filing a written declaration with the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank that:
 
·  
states that the bank holding company elects to become a financial holding company;
 
·  
provides the name and head office address of the bank holding company and each depository institution controlled by the bank holding company;
 
·  
certifies that each depository institution controlled by the bank holding company is “well-capitalized” as of the date the bank holding company submits its declaration;
 
·  
provides the capital ratios for all relevant capital measures as of the close of the previous quarter for each depository institution controlled by the bank holding company; and
 
·  
certifies that each depository institution controlled by the bank holding company is “well managed” as of the date the bank holding company submits its declaration.
 
The bank holding company must have also achieved at least a rating of “satisfactory record of meeting community credit needs” under the Community Reinvestment Act during the institution’s most recent examination.
 
Financial holding companies may engage, directly or indirectly, in any activity that is determined to be:
 
·  
financial in nature;
 
·  
incidental to such financial activity; or
 
·  
complementary to a financial activity provided it “does not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally.”
 
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act specifically provides that the following activities have been determined to be “financial in nature”:
 
·  
lending, trust and other banking activities;
 
·  
insurance activities;
 
·  
financial or economic advisory services;
 
·  
securitization of assets;
 
·  
securities underwriting and dealing;
 
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·  
existing bank holding company domestic activities;
 
·  
existing bank holding company foreign activities; and
 
·  
merchant banking activities.
 
In addition, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act specifically gives the Federal Reserve Board the authority, by regulation or order, to expand the list of “financial” or “incidental” activities, but requires consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, and gives the Federal Reserve Board authority to allow a financial holding company to engage in any activity that is “complementary” to a financial activity and does not “pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally.”
 
Privacy Policies
 
Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, all financial institutions are required to adopt privacy policies, restrict the sharing of nonpublic customer data with nonaffiliated parties at the customer’s request, and establish procedures and practices to protect customer data from unauthorized access. We have established policies and procedures to assure our compliance with all privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
 
Safe and Sound Banking Practices
 
Bank holding companies are not permitted to engage in unsafe and unsound banking practices. The Federal Reserve Board’s Regulation Y, for example, generally requires a holding company to give the Federal Reserve Board prior notice of any redemption or repurchase of its own equity securities, if the consideration to be paid, together with the consideration paid for any repurchases or redemptions in the preceding year, is equal to 10% or more of the company’s consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve Board may oppose the transaction if it believes that the transaction would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice or would violate any law or regulation. Depending upon the circumstances, the Federal Reserve Board could take the position that paying a dividend would constitute an unsafe or unsound banking practice.
 
The Federal Reserve Board has broad authority to prohibit activities of bank holding companies and their nonbanking subsidiaries which represent unsafe and unsound banking practices or which constitute violations of laws or regulations, and can assess civil money penalties for certain activities conducted on a knowing and reckless basis, if those activities caused a substantial loss to a depository institution. The penalties can be as high as $1 million for each day the activity continues.
 
Annual Reporting; Examinations
 
We are required to file annual reports with the Federal Reserve Board, and such additional information as the Federal Reserve Board may require pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act. The Federal Reserve Board may examine a bank holding company or any of its subsidiaries, and charge the company for the cost of such examination.
 
Capital Adequacy Requirements 
 
The Federal Reserve Board has adopted a system using risk-based capital guidelines to evaluate the capital adequacy of certain large bank holding companies. Prior to March 30, 2006, these capital guidelines were applicable to all bank holding companies having $150 million or more in assets on a consolidated basis. However, effective March 30, 2006, the Federal Reserve Board amended the asset size threshold to $500 million for purposes of determining whether a bank holding company is subject to the capital adequacy guidelines. We currently have consolidated assets in excess of $500 million, and are therefore subject to the Federal Reserve Board’s capital adequacy guidelines.
 
Under the guidelines, specific categories of assets are assigned different risk weights, based generally on the perceived credit risk of the asset. These risk weights are multiplied by corresponding asset balances to determine a “risk-weighted” asset base. The guidelines require a minimum total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% (of which at least 4.0% is required to consist of Tier 1 capital elements). Total capital is the sum of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital. To be considered “well-capitalized,” a bank holding company must maintain, on a consolidated basis, (i) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6.0%, and (ii) a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater. As of December 31, 2006, our Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio was 11.81% and our total risk-based capital ratio was 13.63%. Thus, we are considered “well-capitalized” for regulatory purposes.
 
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In addition to the risk-based capital guidelines, the Federal Reserve Board uses a leverage ratio as an additional tool to evaluate the capital adequacy of bank holding companies. The leverage ratio is a company’s Tier 1 capital divided by its average total consolidated assets. Certain highly-rated bank holding companies may maintain a minimum leverage ratio of 3.0%, but other bank holding companies are required to maintain a leverage ratio of at least 4.0%. As of December 31, 2006, our leverage ratio was 9.79%.
 
The federal banking agencies’ risk-based and leverage ratios are minimum supervisory ratios generally applicable to banking organizations that meet certain specified criteria. The federal bank regulatory agencies may set capital requirements for a particular banking organization that are higher than the minimum ratios when circumstances warrant. Federal Reserve Board guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions will be expected to maintain strong capital positions, substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.
 
Imposition of Liability for Undercapitalized Subsidiaries
 
Bank regulators are required to take “prompt corrective action” to resolve problems associated with insured depository institutions whose capital declines below certain levels. In the event an institution becomes “undercapitalized,” it must submit a capital restoration plan. The capital restoration plan will not be accepted by the regulators unless each company having control of the undercapitalized institution guarantees the subsidiary’s compliance with the capital restoration plan up to a certain specified amount. Any such guarantee from a depository institution’s holding company is entitled to a priority of payment in bankruptcy.
 
The aggregate liability of the holding company of an undercapitalized bank is limited to the lesser of 5% of the institution’s assets at the time it became undercapitalized or the amount necessary to cause the institution to be “adequately capitalized.” The bank regulators have greater power in situations where an institution becomes “significantly” or “critically” undercapitalized or fails to submit a capital restoration plan. For example, a bank holding company controlling such an institution can be required to obtain prior Federal Reserve Board approval of proposed dividends, or might be required to consent to a consolidation or to divest itself of the troubled institution or other affiliates.
 
Acquisitions by Bank Holding Companies
 
The Bank Holding Company Act requires every bank holding company to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board before it may acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any bank, or ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank, if after such acquisition it would own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of the voting shares of such bank. In approving bank acquisitions by bank holding companies, the Federal Reserve Board is required to consider the financial and managerial resources and future prospects of the bank holding company and the banks concerned, the convenience and needs of the communities to be served, and various competitive factors.
 
Control Acquisitions
 
The Change in Bank Control Act prohibits a person or group of persons from acquiring “control” of a bank holding company unless the Federal Reserve Board has been notified and has not objected to the transaction. Under a rebuttable presumption established by the Federal Reserve Board, the acquisition of 10% or more of a class of voting stock of a bank holding company with a class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act would, under the circumstances set forth in the presumption, constitute acquisition of control.
 
In addition, any company is required to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve Board under the Bank Holding Company Act before acquiring 25% (5% in the case of an acquirer that is a bank holding company) or more of the outstanding common stock of the company, or otherwise obtaining control or a “controlling influence” over the company.
 
Cross-guarantees
 
Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, or FDIA, a depository institution (which definition includes both banks and savings associations), the deposits of which are insured by the FDIC, can be held liable for any loss incurred by, or reasonably expected to be incurred by, the FDIC in connection with (i) the default of a commonly controlled FDIC-insured depository institution, or (ii) any assistance provided by the FDIC to any commonly controlled FDIC-insured depository institution “in danger of default.” “Default” is defined generally as the appointment of a conservator or a receiver and “in danger of default” is defined generally as the existence of certain conditions indicating that default is likely to occur in the absence of regulatory assistance. In some circumstances (depending upon the amount of the loss or anticipated loss suffered by the FDIC), cross-guarantee liability may result in the ultimate failure or insolvency of one or more insured depository institutions in a holding company structure. Any obligation or liability owed by a subsidiary bank to its parent company is subordinated to the subsidiary bank’s cross-guarantee liability with respect to commonly controlled insured depository institutions. The Bank is currently our only FDIC-insured depository institution subsidiary.
 
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Because we are a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank, our right to participate in the distribution of assets of any subsidiary upon the subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization will be subject to the prior claims of the subsidiary’s creditors. In the event of a liquidation or other resolution of the Bank, the claims of depositors and other general or subordinated creditors of the Bank would be entitled to a priority of payment over the claims of holders of any obligation of the Bank to its shareholders, including any depository institution holding company (such as Wilshire Bancorp) or any shareholder or creditor of such holding company.
 
FIRREA
 
The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989, or FIRREA, includes various provisions that affect or may affect the Bank. Among other matters, FIRREA generally permits bank holding companies to acquire healthy thrifts as well as failed or failing thrifts. FIRREA removed certain cross-marketing prohibitions previously applicable to thrift and bank subsidiaries of a common holding company. Furthermore, a multi-bank holding company may now be required to indemnify the federal deposit insurance fund against losses it incurs with respect to such company’s affiliated banks, which in effect makes a bank holding company’s equity investments in healthy bank subsidiaries available to the FDIC to assist such company’s failing or failed bank subsidiaries.
 
In addition, pursuant to FIRREA, any depository institution that has been chartered less than two years, is not in compliance with the minimum capital requirements of its primary federal banking regulator, or is otherwise in a troubled condition must notify its primary federal banking regulator of the proposed addition of any person to the Board of Directors or the employment of any person as a senior executive officer of the institution at least 30 days before such addition or employment becomes effective. During such 30-day period, the applicable federal banking regulatory agency may disapprove of the employment of such director or officer. The Bank is not subject to any such requirements.
 
FIRREA also expanded and increased civil and criminal penalties available for use by the appropriate regulatory agency against certain “institution-affiliated parties” primarily including (i) management, employees and agents of a financial institution, as well as (ii) independent contractors, such as attorneys and accountants and others who participate in the conduct of the financial institution’s affairs and who caused or are likely to cause more than minimum financial loss to or a significant adverse affect on the institution, who knowingly or recklessly violate a law or regulation, breach a fiduciary duty or engage in unsafe or unsound practices. Such practices can include the failure of an institution to timely file required reports or the submission of inaccurate reports. Furthermore, FIRREA authorizes the appropriate banking agency to issue cease and desist orders that may, among other things, require affirmative action to correct any harm resulting from a violation or practice, including restitution, reimbursement, indemnifications or guarantees against loss. A financial institution may also be ordered to restrict its growth, dispose of certain assets or take other action as determined by the ordering agency to be appropriate.
 
USA Patriot Act
 
On October 26, 2001, President Bush signed into law comprehensive anti-terrorism legislation known as the USA Patriot Act. Title III of the USA Patriot Act requires financial institutions to help prevent, detect and prosecute international money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The effectiveness of a financial institution in combating money laundering activities is a factor to be considered in any application submitted by the financial institution under the Bank Merger Act, which applies to the Bank, or the Bank Holding Company Act, which applies to Wilshire Bancorp. We, and our subsidiaries, including the Bank, have adopted systems and procedures to comply with the USA Patriot Act and regulations adopted thereunder by the Secretary of the Treasury.
 
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The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
On July 30, 2002, President Bush signed into law The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or “Sarbanes-Oxley Act.” The Sarbanes-Oxley Act addresses accounting oversight and corporate governance matters relating to the operations of public companies. During 2003, the Commission issued a number of regulations under the directive of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act significantly increasing public company governance-related obligations and filing requirements, including:
 
·  
the establishment of an independent public oversight of public company accounting firms by a board that will set auditing, quality and ethical standards for and have investigative and disciplinary powers over such accounting firms,
 
·  
the enhanced regulation of the independence, responsibilities and conduct of accounting firms which provide auditing services to public companies,
 
·  
the increase of penalties for fraud related crimes,
 
·  
the enhanced disclosure, certification, and monitoring of financial statements, internal financial controls and the audit process, and
 
·  
the enhanced and accelerated reporting of corporate disclosures and internal governance.
 
 
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Commission rules promulgated thereunder, and the new Nasdaq governance requirements have required us to review our current procedures and policies to determine whether they comply with the new legislation and its implementing regulations. As of the date of this filing, we believe that we are in compliance with the new law and regulations and the NASDAQ governance requirements.
 
Wilshire State Bank
 
Wilshire State Bank is subject to extensive regulation and examination by the California Department of Financial Institutions and the FDIC, which insures its deposits to the maximum extent permitted by law, and is subject to certain Federal Reserve Board regulations of transactions with its affiliates. The federal and state laws and regulations which are applicable to the Bank regulate, among other things, the scope of its business, its investments, its reserves against deposits, the timing of the availability of deposited funds and the nature and amount of and collateral for certain loans. In addition to the impact of such regulations, commercial banks are affected significantly by the actions of the Federal Reserve Board as it attempts to control the money supply and credit availability in order to influence the economy.
 
Transactions with Affiliates
 
There are various statutory and regulatory limitations, including those set forth in sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation W, governing the extent to which the Bank will be able to purchase assets from or securities of or otherwise finance or transfer funds to us or our nonbanking affiliates. Among other restrictions, such transactions between the Bank and any one affiliate (including the Company) generally will be limited to 10% of the Bank’s capital and surplus, and transactions between the Bank and all affiliates will be limited to 20% of the Bank’s capital and surplus. Furthermore, loans and extensions of credit are required to be secured in specified amounts and are required to be on terms and conditions consistent with safe and sound banking practices.
 
In addition, any transaction by a bank with an affiliate and any sale of assets or provision of services to an affiliate generally must be on terms that are substantially the same, or at least as favorable, to the bank as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with nonaffiliated companies.
 
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Loans to Insiders
 
Sections 22(g) and (h) of the Federal Reserve Act and its implementing regulation, Regulation O, place restrictions on loans by a bank to executive officers, directors, and principal shareholders. Under Section 22(h), loans to a director, an executive officer and to a greater than 10% shareholder of a bank and certain of their related interests, or insiders, and insiders of affiliates, may not exceed, together with all other outstanding loans to such person and related interests, the bank’s loans-to-one-borrower limit (generally equal to 15% of the institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus). Section 22(h) also requires that loans to insiders and to insiders of affiliates be made on terms substantially the same as offered in comparable transactions to other persons, unless the loans are made pursuant to a benefit or compensation program that (i) is widely available to employees of the bank, and (ii) does not give preference to insiders over other employees of the bank. Section 22(h) also requires prior Board of Directors approval for certain loans, and the aggregate amount of extensions of credit by a bank to all insiders cannot exceed the institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus. Furthermore, Section 22(g) places additional restrictions on loans to executive officers.
 
Dividends
 
The ability of the Bank to pay dividends on its common stock is restricted by the California Financial Code, the FDIA and FDIC regulations. In general terms, California law provides that the Bank may declare a cash dividend out of net profits up to the lesser of retained earnings or net income for the last three fiscal years (less any distributions made to shareholders during such period), or, with the prior written approval of the Commissioner of Department of Financial Institutions, in an amount not exceeding the greatest of:
 
·  
retained earnings,
 
·  
net income for the prior fiscal year, or
 
·  
net income for the current fiscal year.
 
The Bank’s ability to pay any cash dividends will depend not only upon our earnings during a specified period, but also on our meeting certain capital requirements. The FDIA and FDIC regulations restrict the payment of dividends when a bank is undercapitalized, when a bank has failed to pay insurance assessments, or when there are safety and soundness concerns regarding a bank.
 
The payment of dividends by the Bank may also be affected by other regulatory requirements and policies, such as maintenance of adequate capital. If, in the opinion of the regulatory authority, a depository institution under its jurisdiction is engaged in, or is about to engage in, an unsafe or unsound practice (that, depending on the financial condition of the depository institution, could include the payment of dividends), such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such depository institution cease and desist from such practice. The Federal Reserve Board has issued a policy statement that provides that insured banks and bank holding companies should generally pay dividends only out of operating earnings for the current and preceding two years. In addition, all insured depository institutions are subject to the capital-based limitations required by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991.
 
Capital Requirements
 
The Bank is also subject to certain restrictions on the payment of dividends as a result of the requirement that it maintain adequate levels of capital in accordance with guidelines promulgated from time to time by applicable regulators.
 
The FDIC and the California Department of Financial Institutions monitor the capital adequacy of the Bank by using a combination of risk-based guidelines and leverage ratios. The agencies consider each of the bank’s capital levels when taking action on various types of applications and when conducting supervisory activities related to the safety and soundness of individual banks and the banking system.
 
Under the risk-based capital guidelines, a risk weight factor of 0% to 100% is assigned to each category of assets based generally on the perceived credit risk of the asset class. The risk weights are then multiplied by the corresponding asset balances to determine a “risk-weighted” asset base. At least half of the risk-based capital must consist of core (Tier 1) capital, which is comprised of:
 
·  
common shareholders’ equity (includes common stock and any related surplus, undivided profits, disclosed capital reserves that represent a segregation of undivided profits, and foreign currency translation adjustments; less net unrealized losses on marketable equity securities);
 
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·  
certain noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and related surplus; and
 
·  
minority interests in the equity capital accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, and excludes goodwill and various intangible assets.
 
The remainder, supplementary (Tier 2) capital, may consist of:
 
·  
allowance for loan losses, up to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets;
 
·  
certain perpetual preferred stock and related surplus;
 
·  
hybrid capital instruments;
 
·  
perpetual debt;
 
·  
mandatory convertible debt securities;
 
·  
term subordinated debt;
 
·  
intermediate-term preferred stock; and
 
·  
certain unrealized holding gains on equity securities.
 
“Total risk-based capital” is determined by combining core capital and supplementary capital.
 
Under the regulatory capital guidelines, the Bank must maintain a total risk-based capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 8.0%, a Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 4.0%, and a Tier 1 capital to adjusted total assets ratio of at least 4.0% (3.0% for banks receiving the highest examination rating) to be considered adequately capitalized.
 
The FDIC Improvement Act
 
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991, or FDICIA, made a number of reforms addressing the safety and soundness of the deposit insurance system, supervision of domestic and foreign depository institutions, and improvement of accounting standards. This statute also limited deposit insurance coverage, implemented changes in consumer protection laws and provided for least-cost resolution and prompt regulatory action with regard to troubled institutions.
 
FDICIA requires every bank with total assets in excess of $500 million to have an annual independent audit made of the bank’s financial statements by a certified public accountant to verify that the financial statements of the bank are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and comply with such other disclosure requirements as prescribed by the FDIC.
 
FDICIA also places certain restrictions on activities of banks depending on their level of capital. FDICIA divides banks into five different categories, depending on their level of capital. Under regulations adopted by the FDIC, a bank is deemed to be “well-capitalized” if it has a total Risk-Based Capital Ratio of 10.00% or more, a Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 6.00% or more and a Leverage Ratio of 5.00% or more, and the bank is not subject to an order or capital directive to meet and maintain a certain capital level. Under such regulations, a bank is deemed to be “adequately capitalized” if it has a total Risk-Based Capital Ratio of 8.00% or more, a Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 4.00% or more and a Leverage Ratio of 4.00% or more (unless it receives the highest composite rating at its most recent examination and is not experiencing or anticipating significant growth, in which instance it must maintain a Leverage Ratio of 3.00% or more). Under such regulations, a bank is deemed to be “undercapitalized” if it has a total Risk-Based Capital Ratio of less than 8.00%, a Tier 1 Capital Ratio of less than 4.00% or a Leverage Ratio of less than 4.00%. Under such regulations, a bank is deemed to be “significantly undercapitalized” if it has a Risk-Based Capital Ratio of less than 6.00%, a Tier 1 Capital Ratio of less than 3.00% and a Leverage Ratio of less than 3.00%. Under such regulations, a bank is deemed to be “critically undercapitalized” if it has a Leverage Ratio of less than or equal to 2.00%. In addition, the FDIC has the ability to downgrade a bank’s classification (but not to “critically undercapitalized”) based on other considerations even if the bank meets the capital guidelines. According to these guidelines the Bank was classified as “well-capitalized” as of December 31, 2006.
 
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In addition, if a bank is classified as undercapitalized, the bank is required to submit a capital restoration plan to the federal banking regulators. Pursuant to FDICIA, an undercapitalized bank is prohibited from increasing its assets, engaging in a new line of business, acquiring any interest in any company or insured depository institution, or opening or acquiring a new branch office, except under certain circumstances, including the acceptance by the federal banking regulators of a capital restoration plan for the bank.
 
Furthermore, if a bank is classified as undercapitalized, the federal banking regulators may take certain actions to correct the capital position of the bank; if a bank is classified as significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized, the federal banking regulators would be required to take one or more prompt corrective actions. These actions would include, among other things, requiring: sales of new securities to bolster capital, improvements in management, limits on interest rates paid, prohibitions on transactions with affiliates, termination of certain risky activities and restrictions on compensation paid to executive officers. If a bank is classified as critically undercapitalized, FDICIA requires the bank to be placed into conservatorship or receivership within 90 days, unless the federal banking regulators determines that other action would better achieve the purposes of FDICIA regarding prompt corrective action with respect to undercapitalized banks.
 
The capital classification of a bank affects the frequency of examinations of the bank and impacts the ability of the bank to engage in certain activities and affects the deposit insurance premiums paid by such bank. Under FDICIA, the federal banking regulators are required to conduct a full-scope, on-site examination of every bank at least once every 12 months. An exception to this rule is made, however, that provides that banks (i) with assets of less than $100 million, (ii) are categorized as “well-capitalized,” (iii) were found to be well managed and its composite rating was outstanding, and (iv) have not been subject to a change in control during the last 12 months, need only be examined once every 18 months.
 
Brokered Deposits
 
Under FDICIA, banks may be restricted in their ability to accept brokered deposits, depending on their capital classification. “Well-capitalized” banks are permitted to accept brokered deposits, but all banks that are not well-capitalized are not permitted to accept such deposits. The FDIC may, on a case-by-case basis, permit banks that are adequately capitalized to accept brokered deposits if the FDIC determines that acceptance of such deposits would not constitute an unsafe or unsound banking practice with respect to the bank. The Bank is currently well-capitalized and therefore is not subject to any limitations with respect to its brokered deposits.
 
Federal Limitations on Activities and Investments
 
The equity investments and activities as a principal of FDIC-insured state-chartered banks, such as the Bank, are generally limited to those that are permissible for national banks. Under regulations dealing with equity investments, an insured state bank generally may not directly or indirectly acquire or retain any equity investment of a type, or in an amount, that is not permissible for a national bank.
 
FDIC Deposit Insurance Assessments
 
In addition, under FDICIA, the FDIC is authorized to assess insurance premiums on a bank’s deposits at a variable rate depending on the probability that the deposit insurance fund will incur a loss with respect to the bank. In this regard, the FDIC has issued regulations for a transitional risk-based deposit assessment that determine the deposit insurance assessment rates on the basis of the bank’s capital classification and supervisory evaluations. Each of these categories has three subcategories, resulting in nine assessment risk classifications. The three subcategories with respect to capital are “well-capitalized,” “adequately capitalized” and “less than adequately capitalized (which would include “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” and “critically undercapitalized” banks). The three subcategories with respect to supervisory concerns are “healthy,” “supervisory concern” and “substantial supervisory concern.” A bank is deemed “healthy” if it is financially sound with only a few minor weaknesses (Group A). A bank is deemed subject to “supervisory concern” if it has weaknesses that, if not corrected, could result in significant deterioration of the bank and increased risk to the Bank Insurance Fund (Group B). A bank is deemed subject to “substantial supervisory concern” if it poses a substantial probability of loss to the Bank Insurance Fund (Group C).
 
On June 30, 1996, the Deposit Insurance Funds Act of 1996, or DIFA, was enacted and signed into law as part of the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996. DIFA established the framework for the eventual merger of the BIF and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, or SAIF, into a single Deposit Insurance Fund. It repealed the statutory minimum premium and, under implementing FDIC regulations promulgated in 1997, premiums assessed by both the BIF and the SAIF are to be assessed using the matrix described below at a rates between 0 cents and 27 cents per $100 of deposits.
 
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Group A
 
Group B
 
Group C
Well Capitalized
0
 
3
 
17
Adequately Capitalized
3
 
10
 
24
Undercapitalized
10
 
24
 
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DIFA also separated, effective January 1, 1997, the Financing Corporation, or FICO, assessment to service the interest on its bond obligations from the BIF and SAIF assessments. The amount assessed on individual institutions by the FICO will be in addition to the amount, if any, paid for deposit insurance according to the FDIC’s risk-related assessment rate schedules. The FICO rate may be adjusted quarterly to reflect changes in assessment bases for the BIF and the SAIF.
 
The FDIC may terminate the deposit insurance of any insured depository institution, including the Bank, if it determines after a hearing that the institution has engaged or is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, order or any condition imposed by an agreement with the FDIC. It also may suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for the permanent termination of insurance, if the institution has no tangible capital. If insurance of accounts is terminated, the accounts at the institution at the time of the termination, less subsequent withdrawals, shall continue to be insured for a period of six months to two years, as determined by the FDIC. Management is aware of no existing circumstances which would result in termination of the Bank’s deposit insurance.
 
Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act
 
On October 28, 2003, President Bush signed into law the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, also known as Check 21. The new law, which became effective in October 2004, gives “substitute checks,” such as a digital image of a check and copies made from that image, the same legal standing as the original paper check. Some of the major provisions include:
 
·  
allowing check truncation without making it mandatory;
 
·  
demanding that every financial institution communicate to account holders in writing a description of its substitute check processing program and their rights under the law;
 
·  
legalizing substitutions for and replacements of paper checks without agreement from consumers;
 
·  
retaining in place the previously mandated electronic collection and return of checks between financial institutions only when individual agreements are in place;
 
·  
requiring that when account holders request verification, financial institutions produce the original check (or a copy that accurately represents the original) and demonstrate that the account debit was accurate and valid; and
 
·  
requiring recrediting of funds to an individual’s account on the next business day after a consumer proves that the financial institution has erred.
 
Community Reinvestment Act
 
Under the Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA, as implemented by the Congress in 1977, a financial institution has a continuing and affirmative obligation, consistent with its safe and sound operation, to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community, consistent with the CRA. The CRA requires federal examiners, in connection with the examination of a financial institution, to assess the institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take such record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by such institution. The CRA also requires all institutions to make public disclosure of their CRA ratings. The Bank has a Compliance Committee, which oversees the planning of products, and services offered to the community, especially those aimed to serve low and moderate income communities. The FDIC rated the Bank as “satisfactory” in meeting community credit needs under the CRA at its most recent examination for CRA performance.
 
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Consumer Laws and Regulations
 
In addition to the laws and regulations discussed herein, the Bank is also subject to certain consumer laws and regulations that are designed to protect consumers in transactions with banks. While the list set forth herein is not exhaustive, these laws and regulations include the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act, among others. These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits or making loans to such customers. The Bank must comply with the applicable provisions of these consumer protection laws and regulations as part of its ongoing customer relations.
 
Interstate Branching
 
Effective June 1, 1997, the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994 amended the FDIA and certain other statutes to permit state and national banks with different home states to merge across state lines, with approval of the appropriate federal banking agency, unless the home state of a participating bank had passed legislation prior to May 31, 1997 expressly prohibiting interstate mergers. Under the Riegle-Neal Act amendments, once a state or national bank has established branches in a state, that bank may establish and acquire additional branches at any location in the state at which any bank involved in the interstate merger transaction could have established or acquired branches under applicable federal or state law. If a state opts out of interstate branching within the specified time period, no bank in any other state may establish a branch in the state which has opted out, whether through an acquisition or de novo. The Bank currently has branches located in the States of California, Texas and New York.
 
Federal Home Loan Bank System
 
The Federal Home Loan Bank system, or FHLB, of which the Bank is a member, consists of 12 regional FHLBs governed and regulated by the Federal Housing Finance Board, or FHFB. The FHLBs serve as reserve or credit facilities for member institutions within their assigned regions. They are funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB system. They make loans (i.e., advances) to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the FHLB and the boards of directors of each regional FHLB.
 
As a system member, the Bank is entitled to borrow from the FHLB of San Francisco, or FHLB-SF, and is required to own capital stock in the FHLB-SF in an amount equal to the greater of 1% of the membership asset value, not exceeding $25 million, or 4.7% of outstanding FHLB-SF advance borrowings. The Bank is in compliance with the stock ownership rules described above with respect to such advances, commitments and letters of credit and home mortgage loans and similar obligations. All loans, advances and other extensions of credit made by the FHLB-SF to the Bank are secured by a portion of the Bank’s mortgage loan portfolio, certain other investments and the capital stock of the FHLB-SF held by the Bank.
 
Mortgage Banking Operations
 
The Bank is subject to the rules and regulations of FNMA with respect to originating, processing, selling and servicing mortgage loans and the issuance and sale of mortgage-backed securities. Those rules and regulations, among other things, prohibit discrimination and establish underwriting guidelines which include provisions for inspections and appraisals, require credit reports on prospective borrowers and fix maximum loan amounts. Mortgage origination activities are subject to, among others, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Federal Truth-in-Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder which, among other things, prohibit discrimination and require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit terms and settlement costs. The Bank is also subject to regulation by the California Department of Financial Institutions, with respect to, among other things, the establishment of maximum origination fees on certain types of mortgage loan products.
 
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Future Legislation and Economic Policy
 
We cannot predict what other legislation or economic and monetary policies of the various regulatory authorities might be enacted or adopted or what other regulations might be adopted or the effects thereof. Future legislation and policies and the effects thereof might have a significant influence on overall growth and distribution of loans, investments and deposits and affect interest rates charged on loans or paid from time and savings deposits. Such legislation and policies have had a significant effect on the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue.
 
 
Item 1A. Risk Factors
 
The risks described below could materially and adversely affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this Report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed elsewhere in this Report, and there may be additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial to our business. In addition, the trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of the events described in these risks.
 
If a significant number of clients fail to perform under their loans, our business, profitability, and financial condition would be adversely affected.
 
As a lender, the largest risk we face is the possibility that a significant number of our client borrowers will fail to pay their loans when due. If borrower defaults cause losses in excess of our allowance for loan losses, it could have an adverse effect on our business, profitability, and financial condition. We have established an evaluation process designed to determine the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses. Although this evaluation process uses historical and other objective information, the classification of loans and the establishment of loan losses are dependent to a great extent on our experience and judgment. Although we believe that our allowance for loan losses is at a level adequate to absorb any inherent losses in our loan portfolio, we cannot assure you that we will not further increase the allowance for loan losses or that regulators will not require us to increase this allowance.
 
Increases in our allowance for loan losses could materially affect our earnings adversely.
 
Like all financial institutions, we maintain an allowance for loan losses to provide for loan defaults and non-performance. Our allowance for loan losses is based on prior experience, as well as an evaluation of the risks in the current portfolio. However, actual loan losses could increase significantly as the result of changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates, which are generally beyond our control. Thus, such losses could exceed our current allowance estimates. Although we believe that our allowance for loan losses is at a level adequate to absorb any inherent losses in our loan portfolio, we cannot assure you that we will not further increase the allowance for loan losses or regulators will not require us to increase this allowance. Either of these occurrences could materially affect our earnings adversely.
 
In addition, the FDIC and the California Department of Financial Institutions, as an integral part of their respective supervisory functions, periodically review our allowance for loan losses. Such regulatory agencies may require us to increase our provision for loan losses or to recognize further loan charge-offs, based upon judgments different from those of management. Any increase in our allowance required by the FDIC or the DFI could adversely affect us.
 
Banking organizations are subject to interest rate risk and variations in interest rates may negatively affect our financial performance.
 
A major portion of our net income comes from our interest rate spread, which is the difference between the interest rates paid by us on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and other borrowings, and the interest rates we receive on interest-earning assets, such as loans we extend to our clients and securities held in our investment portfolio. Net interest spreads are affected by the difference between the maturities and repricing characteristics of interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities. In addition, loan volume and yields are affected by market interest rates on loans, and rising interest rates generally are associated with a lower volume of loan originations. Since June 30, 2004, the federal funds rate and other short-term market interest rates, which are used to guide deposit pricing in most banking organizations, have increased, while intermediate and long-term market interest rates, which are used by many banking organizations to guide loan pricing, have not increased proportionately. This has led to a “flattening” of the market yield curve, which has even “inverted” recently as short-term rates have exceeded long-term rates over an intermediate maturity horizon. The flat yield curve may hurt interest rate spread and net interest margin because the interest rates paid on deposits are likely to reprice upwards faster than the interest rates earned on loans and investments. If short-term interest rates continue to rise so that the yield curve remains relatively flat or inverts further, we would expect that net interest spread and net interest margin would continue to compress, which would hurt net interest income. We cannot assure you that we can minimize our interest rate risk. In addition, while an increase in the general level of interest rates may increase our net interest margins and loan yield, it may adversely affect the ability of certain borrowers with variable rate loans to pay the interest on and principal of their obligations. Accordingly, changes in levels of market interest rates could materially and adversely affect our net interest spread, asset quality, loan origination volume and overall profitability.
 
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The profitability of Wilshire Bancorp will be dependent on the profitability of the Bank.
 
Wilshire Bancorp was incorporated on December 9, 2003, for the purpose of facilitating the issuance of trust preferred securities for the Bank and becoming the Bank’s holding company. Therefore, Wilshire Bancorp has limited operating history, and since its principal activity for the foreseeable future will be to act as the holding company of the Bank, the profitability of Wilshire Bancorp will be dependent on the profitability of the Bank. The Bank operates in an extremely competitive banking environment, competing with a number of banks and other financial institutions which possess greater financial resources than those available to the Bank, in addition to other independent banks. In addition, the banking business is affected by general economic and political conditions, both domestic and international, and by government monetary and fiscal policies. Conditions such as inflation, recession, unemployment, high interest rates, short money supply, scarce natural resources, international terrorism and other disorders as well as other factors beyond the control of the Bank may adversely affect its profitability. Banks are also subject to extensive governmental supervision, regulation and control, and future legislation and government policy could adversely affect the banking industry and the operations of the Bank.
 
Wilshire Bancorp relies heavily on the payment of dividends from the Bank.
 
The ability of Wilshire Bancorp to meet its debt service requirements and to pay dividends depends on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to Wilshire Bancorp on the Bank’s common stock, as Wilshire Bancorp has no other source of significant income. However, the Bank is subject to regulations limiting the amount of dividends the Bank may pay to Wilshire Bancorp. For example, the payment of dividends by the Bank is affected by the requirement to maintain adequate capital pursuant to the capital adequacy guidelines issued by the FDIC. All banks and bank holding companies are required to maintain a minimum ratio of qualifying total capital to total risk-weighted assets of 8.0%, at least one-half of which must be in the form of Tier 1 capital, and a ratio of Tier 1 capital to average adjusted assets of 4.0%. If (i) the FDIC increases any of these required ratios; (ii) the total of risk-weighted assets of the Bank increases significantly; and/or (iii) the Bank’s income decreases significantly, the Bank’s Board of Directors may decide or be required to retain a greater portion of the Bank’s earnings to achieve and maintain the required capital or asset ratios. This will reduce the amount of funds available for the payment of dividends by the Bank to Wilshire Bancorp. Further, in some cases, the FDIC could take the position that it has the power to prohibit the Bank from paying dividends if, in its view, such payments would constitute unsafe or unsound banking practices. In addition, whether dividends are paid and their frequency and amount will depend on the financial condition and performance, and the discretion of management of the Bank. The foregoing restrictions on dividends paid by the Bank may limit Wilshire Bancorp’s ability to obtain funds from such dividends for its cash needs, including funds for payment of its debt service requirements and operating expenses and for payment of cash dividends to Wilshire Bancorp’s shareholders. The amount of dividends the Bank could pay to Wilshire Bancorp as of December 31, 2006 without prior regulatory approval, which is limited by statute to the sum of undivided profits for the current year plus net profits for the preceding two years, was $81.2 million.
 
The holders of recently issued debentures have rights that are senior to those of our shareholders.
 
In December 2002, the Bank issued an aggregate of $10 million of Junior Subordinated Debentures, sometimes referred to in this Report as the 2002 Junior Subordinated Debentures or the 2002 debentures. In addition, in the past three years, Wilshire Bancorp, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank in 2003 and as a parent company of the Bank in 2005, issued an aggregate of $51,547,000 of Junior Subordinated Debentures as part of the issuance of $50,000,000 in trust preferred securities by statutory trusts wholly-owned by Wilshire Bancorp. The purpose of these transactions was to raise additional capital. These Junior Subordinated Debentures are senior in liquidation rights to our outstanding shares of common stock. The terms of these Junior Subordinated Debentures also restrict our ability to pay dividends on our common stock at any time we are in default under, or with respect to the Junior Subordinated Debentures issued in 2003 or 2005, have exercised our right to defer interest payments under the indentures governing these Junior Subordinated Debentures. As a result, in the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or liquidation, the holder of these Junior Subordinated Debentures must be paid in full before any liquidating distributions may be made to the holders of our common stock. And if we default under the terms of these Junior Subordinated Debentures or utilize our right to defer interest payments on the Junior Subordinated Debentures issued in 2003 or 2005 no dividends may be paid to holders of our common stock for so long as we remain in default or have deferred amounts remaining unpaid. Because we are substantially dependent on dividends from the Bank in order to make the periodic payments due under the terms of the Junior Subordinated Debentures issued in 2003 and 2005, in the event that the Bank is unable to pay dividends to Wilshire Bancorp for any significant period of time, then we may be unable to pay the amounts due to the holders of these Junior Subordinated Debentures.
 
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Adverse changes in domestic or global economic conditions, especially in California, could have a material adverse effect on our business, growth, and profitability.
 
If conditions worsen in the domestic or global economy, especially in California, our business, growth and profitability are likely to be materially adversely affected. A substantial number of our clients are geographically concentrated in California, and adverse economic conditions in California, particularly in the Los Angeles area, could harm the businesses of a disproportionate number of our clients. To the extent that our clients’ underlying businesses are harmed, they are more likely to default on their loans. We can provide no assurance that conditions in the California economy will not deteriorate in the future and that such deterioration will not adversely affect us.
 
Maintaining or increasing our market share depends on market acceptance and regulatory approval of new products and services.
 
Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to adapt our products and services to evolving industry standards and consumer demand. There is increasing pressure on financial services companies to provide products and services at lower prices. In addition, the widespread adoption of new technologies, including Internet-based services, could require us to make substantial expenditures to modify or adapt our existing products or services. A failure to achieve market acceptance of any new products we introduce, or a failure to introduce products that the market may demand, could have an adverse effect on our business, profitability, or growth prospects.
 
Significant reliance on loans secured by real estate may increase our vulnerability to downturns in the California real estate market and other variables impacting the value of real estate.
 
At December 31, 2006, approximately 78.8% of our loans were secured by real estate, a substantial portion of which consist of loans secured by real estate in California. Conditions in the California real estate market historically have influenced the level of our non-performing assets. A real estate recession in Southern California could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, California has experienced, on occasion, significant natural disasters, including earthquakes, brush fires and, during early 1998, flooding attributed to the weather phenomenon known as “El Nino.” The availability of insurance for losses from such catastrophes is limited. The occurrence of one or more of such catastrophes could impair the value of the collateral for our real estate secured loans and adversely affect us. In recent years, real estate prices in Southern California have risen significantly. If real estate prices were to fall in Southern California, the security for many of our real estate secured loans could be reduced and we could incur significant losses if borrowers of real estate secured loans default, and the value of our collateral is insufficient to cover our losses.
 
If we fail to retain our key employees, our growth and profitability could be adversely affected.
 
Our future success depends in large part upon the continuing contributions of our key management personnel. If we lose the services of one or more key employees within a short period of time, we could be adversely affected. Our future success is also dependent upon our continuing ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. Competition for such employees among financial institutions in California is intense. Our inability to attract and retain additional key personnel could adversely affect us. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to retain any of our key officers and employees or attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. However, we have entered into an employment agreement with Soo Bong Min, our President and Chief Executive Officer, which continues until May 30, 2009.
 
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We may be unable to manage future growth.
 
We may encounter problems in managing our future growth. Our total assets at December 31, 2006, 2005, and 2004 were $2.01 billion, $1.67 billion, and $1.27 billion, respectively, representing an increase of $401 million, or 31.5% in 2005 and $342 million, or 20.5% in 2006. We currently intend to open additional “de novo” branches and loan production offices and to investigate opportunities to acquire or combine with other financial institutions that would complement our existing business, as such opportunities may arise. No assurance can be provided, however, that we will be able to identify a suitable acquisition target or consummate any such acquisition. Further, our ability to manage growth will depend primarily on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, monitor operations, maintain earnings and control costs. Any failure by us to accomplish these goals could result in interruptions in our business plans and could also adversely affect current operations.
 
We could be liable for breaches of security in our online banking services. Fear of security breaches could limit the growth of our online services.
 
We offer various Internet-based services to our clients, including online banking services. The secure transmission of confidential information over the Internet is essential to maintain our clients’ confidence in our online services. Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries or other developments could result in a compromise or breach of the technology we use to protect client transaction data. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to prevent security breaches and periodically test our security, failure to mitigate breaches of security could adversely affect our ability to offer and grow our online services and could harm our business.
 
People generally are concerned with security and privacy on the Internet and any publicized security problems could inhibit the growth of the Internet as a means of conducting commercial transactions. Our ability to provide financial services over the Internet would be severely impeded if clients became unwilling to transmit confidential information online. As a result, our operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
 
Our directors and executive officers beneficially own a significant portion of our outstanding common stock.
 
As of February 28, 2007, our directors and executive officers, together with their respective affiliates, beneficially owned approximately 40% of our outstanding voting common stock (not including vested option shares). As a result, such shareholders may have the ability to significantly influence the outcome of corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. We can provide no assurance that the investment objectives of such shareholders will be the same as our other shareholders.
 
The market for our common stock is limited, and potentially subject to volatile changes in price.
 
The market price of our common stock may be subject to significant fluctuation in response to numerous factors, including variations in our annual or quarterly financial results or those of our competitors, changes by financial research analysts in their evaluation of our financial results or those of our competitors, or our failure or that of our competitors to meet such estimates, conditions in the economy in general or the banking industry in particular, or unfavorable publicity affecting us or the banking industry. In addition, the equity markets have, on occasion, experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected the market prices for many companies’ securities and have been unrelated to the operating performance of those companies. In addition, the sale by any of our large shareholders of a significant portion of that shareholder’s holdings could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. Further, the registration of any significant amount of additional shares of our common stock will have the immediate effect of increasing the public float of our common stock and any such increase may cause the market price of our common stock to decline or fluctuate significantly. Any such fluctuations may adversely affect the prevailing market price of the common stock.
 
Additional shares of our common stock issued in the future could have a dilutive effect.
 
Shares of our common stock eligible for future issuance and sale could have a dilutive effect on the market for our stock. Our Articles of Incorporation authorize the issuance of 80,000,000 shares of common stock. As of February 28, 2007, there were approximately 29,368,016 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, plus an additional 693,720 shares of our authorized common stock available for the future grant of options and an additional 567,296 shares of common stock reserved for issuance to the holders of stock options previously granted and still outstanding under the Wilshire State Bank 1997 Stock Option Plan. Thus, approximately 49,370,968 shares of our common stock remain authorized (not reserved for stock options or available for future issuance and sale) at the discretion of our Board of Directors.
 
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Shares of our preferred stock issued in the future could have dilutive and other effects.
 
Shares of our preferred stock eligible for future issuance and sale could have a dilutive effect on the market for the shares of our common stock. In addition to 80,000,000 shares of common stock, our Articles of Incorporation of the Company authorize the issuance of 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Although our Board of Directors has no present intent to authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock, such shares could be authorized in the future. If such shares of preferred stock are made convertible into shares of common stock, there could be a dilutive effect on the shares of common stock then outstanding. In addition, shares of preferred stock may be provided a preference over holders of common stock upon our liquidation or with respect to the payment of dividends, in respect of voting rights or in the redemption of our capital stock. The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions applicable to any series of preferred stock may be determined by resolution of our Board of Directors without the need for shareholder approval.
 
We face substantial competition in our primary market area.
 
We conduct our banking operations primarily in Southern California. Increased competition in our market may result in reduced loans and deposits. Ultimately, we may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors. Many competitors offer the same banking services that we offer in our service area. These competitors include national banks, regional banks and other community banks. We also face competition from many other types of financial institutions, including without limitation, savings and loan institutions, finance companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit unions, mortgage banks and other financial intermediaries. In particular, our competitors include several major financial companies whose greater resources may afford them a marketplace advantage by enabling them to maintain numerous banking locations and mount extensive promotional and advertising campaigns. Additionally, banks and other financial institutions with larger capitalization and financial intermediaries not subject to bank regulatory restrictions have larger lending limits and are thereby able to serve the credit needs of larger customers. Areas of competition include interest rates for loans and deposits, efforts to obtain deposits, and range and quality of products and services provided, including new technology-driven products and services. Technological innovation continues to contribute to greater competition in domestic and international financial services markets as technological advances enable more companies to provide financial services. We also face competition from out-of-state financial intermediaries that have opened low-end production offices or that solicit deposits in our market areas. If we are unable to attract and retain banking customers, we may be unable to continue our loan growth and level of deposits and our results of operations and financial condition may otherwise be adversely affected.
 
Anti-takeover provisions of our charter documents may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or management.
 
Certain provisions in our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws could discourage unsolicited takeover proposals not approved by the Board of Directors in which shareholders could receive a premium for their shares, thereby potentially limiting the opportunity for our shareholders to dispose of their shares at the higher price generally available in takeover attempts or that may be available under a merger proposal or may have the effect of permitting our current management, including the current Board of Directors, to retain its position, and place it in a better position to resist changes that shareholders may wish to make if they are dissatisfied with the conduct of our business. The anti-takeover measures included in our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, include, without limitation, the following:
 
·  
the elimination of cumulative voting,
 
·  
the adoption of a classified board of directors,
 
·  
super-majority shareholder voting requirements to modify certain provisions of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, and
 
28

 
·  
restrictions on certain “business combinations” with third parties who may acquire our securities outside of an action taken by us.
 
We are subject to significant government regulation and legislation that increases the cost of doing business and inhibits our ability to compete.
 
We are subject to extensive state and federal regulation, supervision and legislation, all of which is subject to material change from time to time. These laws and regulations increase the cost of doing business and have an adverse impact on our ability to compete efficiently with other financial service providers that are not similarly regulated. Changes in regulatory policies or procedures could result in management’s determining that a higher provision for loan losses would be necessary and could cause higher loan charge-offs, thus adversely affecting our net earnings. There can be no assurance that future regulation or legislation will not impose additional requirements and restrictions on us in a manner that could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and prospects.
 
We could be negatively impacted by downturns in the South Korean economy.
 
Many of our customers are locally based Korean-Americans who also conduct business in South Korea. Although we conduct most of our business with locally-based customers and rely on domestically located assets to collateralize our loans and credit arrangements, we have historically had some exposure to the economy of South Korea in connection with certain of our loans and credit transactions with Korean banks. Such exposure has consisted of:
 
·  
discounts of acceptances created by banks in South Korea,
 
·  
advances made against clean documents presented under sight letters of credit issued by banks in South Korea,
 
·  
advances made against clean documents held for later presentation under letters of credit issued by banks in South Korea, and
 
·  
extensions of credit to borrowers in the U.S. secured by letters of credit issued by banks in South Korea.
 
We generally enter into any such loan or credit arrangements, in excess of $200,000 and of longer than 120 days, only with the largest of the Korean banks and spread other lesser or shorter term loan or credit arrangements among a variety of medium-sized Korean banks.
 
Due to the economic crisis in South Korea in the mid-1990’s, management has continued to closely monitor our exposure to the Korean economy and the activities of Korean banks with which we conduct business. To date, we have not experienced any significant losses attributable to our exposure to South Korea. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that our efforts to minimize exposure to downturns in the Korean economy will be successful in the future, and another significant downturn in the Korean economy could result in significant credit losses for us.
 
In addition, because our customer base is largely Korean-American, our deposit base could significantly decrease as a result of a deterioration of the Korean economy. For example, some of our customers’ businesses may rely on funds from South Korea. Further, our customers may temporarily withdraw deposits in order to transfer funds and benefit from gains on foreign exchange and interest rates, and/or to help their relatives in South Korea during downturns in the Korean economy. A significant decrease in our deposits could also have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
 
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 
 
Not applicable.
 
29

 
Item 2. Properties 
 
Our primary banking facilities (corporate headquarters and various lending offices) are located at 3200 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California and consist of approximately 37,269 square feet at the primary banking facilities. Our lease at the primary banking facilities runs through March 31, 2015, with our option to extend for two consecutive five-year periods. The combined monthly rents are currently $40,250.52.
 
We have 18 full-service branch banking offices in Southern California, Texas and New York. We also lease seven separate loan production offices in Seattle, Washington; Milpitas, California (the San Jose area); Annadale, Virginia; Las Vegas, Nevada; Aurora, Colorado (the Denver area); Atlanta, Georgia; and Houston, Texas. Each of our branch offices is listed in the table below:
 
Property
 
Ownership
    Status    
 
Square   Feet  
 
Purchase
   Price   
 
Monthly
    Rent    
 
      Use      
 
Lease Expiration
Wilshire Office
3200 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 103
Los Angeles, California
 
leased
 
7,426
 
n/a
 
$ 9,877
 
Branch office
 
March 2015
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Rowland Heights Office
19765 E. Colima Road
Rowland Heights, California
 
leased
 
2,860
 
n/a
 
$ 8,070
 
Branch office
 
May 2011
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Western Office
841 South Western Avenue
Los Angeles, California
 
leased
 
4,950
 
n/a
 
$ 19,435
 
Branch office
 
June 2010
[w/right to extend for one
5-year periods]
                         
Valley Office
8401 Reseda Boulevard
Northridge, California
 
leased
 
7,350
 
n/a
 
$ 4,730
 
Branch office
 
October 2007
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Downtown Office
1122 South Maple Avenue
Suites 203,204, 205 and 206
Los Angeles, California
 
leased
 
3,800
 
n/a
 
$ 9,939
 
Branch office
 
April 2010
[w/right to extend for one 5-year period]
                         
Cerritos Office
17500 Carmenita Road
Cerritos, California
 
leased
 
10,102
 
n/a
 
$ 7,543
 
Branch office
 
January 2010
[w/right to extend for one
5-year periods]
                         
Gardena Office
15435 South Western Ave.
Suite 100
Gardena, California
 
leased
 
4,150
 
n/a
 
$ 9,675
 
Branch office
 
November 2010
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Rancho Cucamonga Office
8045 Archibald Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga,California
 
leased
 
3,000
 
n/a
 
$ 4,944
 
Branch office
 
November 2010
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Irvine Office
14451 Red Hill Avenue
Tustin, California
 
leased
 
1,200
 
n/a
 
$ 5,000
 
Branch office
 
June 2008
[w/right to extend for one
5-year periods]
                         
Mid-Wilshire Office
3834 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
 
leased
 
3,382
 
n/a
 
$ 8,793
 
Branch office
 
December 2007
[w/right to extend for one
5-year periods]
                         
Fashion Town Office
1300 S. San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, California
 
leased
 
3,208
 
n/a
 
$ 6,807
 
Branch office
 
December 2009
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Fullerton Office
5254 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park, California
 
leased
 
1,440
 
n/a
 
$ 3,383
 
Branch office
 
July 2009
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Huntington Park
6350 Pacific Boulevard
Huntington Park, California
 
purchased
in 2000
 
4,350
 
$ 710,000
 
n/a
 
Branch office
 
n/a
 
30

 
Property
 
Ownership
    Status    
 
Square   Feet  
 
Purchase
   Price   
 
Monthly
    Rent    
 
      Use      
 
Lease Expiration
Torrance Office
2424 Sepulveda Blvd.
Torrance, California
 
leased
 
1,550
 
n/a
 
$ 4,240
 
Branch office
 
January 2010
[w/right to extend for two
consecutive 5-year periods]
                         
Garden Grove Office
9672 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, California
 
purchased
in 2005
 
2,549
 
$ 1,535,500
 
n/a
 
Branch office
 
n/a
                         
Dallas Office
2237 Royal Lane
Dallas, Texas
 
purchased
in 2003
 
7,000
 
$ 1,325,000
 
n/a
 
Branch office
 
n/a
                         
Manhattan Office
11 West 32nd St.
New York, NY
 
leased
 
10,400
 
n/a
 
$ 29,845
 
Branch office
 
October 2009
                         
Flushing Office
136-52/62 39th Ave.
Flushing, NY
 
leased
 
2,336
 
n/a
 
$ 16,271
 
Branch office
 
May 2010
                         
Management has determined that all of our premises are adequate for our present and anticipated level of business.
 
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
 
From time to time, we are a party to claims and legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Our management evaluates our exposure to these claims and proceedings individually and in the aggregate and provides for potential losses on such litigation if the amount of the loss is estimatable and the loss is probable.
 
We believe that there are no material litigation matters at the current time. Although the results of such litigation matters and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe that the final outcome of such claims and proceedings will not have a material adverse impact on our financial position, liquidity, or results of operations.
 
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
 
No matters were submitted to our shareholders, through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise, during the fourth quarter of the year ended December 31, 2006.
 
PART II
 
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
 
Trading History
 
Wilshire Bancorp succeeded to the business and operations of the Bank upon consummation of the reorganization of the Bank into a holding company structure, effective as of August 25, 2004. As a result of the reorganization, shareholders of the Bank are now shareholders of the Company and the Bank is a direct subsidiary of Wilshire Bancorp. Prior to the reorganization, the Bank was listed for trading on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol “WSBK.” Wilshire Bancorp’s common stock is now listed for trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “WIBC.” However, trading in our common stock has not been extensive and such trades cannot be characterized as constituting an active trading market.
 
The information in the following table sets forth, for the quarters indicated, the high and low closing sale price for the common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market:
 
31

 
   
Closing Sale Price
 
   
High
 
Low
 
Year Ended December 31, 2006
         
First Quarter
 
$
19.61
 
$
16.78
 
Second Quarter
 
$
19.44
 
$
16.53
 
Third Quarter
 
$
19.71
 
$
17.64
 
Fourth Quarter
 
$
19.99
 
$
18.48
 
Year Ended December 31, 2005
             
First Quarter
 
$
15.99
 
$
12.52
 
Second Quarter
 
$
14.63
 
$
12.48
 
Third Quarter
 
$
15.65
 
$
14.05
 
Fourth Quarter
 
$
17.36
 
$
14.80
 
               
On February 28, 2007, the closing sales price for the Common Stock was $17.04, as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. As of February 28, 2007, there were approximately 190 shareholders of record of the common stock (not including the number of persons or entities holding stock in nominee or street name through various brokerage firms) and 29,368,016 outstanding shares of common stock.
 
Dividends
 
As a California corporation, we are restricted under the California General Corporation Law, or CGCL, from paying dividends under certain conditions. Our shareholders are entitled to receive dividends when and as declared by our board of directors, out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends, as provided in the CGCL. The CGCL provides that a corporation may make a distribution to its shareholders if retained earnings immediately prior to the dividend payout at least equal the amount of proposed distribution. In the event that sufficient retained earnings are not available for the proposed distribution, a corporation may, nevertheless, make a distribution, if it meets both the “quantitative solvency” and the “liquidity” tests. In general, the quantitative solvency test requires that the sum of the assets of the corporation equal at least 1¼ times its liabilities. The liquidity test generally requires that a corporation have current assets at least equal to current liabilities, or, if the average of the earnings of the corporation before taxes on income and before interest expenses for the two preceding fiscal years was less than the average of the interest expense of the corporation for such fiscal years, then current assets must be equal to at least 1¼ times current liabilities. In certain circumstances, we may be required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board to make capital distributions to our shareholders.
 
It has been our general practice to retain earnings for the purpose of increasing capital to support growth, and no cash dividends were paid to shareholders prior to 2005. However, we began paying a cash dividend to our shareholders starting the first quarter of 2005. While we currently pay cash dividends, dividends are subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, financial condition, cash needs and general business conditions. Any dividend must also comply with the restrictions in our outstanding Junior Subordinated Debentures described earlier in this Report as well as applicable bank regulations.
 
Our ability to pay cash dividends in the future will depend in large part on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends on its capital stock to us. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends on its common stock is restricted by the California Financial Code, the FDIA and FDIC regulations. In general terms, California law provides that the Bank may declare a cash dividend out of net profits up to the lesser of retained earnings or net income for the last three fiscal years (less any distributions made to shareholders during such period), or, with the prior written approval of the Commissioner of Department of Financial Institutions, in an amount not exceeding the greatest of:
 
·  
retained earnings,
 
·  
net income for the prior fiscal year, or
 
·  
net income for the current fiscal year.
 
The Bank’s ability to pay any cash dividends will depend not only upon our earnings during a specified period, but also on our meeting certain capital requirements. The FDIA and FDIC regulations restrict the payment of dividends when a bank is undercapitalized, when a bank has failed to pay insurance assessments, or when there are safety and soundness concerns regarding a bank. The payment of dividends by the Bank may also be affected by other regulatory requirements and policies, such as maintenance of adequate capital. If, in the opinion of the regulatory authority, a depository institution under its jurisdiction is engaged in, or is about to engage in, an unsafe or unsound practice (that, depending on the financial condition of the depository institution, could include the payment of dividends), such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such depository institution cease and desist from such practice.
 
32

 
The following table shows cash dividends declared for the two years ended December 31, 2006:
 
Declaration Date
 
Payable Date
 
Record Date
 
Type
 
               
February 25, 2005
   
April 14, 2005
   
March 31, 2005
 
$
0.04 per share
 
May 25, 2005
   
July 15, 2005
   
June 30, 2005
 
$
0.04 per share
 
September 30, 2005
   
October 14, 2005
   
September 30, 2005
 
$
0.04 per share
 
December 2, 2005
   
January 17, 2006
   
December 31, 2005
 
$
0.04 per share
 
February 23, 2006
   
April 14, 2006
   
March 31, 2006
 
$
0.05 per share
 
June 1, 2006
   
July 14, 2006
   
June 30, 2006
 
$
0.05 per share
 
August 30, 2006
   
October 16, 2006
   
September 29, 2006
 
$
0.05 per share
 
December 14, 2006
   
January 12, 2007
   
December 29, 2006
 
$
0.05 per share
 
     
 
         
 
 
Item 6.
Selected Financial Data
 
The following table presents selected historical financial information as of and for each of the years in the five years ended December 31, 2006. The selected historical financial information is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes thereto which appear elsewhere in this Annual Report and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation” in Item 7 below:
 
   
As of and For the Years Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
2003
 
2002
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Summary Statement of Operations Data:
                     
Interest income
 
$
141,400
 
$
97,289
 
$
59,798
 
$
40,926
 
$
32,785
 
Interest expense
   
64,823
   
34,341
   
17,463
   
11,944
   
9,008
 
Net interest income before provision for loan losses
   
76,577
   
62,948
   
42,335
   
28,982
   
23,777
 
Provision for losses on loans and loan commitments
   
6,000
   
3,350
   
3,567
   
2,783
   
3,240
 
Noninterest income
   
26,400
   
20,478
   
20,997
   
17,099
   
11,375
 
Noninterest expenses
   
41,232
   
33,563
   
27,283
   
21,986
   
17,588
 
Income before income taxes
   
55,745
   
46,513
   
32,482
   
21,312
   
14,324
 
Income tax provision
   
21,803
   
18,753
   
13,024
   
8,495
   
5,731
 
Net income
   
33,942
   
27,760
   
19,458
   
12,817
   
8,593
 
Per Share Data:1 
                               
Net income
                               
Basic
 
$
1.17
 
$
0.97
 
$
0.70
 
$
0.50
 
$
0.34
 
Diluted
 
$
1.16
 
$
0.96
 
$
0.68
 
$
0.44
 
$
0.32
 
Book value
 
$
5.12
 
$
3.95
 
$
3.14
 
$
2.27
 
$
1.78
 
Weighted average common shares outstanding
                               
Basic
   
28,986,217
   
28,544,474
   
27,623,766
   
25,781,222
   
25,319,514
 
Diluted
   
29,330,732
   
28,913,542
   
28,515,881
   
28,973,208
   
27,058,850
 
Year end shares outstanding
   
29,197,420
   
28,630,600
   
28,142,470
   
25,902,728
   
25,594,615
 
Summary Statement of Financial Condition Data (Year End):
                               
Total loans, net of unearned income2  
 
$
1,560,539
 
$
1,262,560
 
$
1,020,723
 
$
757,006
 
$
524,541
 
Allowance for loan losses
   
18,654
   
13,999
   
11,111
   
9,011
   
6,343
 
Other real estate owned
   
138
   
294
   
-
   
377
   
-
 
Total assets
   
2,008,484
   
1,666,273
   
1,265,641
   
983,264
   
692,810
 
 

1 As adjusted to reflect a 10% stock dividend issued in May 2003 and two two-for-one stock splits effected in the form of a 100 % stock dividend, issued in December 2003 and 2004, respectively.
 
2 Total loans are the sum of loans receivable and loans held for sale and reported at their outstanding principal balances net of any unearned income which is unamortized deferred fees and costs and premiums and discounts.
 
33

 
 
As of and For the Years Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
2003
 
2002
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
Total deposits
   
1,751,973
   
1,409,465
   
1,098,705
   
856,239
   
618,702
 
Federal Home Loan Bank Advances
   
20,000
   
61,000
   
41,000
   
29,000
   
10,000
 
Junior Subordinated Debentures
   
61,547
   
61,547
   
25,464
   
25,464
   
10,000
 
Total shareholders’ equity
   
149,635
   
113,104
   
88,307
   
58,741
   
45,392
 
Performance ratios:
                               
Return on average equity1 
   
25.51
%
 
27.21
%
 
25.42
%
 
24.56
%
 
20.97
%
Return on average assets2 
   
1.85
%
 
1.92
%
 
1.70
%
 
1.58
%
 
1.49
%
Net interest margin3 
   
4.51
%
 
4.71
%
 
4.05
%
 
3.89
%
 
4.48
%
Efficiency ratio4 
   
40.04
%
 
40.23
%
 
43.08
%
 
47.71
%
 
50.03
%
Net loans to total deposits at year end
   
88.01
%
 
88.58
%
 
92.90
%
 
88.41
%
 
84.78
%
Dividend payout ratio
   
17.09
%
 
16.48
%
 
-
   
-
   
-
 
Capital ratios:
                               
Average shareholders’ equity to average total assets
   
7.26
%
 
7.05
%
 
6.71
%
 
6.43
%
 
7.09
%
Tier 1 capital to adjusted total assets
   
9.79
%
 
9.39
%
 
8.35
%
 
6.36
%
 
7.00
%
Tier 1 capital to total risk-weighted assets
   
11.81
%
 
11.60
%
 
9.87
%
 
7.29
%
 
8.40
%
Total capital to total risk-weighted assets
   
13.63
%
 
14.41
%
 
11.95
%
 
11.60
%
 
11.45
%
Asset quality ratios:
                               
Nonperforming loans to total loans5
   
0.44
%
 
0.20
%
 
0.26
%
 
0.50
%
 
0.66
%
Nonperforming assets6  to total loans and other real estate owned
   
0.45
%
 
0.22
%
 
0.26
%
 
0.54
%
 
0.66
%
Net charge-offs (recoveries) to average total loans
   
0.06
%
 
0.03
%
 
0.10
%
 
0.02
%
 
0.54
%
Allowance for loan losses to total loans at year end
   
1.20
%
 
1.11
%
 
1.09
%
 
1.19
%
 
1.21
%
Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans
   
272.38
%
 
567.15
%
 
411.63
%
 
240.45
%
 
182.96
%
 

1 Net income divided by average shareholders’ equity.
 
2 Net income divided by average total assets.
 
3 Represents net interest income as a percentage of average interest-earning assets.
 
4 Represents the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income before provision for loan losses and total noninterest income.
 
5 Nonperforming loans consist of nonaccrual loans, loans past due 90 days or more and restructured loans.
 
6 Nonperforming assets consist of nonperforming loans (see footnote no. 5 above), other real estate owned and repossessed vehicles.
 
34


Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 
This discussion presents management’s analysis of our results of operations and financial condition as of and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2006. All per share amounts and number of shares outstanding in this item have been retroactively adjusted and restated to give effect to the two-for-one stock splits (effected in the form of a 100 % stock dividend) in December 2004 The discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes related thereto which appear elsewhere in this Report.
 
Executive Overview
 
Introduction
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. succeeded to the business and operations of Wilshire State Bank (the “Bank”) upon consummation of the reorganization of the Bank into a holding company structure, effective as of August 25, 2004. Prior to the completion of the reorganization, the Bank was subject to the information, reporting and proxy statement requirements of the Exchange Act, pursuant to the regulations of its primary regulator, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC. Accordingly, the Bank filed annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements and other information with the FDIC. Pursuant to Rule 12g-3 of the Exchange Act, the Company has succeeded to the reporting obligations of the Bank and the reporting obligations of the Bank to the FDIC have terminated. Filings by the Company under the Exchange Act, like this Form 10-K, are to be made with the SEC. Note that while we refer generally to the Company throughout this filing, all references to the Company prior to August 26, 2004, except where otherwise indicated, are to the Bank.
 
We operate community banks in the general commercial banking business, with our primary market encompassing the multi-ethnic population of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. Our full-service offices are located primarily in areas where a majority of the businesses are owned by Korean-speaking immigrants, with many of the remaining businesses owned by Hispanic and other minority groups.
 
At December 31, 2006, we had approximately $2.01 billion in assets, $1.56 billion in total loans, and $1.75 billion in deposits. We also have expanded and diversified our business by focusing on the continued development of our commercial and consumer lending divisions.
 
As of May 19, 2006, we completed the acquisition of Liberty Bank of New York (“Liberty”) and its merger into Wilshire State Bank. With this acquisition, we added $66 million in total assets and two branches in New York City. We paid $14.5 million for this transaction, which consisted of $8.6 million in cash and $5.9 million in our common stock (328,110 shares). We also incurred merger-related costs of $625,000 which we recognized as additional consideration in connection with this business combination. Since the acquisition, our loan portfolio in New York has grown by 142%, from $26 million to $63 million at the end of 2006. Deposit growth has exceeded our expectations as well, from $50 million at the time of the acquisition to $123 million at the end of 2006.
 
Over the past several years, our network of branches and loan production offices has been expanded geographically. We currently maintain eighteen branch offices and seven loan production offices. Our expansion in these areas complements our multi-ethnic small business focus. We intend to continue our growth strategy in future years through the opening of additional branches and loan production offices as our needs and resources permit.
 
In December 2002, the Bank issued $10 million of the 2002 Junior Subordinated Debentures. Subsequently, the Company, as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2003 and as a parent company of the Bank in 2005, issued a total of $51,547,000 of Junior Subordinated Debentures in connection with a $50,000,000 trust preferred securities issuance by statutory trusts wholly-owned by the Company. We believe that the supplemental capital raised in connection with the issuance of these debentures allowed us to achieve and maintain status as a well-capitalized institution and sustained our continued loan growth.
 
As evidenced by our past several years of operations, we have experienced significant balance sheet growth. We have implemented a strategy of building our core banking foundation by focusing on commercial loans and business transaction accounts. Our management believes that this strategy has created recurring revenue streams, diversified our product portfolio and enhanced shareholder value.
 
2006 Key Performance Indicators
 
We believe the following were key indicators of our performance for operations during 2006:
 
35

 
·  
our total assets grew to $2.01 billion at the end of 2006, or an increase of 20.5% from $1.67 billion at the end of 2005.
 
·  
our total deposits grew to $1.75 billion at the end of 2006, or an increase of 24.3% from $1.41 billion at the end of 2005.
 
·  
our total loans grew to $1.56 billion at the end of 2006, or an increase of 23.6% from $1.26 billion at the end of 2005.
 
·  
total noninterest income increased to $26.4 million in 2006, or an increase of 28.9% from $20.5 million in 2005 due mainly to the gain on sale of the nonguaranteed portion of SBA loans.
 
·  
our efficiency ratio (the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income before provision for loan losses and total noninterest income) remained at a relatively low level at 40.0% and 40.2% in 2006 and 2005, respectively.
 
·  
total noninterest expense increased from $33.6 million in 2005 to $41.2 million in 2006, reflecting the expanded personnel and premises associated with our business growth. Noninterest expenses as a percentage of average assets were lowered to 2.25% in 2006 from 2.32% in 2005.
 
These items, as well as other factors, contributed to the increase in net income for 2006 to $33.9 million, or $1.16 per diluted common share as compared with $27.8 million, or $0.96 per diluted common share in 2005 and are discussed in further detail throughout “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
 
2007 Outlook
 
As we look ahead to 2007, the economies and real estate markets in our primary market areas will continue to be significant determinants of the quality of our assets in future periods and thus our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition. We anticipate that the national economy is headed for a soft landing in 2007 and that this will generally affect asset quality negatively. Responding proactively to this anticipated business environment, we are shifting our focus from growth to asset quality improvement. We have already enhanced our loan underwriting standards more stringently and made it more difficult to allow exceptions from our loan policy. We anticipate these changes will result in moderating loan growth, but at the same time improving loan quality.
 
Our focus on net interest margin management will continue. We have generally been in an asset-sensitive position, meaning that our interest earning assets will re-price more quickly than our interest-bearing liabilities. Although the interest repricing gap in our models indicate that our margin generally decreases in a declining interest-rate environment, we do not anticipate a major drop, if any, in our net interest margin because our rate-sensitivity position between assets and liabilities for the one-year timeframe is currently about neutral. It is also our expectation that the strategic change toward more moderate loan growth will make our funding needs subside and our reliance on high-cost deposits to decline. As a result, our net interest margin should improve. We also believe that these strategic changes and our expansion into the East Coast market of the United States, together with our core deposit campaign that linked monetary awards to core deposit growth, will also benefit our net interest margin going forward.
 
Notwithstanding the overall slower national economy, we believe that there will be continued growth in our primary market areas, which includes the Korean-American business sectors located in Southern California, Texas, and the greater New York metropolitan area, due mainly to the anticipated capital influx from the Republic of Korea. We therefore believe that we will continue to grow; just at a more controlled pace than we have experienced in the past few years. Such reduction of the growth rate is expected to result in a healthier balance sheet with better asset quality and more core-deposits.
 
We will continue to pursue opportunities for growth in our existing markets, as well as opportunities to expand into new markets through de novo branching and regional loan production offices. We are currently in the process of acquiring a branch in New Jersey and we also expect to open another branch in the greater New York metropolitan area. We are targeting both branches to open in the first half of 2007 and we believe these two new branches, together with the existing New York branches, will be a critical part of our expansion strategy, especially in the East Coast market of the United States due to its high level of small business activity and diverse population.
 
In addition, we will continue to focus on streamlining our operations so that our expenses grow more slowly than the overall growth of our business.
 
36

 
Critical Accounting Policies
 
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
 
Various elements of our accounting policies, by their nature, are inherently subject to estimation techniques, valuation assumptions and other subjective assessments. In particular, we have identified several accounting policies that, due to judgments, estimates and assumptions inherent in those policies are critical to an understanding of our consolidated financial statements. These policies relate to the classification and valuation of investment securities, the methodologies that determine our allowance for loan losses, the treatment of non-accrual loans, the valuation of properties acquired through foreclosure, the valuation of retained interests and mortgage servicing assets related to the sales of Small Business Administration loans, and the treatment and valuation of stock-based compensation and business combination. In each area, we have identified the variables most important in the estimation process. We have used the best information available to make the estimation necessary to value the related assets and liabilities. Actual performance that differs from our estimates and future changes in the key variables could change future valuation and impact net income.
 
Allowance for Loan Losses
 
Accounting for allowance for loan losses involves significant judgment and assumptions by management and is based on historical data and management’s view of the current economic environment. At least on a quarterly basis, our management reviews the methodology and adequacy of allowance for loan losses and reports its assessment to the Board of Directors for its review and approval.
 
We base our allowance for loan losses on an estimation of probable losses inherent in our loan portfolio. Our methodology for assessing loan loss allowances is intended to reduce the differences between estimated and actual losses and involves a detailed analysis of our loan portfolio in three phases:
 
·  
the specific review of individual loans in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No.114, Accounting by Creditors for Impairment of a Loan,
 
·  
the segmenting and reviewing of loan pools with similar characteristics in accordance with SFAS No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies, and
 
·  
our judgmental estimate based on various qualitative factors.
 
The first phase of our allowance analysis involves the specific review of individual loans to identify and measure impairment. At this phase, we evaluate each loan except for homogeneous loans, such as automobile loans and home mortgages. Specific risk-rated loans are deemed impaired with respect to all amounts, including principal and interest, which will likely not be collected in accordance with the contractual terms of the related loan agreement. Impairment for commercial and real estate loans is measured either based on the present value of the loan’s expected future cash flows or, if collection on the loan is collateral dependent, the estimated fair value of the collateral, less selling and holding costs.
 
The second phase involves segmenting the remainder of the risk-rated loan portfolio into groups or pools of loans, together with loans with similar characteristics for evaluation in accordance with SFAS No. 5. We perform loss migration analysis and calculate the loss migration ratio for each loan pool based on its historical net losses and benchmark it against the levels of other peer banks.
 
In the third phase, we consider relevant internal and external factors that may affect the collectibility of a loan portfolio and each group of loan pools. As a general rule, the factors detailed below will be considered to have no impact to our loss migration analysis. However, if there exists information to warrant adjustment to the loss migration ratios, the changes will be made in accordance with the established parameters and supported by narrative and/or statistical analysis. We use a credit risk matrix to determine the impact to the loss migration analysis. This matrix enables management to adjust the general allocation based on the loss migration ratio up to additional 50% for each loan pool. The factors currently considered include, but are not limited to, those described below. For all factors, the extent of the adjustment will be commensurate with the severity of the conditions that concern each factor.
 
37

 
·  
Concentration of Credits: This factor may be adjusted based on the identification of any concentration or significant changes to the level of identified concentrations of credit. A concentration of credit is defined as loans to any single borrower, affiliated group of borrowers, or borrowers engaged in or dependent upon one industry that exceeds 25% of Tier 1 Capital & Reserves. A concentration can also result from an acquisition of a volume of loans from a single source, regardless of the diversity of the individual borrowers.
 
·  
Delinquency Trends: The trend of delinquency shall be assessed by the quarterly trend and the comparison with peer average.
 
·  
Nature and Volume of Loan Trend: This factor will be adjusted for significant changes in the nature and volume of the loan portfolio.
 
·  
Non-Accrual Loan Trend: The trend of non-accrual loans shall be assessed by the quarterly trend and the comparison with peer average.
 
·  
Problem Loan Trend: This factor may be adjusted depending on the quarterly trend of criticized and classified loans in the total loans.
 
·  
Loss and Recovery Trend: This factor may be adjusted depending on the quarterly trend of the net charge-offs and the comparison with peers.
 
·  
Quality of Loan Review: This factor may be adjusted when there has been a noted and significant (as determined and documented from external or internal sources) deterioration or improvement in the loan review system and/or Director’s oversight. An adjustment will generally occur when there had previously been a documented weakness and clear improvement was noted by external sources, or when a significant deterioration was noted by external sources, in the loan review system and/or the degree of oversight by the Directors. In the absence of noted changes to the loan review system and/or the degree of oversight by the Directors, no adjustment will be made.
 
·  
Lending and Management Staff: This factor will be adjusted with changes to the experience, ability, and depth of lending management and staff that are significant enough to warrant adjustment to the loss migration ratio. If the staffing or the experience level of lending staff is considered to be adequate (as determined by an external source) then, in general, no adjustment will be made.
 
·  
Lending Policies and Procedures: This factor may be adjusted depending on the documented results of external reviews of the policies and procedures, including underwriting standards and collection, charge-off, and recovery practices. The trend of policy or procedure exceptions will also have an impact on this factor. It is the objective of the Board of Directors and Management to maintain at all times adequate policies, procedures, underwriting standards, and practices.
 
·  
Economic and Business Conditions: This factor may be adjusted depending on local, regional, and national economic trends and their perceived impact on particular market segments. In the periods of stable economic environment, no adjustment will be made.
 
·  
External Factors such as changes in legal and regulatory requirements, on the level of estimated credit losses in the current portfolio: This factor may be adjusted depending on the trend of external factors and their perceived impact on the overall credit risk. In the periods of stable regulatory environment, no adjustment will be made.
 
·  
Other adjustments: With a supporting rationale, this factor may be used for adjustments which cannot be addressed by the foregoing factors.
 
The evaluation of the inherent loss with respect to these factors is subject to a higher degree of uncertainty because they are not identified with specific problem credits or portfolio components. Management currently intends to manage an unallocated allowance not to exceed 2% of the total estimated allowance for loan losses, due to the inherent risk associated with the imprecision in estimating the allowance.
 
38

 
Central to our credit risk management and our assessment of appropriate loss allowance is our loan risk rating system. Under this system, the originating credit officer assigns borrowers an initial risk rating based on a thorough analysis of each borrower’s financial capacity in conjunction with industry and economic trends. Approvals are made based upon the amount of inherent credit risk specific to the transaction and are reviewed for appropriateness by senior line and credit administration personnel. Credits are monitored by line and credit administration personnel for deterioration in a borrower’s financial condition which may impact the ability of the borrower to perform under the contract. Although management has allocated a portion of the allowance to specific loans, specific loan pools, including off-balance sheet credit exposures which are reported separately as part of other liabilities, the adequacy of the allowance is considered in its entirety.
 
SBA Loans
 
Certain Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans that may be sold prior to maturity have been designated as held for sale at origination and are recorded at the lower of cost or market value, determined on an aggregate basis. A valuation allowance is established if the market value of such loans is lower than their cost, and operations are charged or credited for valuation adjustments. When we sell a loan, we usually sell the guaranteed portion of the loan and retain the non-guaranteed portion. We receive sales proceeds from: (i) the guaranteed principal of the loan, (ii) the deferred premium for the difference between the book value of the retained portion and the fair value allocated to the retained portion, and (iii) the loan excess servicing fee (“ESF”). At the time of sale, the deferred premium, which is amortized over the remaining life of the loan as an adjustment to yield, is recorded for the difference between the book value and the fair value allocated to the retained portion. The sales gain is recognized from the difference between the proceeds and the book value allocated to the sold portion.
 
We allocate the book value of the related loan among three portions on the basis of their relative fair value: (i) the sold portion, (ii) the retained portion, and (iii) the ESF. We estimate the fair value of each portion based on the following. The amount received for the sale represents the fair value of the sold portion. The fair value of the retained portion is computed by discounting, at 1% above the contract rate (note rate), its future cash flows over the estimated life of the loan. We calculate the fair value of the ESF for the loan from the cash in-flow of the net servicing fee over the estimated life of the loan, discounted at 0.5% above the main note rate of the related loan.
 
We capitalize the fair value allocated to ESF in two categories: (i) intangible servicing assets (the contracted servicing fee less normal servicing costs - typically 40 basis points), and (ii) interest-only strip receivables (excess of ESF over the contracted servicing fee). The servicing asset is recorded based on the present value of the contractually specified servicing fee, net of servicing cost, over the estimated life of the loan, using a discount rate of 0.5% above the main note rate of the related loan. The servicing asset is amortized in proportion to and over the period of estimated servicing income. Management periodically evaluates the fair value of servicing assets for impairment. A valuation allowance is recorded when the fair value is below the carrying amount and a recovery of the valuation allowance is recorded when its fair value exceeds the carrying amount. However, a reversal may not exceed the original valuation allowance recorded. For purposes of measuring impairment, the servicing assets are stratified by collateral type. An interest-only strip is recorded based on the present value of the excess of future interest income, over the contractually specified servicing fee, calculated using the same assumptions as noted above. Interest-only strips are accounted for at their estimated fair value, with unrealized gains recorded as an adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive income in shareholders’ equity. If the estimated fair value is less than its carrying value, the loss is considered as other-than-temporary impairment and it is charged to the current earnings.
 
Non-Accrual Loan Policy
 
Interest on loans is credited to income as earned and is accrued only if deemed collectible. Accrual of interest is discontinued when a loan is over 90 days delinquent unless management believes the loan is adequately collateralized and in the process of collection. Generally, payments received on nonaccrual loans are recorded as principal reductions. Interest income is recognized after all principal has been repaid or an improvement in the condition of the loan has occurred that would warrant resumption of interest accruals.
 
Affordable Housing Investments
 
The Company has invested in limited partnerships formed to develop and operate affordable housing units for lower income tenants throughout the states of California, Texas, and New York. The costs of the investments are being amortized on a straight line method over the life of related tax credits. If the partnerships cease to qualify during the compliance period, the credits may be denied for any period in which the projects are not in compliance and a portion of the credits previously taken is subject to recapture with interest. Such investments are recorded in other assets in the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition.
 
39

 
Stock-Based Compensation
 
The Company issued stock-based compensation to certain employees, officers, and directors. Prior to December 31, 2005, the Company accounted for its fixed stock options using the intrinsic-value method, presented in APB Opinion No.25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and its related interpretations, which generally does not result in compensation expense recognition. Under the intrinsic value method, compensation cost for stock options is measured at the date of grant as the excess, if any, of the quoted market price of our stock over the exercise price of the options. On January 1, 2006, the Company adopted SFAS 123R, Share-Based Payment, for stock based compensation. SFAS No. 123(R) allows for two alternative transition methods. The Company follows the modified prospective method, which requires application of the new Statement to new awards and to awards modified, repurchased or cancelled after the required effective date. Accordingly, prior period amounts have not been restated. Additionally, compensation cost for the portion of awards for which the requisite service has not been rendered that are outstanding as of January 1, 2006 will be recognized as the requisite services are rendered on or after January 1, 2006. The compensation cost of that portion of awards is based on the grant-date fair value of those awards.
 
Other Real Estate Owned
 
Other real estate owned (“OREO”), which represents real estate acquired through foreclosure, or deed in lieu of foreclosure in satisfaction of commercial and real estate loans, is carried at the lower of cost or estimated fair value less the estimated selling costs of the real estate. The fair value of the property is based upon a current appraisal. The difference between the fair value of the real estate collateral and the loan balance at the time of transfer is recorded as a loan charge off if fair value is lower. Subsequent to foreclosure, management periodically performs valuations and the OREO property is carried at the lower of carrying value or fair value, less cost to sell. The determination of a property’s estimated fair value incorporates (i) revenues projected to be realized from disposal of the property, (ii) construction and renovation costs, (iii) marketing and transaction costs, and (iv) holding costs (e.g., property taxes, insurance and homeowners’ association dues). Any subsequent declines in the fair value of the OREO property after the date of transfer are recorded through a write-down of the asset. Any subsequent operating expenses or income, reduction in estimated fair values, and gains or losses on disposition of such properties are charged or credited to current operations.
 
Investment Securities
 
Our investment policy seeks to provide and maintain liquidity, and to produce favorable returns on investments without incurring unnecessary interest rate or credit risk, while complementing our lending activities. Our investment securities portfolio is subject to interest rate risk. Fluctuations in interest rates may cause actual prepayments to vary from the estimated prepayments over the life of a security. This may result in adjustments to the amortization of premiums or accretion of discounts related to these instruments, consequently changing the net yield on such securities. Reinvestment risk is also associated with the cash flows from such securities. The unrealized gain/loss on such securities may also be adversely impacted by changes in interest rates.
 
Under SFAS No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities, investment securities that management has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity are classified as “held-to-maturity” and recorded at amortized cost. Securities not classified as held-to-maturity or trading, with readily determinable fair values, are classified as “available-for-sale” and recorded at fair value. Purchase premiums and discounts are recognized in interest income using the interest method over the estimated lives of the securities.
 
Currently, all of our investment securities are classified as either available-for-sale or held-to-maturity. The unrealized gains and losses for available-for-sale securities are excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive income, as part of shareholders’ equity. In accordance with EITF Issue No. 03-1, The Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and its Application to Certain Investments (“EITF 03-1”), we are obligated to assess, at each reporting date, whether there is “other than temporary” impairment to our investment securities. Declines in the fair value of held-to-maturity and available-for-sale securities below their cost that are deemed to be other than temporary are reflected in earnings as realized losses. Gains and losses on the sale of securities are recorded on the trade date. As of December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, no investment securities were determined to have any other-than-temporary impairment.
 
40

 
Business Combination
 
During the second quarter of 2006, in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 141, Business Combinations (“SFAS No. 141”), the purchase of Liberty Bank of New York (“Liberty”) required significant estimates and assumptions. We engaged outside experts, including appraisers, to assist in estimating the fair values of certain assets acquired, particularly the loan portfolio, core deposit intangible asset and fixed assets. The Bank used market data regarding securities market prices and interest rates to estimate the fair values of financial assets, including the securities portfolio, deposits and borrowings. We also evaluated long-lived assets for impairment and no significant impairment was noted. In accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force Issue No. 95-3, Recognition of Liabilities in Connection With a Purchase Business Combination, we recognized liabilities assumed for costs to involuntarily terminate employees of Liberty and we do not assume any costs to exit activities of Liberty. In connection with the acquisition of the Liberty, the Company also recognized goodwill and intangible assets. (See further discussion on this matter in Note [10] of the Company’s Financial Statements included herein.) Pursuant to SFAS No. 142, the Company tested goodwill and intangible assets for impairment as of December 31, 2006. There was no impairment in recorded goodwill and intangible assets as of December 31, 2006.
 
Results of Operations
 
Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin
 
Our primary source of revenue is net interest income, which is the difference between interest and fees derived from earning assets and interest paid on liabilities obtained to fund those assets. Our net interest income is affected by changes in the level and mix of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, referred to as volume changes. Our net interest income is also affected by changes in the yields earned on assets and rates paid on liabilities, referred to as rate changes. Interest rates charged on our loans are affected principally by the demand for such loans, the supply of money available for lending purposes and competitive factors. Those factors are, in turn, affected by general economic conditions and other factors beyond our control, such as federal economic policies, the general supply of money in the economy, legislative tax policies, the governmental budgetary matters, and the actions of the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”).
 
Average net loans were $1.41 billion in 2006, as compared with $1.12 billion in 2005 and $895.4 million in 2004, representing increases of 25.6% and 25.1% in 2006 and 2005, respectively, from each of the prior annual periods and average interest-earning assets were $1.70 billion in 2006, as compared with $1.34 billion in 2005 and $1.05 billion in 2004, representing increases of 27.1% and 27.8% in 2006 and 2005, respectively, from each of the prior annual periods. Our average interest-bearing deposits also increased by 34.5% to $1.27 billion in 2006, as compared with $941 million in 2005, after increasing 28.4% in 2005 from $732.6 million in 2004. Together with other borrowings (see “Financial Condition-Deposits and Other Sources of Funds” below), average interest-bearing liabilities increased by 31.0% to $1.37 billion in 2006, as compared with $1.04 billion in 2005, after increasing by 30.1% in 2005 from $801.9 million in 2004.
 
The FRB’s continued rate increases since June 2004 increased the average yields on interest-earning assets to 7.28% in 2005 from 5.72% in 2004 and further increased them to 8.32% in 2006. In the same time periods, the strong competition for deposits in our local markets accelerated to a greater extent the increase of our average cost on interest-bearing liabilities to 4.74% in 2006 and to 3.29% in 2005 from 2.18% in 2004. As a result, interest income grew 45.3% to $141.4 million in 2006 compared to $97.3 million in 2005, outpaced by an 88.8% increase in interest expense to $64.8 million in 2006 from $34.3 million in 2005. The increase of interest income in 2005 was 62.7% which was similarly outpaced by a 96.7% increase in interest expense.
 
The combined result of our growth and interest rate increases was still an increase in net interest income. Net interest income increased by 21.7%, or $13.6 million, to $76.6 million in 2006, following an increase of 48.7%, or $20.6 million in 2005 to $63.0 million from $42.3 million in 2004. The positive impact of the FRB’s rate increases since June 2004 improved our net interest spread and net interest margin from 3.54% and 4.05%, respectively, in 2004 to 3.98% and 4.71%, respectively, in 2005. In 2006, they however decreased to 3.58% and 4.51%, respectively, due to the said strong deposit competition.
 
41

 
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our average balances of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity, in addition to the major components of net interest income and net interest margin:
 
Distribution, Yield and Rate Analysis of Net Income
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
   
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
   
Average Balance
 
Interest Income/ Expense
 
Average Rate/Yield
 
Average Balance
 
Interest Income/ Expense
 
Average
Rate/Yield
 
Average Balance
 
Interest Income/ Expense
 
Average Rate/Yield
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Assets:                                                        
Earning assets:
                                                       
Net loans1
 
$
1,407,250
 
$
127,840
   
9.08
%
$
1,120,371
 
$
89,628
   
8.00
%
$
895,380
 
$
55,943
   
6.25
%
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
   
173,985
   
7,687
   
4.42
%
 
122,698
   
4,374
   
3.56
%
 
77,251
   
2,378
   
3.08
%
Other investment securities .
   
20,588
   
969
   
4.71
%
 
6,839
   
290
   
4.23
%
 
11,305
   
566
   
5.00
%
Commercial paper
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
2,358
   
82
   
3.47
%
 
-
   
-
   
-
 
Federal funds sold
   
97,198
   
4,886
   
5.03
%
 
80,859
   
2,796
   
3.46
%
 
55,763
   
805
   
1.44
%
Money market preferred stocks
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
4,019
   
116
   
2.90
%
 
6,259
   
105
   
1.68
%
Interest-earning deposits
   
427
   
18
   
4.26
%
 
78
   
3
   
3.87
%
 
64
   
1
   
2.32
%
Total interest-earning assets
   
1,699,448
   
141,400
   
8.32
%
 
1,337,222
   
97,289
   
7.28
%
 
1,046,022
   
59,798
   
5.72
%
Total noninterest-earning assets
   
133,920
               
110,335
               
95,408
             
Total assets
 
$
1,833,368
             
$
1,447,557
             
$
1,141,430
             
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity:
                                                       
Interest-bearing liabilities:
                                                       
Money market deposits
   
356,602
   
15,151
   
4.25
%
 
247,313
   
7,242
   
2.93
%
 
193,120
   
3,618
   
1.87
%
Super NOW deposits
   
20,853
   
245
   
1.18
%
 
21,447
   
187
   
0.87
%
 
21,542
   
165
   
0.77
%
Savings deposits
   
25,093
   
332
   
1.32
%
 
22,878
   
168
   
0.73
%
 
26,322
   
198
   
0.75
%
Time certificates of deposit in denominations of $100,000 or more
   
706,729
   
36,082
   
5.11
%
 
532,207
   
18,585
   
3.49
%
 
373,888
   
8,698
   
2.33
%
Other time deposits
   
155,741
   
7,133
   
4.58
%
 
116,698
   
3,732
   
3.20
%
 
117723
   
2,984
   
2.54
%
Other borrowings
   
101,302
   
5,880
   
5.80
%
 
102,627
   
4,427
   
4.31
%
 
69,353
   
1,800
   
2.59
%
Total interest-bearing liabilities
   
1,366,320
   
64,823
   
4.74
%
 
1,043,169
   
34,341
   
3.29
%
 
801,948
   
17,463
   
2.18
%
Noninterest-bearing liabilities:
                                                       
Noninterest-bearing deposits
   
310,031
               
286,966
               
251,762
             
Other liabilities
   
23,974
               
15,403
               
11,158
             
Total noninterest-bearing liabilities
   
334,005
               
302,369
               
262,920
             
Shareholders’ equity
   
133,043
               
102,018
               
76,562
             
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
 
$
1,833,368
             
$
1,447,557
             
$
1,141,430
             
Net interest income
       
$
76,577
             
$
62,948
             
$
42,335
       
Net interest spread2 
               
3.58
%
             
3.98
%
             
3.54
%
Net interest margin3 
               
4.51
%
             
4.71
%
             
4.05
%
 
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the dollar amount of changes in interest earned and paid for interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities and the amount of change attributable to changes in average daily balances (volume) or changes in average daily interest rates (rate). All yields were calculated without the consideration of tax effects, if any, and the variances attributable to both the volume and rate changes have been allocated to volume and rate changes in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amount of the changes in each:
 

1 Net loan fees have been included in the calculation of interest income. Net loan fees were approximately $5,914,000, $5,239,000, and $2,954,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively. Loans are net of the allowance for loan losses, deferred fees, unearned income, and related direct costs, but include those placed on non-accrual status.
 
2 Represents the average rate earned on interest-earning assets less the average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities.
 
3 Represents net interest income as a percentage of average interest-earning assets.
 
42

 
Rate/Volume Analysis of Net Interest Income
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
   
For the Year Ended December 31,
2006 vs. 2005
 
For the Year Ended December 31,
2005 vs. 2004
 
   
Increases (Decreases)
Due to Change In
 
Increases (Decreases)
Due to Change In
 
   
Volume
 
Rate
 
Total
 
Volume
 
Rate
 
Total
 
Interest income:                          
Net loans1
 
$
24,984
 
$
13,228
 
$
38,212
 
$
15,920
 
$
17,765
 
$
33,685
 
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
   
2,107
   
1,206
   
3,313
   
1,573
   
423
   
1,996
 
Other Investment securities
   
643
   
36
   
679
   
(199
)
 
(77
)
 
(276
)
Commercial paper
   
(82
)
 
-
   
(82
)
 
82
   
-
   
82
 
Federal funds sold
   
644
   
1,446
   
2,090
   
486
   
1,505
   
1,991
 
Money Market Preferred Stocks
   
(116
)
 
-
   
(116
)
 
(47
)
 
58
   
11
 
Interest-earning deposits
   
15
   
-
   
15
   
0
   
2
   
2
 
                                       
Total interest income
   
28,195
   
15,916
   
44,111
   
17,815
   
19,676
   
37,491
 
                                       
Interest expense:
                                     
Money market deposits
 
$
3,915
 
$
3,994
 
$
7,909
 
$
1,205
 
$
2,419
 
$
3,624
 
Super NOW deposits
   
(5
)
 
63
   
58
   
(1
)
 
23
   
22
 
Savings deposits
   
18
   
146
   
164
   
(25
)
 
(5
)
 
(30
)
Time certificates of deposit in denominations of $100,000 or more
   
7,263
   
10,234
   
17,497
   
4,528
   
5,359
   
9,887
 
Other time deposits
   
1,484
   
1,917
   
3,401
   
(26
)
 
773
   
747
 
Other borrowings
   
(58
)
 
1,511
   
1,453
   
1,104
   
1,524
   
2,628
 
                                       
Total interest expense
   
12,617
   
17,865
   
30,482
   
6,785
   
10,093
   
16,878
 
                                       
Change in net interest income
 
$
15,578
   
($1,949
)
$
13,629
 
$
11,031
 
$
9,583
 
$
20,613
 
 
Provision for Loan Losses
 
In anticipation of credit risk inherent in our lending business, we set aside allowances through charges to earnings. Such charges were not made only for our outstanding loan portfolio, but also for off-balance sheet items, such as commitments to extend credits or letters of credit. The charges made for our outstanding loan portfolio were credited to allowance for loan losses, whereas charges for off-balance sheet items were credited to the reserve for off-balance sheet items, which are presented as a component of other liabilities.
 
Our stringent loan underwriting standard and proactive credit follow-up procedures have helped us successfully curb an increase of the provision for loan losses despite our rapid loan growth. However, the provision for loan losses increased to $6.0 million in 2006 from $3.4 million and $3.6 million in 2005 and 2004, respectively, to keep pace with the continued growth of our loan portfolio and an increase of non-performing loans (see “Nonperforming Assets” below for further discussion). The said provision for loan losses included the amount we provided for the credit risk of off-balance sheet items ($104,000, $137,000 and $559,000 in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively). The procedures for monitoring the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses, as well as detailed information concerning the allowance itself, are described in the section entitled “Allowance for Loan Losses” below.
 
Noninterest Income
 
Total noninterest income increased to $26.4 million in 2006 as compared with $20.5 million in 2005 and $21.0 million in 2004. Noninterest income was 1.4% of average assets in 2006 and 2005, lowered from 1.8% in 2004. We currently earn non-interest income from various sources, including an income stream provided by bank owned life insurance, or BOLI, in the form of an increase in cash surrender value.
 

1 Net loan fees have been included in the calculation of interest income. Net loan fees were approximately $5,914,000 $5,239,000 and $2,954,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively. Loans are net of the allowance for loan losses, deferred fees, unearned income, and related direct costs, but include those placed on non-accrual status.
 
43

 
The following table sets forth the various components of our noninterest income for the periods indicated:
 
Noninterest Income
(Dollars in thousands)
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
 2006
 
 2005
 
 2004
 
   
(Amount)
 
(%)
 
(Amount)
 
(%)
 
(Amount)
 
(%)
 
Service charges on deposit accounts
 
$
9,554
   
36.2
%
$
7,547
   
36.9
%
$
7,379
   
35.2
%
Gain on sale of loans
   
11,642
   
44.1
%
 
8,310
   
40.6
%
 
8,832
   
42.1
%
Loan-related servicing income
   
2,099
   
8.0
%
 
1,997
   
9.7
%
 
2,372
   
11.3
%
Loan referral fee income
   
173
   
0.7
%
 
233
   
1.1
%
 
113
   
0.5
%
SBA loan packaging fee
   
435
   
1.6
%
 
386
   
1.9
%
 
376
   
1.8
%
Income from other earning assets
   
1,045
   
4.0
%
 
874
   
4.3
%
 
639
   
3.0
%
Other income
   
1,452
   
5.4
%
 
1,130
   
5.5
%
 
1,286
   
6.1
%
Total
 
$
26,400
   
100.0
%
$
20,477
   
100.0
%
$
20,997
   
100.0
%
Average assets
 
$
1,833,368
       
$
1,447,557
       
$
1,141,430
       
Noninterest income as a % of average assets
         
1.4
%
       
1.4
%
       
1.8
%
 
Our largest source of noninterest income in 2006 was the gain on sale of loans, usually representing over 40% of total noninterest income. It increased to $11.6 million in 2006 from $8.3 million and $8.8 million in 2005 and 2004, respectively. This noninterest income is derived primarily from the sale of the guaranteed portion of SBA loans. We sell the guaranteed portion of SBA loans in government securities secondary markets and retain servicing rights. SBA loan production levels increased to $151 million in 2006 as compared with $142 million and $116 million in 2005, and 2004, respectively, and accordingly the sales gains on the guaranteed portions of SBA loans increased to $8.4 million in 2006 as compared with $7.5 million in 2005 and $7.4 million in 2004. We also sell the unguaranteed portion of SBA loans, but the resulting gains are not considered a stable source of income since the unguaranteed portion is sold primarily for credit risk management purposes. The gain on sale of the unguaranteed portions of SBA loans was $3.1 million, $525,000, and $1.1 million in 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively. This source of noninterest income also includes sales gains on residential mortgage loans. Since the inception of our Home Loan Center in the fourth quarter of 2003, the sale of residential mortgage loans have become a stable noninterest income source, but gain on such sales decreased to $225,000 in 2006, as compared with $313,000 and $336,000, in 2005 and 2004, respectively, due to the slowdown of the residential mortgage market.
 
Our second largest source of noninterest income was service charge income on deposit accounts, usually representing approximately 35% of total noninterest income. This revenue source generally increases in accordance with an increase in the number of transactional accounts and increased by 26.6% in 2006 to $9.6 million from $7.5 million in 2005. In 2005, the more rigid monitoring procedures we imposed on the money service business, or MSB, accounts reduced the volume of transactions and service fee income from those MSB accounts and limited the increase in this revenue source, relative to the increase of transactional accounts, by only 2.3% from $7.4 million in 2004. We constantly review service charge rates to maximize service charge income while maintaining a competitive position.
 
The third largest source of noninterest income was loan-related servicing income. This fee income consists of trade-financing fees and servicing fees on SBA loans sold. Significant reversals of servicing assets on sold loans, which were paid off before their maturities, decreased this income source to $2.1 million and $2.0 million in 2006 and 2005, respectively, from $2.4 million in 2004. The servicing fees on sold SBA loans are credited when we collect the monthly payments on the sold loans we are servicing, and charged by the monthly amortization of servicing assets that we previously capitalized as intangible servicing assets and interest-only strip receivables upon sale of the related loans. Such servicing assets are also reversed and charged against the fee income account when the sold loans are paid off before the related servicing assets are fully amortized. In 2006 and 2005, $1.4 million and $1.3 million, respectively, of servicing assets were charged back to this income account by early pay-offs as compared with $558,000 in 2004. In light of our increasing emphasis on trade financing activities and the continuing growth of our servicing loan portfolio ($336.7 million, $273.9 million, and $235.5 million at year-end 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively), management believes that this income source should continue to improve as prepayments on SBA loans slow down. However, there can be no assurance that this will be the case.
 
44

 
Our loan referral fee income source includes income derived from our referring to other financial institutions loans that did not meet our lending requirements for various reasons, including size, availability of funds, credit criteria and others. Our referral fee income in 2006 decreased to $173,000 as compared with $233,000 in 2005 which previously increased from $113,000 in 2004. We cannot assure you that this source of revenue will increase because loan referrals do not represent our core banking business and fee income therefrom is not a stable source of revenue.
 
SBA Loan packaging fee income, which represents charges to borrowers for SBA loan processing, increased to $435,000 in 2006 as compared with $386,000 in 2005 and $376,000 in 2004 as the volume of SBA loan production increased.
 
Income on other earning assets represents income from earning assets other than interest-earning assets, such as dividend income from FHLB stock ownership and the increase in cash surrender value of BOLI. Such income was $1.05 million, $874,000 and $639,000 in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. These increases were primarily attributable to an additional purchase of $3 million in BOLI in the second quarter of 2005 and the increased acquisition of FHLB stock as required by the new Capital Plan of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco that went into effect on April 1, 2004.
 
Other income represented income from miscellaneous sources, such as gain on sale of investment securities and the excess of insurance proceeds over the carrying value of an insured loss and generally increases as our business grows. Other income increased to $1.45 million in 2006 from $1.13 million in 2005, which previously decreased from $1.29 million in 2004 when we had some nonrecurring additional revenues such as a settlement award on an insurance claim and gain on sale/call of investment securities.
 
Noninterest Expense
 
Total noninterest expense increased to $41.2 million in 2006 from $33.6 million in 2005 which previously increased from $27.3 million in 2004. These increases can be attributed to the expanded personnel and premises associated with our business growth, including the recent openings of new offices. However, due to continuing efforts to minimize operating expenses, noninterest expenses as a percentage of average assets were lowered to 2.2% in 2006 from 2.3% in 2005 and 2.4% in 2004. Management believes that its efforts in cost-cutting and revenue diversification have improved our operational efficiency, as evidenced by our relatively low efficiency ratio (the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income before provision for loan losses and total noninterest income). Our efficiency ratio was stable at 40.0% and 40.2%, in 2006 and 2005, respectively, and improved from 43.1% in 2004.
 
45

 

The following table sets forth a summary of noninterest expenses for the periods indicated:
 
Noninterest Expense
(Dollars in thousands)
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
 2006
 
 2005
 
 2004
 
 
 
(Amount)
 
(%)
 
(Amount)
 
(%)
 
(Amount)
 
(%)
 
Salaries and employee benefits
 
$
23,823
   
57.8
%
$
19,226
   
57.3
%
$
14,581
   
53.5
%
Occupancy and equipment
   
4,554
   
11.0
%
 
3,465
   
10.3
%
 
2,730
   
10.0
%
Data processing
   
2,450
   
5.9
%
 
1,917
   
5.7
%
 
1,644
   
6.0
%
Loan referral fee
   
1,523
   
3.7
%
 
1,284
   
3.8
%
 
1,202
   
4.4
%
Professional fees
   
1,143
   
2.8
%
 
858
   
2.5
%
 
1,430
   
5.2
%
Directors’ fees
   
535
   
1.3
%
 
493
   
1.5
%
 
460
   
1.7
%
Office supplies
   
709
   
1.7
%
 
654
   
1.9
%
 
573
   
2.1
%
Investor relation expenses
   
262
   
0.6
%
 
379
   
1.1
%
 
399
   
1.5
%
Advertising and promotional
   
1,256
   
3.0
%
 
966
   
2.9
%
 
652
   
2.4
%
Communications
   
462
   
1.1
%
 
428
   
1.3
%
 
338
   
1.2
%
Deposit insurance premium
   
187
   
0.5
%
 
155
   
0.5
%
 
132
   
0.5
%
Outsourced service for customers
   
1,349
   
3.3
%
 
1,435
   
4.3
%
 
1,302
   
4.8
%
Amortization of intangibles
   
185
   
0.4
%
 
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Other
   
2,794
   
6.9
%
 
2,303
   
6.9
%
 
1,840
   
6.7
%
Total
 
$
41,232
   
100.0
%
$
33,563
   
100.0
%
$
27,283
   
100.0
%
Average assets
 
$
1,833,368
       
$
1,447,557
       
$
1,141,430
       
Noninterest expense as a % of average assets
         
2.2
%
       
2.3
%
       
2.4
%
 
Salaries and employee benefits historically represent more than half of total noninterest expense and generally increase as our branch network and business volume expand. The new branch and loan production office openings increased these expenses to $23.8 million in 2006 as compared with $19.2 million in 2005 and $14.6 million in 2004, representing increases of 23.9% and 31.9% in 2006 and 2005, respectively, over each of the prior year periods. Despite our efforts to promote efficient operations by limiting personnel growth, the number of full-time equivalent employees increased to 330 in December 2006, as compared with 278 and 245 in 2005 and 2004, respectively. The significant increase in 2006 was mainly caused by our acquisition of two branches in New York. However, our significant asset growth helped us continue to increase assets per employee to $6.1 million at the end of 2006 from $6.0 million and $5.4 million at the end of 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
Occupancy and equipment expenses represent approximately 10% to 11% of total noninterest expenses and totaled $4.6 million in 2006, compared to $3.5 million in 2005 and $2.7 million in 2004, representing increases of 31.4% and 26.9% in 2006 and 2005, respectively, over each of the prior year periods. These increases were attributable primarily to the expansion of our office network and the additional office space for new departments. The increase in 2006 was more significant due to the lease expenses for the two New York branches acquired in May 2006.
 
Data processing expenses increased 27.8% to $2.45 million in 2006 from $1.92 million in 2005, which previously increased 16.6% from $1.64 million in 2004. Office supply expenses also increased to $709,000 in 2006 from $654,000 and $573,000 in 2005 and 2004, respectively, representing an increase of 8.3% and 14.1% in 2006 and 2005, respectively, over each of the prior year periods. These increases in data processing and office supplies expenses correspond to the growth of our business.
 
Loan referral fees are paid to brokers who refer loans to us, mostly SBA loans. Although we also pay referral fees for some qualified commercial loans, referral fee expenses generally correspond to our SBA loan production level. SBA loan production increased to $151 million in 2006, from $142 million in 2005 and $116 million in 2004 and these referral fees accordingly increased to $1.5 million in 2006, as compared with $1.3 million and $1.2 million in 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
Professional fees generally increase as we grow and we expect these expenditures will continue to be significant, as we address the enhanced SEC and NASDAQ corporate governance requirements and the local regulation of the states into which we expand our business operations. Professional fees were $1,143,000, $858,000, and $1,430,000, or 2.8%, 2.5%, and 5.2% of total noninterest expense, in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The professional fees unusually high due mainly to the legal and accounting fees incurred to comply with the enhanced financial reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or SOX, and fees in connection with the holding company reorganization.
 
46

 
Advertising and promotional expenses increased to $1.26 million in 2006 from $966,000 in 2005 which previously increased from $652,000 in 2004, representing 3.0%, 2.9%, and 2.4% of total noninterest expenses in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Such increases were attributable to expanded marketing activities, such as media advertisements and promotional gifts for customers of newly opened offices, especially in the new areas such as Texas and New York.
 
Outsourced service costs for customers are payments made to third parties who provide services that were traditionally provided by banks to their customers, such as armored car services or bookkeeping services, and are recouped from the earnings credits earned by the respective depositors on their balances maintained with us. Due to the reduction of such services, these expenses have decreased slightly to $1.3 million in 2006 from $1.4 million in 2005. In 2005, these expenses increased from $1.3 million in 2004 due to the increase in depositors demanding such services, such as escrow accounts and brokerage accounts.
 
Investor relations expenses represent costs for providing services to our existing or prospective shareholders, such as NASDAQ listing fees, fees for an outside investor relations company and various promotional material costs. These expenses decreased to $262,000, as compared with $379,000 in 2005 when the NASDAQ listing fees were paid for additional shares issued in connection with the December 2004 stock split and $399,000 in 2004 when additional expenses incurred in connection with the holding company reorganization.
 
Noninterest expense, other than the categories specifically addressed above, increased by $838,000, or 20.8%, to $4.9 million in 2006 from $4.0 million in 2005. In 2005, noninterest expenses increased by $690,000, or 20.6%, from $3.3 million in 2004. Such increases represent the normal growth in association with the growth of our business activities and appear in line with our expectation.
 
Generally, noninterest expense has increased from 2004 to 2006 as a result of rapid asset growth (20.5% and 31.7% in 2006 and 2005, respectively), and the expansion of our office network and products. Management anticipates that noninterest expense will continue to increase as we continue to grow. However, management remains committed to cost-control and operational efficiency, and we expect to keep these increases to a minimum relative to our rate of growth.
 
Provision for Income Taxes
 
For the year ended December 31, 2006, we made a provision for income taxes of $21.8 million on pretax net income of $55.7 million, representing an effective tax rate of 39.1%, as compared with a provision for income taxes of $18.8 million on pretax net income of $46.5 million, representing an effective tax rate of 40.3% for 2005, and a provision of $13.0 million on pretax net income of $32.5 million, representing an effective tax rate of 40.1% for 2004.
 
The effective tax rates in 2006 were slightly lower than those in prior years due mainly to the effect of a change in the 2005 estimated tax provision. We filed our 2005 income tax returns in the third quarter of 2006 and the actual income tax liability on the 2005 return was approximately $400,000 less than the provision we estimated in 2005, resulting in a reversal of tax payable in 2006. Our effective tax rates are usually one to two percentage points lower than statutory rates due to state tax benefits derived from doing business in an Enterprise Zone and the tax preferential treatment for the bank owned life insurance and low-income housing tax credit funds (see “Other Earning Assets” for further discussion). Generally, income tax expense is the sum of two components: current tax expense and deferred tax expense (benefit). Current tax expense is calculated by applying the current tax rate to taxable income. Deferred tax expense accounts for the change in deferred tax assets (liabilities) from year to year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities represent the tax effects, based on current tax law, of future deductible or taxable amounts attributable to events that have been recognized in the financial statements. Because we traditionally recognize substantially more expenses in our financial statements than we have been allowed to deduct for taxes, we generally have a net deferred tax asset. At December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, we had net deferred tax assets of $9.7 million, $8.1 million and $4.8 million, respectively.
 
47

 
We believe that we have adequately provided or paid for income tax issues not yet resolved with federal, state and foreign tax authorities. Based upon consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances, we do not believe the ultimate resolution of tax issues for all open tax periods will have a materially adverse effect upon our results of operations or financial condition.
 
Financial Condition
 
Loan Portfolio
 
Total loans are the sum of loans receivable and loans held for sale and reported at their outstanding principal balances net of any unearned income which is unamortized deferred fees and costs and premiums and discounts. Total loans net of unearned income increased by $297.7 million, or 23.6%, to $1.56 billion at December 31, 2006 from $1.26 billion at December 31, 2005. Total loans net of unearned income were $1.02 billion, $757.0 million and $524.5 million at December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Total loans net of unearned income as a percentage of total assets were 77.7%, 75.8%, 80.6%, 77.0%, and 75.7% for 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
 
Real estate secured loans consist primarily of commercial real estate loans and are extended to finance the purchase and/or improvement of commercial real estate and/or businesses thereon. The properties may be either user owned or for investment purposes. Our loan policy adheres to the real estate loan guidelines set forth by the FDIC. The policy provides guidelines including, among other things, fair review of appraisal value, limitation on loan-to-value ratio, and minimum cash flow requirements to service debt. Loans secured by real estate equaled $1.18 billion, $1.01 billion, $859.0 million, $607.6 million, and $400.4 million, as of December 31, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Real estate secured loans as a percentage of total loans were 75.8%, 80.1%, 84.2%, 80.3%, and 76.3% at December 31, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Due to the slowdown of the California real estate market and our target marketing efforts for unsecured business and commercial loans, the composition of real estate secured loans have decreased in 2006 and we believe there will be further decreases going forward. We offer a wide selection of residential mortgage programs, including non traditional mortgages such as interest only and payment option adjustable rate mortgages. Most of our salable loans are transferred to the secondary market while we retain a portion on our books as portfolio loans. Our total home mortgage loan portfolio outstanding at the end of 2006 and 2005 was $40.6 million and $43.3 million, respectively and we have deemed its effect on our credit risk profile to be immaterial. The residential mortgage loans with unconventional terms such as interest only mortgage and option adjustable rate mortgage at December 31, 2006 were $4.6 million and $1.1 million, respectively, inclusive of loans held temporarily for sale or refinancing. They were $8.0 million and $3.6 million, respectively, at December 31, 2005.
 
Commercial and industrial loans include revolving lines of credit, as well as term business loans. Commercial and industrial loans were $278.2 million, $190.8 million, $136.0 million, $126.6 million, and $98.0 million at the end of 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Commercial and industrial loans were 17.8%, 15.1%, 13.3%, 16.7%, and 18.7% as a percentage of total loans at the end of 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Such increases in recent years were mainly caused by our marketing strategy targeted for the relationship-based accounts, such as unsecured business and commercial loans.
 
Consumer loans have historically represented less than 5% of our total loan portfolio. The majority of consumer loans are concentrated in automobile loans, which we provide as a service only to existing customers. With our target marketing for them, the consumer loans continued to increase to $53.1 million, $42.9 million, $18.8 million, $15.0 million, and $12.3 million, at December 31, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Consumer loans as a percentage of total loans are however still minimal. Management anticipates further increases in consumer loans going forward, although no assurance can be given that this increase will occur.
 
Construction loans are generally extended as a temporary financing vehicle only. In the third quarter of 2004, we formed a construction loan department by appointing a construction loan specialist as its manager. Since then, construction loans increased to $46.3 million and $17.4 million, respectively at the end of 2006 and 2005, as compared with $7.0 million, $7.8 million, and $13.8 million, respectively, at the end of 2004, 2003, and 2002. Construction loans as a percentage of total loans also increased to 3.0% at the end of 2006 from 1% to 2% in prior years. We expect to expand our construction lending activities with this specialized capacity under the guidance of the Commercial Loan Center.
 
48

 
Our loan terms vary according to loan type. Commercial term loans have typical maturities of three to five years and are extended to finance the purchase of business entities, business equipment, and leasehold improvements, or to provide permanent working capital. SBA-guaranteed loans usually have longer maturities (8 to 25 years). We generally limit real estate loan maturities to five to eight years. Lines of credit, in general, are extended on an annual basis to businesses that need temporary working capital and/or import/export financing. We generally seek diversification in our loan portfolio, and our borrowers are diverse as to industry, location, and their current and target markets.
 
The following table sets forth the amount of total loans net of unearned income and the percentage distributions in each category, as of the dates indicated:
 
Distribution of Loans and Percentage Composition of Loan Portfolio

   
Amount Outstanding as of December 31,
 
   
 (Dollars in Thousands)
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
2003
 
2002
 
Construction
 
$
46,285
 
$
17,366
 
$
6,972
 
$
7,845
 
$
13,777
 
Real estate secured
   
1,183,030
   
1,011,513
   
858,998
   
607,561
   
400,446
 
Commercial and industrial
   
278,165
   
190,796
   
135,943
   
126,631
   
97,998
 
Consumer
   
53,059
   
42,885
   
18,810
   
14,969
   
12,320
 
Total loans net of unearned income
 
$
1,560,539
 
$
1,262,560
 
$
1,020,723
 
$
757,006
 
$
524,541
 
 
                               
Participation loans sold and serviced by the Company
 
$
336,652
 
$
273,876
 
$
235,534
 
$
180,558
 
$
126,346
 
Construction
   
3.0
%
 
1.4
%
 
0.7
%
 
1.0
%
 
2.6
%
Real estate secured
   
75.8
%
 
80.1
%
 
84.2
%
 
80.3
%
 
76.3
%
Commercial and industrial
   
17.8
%
 
15.1
%
 
13.3
%
 
16.7
%
 
18.7
%
Consumer
   
3.4
%
 
3.4
%
 
1.8
%
 
2.0
%
 
2.4
%
Total loans net of unearned income
   
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
The following table shows the contractual maturity distribution and repricing intervals of the outstanding loans in our portfolio as of December 31, 2006. In addition, the table shows the distribution of such loans between those with variable or floating interest rates and those with fixed or predetermined interest rates. The amounts on the table below are the gross loan balances at December 31, 2006 before netting unearned income totaling $9.0 million and the gross amount of non accrual loans of $9.4 million is not included:
 
Loan Maturities and Repricing Schedule
 
   
At December 31, 2006,
 
   
 
Within
One Year
 
After One
But Within Five Years
 
 
After
Five Years
 
 
 
Total
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Construction
 
$
42,843
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
$
42,843
 
Real estate secured
   
899,198
   
246,425
   
36,915
   
1,182,538
 
Commercial and industrial
   
274,386
   
5,219
   
3,240
   
282,845
 
Consumer
   
27,976
   
23,865
   
78
   
51,919
 
Total loans
 
$
1,244,403
 
$
275,509
 
$
40,233
 
$
1,560,145
 
Loans with variable (floating) interest rates
 
$
1,181,125
 
$
26,999
 
$
1,299
 
$
1,209,423
 
Loans with predetermined (fixed) interest rates
 
$
63,278
 
$
248,510
 
$
38,934
 
$
350,722
 
 
The majority of the properties taken as collateral are located in Southern California. The loans generated by our loan production offices, which are located outside of our main geographical market, are generally collateralized by property in close proximity to those offices. We employ strict guidelines regarding the use of collateral located in less familiar market areas. Since a major real estate recession during the first part of the previous decade, property values in Southern California have generally increased. However in 2006, we have started to see below-trend growth in GDP and a slowdown of the real estate market in California. Given the current economic conditions, no assurance can be given that property values will not significantly decrease.
 
49

 
Nonperforming Assets
 
Nonperforming assets consist of loans on non-accrual status, loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing interest, loans restructured, where the terms of repayment have been renegotiated resulting in a reduction or deferral of interest or principal, and other nonperforming assets.
 
Loans are generally placed on non-accrual status when they become 90 days past due, unless management believes the loan is adequately collateralized and in the process of collection. The past due loans may or may not be adequately collateralized, but collection efforts are continuously pursued. Loans may be restructured by management when a borrower has experienced some changes in financial status, causing an inability to meet the original repayment terms, and where we believe the borrower will eventually overcome those circumstances and repay the loan in full. Other nonperforming assets, mainly other real estate owned (OREO) and repossessed vehicles, consist of properties acquired by foreclosure or similar means that management intends to offer for sale.
 
Despite the significant growth of our loan portfolio, our continued emphasis on asset quality control enabled us to maintain a relatively low level of nonperforming loans prior to 2006. However, the general economic condition of the United States as well as the local economies in which we do business has shown a slowdown as the housing sector has cooled in 2006 and the transition to below-trend GDP growth has started. This transition of the economy affected our borrowers’ strength and our nonperforming loans increased to $6.8 million at the end of 2006, as compared with $2.5 million, $2.7 million, $3.7 million, and $3.5 million at the end of 2005, 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively. At December 31, 2006, the nonperforming loans as a percentage of total loans therefore increased from 0.20% and 0.26% at December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively, but still relatively low at 0.44% and lower than 0.50% and 0.66%, respectively, at the end of 2003 and 2002 when some of our borrowers were negatively affected by the then economic conditions.
 
At December 31, 2006, we had $233,000 as other nonperforming assets, the majority of which were represented by one OREO ($138,000) foreclosed in 2005 and subsequently sold at a small loss in January 2007. At the end of 2005, we had three OREO as other nonperforming assets in an amount of $294,400, which were subsequently sold without significant losses. At the end of 2003, our only nonperforming asset was a single-family residence in an amount of $377,000, which was subsequently sold without a significant loss. We had no other nonperforming assets at the end of 2004 and 2002. Together with OREO and repossessed vehicles, we managed the ratio of nonperforming assets as a percentage of total loans and other nonperforming assets at a relatively low level for the past five years, equaling 0.45%, 0.22%, 0.26%, 0.54%, and 0.66% as of December 31, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively.
 
Management believes that the reserve provided for nonperforming loans, together with the tangible collateral, were adequate as of December 31, 2006. See “Allowance for Loan Losses” below for further discussion. Except as disclosed above, as of December 31, 2006, management was not aware of any material credit problems of borrowers that would cause it to have serious doubts about the ability of a borrower to comply with the present loan payment terms. However, no assurance can be given that credit problems may exist that may not have been brought to the attention of management.
 
50

 
The following table provides information with respect to the components of our nonperforming assets as of the dates indicated (the figures in the table are net of the portion guaranteed by the U.S. Government):

Nonperforming Assets
 
   
At December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
2003
 
2002
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Nonaccrual loans:1
                               
Real estate secured
 
$
2,530
 
$
1,171
 
$
2,242
 
$
3,086
 
$
2,074
 
Commercial and industrial
   
2,342
   
341
   
401
   
543
   
479
 
Consumer
   
930
   
292
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Total
   
5,802
   
1,804
   
2,643
   
3,629
   
2,553
 
Loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing (as to principal or interest):
                               
Construction
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
875
 
Real estate secured
   
209
   
553
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Commercial and industrial
   
838
   
111
   
-
   
29
   
-
 
Consumer
   
-
   
-
   
42
   
67
   
7
 
Total
   
1,047
   
664
   
42
   
96
   
882
 
Restructured loans:2, 3
                               
Real estate secured
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Commercial and industrial
   
-
   
-
   
14
   
23
   
32
 
Consumer
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Total
   
-
   
-
   
14
   
23
   
32
 
Total nonperforming loans
   
6,849
   
2,468
   
2,699
   
3,748
   
3,467
 
Repossessed vehicles
   
95
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Other real estate owned
   
138
   
294
   
-
   
377
   
-
 
Total nonperforming assets
 
$
7,082
 
$
2,763
 
$
2,699
 
$
4,125
 
$
3,467
 
                                 
Nonperforming loans as a percentage of total loans
   
0.44
%
 
0.20
%
 
0.26
%
 
0.50
%
 
0.66
%
Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total loans and other nonperforming assets
   
0.45
%
 
0.22
%
 
0.26
%
 
0.54
%
 
0.66
%
Allowance for loan losses as a percentage of nonperforming loans
   
272.38
%
 
567.15
%
 
411.63
%
 
240.45
%
 
182.95
%
 
Allowance for Loan Losses
 
In anticipation of credit risk inherent in our lending business, we set aside allowances through charges to earnings. Such charges were not only made for the outstanding loan portfolio, but also for off-balance sheet items, such as commitments to extend credit or letters of credit. The charges made for the outstanding loan portfolio were credited to the allowance for loan losses, whereas charges for off-balance sheet items were credited to the reserve for off-balance sheet items, which is presented as a component of other liabilities. The provision for loan losses is discussed in the section entitled “Provision for Loan Losses” above.
 
During the 4th quarter of 2006, we enhanced our methodology for estimating allowance for loan losses. We started the credit loss migration analysis in 2003 on a cumulative basis, with 5 years’ historical loss data tracing back to 1998. Since then, the loss horizon has been unchanged with the same starting point of 1998, due to negligible loss experience in the past 3 years and the fact that the migration analysis requires several years for it to be set into a fully operating mode. After a passage of 3 years, which is deemed to be an appropriate time span for the migration analysis framework to be stabilized and for all the issues on the settings thereof to be identified, our methodology had been until recently under consideration for refinement in the near future. In such courses of events, a new Interagency Policy Statement on ALLL was publicized on December 13, 2006, which further prompted the foregoing cause.
 

1During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, no interest income related to these loans was included in net income. Additional interest income of approximately $621,000 would have been recorded during the year ended December 31, 2006, if these loans had been paid in accordance with their original terms and had been outstanding throughout the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 or, if not outstanding throughout the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, since origination.
 
2 A “restructured loan” is one the terms of which were renegotiated to provide a reduction or deferral of interest or principal because of deterioration in the financial position of the borrower.
 
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, approximately $0 of interest income related to this loan was included in net income. Additional interest income would be negligible during the year ended December 31, 2006, if this loan had been paid in accordance with its original term and had been outstanding throughout the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
 
51

 
Two major changes have been made. The first change was the change of the loss horizon (look-back period) for the historic loss ratio calculation from cumulative basis to 5 years moving average, which is more in line with the average lives of our loans. Also, the weights given to each period were adjusted. Prior to the change, the same weights have been assigned to all analysis periods, which may have allowed the aged loan losses to have undue influence on the reserve factors. Therefore, a change was made so that the highest weight of 5 is given to the most recent year, which is to be reduced by 1 each year going back. The foregoing change is also in line with the new Interagency Policy Statement on ALLL stating that “During periods of economic stability in an institution’s market, a relatively long period of time may be appropriate. However, during periods of significant economic expansion or contraction, the relevance of data that are several years old may be limited”. The second change was made on the scale and the format of the Qualitative Adjustment. The Company’s maximum scale prior to change was from -50% to +50% for each of 12 factors. In order to make it more in line with the industry average, the scale has been revised so that the maximum adjustment shall not exceed 50% of general allocation. The format of the Qualitative Adjustment was also revised so that factors with multiple subfactors are more objectively assessed.
 
As a result of these changes, we reduced the allowance for loan losses by $1.5 million as of December 31, 2006. The first change reduced the second phase allocation (Review of pools of loans with similar characteristics in the phase of methodology table below) by $1.6 million and the second change increased the third phase allocation (judgmental estimate based on qualitative factors in the phase of methodology table below) by $100,000.
 
With the economic transition addressed in “Nonperforming Assets” above, the net charge-offs in 2006 increased to $1.8 million as compared with $324,000, $908,000, and $102,000, respectively in 2005, 2004 and 2003. The net charge-offs in 2006 included $1.1 million consumer loan charge-offs, the majority of which were the charge-offs of authomobile loans, including automobile inventory financing, extended in connection with two used car dealers who closed down their businesses in the mid 2006. This $1.8 million net charge-offs represents 0.13% of average total loans in 2006, higher than 0.03%, 0.10%, and 0.02%, respectively, in 2005, 2004, and 2003. It was however lower than $2.4 million net charge-offs or 0.54% of average total loans in 2002 when the weak business climate adversely impacted the financial condition of a certain number of our clients.
 
In order to keep pace with the increase of nonperforming loans and our loan portfolio, we increased our allowance for loan losses by 33.25%, or $4.7 million, to $18.7 million at December 31, 2006, as compared with $14.0 million at December 31, 2005. Such allowances were $11.1 million, $9.0 million, and $6.3 million at December 31, 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively. With the continued increase of the allowance for loan losses in recent years, we were able to maintain the adequate ratio of allowance for loan losses to total loans at 1.20%, 1.11%, 1.09%, 1.19%, and 1.21% at the end of 2006, 2005 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively. Management believes that the current ratio of 1.20% is in line with our peer group average and adequate for our loan portfolio because the level of total non-performing loans as of December 31, 2006 was relatively low at 0.44% of total loans.
 
Although management believes the allowance at December 31, 2006 was adequate to absorb losses from any known and inherent risks in the portfolio, no assurance can be given that economic conditions which adversely affect our service areas or other variables will not result in increased losses in the loan portfolio in the future.
 
With the foregoing new changes in effect, as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, our allowance for loan losses consisted of amounts allocated from three phases of our methodology for assessing loan loss allowances, as follows (see details of methodology for assessing allowance for loan losses in the section entitled “Critical Accounting Policies”):
 
Phase of Methodology
 
As of December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
Specific review of individual loans
 
$
1,779,560
 
$
392,380
 
Review of pools of loans with similar characteristics
   
13,424,657
   
11,345,551
 
Judgmental estimate based on various qualitative factors
   
3,449,865
   
2,261,371
 
 
The table below summarizes, for the years indicated, loan balances at the end of each period, the daily averages during the period, changes in the allowance for loan losses arising from loans charged off, recoveries on loans previously charged off, additions to the allowance and certain ratios related to the allowance for loan losses:
 
52

 
Allowance for Loan Losses
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
2003
 
2002
 
   
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Balances:
                               
Average total loans outstanding during year
 
$
1,423,513
 
$
1,132,829
 
$
905,556
 
$
629,466
 
$
445,548
 
Total loans outstanding at end of year
   
1,560,539
   
1,262,560
   
1,020,723
   
757,005
   
524,541
 
Allowance for loan losses:
                               
Balances at beginning of year
   
13,999
   
11,111
   
9,011
   
6,343
   
5,559
 
Actual charge-offs:
                               
Real estate secured
   
138
   
127
   
-
   
306
   
106
 
Commercial and industrial
   
883
   
866
   
1,230
   
623
   
2,681
 
Consumer
   
1,141
   
107
   
139
   
23
   
41
 
Total charge-offs
   
2,162
   
1,100
   
1,369
   
952
   
2,828
 
Recoveries on loans previously charged off
                               
Real estate secured
   
146
   
30
   
-
   
-
   
10
 
Commercial and industrial
   
148
   
708
   
419
   
848
   
427
 
Consumer
   
26
   
37
   
42
   
2
   
5
 
Total recoveries
   
320
   
775
   
461
   
850
   
442
 
Net loan charge-offs
   
1,842
   
324
   
908
   
102
   
2,386
 
Allowance for loan losses acquired in LBNY acquisition
   
601
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Provision for loan losses
   
6,000
   
3,350
   
3,567
   
2,783
   
3,170
 
Less: provision for losses on off balance sheet item
   
104
   
137
   
559
   
13
       
Balance at end of year
 
$
18,654
 
$
13,999
 
$
11,111
 
$
9,011
 
$
6,343
 
Ratios:
                               
Net loan charge-offs to average total loans
   
0.13
%
 
0.03
%
 
0.10
%
 
0.02
%
 
0.54
%
Allowance for loan losses to total loans at end of year
   
1.20
%
 
1.11
%
 
1.09
%
 
1.19
%
 
1.21
%
Net loan charge-offs to allowance for loan losses at end of year
   
9.88
%
 
2.32
%
 
8.17
%
 
1.13
%
 
37.62
%
Net loan charge-offs to provision for loan losses
   
30.70
%
 
9.68
%
 
25.46
%
 
3.68
%
 
75.27
%
 
The table below summarizes, for the periods indicated, the balance of the allowance for loan losses and the percentage of such balance for each type of loan as of the dates indicated:
 
Distribution and Percentage Composition of Allowance for Loan Losses
 

   
Amount Outstanding as of December 31,
 
   
 (Dollars in Thousands)
 
Applicable to:
 
2006
 
2005
 
 2004
 
 2003
 
 2002
 
Construction
 
$
352
 
$
152
 
$
66
 
$
80
 
$
140
 
Real estate secured
   
9,933
   
9,751
    8,081     6,991     4,583  
Commercial and industrial
   
7,164
   
3,742
    2,796     1,852     1,597  
Consumer
   
1,205
   
354
    168     88     23  
Total Allowance
 
$
18,654
 
$
13,999
 
$
11,111
  $ 9,011   $ 6,343  
Construction
   
1.89
%
 
1.09
%
  0.59 %   0.89 %   2.21 %
Real estate secured
   
53.24
%
 
69.65
%
 
72.73
%
 
77.58
%
  72.25 %
Commercial and industrial
   
38.41
%
 
26.73
%
 
25.17
%
 
20.55
%
  25.18 %
Consumer
   
6.46
%
 
2.53
%
  1.51 %   0.98 %   0.36 %
Total Allowance
   
100.00
%
 
100.00
%
 
100.00
%
 
100.00
%
 
100.00
%
 
53

 
Contractual Obligations
 
The following table represents our aggregate contractual obligations (principal and interest) to make future payments as of December 31, 2006:
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
   
 
 
Total
 
 
One Year or Less
 
Over One Year To Three Years
 
Over Three Years To Five Years
 
 
Over Five Years
 
FHLB borrowings
 
$
20,764
 
$
-
 
$
20,764
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
Junior subordinated debenture
   
71,430
   
4,456
   
4,774
   
653
   
61,547
 
Operating leases
   
11,438
   
2,579
   
4,563
   
1,983
   
2,313
 
Time deposits
   
1,005,606
   
999,825
   
5,595
   
12
   
174
 
Total
 
$
1,109,238
 
$
1,006,860
 
$
35,696
 
$
2,648
 
$
64,034
 
 
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
 
During the ordinary course of business, we provide various forms of credit lines to meet the financing needs of our customers. These commitments, which represent a credit risk to us, are not represented in any form on our balance sheets.
 
As of December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, we had commitments to extend credit of $141.2 million, $104.3 million, and $69.5 million, respectively. Obligations under standby letters of credit were $9.5 million, $2.5 million, and $2.8 million, for 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively, and the obligations under commercial letters of credit were $14.8 million, $11.4 million, and $9.3 million for the same periods.
 
The effect on our revenues, expenses, cash flows and liquidity from the unused portion of the commitments to provide credit cannot be reasonably predicted because there is no guarantee that the lines of credit will be used.
 
In the normal course of business, we are involved in various legal claims. We have reviewed all legal claims against us with counsel and have taken into consideration the views of counsel as to the outcome of the claims. In our opinion, the final disposition of all such claims will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
 
Investment Activities
 
Investments are one of our major sources of interest income and are acquired in accordance with a written comprehensive investment policy addressing strategies, types and levels of allowable investments. This investment policy is reviewed at least annually by the Board of Directors. Management of our investment portfolio is set in accordance with strategies developed and overseen by our Asset/Liability Committee. Investment balances, including cash equivalents and interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions, are subject to change over time based on our asset/liability funding needs and interest rate risk management objectives. Our liquidity levels take into consideration anticipated future cash flows and all available sources of credits and are maintained at levels management believes are appropriate to assure future flexibility in meeting anticipated funding needs.
 
Cash Equivalents and Interest-bearing Deposits in other Financial Institutions
 
We sell federal funds, purchase securities under agreements to resell and high-quality money market instruments, and deposit interest-bearing accounts in other financial institutions to help meet liquidity requirements and provide temporary holdings until the funds can be otherwise deployed or invested. As of December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, we had $130 million, $126 million and $45 million, respectively, in federal funds sold and repurchase agreements, and $0, $500,000, and $0, respectively, in interest bearing deposits in other financial institutions.
 
Investment Securities
 
Management of our investment securities portfolio focuses on providing an adequate level of liquidity and establishing an interest rate-sensitive position, while earning an adequate level of investment income without taking undue risk. We classify our investment securities as “held-to-maturity” or “available-for-sale.” Investment securities that we intend to hold until maturity are classified as held-to-maturity securities, and all other investment securities are classified as available-for-sale. The carrying values of available-for-sale investment securities are adjusted for unrealized gains or losses as a valuation allowance and any gain or loss is reported on an after-tax basis as a component of other comprehensive income. At December 31, 2006 and 2005, we had no MMPS, but at the end of 2004 we had $10 million in money market preferred stock (“MMPS”), which is classified as available-for-sale securities. MMPS is a form of equity security having characteristics similar to money market investments such as commercial paper and offers attractive tax-equivalent yields with a 70% dividend received deduction. MMPS is re-auctioned every 49 or 90 days.
 
54

 
The following table summarizes the book value and market value and distribution of our investment securities as of the dates indicated:
 
Investment Securities Portfolio
 
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
   
As of December 31, 2006
 
As of December 31, 2005
 
As of December 31, 2004
 
   
Amortized
Cost
 
Market Value
 
Amortized
Cost
 
Market Value
 
Amortized
Cost
 
Market Value
 
Held to Maturity:                                      
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
 
$
14,000
 
$
13,845
 
$
19,993
 
$
19,684
 
$
28,073
 
$
27,976
 
Collateralized mortgage obligation
   
196
   
181
   
248
   
229
   
379
   
371
 
Municipal securities
   
425
   
419
   
2,619
   
2,598
   
810
   
814
 
Corporate securities
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
                                       
Available for Sale:                                      
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
   
87,809
   
87,511
   
77,882
   
76,981
   
39,945
   
39,732
 
Mortgage backed securities
   
21,033
   
20,917
   
23,451
   
23,158
   
27,794
   
27,740
 
Collateralized mortgage obligation
   
38,650
   
38,260
   
26,302
   
25,870
   
4,389
   
4,291
 
Corporate securities
   
13,445
   
13,387
   
8,132
   
8,047
   
3,994
   
3,950
 
Municipal securities
   
7,725
   
7,763
   
4,661
   
4,594
   
-
   
-
 
Money market preferred stock
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
10,000
   
10,000
 
 Total investment securities
 
$
183,283
 
$
182,283
 
$
163,288
 
$
161,161
 
$
115,384
 
$
114,874
 
 
The following table summarizes the maturity and repricing schedule of our investment securities at their carrying values and their weighted average yields at December 31, 2006:
 
Investment Maturities and Repricing Schedule
 
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
   
 
Within One Year
 
After One But
Within Five Years
 
After Five But
Within Ten Years
 
 
After Ten years
 
 
Total
 
 
 
Amount
 
Yield
 
Amount
 
Yield
 
Amount
 
Yield
 
Amount
 
Yield
 
Amount
 
Yield
 
Held to Maturity:                                                              
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
 
$
-
   
-
 
$
12,000
   
4.14
%
$
2,000
   
3.93
%
$
-
   
-
 
$
14,000
   
4.11
%
Collateralized mortgage obligation
   
-
   
-
   
196
   
3.97
%
 
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
196
   
3.97
%
Municipal securities
   
-
   
-
   
425
   
4.12
%
 
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
425
   
4.12
%
Available-for-sale:
                                                             
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
   
34,896
   
4.43
%
 
50,651
   
4.81
%
 
1,964
   
4.17
%
 
-
   
-
   
87,511
   
4.65
%
Mortgage backed securities
   
11,425
   
4.61
%
 
7,278
   
4.51
%
 
274
   
5.67
%
 
1,940
   
5.95
%
 
20,917
   
4.71
%
Collateralized mortgage obligation
   
-
   
-
   
38,260
   
5.16
%
 
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
38,260
   
5.16
%
Corporate securities
   
6,333
   
4.88
%
 
5,121
   
5.58
%
 
1,933
   
4.46
%
 
-
   
-
   
13,387
   
5.09
%
Municipal securities
   
-
   
-
   
397
   
3.66
%
 
2,280
   
3.72
%
 
5,086
   
4.06
%
 
7,763
   
3.94
%
Total investment securities
 
$
52,654
   
4.53
%
$
114,328
   
4.87
%
$
8,451
   
4.11
%
$
7,026
   
4.58
%
$
182,459
   
4.72
%
 
Our investment securities holdings increased by $20.9 million, or 13.0%, to $182.5 million at December 31, 2006, compared to holdings of $161.5 million at December 31, 2005. Holdings at December 31, 2004 were $115.0 million. Total investment securities as a percentage of total assets were 9.1% and 9.8% at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively, compared to 9.1% at December 31, 2004. As of December 31, 2006, investment securities having a carrying value of $158.5 million were pledged to secure certain deposits.
 
55

 
As of December 31, 2006, held-to-maturity securities, which are carried at their amortized costs, decreased to $14.6 million from $22.9 million and $29.3 million at December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Available-for-sale securities, which are stated at their fair market values, increased to $167.8 million at December 31, 2006 from $138.7 million and $85.7 million at December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. These increases reflect a strategy of improving our liquidity level using available-for-sale securities, in addition to immediately available funds which are maintained mainly in the form of overnight investments.
 
The following tables show our investments’ gross unrealized losses and fair value, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position, at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively(dollars in thousands):
 
As of December 31, 2006
 
   
Less than 12 months
 
12 months or longer
 
Total
 
 
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
 
$
17,972
 
$
(24
)
$
64,484
 
$
(497
)
$
82,456
 
$
(521
)
Collateralized mortgage obligations
   
12,066
   
(31
)
 
17,455
   
(383
)
 
29,521
   
(414
)
Mortgage-backed securities
   
1,740
   
(5
)
 
10,834
   
(204
)
 
12,574
   
(209
)
Municipal securities
   
-
   
-
   
3,802
   
(34
)
 
3,802
   
(34
)
Corporate securities
   
-
   
-
   
2,929
   
(68
)
 
2,929
   
(68
)
 
 
$
31,778
 
$
(60
)
$
99,504
 
$
(1,186
)
$
131,282
 
$
(1,246
)
As of December 31, 2005

   
Less than 12 months
 
12 months or longer
 
Total
 
 
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
 
$
52,380
 
$
(513
)
$
41,285
 
$
(697
)
$
93,665
 
$
(1,210
)
Collateralized mortgage obligation
   
14,971
   
(280
)
 
3,167
   
(171
)
 
18,138
   
(451
)
Mortgage backed securities
   
8,631
   
(136
)
 
8,075
   
(186
)
 
16,706
   
(322
)
Municipal securities
   
5,553
   
(89
)
 
-
   
-
   
5,553
   
(89
)
Corporate securities
   
982
   
(17
)
 
1,927
   
(67
)
 
2,909
   
(84
)
 
 
$
82,517
 
$
(1,035
)
$
54,454
 
$
(1,121
)
$
136,971
 
$
(2,156
)

As of December 31, 2006, the total unrealized losses less than 12 months old were $60,000, and total unrealized losses more than 12 months old were $1.2 million. The aggregate related fair value of investments with unrealized losses less than 12 months old was $31.8 million at December 31, 2006, and those with unrealized losses more than 12 months old were $99.5 million. As of December 31, 2005, the total unrealized losses less than 12 months old were $1.0 million and total unrealized losses more than 12 months old were $1.1 million. The aggregate related fair value of investments with unrealized losses less than 12 months old was $82.5 million at December 31, 2005, and those with unrealized losses more than 12 months old were $54.5 million.
 
Declines in the fair value of held-to-maturity and available-for-sale securities below their cost that are deemed to be other than temporary are reflected in earnings as realized losses. In estimating other-than-temporary impairment losses, we consider, among other things, (i) the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than cost, (ii) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, and (iii) our intent and ability to retain our investment in the issuer for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value.
 
56

 
We have the ability and intent to hold the securities classified as held-to-maturity until they mature, at which time we expect to receive full value for the securities. As of December 31, 2006 and 2005, we also had the ability and intent to hold the securities classified as available-for-sale for a period of time sufficient for a recovery of cost. The unrealized losses were largely due to increases in market interest rates over the yields available at the time the underlying securities were purchased. The fair value is expected to recover as the bonds approach their maturity date or repricing date or if market yields for such investments decline. We do not believe any of the securities are impaired due to reasons of credit quality. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, we believe the impairments detailed in the table above were temporary, and no impairment loss has been realized in our consolidated statements of operations.
 
Other Earning Assets
 
For various business purposes, we make investments in earning assets other than the interest-earning securities discussed above. Before 2003, the only other earning assets held by us were insignificant amounts of Federal Home Loan Bank stock and the cash surrender value of the BOLI.
 
In an effort to provide additional benefits aimed at retaining key employees, while generating a tax-exempt noninterest income stream, we purchased $10.5 million in 2003 in BOLI from insurance carriers rated AA or above. In 2005, we purchased $3 million more in BOLI from the same insurance carriers. We are the owner and the primary beneficiary of the life insurance policies and recognize the increase of the cash surrender value of the policies as tax-exempt other income.
 
In 2003, we also invested in two low-income housing tax credit funds (“LIHTCF”) to promote our participation in CRA activities. We committed to invest, over two to three years, a total of $3 million to two different LIHTCF - $1 million in Apollo California Tax Credit Fund XXII, LP, and $2 million in Hudson Housing Los Angeles Revitalization Fund, LP. In 2006, in order to promote our CRA activities in each of the assessment areas in Dallas, New York, and Los Angeles, we also committed to invest additional $1 million, $2 million, and $3 million in WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund XXI, WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund X New York Series 7, and WNC Institutional Tax Credit Fund X California Series 6, respectively. We receive the returns on these investments, over the fifteen years following the said two to three-year investment periods in the form of tax credits and tax deductions.
 
The balances of other earning assets as of December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005 were as follows:
 
Type
 
Balance as of
December 31, 2006
 
Balance as of
December 31, 2005
 
BOLI
 
$
15,636,000
 
$
15,099,000
 
LIHTCF
   
4,206,000
   
2,350,000
 
Federal Home Loan Bank Stock
   
7,542,000
   
6,182,000
 
 
Deposits and Other Sources of Funds
 
Deposits
 
Deposits are our primary source of funds. Total deposits at December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 were $1.75 billion, $1.41 billion and $1.10 billion, respectively, representing an increase of $342.5 million, or 24.3%, in 2006 and $310.8 million, or 28.3%, in 2005. The average deposits for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 were $1.58 billion, $1.23 billion, and $984.4 million, respectively, representing an increase of $347.5 million, or 28.3%, in 2006, and of $242.9 million, or 24.7%, in 2005.
 
After 2004, our niche market depositor’s preference in time deposits bearing relatively high interest rates decreased the level of deposits in transactional accounts and we increased our reliance on time deposits to fund our loan growth. Despite our efforts in controlling the growth of expensive time deposits, the percentage of the average time deposits over the average total deposits increased to 54.8% and 52.9%, respectively, in 2006 and 2005 as compared with 49.9% in 2004. We believe that our regional diversification into the Texas and New York markets together with our core-deposit campaign launched late 2006, that gives incentives to the branches achieving the assigned core deposit goals, will reduce our level of time deposit reliance going forward.
 
57

 
The average rate paid on time deposits in denominations of $100,000 or more increased to 5.11% in 2006 as compared with 3.49% in 2005, which previously increased from 2.33% in 2004. See “Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin” for further discussion.
 
The following tables summarize the distribution of average daily deposits and the average daily rates paid for the years indicated:
 
Average Deposits
 
   
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
 
 
Average
Balance
 
Average
Rate
 
Average Balance
 
Average
Rate
 
Average
Balance
 
Average
Rate
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Demand, noninterest-bearing
 
$
310,031
       
$
286,966
       
$
251,762
       
Money market
   
356,602
   
4.25
%
 
247,313
   
2.93
%
 
193,120
   
1.87
%
Super NOW
   
20,853
   
1.18
%
 
21,446
   
0.87
%
 
21,542
   
0.77
%
Savings
   
25,093
   
1.32
%
 
22,878
   
0.73
%
 
26,322
   
0.75
%
Time certificates of deposit in denominations of $100,000 or more
   
706,729
   
5.11
%
 
532,207
   
3.49
%
 
373,888
   
2.33
%
Other time deposits
   
155,741
   
4.58
%
 
116,698
   
3.20
%
 
117,723
   
2.54
%
Total deposits
 
$
1,575,049
   
3.74
%
$
1,227,508
   
2.44
%
$
984,357
   
1.59
%
 
The scheduled maturities of our time deposits in denominations of $100,000 or greater at December 31, 2006 are, as follows:
 
Maturities of Time Deposits of $100,000 or More, at December 31, 2006
 
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Three months or less
 
$
415,017
 
Over three months through six months
   
180,523
 
Over six months through twelve months
   
214,595
 
Over twelve months
   
1,971
 
Total
 
$
812,106
 
 
Because our client base is comprised primarily of commercial and industrial accounts, individual account balances are generally higher than those of consumer-oriented banks. A number of clients carry deposit balances of more than 1% of our total deposits, but only two customers, including the California State Treasury, had a deposit balance of more than 3% of total deposits in 2004. At December 31, 2006 and 2005, the California State Treasury was the only depositor whose deposit balance was more than 3% of our total deposits.
 
We accept brokered deposits on a selective basis at reasonable interest rates to augment deposit growth. We have reduced these deposits to $5.2 million at December 31, 2006 from $23.0 million and $47.3 million, at December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively, in order to limit our reliance on non-core funding sources. Most of the brokered deposits will mature within one year. Since brokered deposits are generally less stable forms of deposits, we closely monitor growth from this non-core funding source.
 
FHLB Borrowings
 
Although deposits are the primary source of funds for our lending and investment activities and for general business purposes, we may obtain advances from the FHLB as an alternative to retail deposit funds. Since 2002, we have increased borrowings from FHLB in order to take advantage of the flexibility of the program and its reasonably low cost. See “Liquidity Management” below for the details on the FHLB borrowings program.
 
58

 
The following table is a summary of FHLB borrowings for fiscal years 2006 and 2005:
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2006
 
2005
 
Balance at year-end
 
$
20,000
 
$
61,000
 
Average balance during the year
 
$
39,108
 
$
56,151
 
Maximum amount outstanding at any month-end
 
$
56,000
 
$
61,000
 
Average interest rate during the year
   
3.83
%
 
3.13
%
Average interest rate at year-end
   
3.68
%
 
3.51
%
 
Junior Subordinated Debentures; Trust Preferred Securities
 
In December 2002, the Bank issued $10 million of the 2002 Junior Subordinated Debentures. Subsequently, the Company, as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2003 and as a parent company of the Bank in 2005, issued a total of $51,547,000 of Junior Subordinated Debentures in connection with a $50,000,000 trust preferred securities issuance by statutory trusts wholly-owned by the Company.
 
2002 Bank Level Junior Subordinated Debenture. In December 2002, the Bank issued a $10 million Junior Subordinated Debenture (the “2002 debenture”). The interest rate payable on the 2002 debenture was 8.47% at December 31, 2006, which rate adjusts quarterly to the three-month LIBOR plus 3.10%. The 2002 debenture will mature on December 26, 2012. Interest on the 2002 debenture is payable quarterly and no scheduled payments of principal are due prior to maturity. The Bank may redeem the 2002 debenture in whole or in part at par prior to maturity on or after December 26, 2007.
 
The 2002 debenture is treated as Tier 2 capital for Bank regulatory capital purposes. Likewise, on a consolidated basis, the 2002 debenture also is treated as Tier 2 capital for holding company level capital purposes under current FRB capital guidelines.
 
2003 Junior Subordinated Debenture; Trust Preferred Securities Issuance. In December 2003, Wilshire Bancorp was formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank, in order to raise additional capital funds through the issuance of trust preferred securities. Prior to the completion of the August 2004 bank holding company reorganization, Wilshire Bancorp organized its wholly owned subsidiary, Wilshire Statutory Trust I, which issued $15 million in trust preferred securities. Wilshire Bancorp then purchased all of the common interest in the Wilshire Statutory Trust I ($464,000) and issued the 2003 Junior Subordinated Debenture (the “2003 debenture”) in the amount of approximately $15.5 million to the Wilshire Statutory Trust I with terms substantially similar to the 2003 trust preferred securities in exchange for the proceeds from the issuance of the Wilshire Statutory Trust I’s 2003 trust preferred securities and common securities. Wilshire Bancorp subsequently deposited the proceeds from the 2003 debenture in a depository account at the Bank and infused $14.5 million as additional equity capital to the Bank immediately following the holding company reorganization. The rate of interest on the 2003 debenture and related trust preferred securities was 8.21% at December 31, 2006, which adjusts quarterly to the three-month LIBOR plus 2.85%. The 2003 debenture and related trust preferred securities will mature on December 17, 2033. The interest on both the 2003 debenture and related trust preferred securities is payable quarterly and no scheduled payments of principal are due prior to maturity. Wilshire Bancorp may redeem the 2003 debenture (and in turn the trust preferred securities) in whole or in part at par prior to maturity on or after December 17, 2008.
 
March 2005 Junior Subordinated Debenture; Trust Preferred Securities Issuance. In March 2005, Wilshire Bancorp organized its wholly owned subsidiary, Wilshire Statutory Trust II, which issued $20 million in trust preferred securities. Wilshire Bancorp then purchased all of the common interest in the Wilshire Statutory Trust II ($619,000) and issued the 2005 Junior Subordinated Debenture (the “March 2005 debenture”) in the amount of $20.6 million to the Wilshire Statutory Trust II with terms substantially similar to the March 2005 trust preferred securities in exchange for the proceeds from the issuance of the Wilshire Statutory Trust II’s March 2005 trust preferred securities and common securities. Wilshire Bancorp subsequently deposited the proceeds from the March 2005 debenture in a depository account at the Bank and infused $14 million as additional equity capital to the Bank. The rate of interest on the March 2005 debenture and related trust preferred securities was 7.15% at December 31, 2006, which adjusts quarterly to the three-month LIBOR plus 1.79%. The March 2005 debenture and related trust preferred securities will mature on March 17, 2035. The interest on both the March 2005 debenture and related trust preferred securities are payable quarterly and no scheduled payments of principal are due prior to maturity. Wilshire Bancorp may redeem the March 2005 debenture (and in turn the trust preferred securities) in whole or in part at par prior to maturity on or after March 17, 2010.
 
59

 
September 2005 Junior Subordinated Debenture; Trust Preferred Securities Issuance. In September 2005, Wilshire Bancorp organized its wholly owned subsidiary, Wilshire Statutory Trust III, which issued $15 million in trust preferred securities.  Wilshire Bancorp then purchased all of the common interest in the Wilshire Statutory Trust III and issued its Junior Subordinated Debt Securities (the “September 2005 debenture”) in the amount of $15.5 million to the Wilshire Statutory Trust III with terms substantially similar to the September 2005 trust preferred securities and common securities. Wilshire Bancorp subsequently deposited the proceeds from the September 2005 debenture in a depository account at the Bank. Until September 15, 2010, the securities will be fixed at a 6.07% annual interest rate, thereafter converting to a floating rate of three-month LIBOR plus 1.40%, resetting quarterly. The September 2005 debenture and related trust preferred securities will mature on September 15, 2035. The interest on both the September 2005 debenture and related trust preferred securities are payable quarterly and no scheduled payments of principal are due prior to maturity. Wilshire Bancorp may redeem the September 2005 debenture (and in turn the trust preferred securities) in whole or in part at par prior to maturity on or after September 15, 2010.
 
On March 1, 2005, the Federal Reserve Board adopted a final rule that allows continued inclusion of trust preferred securities in the Tier 1 capital of bank holding companies, subject to stricter quantitative limits. Under the final rule, bank holding companies may include trust preferred securities in Tier 1 capital in an amount (together with other restricted core capital elements) equal to 25% of the sum of core capital elements (including restricted core capital elements) net of goodwill less any associated deferred tax liability. Amounts in excess of these limits will generally be included in Tier 2 capital. For purposes of this rule, restricted core capital elements are generally to be comprised of qualifying cumulative perpetual preferred stock and related surplus, minority interest related to qualifying cumulative perpetual preferred stock directly issued by a consolidated U.S. depository institution or foreign bank subsidiary, minority interest related to qualifying common stock or qualifying cumulative perpetual preferred stock directly issued by a consolidated subsidiary that is neither a U.S. depository institution or a foreign bank and qualifying trust preferred securities.
 
The final rule provides a transition period for bank holding companies to come into compliance with these new capital restrictions. Accordingly, while the final rule became effective on April 11, 2005, for practical purposes, bank holding companies will have until September 30, 2009 (an extension of the September 30, 2007 transition period under the proposed rule) to come into compliance with the final rule’s capital restrictions due to the transition period. In extending the transition period to 2009, the Federal Reserve noted that the extended period will provide bank holding companies with existing trust preferred securities with call features after the first five years an opportunity to restructure their capital elements in order to conform to the limitations of the final rule.
 
Under the final rule, as of December 31, 2006, Wilshire Bancorp counted the full amount ($50.0 million) of trust preferred securities as Tier 1 capital.
 
Asset/Liability Management
 
Management seeks to ascertain optimum and stable utilization of available assets and liabilities as a vehicle to attain our overall business plans and objectives. In this regard, management focuses on measurement and control of liquidity risk, interest rate risk and market risk, capital adequacy, operation risk and credit risk. See “Risk Factors” for further discussion on these risks. Information concerning interest rate risk management is set forth under “Item 7A - Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.”
 
Liquidity Management
 
Maintenance of adequate liquidity requires that sufficient resources be available at all time to meet our cash flow requirements. Liquidity in a banking institution is required primarily to provide for deposit withdrawals and the credit needs of its customers and to take advantage of investment opportunities as they arise. Liquidity management involves our ability to convert assets into cash or cash equivalents without incurring significant loss, and to raise cash or maintain funds without incurring excessive additional cost. For this purpose, we maintain a portion of our funds in cash and cash equivalents, deposits in other financial institutions and loans and securities available for sale. Our liquid assets at December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 totaled approximately $378.6 million, $355.2 million and 205.8 million, respectively. Our liquidity level measured as the percentage of liquid assets to total assets was 18.8%, 21.3% and 16.3% at December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
As a secondary source of liquidity, we rely on advances from the FHLB to supplement our supply of lendable funds and to meet deposit withdrawal requirements. Advances from the FHLB are typically secured by our mortgage loans and stock issued by the FHLB. Advances are made pursuant to several different programs. Each credit program has its own interest rate and range of maturities. Depending on the program, limitations on the amount of advances are based either on a fixed percentage of an institution’s net worth or on the FHLB’s assessment of the institution’s creditworthiness. While this fund provides flexibility and reasonable cost, we limit our use to 50% of our borrowing capacity, as such borrowing does not qualify as core funds. As of December 31, 2006, our borrowing capacity from the FHLB was about $428 million and the outstanding balance was $20 million, or approximately 4.7% of our borrowing capacity. As of December 31, 2006, we also maintained a guideline to purchase up to $25 million and $10 million in federal funds with Bank of the West and Union Bank of California, respectively.
 
60

 
Capital Resources and Capital Adequacy Requirements
 
Historically, our primary source of capital has been internally generated operating income through retained earnings. In order to ensure adequate levels of capital, we conduct ongoing assessments of projected sources and uses of capital in conjunction with projected increases in assets and level of risks. We have considered, and we will continue to consider, additional sources of capital as the need arises, whether through the issuance of additional equity, debt or hybrid securities.
 
We are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by federal banking agencies. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, we must meet specific capital guidelines that rely on quantitative measures of our assets, liabilities and certain off-balance-sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can trigger regulatory actions under the prompt corrective action rules that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations. Prompt corrective action may include regulatory enforcement actions that restrict dividend payments, require the adoption of remedial measures to increase capital, terminate FDIC deposit insurance, and mandate the appointment of a conservator or receiver in severe cases. In addition, failure to maintain a well-capitalized status may adversely affect the evaluation of regulatory applications for specific transactions and activities, including acquisitions, continuation and expansion of existing activities, and commencement of new activities, and could adversely affect our business relationships with our existing and prospective clients. The aforementioned regulatory consequences for failing to maintain adequate ratios of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Our capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about components, risk weightings, and other factors. See Part I, Item 1 “Description of Business -- Regulation and Supervision -- Capital Adequacy Requirements” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding regulatory capital requirements.
 
At December 31, 2006, total shareholders’ equity increased by $36.5 million, after declaring cash dividends of $5.8 million, to $149.6 million from $113.1 million at December 31, 2005. Such additional capital was primarily derived from internally generated operating income ($33.9 million) and the additional shares issued in connection with the Liberty Bank acquisition ($5.9 million). In 2005, total shareholders’ equity also grew by $24.8 million from $88.3 million at December 31, 2004, after declaring cash dividends of $4.6 million, primarily from internally generated operating income of $27.8 million. Our equity also increased by the share-based compensation and other comprehensive income.
 
For the regulatory capital ratio computation purpose, we considered the Junior Subordinated Debentures of $61.5 million, which consists of $10 million issued by the Bank and $51.5 million issued by the Company in connection with the issuance of $50 million trust preferred securities. As of December 31, 2005, Wilshire Bancorp accounted for $38.0 million of such securities as Tier 1 capital and $22.0 million as Tier 2 capital. As of December 31, 2006, the portion qualified for Tier 1 capital increased to $50.0 million, reducing the portion for Tier 2 capital to $10 million. For the Bank level, only the $10 million debenture issued by the Bank in 2002 is treated as Tier 2 capital. See “Deposits and Other Sources of Funds” for further discussion regarding the capital treatment of subordinated debentures and the trust preferred securities.
 
61

 
As of December 31, 2006, we were qualified as a “well capitalized institution” under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. The following table presents the regulatory standards for well-capitalized institutions, compared to our capital ratios as of the dates specified for Wilshire Bancorp, Inc and Wilshire State Bank:
 
   
Regulatory Well-
 Regulatory Adequately-
Actual ratios for the Company as of:
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.  
Capitalized Standards
Capitalized Standards
December 31, 2006
December 31, 2005
 
Total capital to risk-weighted assets
   
10
%
 
8
%
 
13.63
%
 
14.41
%
Tier I capital to risk-weighted assets
   
6
%
 
4
%
 
11.81
%
 
11.60
%
Tier I capital to adjusted average assets
   
5
%
 
4
%
 
9.79
%
 
9.39
%

   
Regulatory Well-
 
Regulatory Adequately-
 
Actual ratios for the Bank as of:
 
 
Wilshire State Bank
 
Capitalized Standards
 
 Capitalized Standards
 
December 31,
2006
 
December 31,
2005
 
December 31,
2004
 
Total capital to risk-weighted assets
   
10
%
 
8
%
 
13.51
%
 
13.05
%
 
11.92
%
Tier I capital to risk-weighted assets
   
6
%
 
4
%
 
11.68
%
 
11.15
%
 
9.84
%
Tier I capital to adjusted average assets
   
5
%
 
4
%
 
9.69
%
 
9.04
%
 
8.33
%
 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
 
In February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 155, Accounting for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments, which amends SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, and SFAS No. 140, Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities. This statement also resolves issues addressed in Statement 133 Implementation Issue No. D1, Application of Statement 133 to Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets. SFAS No. 155 eliminates the exemption from applying SFAS No. 133 to interests in securitized financial assets so that similar instruments are accounted for similarly regardless of the form of the instruments. SFAS No. 155 also allows a preparer to elect fair value measurement at acquisition, at issuance, or when a previously recognized financial instrument is subject to a remeasurement (new basis) event, on an instrument-by-instrument basis, in a case in which a derivative would otherwise have to be bifurcated. SFAS No. 155 is effective for all financial instruments acquired or issued after December 31, 2006 for the Company. The Company does not expect the adoption SFAS No. 155 to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In March 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 156, Accounting for Servicing of Financial Assets, which amends the guidance in SFAS No. 140. SFAS No. 156 requires that an entity separately recognize a servicing asset or a servicing liability when it undertakes an obligation to service a financial asset under a servicing contract in certain situations. Such servicing assets or servicing liabilities are required to be measured initially at fair value, if practicable. SFAS No. 156 also allows an entity to measure its servicing assets and servicing liabilities subsequently using either the amortization method, which existed under SFAS No. 140, or the fair value measurement method. SFAS No. 156 will be effective for the Company in the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2007. The Company does not expect the adoption SFAS No. 156 to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In June 2006, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in income taxes (“FIN 48”) which supplements SFAS No. 109 by defining the confidence level that a tax position must meet in order to be recognized in the financial statements. The interpretation requires that the tax effects of a position be recognized only if it is “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date. The more-likely-than-not threshold represents a positive assertion by management that a company is entitled to the economic benefits of a tax position. If a tax position is not considered more-likely-than-not to be sustained based solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the position are to be recognized. Moreover, the more-likely-than-not threshold must continue to be met in each reporting period to support continued recognition of a benefit. At adoption, companies must adjust their financial statements to reflect only those tax positions that are more-likely-than-not to be sustained as of the adoption date. Any necessary adjustment would be recorded directly to retained earnings in the period of adoption and reported as a change in accounting principle. The Company adopted FIN 48 on January 1, 2007, and this adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The Company will adopt SFAS No. 157 for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods with those fiscal years. The transition adjustment, measured as the difference between the carrying amounts and the fair values of those financial instruments at the date SFAS No. 157 is initially applied, should be recognized as a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for the fiscal year in which this Statement is initially applied. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this adoption on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
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In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 158, Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, which requires an employer to recognize the overfunded or underfunded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan as an asset or liability in its statement of financial position and to recognize changes in that funded status in the year in which the change occur through comprehensive income of the business entity. An employer with publicly traded equity securities is required to initially recognize the funded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan and to provide the required disclosures. The Company adopted SFAS No. 158 effective on December 15, 2006, and the adoption of SFAS No. 158 has not had a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In September 2006 the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 108, Quantifying Financial Misstatements, which expresses the Staff’s views regarding the process of quantifying financial statement misstatements. Registrants are required to quantify the impact of correcting all misstatements, including both the carryover and reversing effects of prior year misstatements, on the current year financial statements. The techniques most commonly used in practice to accumulate and quantify misstatements are generally referred to as the “rollover” (current year income statement perspective) and “iron curtain” (year-end balance perspective) approaches. The financial statements would require adjustment when either approach results in quantifying a misstatement that is material, after considering all relevant quantitative and qualitative factors. This guidance is effective for annual financial statements covering the first fiscal year ending after November 15, 2006. The adoption of SAB No. 108 has not had a material effect on the consolidated financial statements and results of operations.
 
In February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which permits all entities to choose to measure eligible items at fair value at specified election dates. A business entity shall report unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair value option has been elected in earnings at each subsequent reporting date. This statement shall be effective as of the beginning of each reporting entity’s first fiscal year after November 15, 2007. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this adoption on the consolidated financial statements and results of operations.
 
Impact of Inflation; Seasonality
 
Inflation primarily impacts us by its effect on interest rates. Our primary source of income is net interest income, which is affected by changes in interest rates. We attempt to limit the impact of inflation on our net interest margin through management of rate-sensitive assets and liabilities and the analysis of interest rate sensitivity. The effect of inflation on premises and equipment as well as noninterest expenses has not been significant for the periods covered in this report. Our business is generally not seasonal.
 
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
Market risk is the risk of loss from adverse changes in market prices and rates. Our market risk arises primarily from interest rate risk inherent in lending, investing and deposit taking activities. We evaluate market risk pursuant to policies reviewed and approved annually by our Board of Directors. The Board delegates responsibility for market risk management to the Asset & Liability Management (“ALM”) Committee, which reports monthly to the Board on activities related to market risk management. As part of the management of our market risk, our ALM committee may direct changes in the mix of assets and liabilities. To that end, we actively monitor and manage interest rate risk exposures.
 
Interest rate risk management involves development, analysis, implementation and monitoring of earnings to provide stable earnings and capital levels during periods of changing interest rates. In the management of interest rate risk, we utilize monthly gap analysis and quarterly simulation modeling to determine the sensitivity of net interest income and economic value of equity. These techniques are complementary and are used together to provide a more accurate measurement of interest rate risk.
 
Gap analysis measures the repricing mismatches between assets and liabilities. The interest rate sensitivity gap is determined by subtracting the amount of liabilities from the amount of assets that reprice in a particular time interval. If repricing assets exceed repricing liabilities in any given time period, we would be deemed to be “asset-sensitive” for that period. Conversely, if repricing liabilities exceed repricing assets, we would be deemed to be “liability-sensitive” for that period.
 
63

 
The significant balance of noninterest bearing deposits puts us in an overall asset-sensitive position and we strategically plan a significant three-month positive gap to meet any unanticipated funding needs by maintaining a large portion of funds obtained from non-interest bearing deposits in overnight investments and other cash equivalents. In general, based upon our mix of deposits, loans and investments, increases in interest rates would be expected to increase our net interest margin. Decreases in interest rates would be expected to have the opposite effect. However, we usually seek to maintain a balanced position over the period of one year to ensure net interest margin stability in times of volatile interest rates. This is accomplished by maintaining a similar level of interest-earning assets and interest-paying liabilities available to be repriced within one year. At December 31, 2006, our position appeared balanced for a one-year timeframe with a negligible liability-sensitive cumulative gap (minus 2.5% of average interest-earning assets). We do not anticipate a major change in our net interest margin as we expect such repricing gap, if occurred, to be eliminated within a year.
 
The change in net interest income may not always follow the general expectations of an “asset-sensitive” or a “liability-sensitive” balance sheet during periods of changing interest rates. This possibility results from interest rates changing by differing increments and at different time intervals for each type of interest-sensitive asset and liability. The interest rate sensitivity gaps reported in the tables arise when assets are funded with liabilities having different repricing intervals. Since these gaps are actively managed and change daily as adjustments are made in interest rate views and market outlook, positions at the end of any period may not reflect our interest rate sensitivity in subsequent periods. We attempt to balance longer-term economic views against prospects for short-term interest rate changes.
 
Although the interest rate sensitivity gap is a useful measurement and contributes to effective asset and liability management, it is difficult to predict the effect of changing interest rates based solely on that measure. As a result, the ALM committee also regularly uses simulation modeling as a tool to measure the sensitivity of earnings and net portfolio value (“NPV”) to interest rate changes. The NPV is defined as the net present value of an institution’s existing assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet instruments. The simulation model captures all assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet financial instruments and accounts for significant variables that are believed to be affected by interest rates. These include prepayment speeds on loans, cash flows of loans and deposits, principal amortization, call options on securities, balance sheet growth assumptions and changes in rate relationships as various rate indices react differently to market rates.
 
Although the simulation measures the volatility of net interest income and net portfolio value under immediate increase or decrease of market interest rate scenarios in 100 basis point increments, our main concern is the negative effect of a reasonably-possible worst scenario. The ALM policy prescribes that for the worst possible rate decreasing scenario the possible reduction of net interest income and NPV should not exceed 20% of the base net interest income and 25% of the base NPV, respectively.
 
As our simulation measures indicate below, the net interest income increases (decreases) as market interest rates rise (fall), since we were in an overall asset-sensitive position with a 20.0% positive gap for the three-month timeframe. The NPV increases (decreases) as interest income increases (decreases) since the change in cash flows has a greater impact on the change in the NPV than does the change in the discount rate. However the extent of such changes was within the tolerance level prescribed by our ALM policy due partly to the near-balanced cumulative gap for the one-year timeframe.
 
Management believes that the assumptions used to evaluate the vulnerability of our operations to changes in interest rates approximate actual experience and considers them reasonable; however, the interest rate sensitivity of our assets and liabilities and the estimated effects of changes in interest rates on our net interest income and NPV could vary substantially if different assumptions were used or actual experience differs from the historical experience on which they are based.
 
64

 
The following table sets forth the interest rate sensitivity of our interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities as of December 31, 2006 using the interest rate sensitivity gap ratio. For purposes of the following table, an asset or liability is considered rate-sensitive within a specified period when it can be repriced or matures within its contractual terms. Actual payment patterns may differ from contractual payment patterns.
 
Interest Rate Sensitivity Analysis
 
   
At December 31, 2006 
 
   
Amounts Subject to Repricing Within
 
   
0-3 months 
 
3-12 months 
 
1-5 years
 
 After 5 years
 
Total
 
   
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Interest-earning assets:                                
Gross loans1
 
$
1,190,550
 
$
53,853
 
$
275,509
 
$
40,233
 
$
1,560,145
 
Investment securities
   
21,955
   
30,699
   
114,328
   
15,477
   
182,459
 
Federal funds sold and cash equivalents agreement to resell 
   
130,003
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
130,003
 
Interest-earning deposits
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
Total
 
$
1,342,508
 
$
84,552
 
$
389,837
 
$
55,710
 
$
1,872,607
 
                                 
Interest-bearing liabilities:
                               
Savings deposits 
 
$
29,020
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
$
29,020
 
Time deposits of $100,000 or more
   
418,215
   
391,920
   
1,871
   
100
   
812,106
 
Other time deposits
   
47,571
   
109,875
   
3,477
   
10
   
160,933
 
Other interest-bearing deposits
   
430,603
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
430,603
 
Other borrowings  demand deposits 
   
-
   
-
   
20,000
   
-
   
20,000
 
Subordinate debentures
   
46,083
   
-
   
15,464
   
-
   
61,547
 
Total
 
$
971,492
 
$
501,795
 
$
40,812
 
$
110
 
$
1,514,210
 
                                 
Interest rate sensitivity gap
 
$
371,016
   
($417,243
)
$
349,025
 
$
55,600
 
$
358,398
 
Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap
 
$
371,016
   
($46,227
)
$
302,798
 
$
358,398
       
Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap ratio (based on total assets)
   
20.04
%
 
-2.50
%
 
16.35
%
 
19.36
%
     
 
The following table sets forth our estimated net interest income over a twelve months period and NPV based on the indicated changes in market interest rates as of December 31, 2006.
 
(Dollars in Thousands)
 
Change
 
Net Interest Income
             
(in Basis Points)
 
(next twelve months)
 
% Change
 
     NPV     
 
% Change
 
 
+200
 
$
116,696
   
17.2
%
$
302,352
   
7.8
%
 
+100
   
107,672
   
8.1
%
 
293,034
   
4.5
%
 
0
   
99,572
   
-
   
280,543
   
-
 
 
-100
   
96,059
   
-3.5
%
 
262,009
   
-6.6
%
 
-200
   
87,201
   
-12.4
%
 
239,096
   
-14.8
%
 
Our strategies in protecting both net interest income and economic value of equity from significant movements in interest rates involve restructuring our investment portfolio and using FHLB advances. We also permit to purchase rate caps and floors and interest rate swaps, although we only engaged once in the interest rate swap agreement in September 2003 on the notional amount of $3 million which was subsequently terminated without any gain or loss by mutual agreement between us and a brokerage company in January 2004.
 
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
 
The information required by this item is included in Part IV, Item 15(a)(1) and are presented beginning on Page F-1.
 
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
 
Not applicable.
 

1 Excludes the gross amount of non-accrual loans of approximately $9.4million at December 31, 2006. 
 
65

 
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 
 
Controls and Procedures
 
As of December 31, 2006, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined under Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e).
 
Based on this evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2006, such disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
 
In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, our management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives and in reaching a reasonable level of assurance our management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
 
There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2006 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
 
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
 
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an adequate system of internal control over financial reporting. Our system of internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
 
Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
 
 
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect our transactions and dispositions of our assets;
 
 
provide reasonable assurance that our transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and our directors; and
 
 
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
 
Because of its inherent limitations, a system of internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance and may not prevent or detect misstatements. Further, because of changes in conditions, effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting may vary over time. Our system contains self monitoring mechanisms, and actions are taken to correct deficiencies as they are identified.
 
Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the system of internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our system of internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2006. Our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included herein.

66

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
Los Angeles, California

We have audited management’s assessment, included in the accompanying “Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting,” that Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “ Company”) maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on management’s assessment and an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
 
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, evaluating management’s assessment, testing, and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinions.
 
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company’s board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
 
Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
 
In our opinion, management’s assessment that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Also, in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
 
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2006 of the Company and our report dated March 13, 2007 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.
 
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Los Angeles, California
March 13, 2007

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Item 9B. Other Information 
 
Not applicable.
 
PART III
 
Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
 
The information required to be furnished pursuant to this item with respect to Directors and Executive Officers of the Company will be set forth under the caption “Election of Directors” in the registrant’s proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) to be furnished to shareholders in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Company’s Board of Directors for use at the 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
The information required to be furnished pursuant to this item with respect to compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act will be set forth under the caption “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in the Proxy Statement, and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item 11. Executive Compensation 
 
The information required to be furnished pursuant to this item will be set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation” in the Proxy Statement, and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners, Management and Related Shareholder Matters
 
Information regarding the security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management is set forth under the heading “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in the Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
 
The information required to be furnished pursuant to this item will be set forth under the caption “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” in the Proxy Statement, and is incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
 
The information required to be furnished pursuant to this item will be set forth under the caption “Principal Auditor Fees and Services” in the Proxy Statement, and is incorporated herein by reference.

68

 

 PART IV
 
Item 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
 
(a) List of documents filed as part of this report
 
(1) Financial Statements
 
The following financial statements of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. are filed as a part of this Form 10-K on the pages indicated:
 
 
  
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 
  
F-1
     
Consolidated Financial Statements:
  
 
     
Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition  
  
F-2
     
Consolidated Statement of Operations 
  
F-3
     
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity 
  
F-4
     
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 
  
F-6
     
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
  
F-8

(2) Financial Statement Schedules
 
Schedules to the financial statements are omitted because the required information is not applicable or the information is presented in the Company’s financial statements or related notes.
 
(3) Exhibits
 
Exhibit Table
 
Reference Number
 
Item
     
3.1
 
Articles of Incorporation, as amended 1
     
3.2
 
Bylaws, as amended 1
     
4.1
 
Specimen of Common Stock Certificate 1  
     
4.2
 
Indenture of Subordinated Debentures dated as of September 19, 2002 2
     
4.3
 
Indenture by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association dated as of December 17, 2003 3
     
4.4
 
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust by and among Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., U.S. Bank National Association, Soo Bong Min and Brian E. Cho dated as of December 17, 2003
     
4.5
 
Guaranty Agreement by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association dated as of December 17, 2003
     
4.6
 
Indenture by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company dated as of March 17, 2005
     
4.7
 
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust by and among Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., Wilmington Trust Company, Soo Bong Min, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon dated as of March 17, 2005
     
4.8
 
Guaranty Agreement by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company dated as of March 17, 2005
 
69

 
4.9
 
Indenture by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company dated as of September 15, 2005
     
4.10
 
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust by and among Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., Wilmington Trust Company, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon dated as of September 15, 2005
     
4.11
 
Guaranty Agreement by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company dated as of September 15, 2005
     
10.1
 
Lease dated September 1, 1996 between the Company and Wilmont, Inc. (Main Office - 1st floor) 1
     
10.2
 
Lease dated May 1, 1990 between the Company and Western Properties Co., Ltd. (Western Branch) 1
     
10.3
 
Lease dated February 3, 1997 between the Company and Benlin Properties (Downtown Branch) 1
     
10.4
 
Sublease dated June 20, 1997 between the Company and Property Development Assoc. (Cerritos Branch) 1
     
10.5
 
1997 Stock Option Plan of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. 1 , 11
     
10.6
 
Addendum to Downtown Branch Lease, dated February 3, 1997 between the Company and Benlin Properties (Downtown Branch) 4
     
10.7
 
Lease dated October 26, 1998 between the Company and Union Square Limited Partnership. (Seattle Business Lending Office) 4
     
10.8
 
Lease dated March 18, 1999 between the Company and BGK Texas Property Management, Inc. (Dallas Business Lending Office) 5
     
10.9
 
Lease dated February 4, 2000 between the Company and Wilmont, Inc. (Commercial Loan Center and Corporate headquarter - 14th floor) 6
     
10.10
 
Lease dated July 18, 2000 between the Company and 183 Townsend Corporation (San Jose Business Lending Office) 6
     
10.11
 
Lease dated September 1, 2000 between the Company and Joseph Hanasab (Gardena Office) 6
     
10.12
 
Lease dated January 8, 2001 between the Company and UNT Atia Co. II, a California general partnership (Rowland Heights Office) 6
     
10.13
 
Sublease dated January 26, 2001 between the Company and California Federal Bank, a federal savings bank (Valley Office) 6
     
10.14
 
Employment Agreement for Soo Bong Min, Chief Executive Officer and President 10, 11
     
10.15
 
Sublease dated March 13, 2002 between the Company and Assi Food International, Inc (Garden Grove Office) 7
     
10.16
 
Lease dated October 3, 2002 between the Company and Terok Management, Inc. (Mid-Wilshire Office) 7
     
10.17
 
Survivor income plan and exhibit thereto (Split dollar agreement) 8, 11
     
10.18
 
Stock Purchase Agreement by and between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and Texas Bank dated January 29, 2004 3
     
11
 
Statement Regarding Computation of Net Earnings per Share 9
     
21
 
Subsidiaries of the Registrant
     
23.1
 
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
     
31.1
 
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
     
31.2
 
Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
     
32
 
Certifications of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002


1 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-SB Registration Statement, as filed with the FDIC on August 7, 1998.
 
2 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-Q, as filed with the FDIC on May 16, 2003.
 
3 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-K, as filed with the FDIC on March 29, 2004.
 
4 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-KSB, as filed with the FDIC on March 30, 1999.
 
5 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-KSB, as filed with the FDIC on April 5, 2000.
 
70

 
6 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-KSB, as filed with the FDIC on March 29, 2001.
 
7 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-K, as filed with the FDIC on March 31, 2004.
 
8 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-Q, as filed with the FDIC on August 20, 2003.
 
9 The information required by this Exhibit is incorporated by reference from Note [13] of the Company’s Financial Statements included herein.
 
10 Incorporated by reference to the Exhibits to the Company’s Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on April 11, 2006.
 
11 Indicates a compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.
 
71

 
 
SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Amendment to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
     
Date: March 16, 2007
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
a California corporation
 
 
 
 
 
 
  By:  /s/ Brian E. Cho 
 
Brian E. Cho
Chief Financial Officer
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
 
Signature
 
Title
 
Date
         
         
/s/ STEVEN KOH
 
Chairman and Director
 
March 16, 2007
Steven Koh
       
         
         
/s/ SOO BONG MIN
 
President, Chief Executive
 
March 16, 2007
Soo Bong Min
  Officer and Director    
         
 /s/ LARRY D. GREENFIELD, M.D.
  Director  
March 16, 2007
Larry D. Greenfield, M.D.
 
 
 
 
         
         
/s/ KYU-HYUN KIM
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Kyu-Hyun Kim
       
         
         
/s/ MEL ELLIOT
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Mel Elliot
       
         
         
/s/ RICHARD Y. LIM
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Richard Y. Lim
       
         
         
/s/ FRED F. MAUTNER
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Fred F. Mautner
       
         
         
/s/ YOUNG H. PAK
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Young H. Pak
       
         
         
/s/DONALD BYUN
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Donald Byun
       
         
         
/s/ HARRY SIAFARIS
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Harry Siafaris
       
         
         
/s/ GAPSU KIM
 
Director
 
March 16, 2007
Gapsu Kim
       
         
         
/s/ BRIAN E. CHO
 
Chief Financial Officer and
 
March 16, 2007
Brian E. Cho
  Corporate Secretary    

72

 
 
 
 
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
Financial Statements as of December 31, 2006
and 2005 and for Each of the Three Years in the
Period Ended December 31, 2006 and
Report of Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm
 
 
 

 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
Los Angeles, California
 
We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2006.  These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statements based on our audits.
 
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. at December 31, 2006 and 2005, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2006, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. 
 
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 13, 2007 expressed an unqualified opinion on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
 

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Los Angeles, California
March 13, 2007
 
F-1

 
 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
DECEMBER 31, 2006 and 2005
 
 
 
2006
 
2005
 
           
ASSETS
         
Cash and due from banks
 
$
75,243,346
 
$
68,205,078
 
Federal funds sold and other cash equivalents
   
130,003,268
   
126,002,978
 
Cash and cash equivalents
   
205,246,614
   
194,208,056
 
               
Interest-bearing time deposits in other financial institutions
   
-
   
500,000
 
Securities available for sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $168,662,357 and $140,428,100
             
at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively)
   
167,837,734
   
138,650,270
 
Securities held to maturity, at amortized cost (fair value of $14,445,714 and $22,510,961
             
at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively)
   
14,620,870
   
22,860,200
 
Interest-only strips, at fair value (amortized cost of $1,008,064 and $1,493,344
             
at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively)
   
1,130,006
   
1,501,866
 
Loans held for sale—at the lower of cost or market
   
5,496,421
   
21,796,677
 
Loans receivable, net of allowance for loan losses of $18,654,082 and $13,999,302
             
at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively
   
1,536,388,815
   
1,226,763,867
 
Bank premises and equipment—net
   
10,464,600
   
8,955,872
 
Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost—net
   
7,541,700
   
6,181,700
 
Accrued interest receivable
   
10,049,265
   
6,891,670
 
Other real estate owned—net
   
138,000
   
294,400
 
Deferred income taxes—net
   
9,722,008
   
8,114,343
 
Servicing assets
   
5,080,466
   
4,682,848
 
Due from customers on acceptances
   
2,385,134
   
3,220,846
 
Cash surrender value of life insurance
   
15,635,773
   
15,098,770
 
Goodwill
   
6,674,772
   
-
 
Core deposit intangible
   
1,532,485
   
-
 
Favorable lease intangible
   
352,231
   
-
 
Other assets
   
8,186,927
   
6,552,033
 
TOTAL
 
$
2,008,483,821
 
$
1,666,273,418
 
               
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
             
LIABILITIES:
             
Deposits:
             
Noninterest bearing
 
$
319,310,552
 
$
292,170,888
 
Interest bearing:
             
Savings
   
29,019,943
   
19,585,805
 
Time deposits of $100,000 or more
   
812,105,950
   
630,662,463
 
Other time deposits
   
160,933,032
   
142,944,546
 
Money market accounts and other
   
430,603,175
   
324,101,535
 
Total deposits
   
1,751,972,652
   
1,409,465,237
 
Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings
   
20,000,000
   
61,000,000
 
Junior subordinated debentures
   
61,547,000
   
61,547,000
 
Accrued interest payable
   
12,006,124
   
6,898,196
 
Acceptances outstanding
   
2,385,134
   
3,220,846
 
Other liabilities
   
10,937,886
   
11,038,271
 
Total liabilities
   
1,858,848,796
   
1,553,169,550
 
               
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 6)
             
               
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
             
Preferred stock, no par value—authorized, 5,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding, none
             
Common stock, no par value—authorized, 80,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding,
             
29,197,420 shares and 28,630,600 shares at December 31, 2006 and 2005,
             
respectively
   
49,122,536
   
41,340,448
 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax expense (benefit) of $448,036
             
and ($581,119) at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively
   
(407,612
)
 
(1,026,202
)
Retained earnings
   
100,920,101
   
72,789,622
 
Total shareholders’ equity
   
149,635,025
   
113,103,868
 
TOTAL
 
$
2,008,483,821
 
$
1,666,273,418
 
 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-2

 

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR EACH OF THE THREE YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006

   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
INTEREST INCOME:
             
Interest and fees on loans
 
$
127,840,571
 
$
89,627,755
 
$
55,943,023
 
Interest on investment securities and deposits in
                   
other financial institutions
   
8,673,540
   
4,864,602
   
3,049,812
 
Interest on federal funds sold and other cash equivalents
   
4,885,559
   
2,796,128
   
805,113
 
Total interest income
   
141,399,670
   
97,288,485
   
59,797,948
 
                     
INTEREST EXPENSE:
                   
Deposits
   
58,943,556
   
29,914,136
   
15,663,227
 
Interest on other borrowings
   
5,879,725
   
4,426,541
   
1,799,329
 
Total interest expense
   
64,823,281
   
34,340,677
   
17,462,556
 
                     
NET INTEREST INCOME BEFORE PROVISION FOR
                   
LOAN LOSSES AND LOAN COMMITMENTS
   
76,576,389
   
62,947,808
   
42,335,392
 
 
                   
PROVISION FOR LOSSES ON LOANS AND
                   
LOAN COMMITMENTS
   
6,000,000
   
3,350,000
   
3,566,711
 
                     
NET INTEREST INCOME AFTER PROVISION FOR
                   
LOAN LOSSES AND LOAN COMMITMENTS
   
70,576,389
   
59,597,808
   
38,768,681
 
                     
NONINTEREST INCOME:
                   
Service charges on deposit accounts
   
9,554,319
   
7,546,982
   
7,378,636
 
Gain on sale of loans
   
11,641,936
   
8,310,229
   
8,831,677
 
Loan-related servicing fees
   
2,098,987
   
1,996,916
   
2,372,577
 
Loan referral fees
   
172,894
   
232,967
   
112,520
 
Loan packaging fees
   
434,509
   
386,370
   
375,835
 
Income from other earning assets
   
1,045,457
   
874,240
   
639,151
 
Other income
   
1,451,906
   
1,129,756
   
1,286,515
 
Total noninterest income
   
26,400,008
   
20,477,460
   
20,996,911
 
                     
NONINTEREST EXPENSES:
                   
Salaries and employee benefits
   
23,823,348
   
19,226,244
   
14,581,480
 
Occupancy and equipment
   
4,554,096
   
3,465,388
   
2,730,432
 
Data processing
   
2,449,883
   
1,916,911
   
1,643,822
 
Loan referral fees
   
1,522,812
   
1,283,981
   
1,202,020
 
Outsourced service for customers
   
1,348,752
   
1,434,853
   
1,301,680
 
Advertising and promotional
   
1,256,260
   
965,939
   
652,126
 
Professional fees
   
1,143,062
   
857,959
   
1,429,831
 
Office supplies
   
708,936
   
654,456
   
573,344
 
Directors’ fees
   
535,068
   
492,630
   
460,110
 
Communications
   
461,573
   
428,232
   
337,999
 
Investor relations
   
262,465
   
378,465
   
398,545
 
Deposit insurance premiums
   
186,502
   
154,768
   
132,462
 
Amortization of core deposit intangible
   
107,575
         
Amortization of favorable lease intangible
   
77,253
         
Other operating
   
2,794,421
   
2,303,017
   
1,839,500
 
Total noninterest expenses
   
41,232,006
   
33,562,843
   
27,283,351
 
                     
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX PROVISION
   
55,744,391
   
46,512,425
   
32,482,241
 
                     
INCOME TAX PROVISION
   
21,802,732
   
18,752,776
   
13,023,933
 
                     
NET INCOME
 
$
33,941,659
 
$
27,759,649
 
$
19,458,308
 
EARNINGS PER SHARE:
                   
Basic
 
$
1.17
 
$
0.97
 
$
0.70
 
Diluted
 
$
1.16
 
$
0.96
 
$
0.68
 
Average shares outstanding for basic earning per share
   
28,986,217
   
28,544,474
   
27,623,766
 
Average shares outstanding for diluted earning per share
   
29,330,732
   
28,913,542
   
28,515,882
 
 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
F-3

 
 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR EACH OF THE THREE YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
 
           
Accumulated
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other
 
 
 
 Total
 
 
 
Common Stock
 
Comprehensive
 
Retained
 
 Shareholders’
 
 
 
Shares
 
Amount
 
Income (Loss)
 
Earnings
 
 Equity
 
                        
BALANCE—January 1, 2004
   
25,902,728
 
$
28,391,427
 
$
203,331
 
$
30,146,583
 
$
58,741,341
 
                                 
Stock options exercised
   
2,239,742
   
1,814,639
               
1,814,639
 
Tax benefit from stock options exercised
         
8,720,364
               
8,720,364
 
Comprehensive income:
                               
Net income
                     
19,458,308
   
19,458,308
 
Other comprehensive income:
                               
Change in unrealized loss on
                               
interest-only strips
               
(57,259
)
       
(57,259
)
Change in unrealized loss on
                               
securities available for sale
               
(407,737
)
       
(407,737
)
Change in unrealized gain on
                               
interest swap
               
37,962
         
37,962
 
Comprehensive income
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
 
   
19,031,274
 
 
                     
BALANCE—December 31, 2004
   
28,142,470
   
38,926,430
   
(223,703
)
 
49,604,891
   
88,307,618
 
                                 
Stock options exercised
   
488,130
   
480,300
               
480,300
 
Cash dividend declared
                     
(4,574,918
)
 
(4,574,918
)
Tax benefit from stock options exercised
         
1,933,718
               
1,933,718
 
Comprehensive income:
                             
Net income
                     
27,759,649
   
27,759,649
 
Other comprehensive income:
                             
Change in unrealized loss on
                             
interest-only strips
               
(8,498
)
       
(8,498
)
Change in unrealized loss on
                             
securities available for sale
               
(794,001
)
       
(794,001
)
Comprehensive income
   
 
   
 
   
  
   
 
   
26,957,150
 
 
                     
BALANCE—December 31, 2005
   
28,630,600
   
41,340,448
   
(1,026,202
)
 
72,789,622
   
113,103,868
 
                                 
Stock options exercised
   
238,710
   
474,028
               
474,028
 
Shares issued for acquisition of
                               
Liberty Bank of New York
   
328,110
   
5,936,593
               
5,936,593
 
Cash dividend declared
                     
(5,811,180
)
 
(5,811,180
)
Stock compensation expense
         
472,219
               
472,219
 
Tax benefit from stock options exercised
         
899,248
               
899,248
 
Comprehensive income:
                             
Net income
                     
33,941,659
   
33,941,659
 
Other comprehensive income:
                             
Change in unrealized loss on
                             
interest-only strips
               
65,728
         
65,728
 
Change in unrealized loss on
                             
securities available for sale
               
552,862
         
552,862
 
Comprehensive income
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
34,560,249
 
 
                     
BALANCE—December 31, 2006
   
29,197,420
 
$
49,122,536
 
$
(407,612
)
$
100,920,101
 
$
149,635,025
 
 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
(Continued)
 
F-4

 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR EACH OF THE THREE YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
               
DISCLOSURE OF RECLASSIFICATION AMOUNTS
             
WITHIN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE
             
INCOME (LOSS) FOR DECEMBER 31:
             
Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities available
             
for sale arising during year
 
$
953,207
 
$
(1,368,966
)
$
(431,106
)
Less reclassification adjustment for net gains
                   
realized in income
   
-
   
-
   
271,891
 
Less income tax expense (benefit)
   
400,345
   
(574,965
)
 
(295,260
)
                     
Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities available for sale
 
$
552,862
 
$
(794,001
)
$
(407,737
)
                     
Net unrealized gains (losses) on interest-only strips
                   
arising during period
 
$
25,400
 
$
(111,957
)
$
(178,164
)
Less reclassification adjustment for impairment
   
(88,020
)
 
(97,305
)
 
(79,442
)
Less income tax expense (benefit)
   
47,692
   
(6,154
)
 
(41,463
)
                     
Net unrealized gains (losses) on interest-only strips
 
$
65,728
 
$
(8,498
)
$
(57,259
)
                     
Unrealized gains on interest rate swap arising during year,
                   
net of tax expense of $25,308 in 2004
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
$
37,962
 
 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
(Concluded)
 
F-5

 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR EACH OF THE THREE YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
             
Net income
 
$
33,941,659
 
$
27,759,649
 
$
19,458,308
 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
                   
provided by operating activities:
                   
Amortization and accretion of investment securities
   
(86,922
)
 
(18,386
)
 
261,223
 
Depreciation of premises & equipment
   
1,350,879
   
1,002,188
   
790,186
 
Amortization of core deposit intangible
   
107,575
   
-
   
-
 
Amortization of favorable lease intangible
   
77,253
   
-
   
-
 
Provision for losses on loans and loan commitments
   
6,000,000
   
3,350,000
   
3,566,711
 
Deferred tax (benefit) provision
   
(1,515,798
)
 
(2,693,877
)
 
730,255
 
Loss on disposition of bank premises and
                   
equipment
   
162,592
   
20,091
   
5,537
 
Net gain on sale of loans
   
(11,641,936
)
 
(8,310,229
)
 
(8,831,677
)
Origination of loans held for sale
   
(170,440,894
)
 
(149,332,947
)
 
(93,001,291
)
Proceeds from sale of loans held for sale
   
195,318,824
   
156,465,745
   
97,655,386
 
Gain on sale or call of available for sale securities
   
2,023
   
-
   
(271,891
)
Recovery of valuation allowance for servicing assets
   
(172,461
)
 
-
   
-
 
Valuation allowance for impairment on servicing assets
   
-
   
172,461
   
-
 
Impairment on interest-only strips
   
88,020
   
97,305
   
79,442
 
Loss on sale of other real estate owned
   
1,023
   
8,607
   
3,967
 
Stock-based compensation cost
   
472,219
   
-
   
-
 
Change in cash surrender value of life insurance
   
(537,002
)
 
(562,294
)
 
(434,772
)
Servicing assets capitalized
   
(2,092,104
)
 
(2,037,465
)
 
(2,091,883
)
Servicing assets amortization
   
1,866,947
   
1,556,130
   
1,000,592
 
Decrease (increase) in interest-only strips
   
397,260
   
(119,646
)
 
(904,476
)
Increase in accrued interest receivable
   
(2,875,826
)
 
(3,024,665
)
 
(1,181,805
)
Increase in other assets
   
(2,148,713
)
 
(2,497,687
)
 
(1,140,393
)
Dividends of Federal Home Loan Bank stock
   
(344,700
)
 
(217,900
)
 
(120,300
)
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options
   
(899,249
)
 
1,933,718
   
8,720,364
 
Increase in accrued interest payable
   
5,051,954
   
4,006,489
   
788,463
 
(Decrease) increase in other liabilities
   
(271,646
)
 
2,524,077
   
(3,601,017
)
 
                   
Net cash provided by operating activities
   
51,810,977
   
30,081,364
   
21,480,929
 
                     
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
                   
Net decrease (increase) in interest-bearing
                   
deposits in other financial institutions
   
500,000
   
(500,000
)
 
199,001
 
Purchase of securities held to maturity
   
-
   
(1,999,000
)
 
(13,987,338
)
Proceeds from principal repayment, matured or
                   
called securities held to maturity
   
8,247,111
   
8,420,767
   
8,149,510
 
Purchase of securities available for sale
   
(72,200,130
)
 
(120,603,490
)
 
(105,033,528
)
Proceeds from sale of securities available for sale
   
-
   
-
   
18,568,500
 
Proceeds from matured securities available for sale
   
59,152,691
   
66,295,345
   
65,058,451
 
Net increase in loans receivable
   
(308,030,809
)
 
(245,553,716
)
 
(271,756,138
)
Proceeds from sale of loans
   
21,230,737
   
3,967,642
   
11,307,787
 
Proceeds from sale of other real estate owned
   
186,143
   
299,592
   
373,233
 
Purchases of Bank premises and equipment
   
(1,640,480
)
 
(4,407,353
)
 
(1,478,321
)
Purchases of Federal Home Loan Bank stock
   
(1,015,300
)
 
(1,646,700
)
 
(2,840,500
)
Proceeds from redemption of Federal Home
                   
Loan Bank stock
   
-
   
54,400
   
98,800
 
Purchase of bank owned life insurance
   
-
   
(3,000,000
)
 
-
 
Proceeds from disposition of Bank equipment
   
4,080
   
-
   
5,312
 
Acquisition of Liberty Bank, net of cash
                   
and cash equivalents acquired
   
5,906,248
   
-
   
-
 
                     
Net cash used in investing activities
   
(287,659,709
)
 
(298,672,513
)
 
(291,335,231
)
 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
 
F-6

 
 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR EACH OF THE THREE YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
               
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
             
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
 
$
474,028
 
$
480,300
 
$
1,814,639
 
Payment of cash dividend
   
(5,496,533
)
 
(3,429,694
)
 
-
 
(Decrease) increase in Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings
   
(41,000,000
)
 
20,000,000
   
12,000,000
 
Increase in junior subordinated debentures
   
-
   
36,083,000
   
-
 
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options
   
899,249
   
-
   
-
 
Net increase in deposits
   
292,010,546
   
310,759,863
   
242,456,835
 
                     
Net cash provided by financing activities
   
246,887,290
   
363,893,469
   
256,271,474
 
                     
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND
                   
CASH EQUIVALENTS
   
11,038,558
   
95,302,320
   
(13,582,828
)
                     
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS—Beginning of year
   
194,208,056
   
98,905,736
   
112,488,564
 
                     
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS—End of year
 
$
205,246,614
 
$
194,208,056
 
$
98,905,736
 
                     
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH
                   
FLOW INFORMATION:
                   
Interest paid
 
$
59,715,354
 
$
30,334,188
 
$
16,674,093
 
Income taxes paid
 
$
23,387,321
 
$
19,290,905
 
$
7,975,000
 
                     
SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULE OF NONCASH
                   
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
                   
Other assets transferred to Bank premises
                   
and equipment
 
$
755,227
 
$
91,022
 
$
-
 
Loans transferred to real estate owned
 
$
-
 
$
602,600
 
$
-
 
Change in net unrealized gain (loss) on interest-only
                   
strips, net of income tax expense (benefit)
 
$
65,728
 
$
(8,498
)
$
(57,259
)
                     
SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULE OF NONCASH
                   
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
                   
Issuance of common stock pursuant to
                   
acquisition of Liberty Bank (Note 10)
 
$
5,936,593
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
Change in net unrealized gain (loss) on securities
                   
available for sale, net of income tax expense (benefit)
 
$
552,862
 
$
(794,001
)
$
(407,737
)
                     
SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULE OF NONCASH
                   
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
                   
Cash dividend declared, but not paid
 
$
1,459,871
 
$
1,145,224
 
$
-
 
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate
                   
swap, net of income tax expense
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
$
37,962
 
 
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
F-7

 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR EACH OF THE THREE YEARS IN THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
 
1.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company” or “We”) succeeded to the business and operations of Wilshire State Bank, a California state-chartered commercial bank (the “Bank”), upon consummation of the reorganization of the Bank into a holding company structure, effective as of August 25, 2004. Wilshire State Bank was incorporated under the laws of the State of California on May 20, 1980 and commenced operations on December 30, 1980. The Company was incorporated in December 2003 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank for the purpose of facilitating the issuance of trust preferred securities for the Bank and eventually serving as the holding company of the Bank. The Bank’s shareholders approved reorganization into a holding company structure at a meeting held on August 25, 2004. As a result of the reorganization, shareholders of the Bank are now shareholders of the Company and the Bank is a direct subsidiary of the Company. The Bank’s primary source of revenue is from providing financing for business working capital, commercial real estate, and trade activities, and its investment portfolio. The accounting and reporting policies of the Bank are in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and conform to general practices in the banking industry.
 
The Company organized its wholly owned subsidiaries, Wilshire Statutory Trust I, Wilshire Statutory Trust II, and Wilshire Statutory Trust III (collectively “Wilshire Statutory Trusts”), which issued $50 million in trust preferred securities in the past three years. The Company then purchased all of the common interest in the Wilshire Statutory Trusts and issued junior subordinated debentures to the Wilshire Statutory Trusts having terms substantially similar to the trust preferred securities in exchange for the proceeds from the Wilshire Statutory Trust’s trust preferred securities (the “2003 Junior Subordinated Debentures” and the “2005 Junior Subordinated Debentures”). In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation 46R (“FIN 46R”), the Wilshire Statutory Trusts are not be reported on a consolidated basis; instead the junior subordinated debentures to the Wilshire Statutory Trusts of $51,547,000 are recorded separately as liabilities, and the investment in the Wilshire Statutory Trusts common stock of $1,547,000 is reported in other assets in the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition. (See Note 7)
 
Principles of Consolidation—The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiary, Wilshire State Bank. Inter-company transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. As noted above in accordance with FIN 46R, the Company does not include Wilshire Statutory Trusts on a consolidated basis.
 
Cash and Cash Equivalents—Cash and cash equivalents include cash and due from banks, term and overnight federal funds sold and securities purchased under agreements to resell, all of which have original maturities of less than 90 days.
 
Interest-Bearing Time Deposits in Other Financial Institutions—Interest-bearing time deposits in other financial institutions generally mature one year or longer from the origination and are carried at cost. 
 
 
F-8

 

Investment Securities—Investments are classified into three categories and accounted for as follows:
 
(i)
Securities that the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity are classified as “held to maturity” and reported at amortized cost;
 
(ii)
Securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of selling them in the near future are classified as “trading securities” and reported at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses are recognized in earnings; and
 
(iii)
Securities not classified as held to maturity or trading securities are classified as “available for sale” and reported at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses are reported, net of taxes, as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’ equity.
 
Accreted discounts and amortized premiums on investment securities are included in interest income by the interest method, and unrealized and realized gains or losses related to holding or selling securities are calculated using the specific-identification method. Declines in the fair value of held-to-maturity and available-for-sale securities below their cost that are deemed to be other than temporary are reflected in earnings as realized losses in the consolidated statements of operations.  The Company did not record any other-than-temporary impairment on investment securities in 2006, 2005 and 2004.
 
In 2006, 2005 and 2004, the Company recognized an other-than-temporary charge of $88,020, $97,305 and $79,442, respectively on its interest-only (“I/O”) strip related to Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans sold, which were included as a component of non-interest expense. The I/O strips are accounted for like available-for-sale securities; impairment charges reduce the cost basis of the I/O strips and reduce earnings.
 
Loans—Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future or until maturity or pay-off generally are reported at their outstanding unpaid principal balances adjusted for charge-offs, the allowance for loan losses and any deferred fees or costs on originated loans.
 
Interest on loans is credited to income as earned and is accrued only if deemed collectible. Accrual of interest is discontinued when a loan is over 90 days delinquent unless management believes the loan is adequately collateralized and in the process of collection. Generally, payments received on nonaccrual loans are recorded as principal reductions. Interest income is recognized after all principal has been repaid or an improvement in the condition of the loan has occurred that would warrant resumption of interest accruals.
 
Nonrefundable fees, net of incremental costs, associated with the origination or acquisition of loans are deferred and recognized as an adjustment of the loan yield over the lives of the loans using the interest method. Other loan fees and charges, representing service costs for the prepayment of loans, for delinquent payments, or for miscellaneous loan services, are recorded as income when collected.
 
F-9

 
Certain SBA loans that may be sold prior to maturity have been designated as held for sale at origination and are recorded at the lower of cost or market value, determined on an aggregate basis. A valuation allowance is established if the market value of such loans is lower than their cost, and operations are charged or credited for valuation adjustments. The premium on the pro-rata principal of SBA loans sold is recognized as gain on sale of loan at the time of the sale. The remaining portion of the premium related to the unsold principal of the SBA loans, is presented as unearned income in Note 3, is deferred and amortized over the remaining life of the loan as an adjustment to yield. Upon sales of such loans, the Company receives a fee for servicing the loans. A servicing asset is recorded based on the present value of the contractually specified servicing fee, net of servicing cost, over the estimated life of the loan, using a discount rate of 0.5% above the main note rate, with an average discount rate of 7.5% and a range of constant prepayment rates from 14% to 21% in 2006. During 2005, the discount rate was 1.5% above the main note rate, with an average discount rate of 7.5% and a range of constant prepayment rates from 12% to 16%. During 2004, the discount rate was also 1.5% above the main note rate, with an average discount rate of 7.7% and a range of constant prepayment rates from 14% to 17%. The servicing asset is amortized over the estimated servicing period. The Company has capitalized $2,092,104, $2,037,465 and $2,091,883 of servicing assets and amortized $1,866,947, $1,556,130 and $1,000,592 during the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Management periodically evaluates the servicing asset for impairment. An impairment valuation allowance is recorded when the fair value is below the carrying amount. A recovery of the impairment allowance is recorded when its fair value exceeds the carrying amount. However, a reversal may not exceed the original valuation allowance recorded. For purposes of measuring impairment, the servicing assets are stratified by collateral type. In 2006, the Company recognized a recovery of valuation allowance for servicing assets of $172,461, and the Company recorded a valuation allowance for the impairment of servicing assets of $172,461 for the year ended December 31, 2005. There was no impairment recognized for the year ended December 31, 2004. The expected yearly amortization of existing servicing assets for each of the years ending 2007 to 2011 is approximately $708,800. An I/O strip is recorded based on the present value of the excess of servicing fees, generally amounts in excess of 1.00%, over the contractually specified servicing fee, calculated using the same assumptions as noted above. I/O strips are accounted for at their estimated fair value, with unrealized gains or losses recorded as an adjustment in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’ equity. I/O strips are also amortized over the remaining life of the loan as an adjustment to yield and monitored for impairment.
 
Allowance for Loan Losses— Accounting for the allowance for loan losses involves significant judgment and assumptions by management and is based on historical data and management’s view of the current economic environment. At least on a quarterly basis, management reviews the methodology and adequacy of the allowance for loan losses and reports its assessment to the Board of Directors for its review and approval.
 
We base our allowance for loan losses on an estimation of probable losses inherent in our loan portfolio. Our methodology for assessing loan loss allowances is intended to reduce the differences between estimated and actual losses and involves a detailed analysis of our loan portfolio in three phases:
 
· the specific review of individual loans in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 114, Accounting by Creditors for Impairment of a Loan,
 
· the segmenting and reviewing of loan pools with similar characteristics in accordance with SFAS No. 5, Accounting for Contingencies, and
 
· a judgmental estimate based on various qualitative factors.
 
The first phase of our allowance analysis involves the specific review of individual loans to identify and measure impairment. At this phase, we evaluate each loan except for homogeneous loans, such as automobile loans and home mortgages. Specific risk-rated loans are deemed impaired with respect to all amounts, including principal and interest, which will likely not be collected in accordance with the contractual terms of the related loan agreement. Impairment for commercial and real estate loans is measured either based on the present value of the loan’s expected future cash flows or, if collection on the loan is collateral dependent, the estimated fair value of the collateral, less selling and holding costs.
 
F-10

 
The second phase involves segmenting the remainder of the risk-rated loan portfolio into groups or pools of loans, together with loans with similar characteristics for evaluation in accordance with SFAS No. 5. We perform loss migration analysis and calculate the loss migration ratio for each loan pool based on its historical net losses and benchmark it against the levels of other peer banks.
 
In the third phase, we consider relevant internal and external factors that may affect the collectibility of a loan portfolio and each group of loan pools. As a general rule, the factors detailed below will be considered to have no impact to our loss migration analysis. However, if there exists information to warrant adjustment to the loss migration ratios, the changes will be made in accordance with the established parameters and supported by narrative and/or statistical analysis. We use a credit risk matrix to determine the impact to the loss migration analysis. This matrix enables management to adjust the general allocation based on the loss migration ratio up to additional 50% for each loan pool. The factors currently considered are, but are not limited to, described below. For all factors, the extent of the adjustment will be commensurate with the severity of the conditions that concern each factor.
 
· Concentration of Credits: This factor may be adjusted based on the identification of any concentration or significant changes to the level of identified concentrations of credit. A concentration of credit is defined as loans to any single borrower, affiliated group of borrowers, or borrowers engaged in or dependent upon one industry that exceeds 25% of Tier 1 Capital & Reserves. A concentration can also result from an acquisition of a volume of loans from a single source, regardless of the diversity of the individual borrowers.
 
· Delinquency Trends: The trend of delinquency shall be assessed by the quarterly trend and the comparison with peer average.
 
· Nature and Volume of Loan Trend: This factor will be adjusted for significant changes in the nature and volume of the loan portfolio.
 
· Non-Accrual Loan Trend: The trend of non-accrual loans shall be assessed by the quarterly trend and the comparison with peer average.
 
· Problem Loan Trend: This factor may be adjusted depending on the quarterly trend of criticized and classified loans in the total loans.
 
· Loss and Recovery Trend: This factor may be adjusted depending on the quarterly trend of the net charge-offs and the comparison with peers.
 
· Quality of Loan Review: This factor may be adjusted when there has been a noted and significant (as determined and documented from external or internal sources) deterioration or improvement in the loan review system and/or Director’s oversight. An adjustment will generally occur when there had previously been a documented weakness and clear improvement was noted by external sources, or when a significant deterioration was noted by external sources, in the loan review system and/or the degree of oversight by the Directors. In the absence of noted changes to the loan review system and/or the degree of oversight by the Directors, no adjustment will be made.
 
· Lending and Management Staff: This factor will be adjusted with changes to the experience, ability, and depth of lending management and staff that are significant enough to warrant adjustment to the loss migration ratio. If the staffing or the experience level of lending staff is considered to be adequate (as determined by an external source) then, in general, no adjustment will be made.
 
F-11

 
· Lending Policies and Procedures: This factor may be adjusted depending on the documented results of external reviews of the policies and procedures, including underwriting standards and collection, charge-off, and recovery practices. The trend of policy or procedure exceptions will also have an impact on this factor. It is the objective of the Directors and Management to maintain at all times adequate policies, procedures, underwriting standards, and practices.
 
· Economic and Business Conditions: This factor may be adjusted depending on local, regional, and national economic trends and their perceived impact on particular market segments. In the periods of stable economic environment, no adjustment will be made.
 
· External Factors such as changes in legal and regulatory requirements, on the level of estimated credit losses in the current portfolio: This factor may be adjusted depending on the trend of external factors and their perceived impact on the overall credit risk. In the periods of stable regulatory environment, no adjustment will be made.
 
· Other adjustments: With a supporting rationale, this factor may be used for adjustments which cannot be addressed by the foregoing factors.
 
Bank Premises and Equipment—Bank premises and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation on building, furniture, fixtures and equipment is computed on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, which range from 3 to 30 years. Leasehold improvements are capitalized and amortized on the straight-line method over the term of the lease or the estimated useful lives of the improvements, whichever is shorter.
 
Affordable Housing Investments—The Company has invested in limited partnerships formed to develop and operate affordable housing units for lower income tenants throughout the states of California, Texas, and New York. The costs of the investments are being amortized on a straight line method over the life of related tax credits. If the partnerships cease to qualify during the compliance period, the credits may be denied for any period in which the projects are not in compliance and a portion of the credits previously taken is subject to recapture with interest. Such investments are recorded in other assets in the accompanying consolidated statements of financial condition.
 
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets—The Company recognized goodwill and intangible assets in connection with the acquisition of Liberty Bank of New York as presented in footnote 10. In accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, goodwill will no longer be amortized, but rather be subject to impairment testing at least annually. In addition, recognized intangible assets are amortized to expense over the projected useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. The Company tested goodwill and intangible assets for impairment as of December 31, 2006. There was no impairment in recorded goodwill and intangible assets as of December 31, 2006.
 
Other Real Estate Owned—Other real estate owned, which represents real estate acquired through foreclosure in satisfaction of commercial and real estate loans, is stated at fair value less estimated selling costs of the real estate. Loan balances in excess of the fair value of the real estate acquired at the date of acquisition are charged to the allowance for loan losses.
 
Any subsequent operating expenses or income, reduction in estimated fair values, and gains or losses on disposition of such properties are charged or credited to current operations.
 
F-12

 
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets—The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment annually or when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be recoverable. An asset is considered impaired when the expected undiscounted cash flows over the remaining useful life are less than the net book value. When impairment is indicated for an asset, the amount of impairment loss is the excess of the net book value over its fair value.
 
Income Taxes—Deferred income taxes are provided for using an asset and liability approach. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities represent the tax effects, based on current tax law, of future deductible or taxable amounts attributable to events that have been recognized in the financial statements.
 
Earnings per Share— Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) exclude dilution and are computed by dividing earnings available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that would then share in the earnings of the Company. There was a two-for-one stock split of the Company’s common shares for the shareholders of record at the close of business on December 3, 2004 which was effective on December 14, 2004. All share and per share amounts in this report have been retroactively restated for each stock split.
 
Stock-Based Compensation—The Company issued stock-based compensation to certain employees, officers, and directors. Prior to December 31, 2005, the Company accounted for its fixed stock options using the intrinsic-value method, presented in APB Opinion No.25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and its related interpretations, which generally does not result in compensation expense recognition. Under the intrinsic value method, compensation cost for stock options is measured at the date of grant as the excess, if any, of the quoted market price of our stock over the exercise price of the options.  On January 1, 2006, the Company adopted SFAS 123R, Share-Based Payment, for stock based compensation. SFAS No. 123(R) allows for two alternative transition methods. The Company follows the modified prospective method, which requires application of the new Statement to new awards and to awards modified, repurchased or cancelled after the required effective date. Accordingly, prior period amounts have not been restated. Additionally, compensation cost for the portion of awards for which the requisite service has not been rendered that are outstanding as of January 1, 2006 will be recognized as the requisite services are rendered on or after January 1, 2006. The compensation cost of that portion of awards is based on the grant-date fair value of those awards as calculated for pro forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123 (Note 8).
 
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial StatementsThe preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements— In February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 155, Accounting for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments, which amends SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, and SFAS No. 140, Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities. This statement also resolves issues addressed in Statement 133 Implementation Issue No. D1, Application of Statement 133 to Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets. SFAS No. 155 eliminates the exemption from applying SFAS No. 133 to interests in securitized financial assets so that similar instruments are accounted for similarly regardless of the form of the instruments. SFAS No. 155 also allows a preparer to elect fair value measurement at acquisition, at issuance, or when a previously recognized financial instrument is subject to a remeasurement (new basis) event, on an instrument-by-instrument basis, in a case in which a derivative would otherwise have to be bifurcated. SFAS No. 155 is effective for all financial instruments acquired or issued after December 31, 2006 for the Company. The Company does not expect the adoption SFAS No. 155 to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
F-13

 
In March 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 156, Accounting for Servicing of Financial Assets, which amends the guidance in SFAS No. 140. SFAS No. 156 requires that an entity separately recognize a servicing asset or a servicing liability when it undertakes an obligation to service a financial asset under a servicing contract in certain situations. Such servicing assets or servicing liabilities are required to be measured initially at fair value, if practicable. SFAS No. 156 also allows an entity to measure its servicing assets and servicing liabilities subsequently using either the amortization method, which existed under SFAS No. 140, or the fair value measurement method. SFAS No. 156 will be effective for the Company in the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2007. The Company does not expect the adoption SFAS No. 156 to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In June 2006, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in income taxes (“FIN 48”) which supplements SFAS No. 109 by defining the confidence level that a tax position must meet in order to be recognized in the financial statements. The interpretation requires that the tax effects of a position be recognized only if it is “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date. The more-likely-than-not threshold represents a positive assertion by management that a company is entitled to the economic benefits of a tax position. If a tax position is not considered more-likely-than-not to be sustained based solely on its technical merits, no benefits of the position are to be recognized. Moreover, the more-likely-than-not threshold must continue to be met in each reporting period to support continued recognition of a benefit. At adoption, companies must adjust their financial statements to reflect only those tax positions that are more-likely-than-not to be sustained as of the adoption date. Any necessary adjustment would be recorded directly to retained earnings in the period of adoption and reported as a change in accounting principle. The Company adopted FIN 48 on January 1, 2007, and this adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The Company will adopt SFAS No. 157 for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods with those fiscal years. The transition adjustment, measured as the difference between the carrying amounts and the fair values of those financial instruments at the date SFAS No. 157 is initially applied, should be recognized as a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for the fiscal year in which this Statement is initially applied. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this adoption on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 158, Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, which requires an employer to recognize the overfunded or underfunded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan as an asset or liability in its statement of financial position and to recognize changes in that funded status in the year in which the change occur through comprehensive income of the business entity. An employer with publicly traded equity securities is required to initially recognize the funded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan and to provide the required disclosures. The Company adopted SFAS No. 158 effective on December 15, 2006, and the adoption of SFAS No. 158 has not had a material impact on the consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
 
F-14

 
In September 2006 the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 108, Quantifying Financial Misstatements, which expresses the Staff’s views regarding the process of quantifying financial statement misstatements. Registrants are required to quantify the impact of correcting all misstatements, including both the carryover and reversing effects of prior year misstatements, on the current year financial statements. The techniques most commonly used in practice to accumulate and quantify misstatements are generally referred to as the “rollover” (current year income statement perspective) and “iron curtain” (year-end balance perspective) approaches. The financial statements would require adjustment when either approach results in quantifying a misstatement that is material, after considering all relevant quantitative and qualitative factors. This guidance is effective for annual financial statements covering the first fiscal year ending after November 15, 2006. The adoption of SAB No. 108 has not had a material effect on the consolidated financial statements and results of operations.
 
In February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which permits all entities to choose to measure eligible items at fair value at specified election dates. A business entity shall report unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair value option has been elected in earnings at each subsequent reporting date. This statement shall be effective as of the beginning of each reporting entity’s first fiscal year after November 15, 2007. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of this adoption on the consolidated financial statements and results of operations.

F-15

 

2.
INVESTMENT SECURITIES
 
The following is a summary of the investment securities at December 31:

   
 
 
Gross
 
Gross
 
Estimated
 
 
 
Amortized
 
Unrealized
 
Unrealized
 
Fair
 
2006
 
Cost
 
Gain
 
Loss
 
Value
 
                   
Available for sale:
                 
Securities of government
                 
sponsored enterprises
 
$
87,808,911
 
$
68,017
 
$
366,377
 
$
87,510,551
 
Corporate securities
   
13,444,985
   
10,491
   
68,106
   
13,387,370
 
CMOs
   
38,650,218
   
9,412
   
399,880
   
38,259,750
 
MBS
   
21,032,910
   
92,312
   
208,640
   
20,916,582
 
Municipal bonds
   
7,725,333
   
66,006
   
27,858
   
7,763,481
 
                           
Total
 
$
168,662,357
 
$
246,238
 
$
1,070,861
 
$
167,837,734
 
                           
Held to maturity:
                         
Securities of government
                         
sponsored enterprises
 
$
14,000,000
 
$
-
 
$
154,880
 
$
13,845,120
 
CMOs
   
195,870
   
-
   
14,553
   
181,317
 
Municipal bonds
   
425,000
   
-
   
5,723
   
419,277
 
                           
Total
 
$
14,620,870
 
$
-
 
$
175,156
 
$
14,445,714
 
 
   
Amortized
 
Unrealized
 
Unrealized
 
Fair
 
2005
 
Cost
 
Gain
 
Loss
 
Value
 
                   
Available for sale:
                 
Securities of government
                 
sponsored enterprises
 
$
77,881,424
 
$
-
 
$
901,171
 
$
76,980,253
 
Corporate securities
   
8,132,375
   
-
   
84,519
   
8,047,856
 
CMOs
   
26,301,960
   
-
   
432,326
   
25,869,634
 
MBS
   
23,451,404
   
28,708
   
321,210
   
23,158,902
 
Municipal bonds
   
4,660,937
   
-
   
67,312
   
4,593,625
 
                           
Total
 
$
140,428,100
 
$
28,708
 
$
1,806,538
 
$
138,650,270
 
                           
Held to maturity:
                         
Securities of government
                         
sponsored enterprises
 
$
19,992,752
 
$
-
 
$
308,752
 
$
19,684,000
 
CMOs
   
248,101
   
-
   
18,930
   
229,171
 
Municipal bonds
   
2,619,347
   
-
   
21,557
   
2,597,790
 
                           
Total
 
$
22,860,200
 
$
-
 
$
349,239
 
$
22,510,961
 
 
Accrued interest and dividends receivable on investment securities totaled $1,357,118 and $1,002,432 at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
 
F-16

 
The following tables show investments’ gross unrealized losses and fair value, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position, at December 31 (dollars in thousands):

2006
             
   
Less than 12 months
 
12 months or longer
 
Total
 
 
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
 
$
17,972
 
$
(24
)
$
64,484
 
$
(497
)
$
82,456
 
$
(521
)
Collateralized mortgage obligations
   
12,066
   
(31
)
 
17,455
   
(383
)
 
29,521
   
(414
)
Mortgage-backed securities
   
1,740
   
(5
)
 
10,834
   
(204
)
 
12,574
   
(209
)
Municipal securities
   
-
   
-
   
3802
   
(34
)
 
3,802
   
(34
)
Corporate securities
   
-
   
-
   
2,929
   
(68
)
 
2,929
   
(68
)
   
$
31,778
 
$
(60
)
$
99,504
 
$
(1,186
)
$
131,282
 
$
(1,246
)
 
2005
                     
   
Less than 12 months
 
12 months or longer
 
Total
 
 
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
Gross
 
 
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
 
 
Unrealized
 
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
Fair Value
 
Losses
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Securities of government sponsored enterprises
 
$
52,380
 
$
(513
)
$
41,285
 
$
(697
)
$
93,665
 
$
(1,210
)
Collateralized mortgage obligations
   
14,971
   
(280
)
 
3,167
   
(171
)
 
18,138
   
(451
)
Mortgage-backed securities
   
8,631
   
(136
)
 
8,075
   
(186
)
 
16,706
   
(322
)
Municipal securities
   
5,553
   
(89
)
 
-
   
-
   
5,553
   
(89
)
Corporate securities
   
982
   
(17
)
 
1,927
   
(67
)
 
2,909
   
(84
)
 
 
$
82,517
 
$
(1,035
)
$
54,454
 
$
(1,121
)
$
136,971
 
$
(2,156
)
 
The unrealized loss positions of our government sponsored enterprises bonds, collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), municipal securities, and corporate securities are a function of the volatility of interest rates during 2006 and 2005, in that they are all rated AAA by Standard & Poors (“S&P”), and redeem at maturity or when called at par.
 
Because the decline in market value is attributable to changes in interest rates and not to credit quality, and because the Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments until a recovery of fair value, which may be at maturity, we do not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at December 31, 2006 and 2005.
 
F-17

 
The amortized cost and estimated fair value of investment securities at December 31, 2006, by contractual maturity, are shown below.

   
Amortized
 
Estimated
 
   
Cost
 
Fair Value
 
           
Available for sale:
         
Due in one year or less
 
$
35,997,302
 
$
35,892,280
 
Due after one year through five years
   
63,793,200
   
63,666,026
 
Due after five years through ten years
   
10,567,746
   
10,469,847
 
Due after ten years
   
58,304,109
   
57,809,581
 
               
Total
 
$
168,662,357
 
$
167,837,734
 
               
Held to maturity:
             
Due in one year or less
 
$
-
 
$
-
 
Due after one year through five years
   
12,425,000
   
12,313,777
 
Due after five years through ten years
   
2,000,000
   
1,950,620
 
Due after ten years
   
195,870
   
181,317
 
               
Total
 
$
14,620,870
 
$
14,445,714
 
 
Securities with amortized cost of approximately $159,458,786 and $132,897,938 were pledged to secure public deposits and for other purposes as required or permitted by law at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. There were no sale transactions of securities available for sale in 2006 and 2005. However, there was one transaction of called securities available for sale in 2006 and the Company recognized realized gains of $2,023. Gross realized gains and losses from the sales and maturities of securities available for sale amounted to $284,411 and $12,520 for the years ended December 31, 2004, respectively.
 
3.
LOANS RECEIVABLE, LOANS HELD FOR SALE, AND ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES
 
The following is a summary of loans as of December 31:

   
2006
 
2005
 
   
Loans held for sale
 
Loans receivable
 
Loans held for sale
 
Loans receivable
 
Commercial loans
 
$
2,184,070
 
$
283,782,964
 
$
3,933,887
 
$
195,629,598
 
Real estate loans
   
3,312,351
   
1,227,250,895
   
17,862,790
   
1,012,531,833
 
Installment loans
   
-
   
53,059,374
   
-
   
42,885,217
 
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
-
 
     
5,496,421
   
1,564,093,233
   
21,796,677
   
1,251,046,648
 
Allowance for loan losses
   
-
   
(18,654,082
)
 
-
   
(13,999,302
)
Deferred loan fees
   
-
   
(1,541,670
)
 
-
   
(1,801,992
)
Unearned income
   
-
   
(7,508,666
)
 
-
   
(8,481,487
)
                           
Net loans
 
$
5,496,421
 
$
1,536,388,815
 
$
21,796,677
 
$
1,226,763,867
 
 
At December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, the Company serviced loans sold to unaffiliated parties in the amounts of $340,573,281, $273,875,923, and $235,534,249, respectively.
 
F-18

 
The maturity or repricing distribution of the loan portfolio as of December 31, 2006 is as follows:

   
Loans held for sale
 
Loans receivable
 
Total Loans
 
               
Less than one year
 
$
3,507,421
 
$
1,240,895,596
 
$
1,244,403,017
 
One to five years
   
-
   
275,509,191
   
275,509,191
 
After five years
   
1,989,000
   
38,244,152
   
40,233,152
 
                     
Total gross loans
 
$
5,496,421
 
$
1,554,648,939
 
$
1,560,145,360
 
 
The rate composition of the loan portfolio as of December 31, 2006 is as follows:

   
Loans held for sale
 
Loans receivable
 
Total Loans
 
               
Fixed rate loans
 
$
690,000
 
$
350,032,713
 
$
350,722,713
 
Variable rate loans
   
4,806,421
   
1,204,616,226
   
1,209,422,647
 
                     
Total gross loans
 
$
5,496,421
 
$
1,554,648,939
 
$
1,560,145,360
 
 
The amounts on the tables above are the gross loan balance at December 31, 2006 before netting unearned income totaling $9.0 million, and the gross amount of non-accrual loans approximately of $9.4 million is not included.
 
As of December 31, 2006 and 2005, the government guaranteed portion of total gross loans was $30.7 million and $49.1 million, respectively.
 
Management believes that as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, the allowance for loan losses is adequate to provide for losses inherent in the loan portfolio; however, the allowance is an estimate that is inherently uncertain and depends on the outcome of future events. Management’s estimates are based on previous loan loss experience; volume, growth and composition of the loan portfolio; the value of collateral; and current economic conditions.
 
In 2006, the Company enhanced the methodology for estimating the allowance for loan losses. The Company shortened its lookback period to a 5 year moving average, which better approximates the average life of the loans in its portfolio, and modified some of the qualitative adjustment factors after evaluating the current economic conditions.
 
The Company evaluates credit risks associated with the commitments to extend credit and letters of credit at the same time it evaluates credit risk associated with the loan portfolio. However, the allowances necessary for the commitments are reported separately in other liabilities in the accompanying statements of financial condition and are not part of the allowance for loan losses as presented above.
 
F-19

 
The activity in the allowance for loan losses was as follows for the years ended December 31:
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
Balance—beginning of year
 
$
13,999,302
 
$
11,111,092
 
$
9,011,071
 
Provision for loan losses
   
5,896,142
   
3,212,631
   
3,008,015
 
Loans charged off
   
(2,161,818
)
 
(1,099,785
)
 
(1,368,717
)
Recoveries of charge-offs
   
319,615
   
775,364
   
460,723
 
Allowance for loan losses acquired from Liberty Bank of New York acquisition
   
600,841
   
-
   
-
 
                     
Balance—end of year
 
$
18,654,082
 
$
13,999,302
 
$
11,111,092
 
 
The activity in the liability for losses on loan commitments was as follows for the years ended December 31:
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
Balance—beginning of year
 
$
778,996
 
$
641,627
 
$
82,931
 
Provision for losses on loan commitments
   
103,858
   
137,369
   
558,696
 
Allowance for loan commitment acquired from Liberty Bank of New York acquisition
   
8,000
   
-
   
-
 
Balance—end of year
 
$
890,854
 
$
778,996
 
$
641,627
 
 
The following is a summary of impaired loans with and without specific reserve as of December 31, 2006 and 2005:

   
2006
 
2005
 
   
Loan Amount
 
Specific Reserve
 
Loan Amount
 
Specific Reserve
 
                   
Impaired loans without specific reserve
 
$
10,919,204
 
$
-
 
$
1,334,189
 
$
-
 
                           
Impaired loans with specific reserve
   
3,721,671
   
1,867,289
   
469,985
   
423,793
 
                           
Total Impaired loans
 
$
14,640,875
 
$
1,867,289
 
$
1,804,174
 
$
423,793
 
 
The average recorded investment in impaired loans during the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 was $6,311,883 and $2,112,933, respectively. Interest income of $0, $7,771, and $5,828 was recognized on a cash basis on impaired loans during the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
F-20

 
At December 31, 2006, the Company had loans on non-accrual status of $5,802,012 compared to $1,804,174 at December 31, 2005.
 
At December 31, 2006, the Company’s secured loans-to-one-borrower limit was $56.5 million based upon the 25% of shareholder’s equity plus the allowance for loan losses and capital notes and debentures. At December 31, 2006, the Company’s largest relationship was a $27 million credit extension to a borrower, which is secured by commercial real estate. This loan was performing in accordance with its terms.
 
Many of our customers are locally-based Korean-Americans who also conduct business in South Korea. Although we conduct most of our business with locally-based customers and rely on domestically located assets to collateralize our loans and credit arrangements, we have historically had some exposure to the economy of South Korea in connection with certain of our loans and credit transactions with Korean banks.
 
Substantially all of the Company’s business is located in California, with a particular concentration in Southern California. Approximately 83% of the Company’s loan portfolio was concentrated in Southern California at December 31, 2006.
 
Since 2003 we actively involved in the residential mortgage lending and we offer a wide selection of residential mortgage programs, including non-traditional mortgages such as interest only and payment option adjustable rate mortgages. Most of our salable loans are transferred to the secondary market while we retain a certain portion on our books as portfolio loans. Our total home mortgage loan portfolio outstanding at the end of 2006 and 2005 was $40.6 million and $43.3 million, respectively and we have deemed its effect on our credit risk profile to be immaterial. The residential mortgage loans with unconventional terms such as interest only mortgage and option adjustable rate mortgage at December 31, 2006 were $4.6 million and $1.1 million, respectively, inclusive of loans held temporarily for sale or refinancing. They were $8.0 million and $3.6 million, respectively, at December 31, 2005.
 
The following is an analysis of all loans to officers and directors of the Company and its affiliates as of December 31. All such loans were made under terms that are consistent with the Company’s normal lending policies.

   
2006
 
2005
 
           
Outstanding balance—beginning of year
 
$
39,475,210
 
$
11,596,037
 
Credit granted, including renewals
   
9,133,210
   
32,338,915
 
Repayments
   
(13,051,770
)
 
(4,459,742
)
               
Outstanding balance—end of year
 
$
35,556,650
 
$
39,475,210
 
 
Income from these loans totaled approximately $2,944,082, $1,799,474 and $617,235 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively, and is reflected in the accompanying statements of operations.
 
F-21

 
 
4.
BANK PREMISES AND EQUIPMENT
 
The following is a summary of the major components of Bank premises and equipment as of December 31:

   
2006
 
2005
 
           
Land
 
$
2,067,791
 
$
2,067,791
 
Building
   
2,508,149
   
2,508,149
 
Furniture and equipment
   
5,183,473
   
4,925,060
 
Leasehold improvements
   
6,702,725
   
4,443,304
 
           
     
16,462,138
   
13,944,304
 
Accumulated depreciation and amortization
   
(5,997,538
)
 
(4,988,432
)
               
   
$
10,464,600
 
$
8,955,872
 
 
Depreciation expense was $1,350,879, $1,002,188and $790,186 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
5.
DEPOSITS
 
Time deposits by maturity dates are as follows at December 31:

   
2006
 
2005
 
           
Less than three months
 
$
461,935,125
 
$
359,446,698
 
After three to six months
   
221,078,901
   
146,480,187
 
After six months to twelve months
   
284,566,964
   
254,944,963
 
After twelve months
   
5,457,992
   
12,735,161
 
               
Total
 
$
973,038,982
 
$
773,607,009
 
 
The scheduled maturities of time deposits as of December 31, 2006 are as follows:

2007
 
$
967,580,990
 
2008
   
5,188,783
 
2009
   
159,209
 
2010
   
-
 
2011 and thereafter
   
110,000
 
         
   
$
973,038,982
 
 
A summary of interest expense on deposits is as follows for the years ended December 31:

   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
               
Savings
 
$
331,982
 
$
167,989
 
$
198,022
 
Time deposits of $100,000 or more
   
36,082,490
   
18,584,362
   
8,697,283
 
Other time deposits
   
7,132,890
   
3,732,279
   
2,984,659
 
Other
   
15,396,194
   
7,429,506
   
3,783,263
 
                     
Total
 
$
58,943,556
 
$
29,914,136
 
$
15,663,227
 
 
F-22

 
Other interest-bearing deposits consist of money market deposits and super NOW deposits.
 
In addition to credit risks, because the Company’s customer base is largely Korean-American, the Company’s deposit base could significantly decrease as a result of deterioration in the Korean economy. During downturns in the Korean economy, some of the Company’s customers may need funds for their local businesses, or may temporarily withdraw deposits in order to transfer funds and benefit from gains on foreign exchange and interest rates and/or to help their relatives in South Korea during downturns in the Korean economy. A significant decrease in the Company’s deposits could also have a material adverse effect on the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
 
6.
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
 
The Company leases premises and equipment under noncancelable operating leases. Future minimum rental commitments under these leases are as follows at December 31, 2006:
 
Year
 
Amount
 
2007
 
$
2,578,669
 
2008
   
2,326,678
 
2009
   
2,236,395
 
2010
   
1,263,628
 
2011
   
719,559
 
Thereafter
   
2,312,964
 
         
   
$
11,437,893
 
 
Rental expense recorded under such leases amounted to approximately $ 2,271,000, $ 1,752,000, and $1,426,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
In the normal course of business, the Company is involved in various legal claims. Management has reviewed all legal claims against the Company with outside legal counsel and has taken into consideration the views of such counsel as to the outcome of the claims. In management’s opinion, the final disposition of all such claims will not have a material adverse effect on the financial position and results of operations of the Company.
 
The Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the statements of financial condition. The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual notional amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for extending loan facilities to customers. The Company evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Company upon extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the counterparty.
 
Collateral held varies but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment and income-producing properties. The Company had commitments to extend credit of approximately $141,245,000 and $104,298,000 and obligations under standby letters of credit and commercial letters of credit of approximately $24,303,000 and $13,932,000 at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
 
F-23

 
7.
FHLB BORROWINGS AND JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES
 
At December 31, 2006, the Company had approved financing with the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) for a maximum advance of up to 25% of total assets ($476,952,000 as of December 31, 2006) based on qualifying collateral. The Company’s borrowing capacity under the FHLB standard credit program was approximately $428 million, with $20 million outstanding as of December 31, 2006.
 
As of December 31, 2006, the Company has only one advance from the FHLB, which was $20,000,000 and matures in January 2008 with an interest rate of 3.68%. As of December 31, 2005, the Company has six advances from the FHLB. These are for $5,000,000, $6,000,000, $5,000,000, $5,000,000, $20,000,000 and $20,000,000 and mature in January 2006, March 2006, June 2006, August 2006, August 2006 and January 2008, respectively, with interest rates of 4.08%, 1.98%, 1.78%, 2.69%, 4.30%, and 3.68%, respectively.
 
The following table summarizes information relating to the Company’s FHLB advances for the periods or dates indicated:

   
Year Ended December 31,
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
   
 (Dollars in thousands)
 
               
Average balance during the year
 
$
39,108
 
$
56,151
 
$
43,760
 
Average interest rate during the year
   
3.83
%
 
3.13
%
 
1.56
%
Maximum month-end balance during the year
 
$
20,000
 
$
61,000
 
$
55,000
 
Loan collateralizing the agreements at year-end
 
$
832,255
 
$
966,064
 
$
801,785
 
 
We had four issuances of junior subordinated debentures, $10,000,000, $15,464,000, $20,619,000, and $15,464,000, respectively, at December 31, 2006. The first one was issued by the Bank and the others were issued by the Company to trusts in which the Company is the sole stockholder in connection with the issuance of trust preferred securities. They will mature in 2012, 2033, 2035, and 2035, respectively, and are callable at par by the Company after the initial five-year term. The interest rates of the first three issuances are adjusted quarterly based on the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus 3.10%, 2.85%, and 1.79%, respectively. The last one bears a fixed rate of 6.07% until September, 2010 and thereafter converting to a floating rate of three month LIBOR plus 1.40%. At December 31, 2006, the interest rates were 8.47%, 8.21%, 7.15%, and 6.07%, respectively.
 
8.
STOCK OPTION PLAN
 
During 1997, the Company established a stock option plan that provides for the issuance of up to 6,499,800 shares of the Company’s authorized but unissued common stock to managerial employees and directors. The number of securities remaining available for future issuance under the stock option plan as of December 31, 2006 is 693,720. Exercise prices may not be less than the fair market value at the date of grant. As of December 31, 2006, 737,892 shares were previously granted and outstanding under this option plan. Options granted under the stock option plan expire not more than 10 years after the date of grant.
 
F-24

 
On January 1, 2006, the Company adopted SFAS 123R, Share-Based Payment, using the modified prospective method. Accordingly, prior-period amounts have not been restated. Had the Company determined compensation cost based on the fair value at the grant date for stock options exercisable under SFAS No. 123R prior to January 1, 2006, the Company’s results of operations and earnings per share would have been adjusted to the pro forma amounts for the periods indicated below: 
 
   
2005
 
2004
 
           
Net income—as reported
 
$
27,759,649
 
$
19,458,308
 
Add: Stock-based employee compensation
             
expense included in reported net income—net
             
of related tax effect
   
-
   
-
 
Deduct: Total stock-based employee
             
expense determined under fair value based
             
compensation method for all awards—net of
             
related tax effect
   
(162,786
)
 
(122,306
)
               
Pro forma net income
 
$
27,596,863
 
$
19,336,002
 
               
Earnings per share:
             
Basic—as reported
 
$
0.97
 
$
0.70
 
Basic—pro forma
 
$
0.97
 
$
0.70
 
 
             
Diluted—as reported
 
$
0.96
 
$
0.68
 
Diluted—pro forma
 
$
0.95
 
$
0.68
 
 
The adoption of SFAS No. 123R resulted in incremental stock-based compensation expense of $472,219 for 2006 and, accordingly, decreased the year’s income before income taxes by such amount and its effect on basic or diluted earnings per share was negligible. Cash provided by operating activities decreased by $899,249 and cash provided by financing activities increased by an identical amount for 2006 related to excess tax benefits from stock-based payment arrangements.
 
The Company has issued stock options to employees under stock-based compensation plans. Stock options are issued at the current market price on the date of grant. The vesting period and contractual term are determined at the time of grant, but the contractual term may not exceed 10 years from the date of grant. The grant date fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model that uses the assumptions noted below. The expected life (estimated period of time outstanding) of options was estimated using the simple method in accordance with SFAS No. 123R. The expected volatility was based on historical volatility for a period equal to the stock option’s expected life. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant.
 
For 2006, 2005, and 2004, 187,000, 258,600, and 4,000 shares were granted, respectively. The weighted average fair value of options granted during 2006, 2005 and 2004 was $5.26, $1.97 and $3.97 per share, respectively. They were estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions indicated below:
 
 
 
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
Expected life
   
3.4-3.8 years
   
2 years
   
5 years
 
Expected volatility
   
32.89
%
 
24.56
%
 
19.32
%
Expected dividend yield
   
1.06
%
 
1.16
%
 
-
 
Risk-free interest rate
   
4.70
%
 
2.82
%
 
3.45
%
 
F-25

 
The expected life (estimated period of time outstanding) of stock options granted was estimated using the historical exercise behavior of employees. The expected volatility was based on historical volatility for a period equal to the stock option’s expected life. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant.
 
Activity in the stock option plan, which has been retroactively adjusted for all stock splits, is as follows for the years ended December 31:

2006
 
Shares
 
Weighted Average Exercise Price
 
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)
 
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
 
                   
Outstanding at January 1, 2006
   
810,952
 
$
5.26
             
Granted
   
187,000
   
18.80
             
Excercised
   
(238,710
)
 
1.99
             
Forfeited
   
(21,350
)
 
14.70
             
Outstanding at December 31, 2006
   
737,892
 
$
9.48
   
4.73 years
 
$
7,027,956
 
                           
Option exercisable at December 31, 2006
   
463,532
 
$
4.98
   
3.95 years
 
$
6,488,828
 
 
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2006:


   
Options Outstanding
 
Options Exercisable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted-
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted-
 
Average
 
 
 
Weighted-
 
 
 
 
 
Average
 
Remaining
 
 
 
Average
 
 
 
Number
 
Exercise
 
Contractual
 
Number
 
Exercise
 
Range of Exercise Prices
 
Outstanding
 
Price
 
Life
 
Exercisable
 
Price
 
                       
$0.50-$0.99
   
170,596
 
$
0.62
   
0.27
   
170,596
 
$
0.62
 
$1.00-$1.99
   
40,000
   
1.39
   
3.97
   
40,000
   
1.39
 
$2.00-$2.99
   
95,646
   
2.57
   
5.39
   
95,646
   
2.57
 
$3.00-$4.99
   
52,000
   
4.53
   
6.58
   
52,000
   
4.53
 
$13.00-$14.99
   
65,000
   
13.75
   
8.29
   
23,600
   
13.71
 
$15.00-$16.99
   
127,650
   
15.21
   
8.21
   
54,290
   
15.22
 
$17.00-$19.99
   
187,000
   
18.80
   
4.50
   
27,400
   
18.85
 
Outstanding at end of year
   
737,892
 
$
9.48
   
4.73
   
463,532
 
$
4.98
 
 
Activities related to stock options are presented as follows:

   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
               
Total intrinsic value of options exercised
 
$
3,768,494
 
$
6,838,633
 
$
25,592,022
 
Total fair value of options vested
 
$
300,496
 
$
203,868
 
$
126,152
 
Weighted average fair value of options
                   
granted during the year
 
$
5.26
 
$
2.18
 
$
3.93
 
 
As of December 31, 2006, total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options that have been granted prior to the end of 2006 amounted to $599,000. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.51 years.
 
F-26

 
A summary of the status and changes of the Company’s nonvested shares related to the Company’s stock plans as of and during 2006 is presented below:
 
   
 Shares
 
Weighted Average
Grant date
Fair value
 
Nonvested at January 1, 2006
   
235,000
 
$
1.19
 
Granted
   
187,000
   
5.26
 
Vested
   
(129,790
)
 
2.32
 
Forfeited on unvested shares
   
(17,850
)
 
2.20
 
Nonvested at December, 2006
   
274,360
 
$
3.98
 
 
9.
INCOME TAXES
 
A summary of income tax expense (benefit) for 2006, 2005 and 2004 follows:

   
Current
 
Deferred
 
Total
 
               
2006:
             
Federal
 
$
18,390,036
 
$
(1,207,961
)
$
17,182,075
 
State
   
4,928,494
   
(307,837
)
 
4,620,657
 
                 
   
$
23,318,530
 
$
(1,515,798
)
$
21,802,732
 
                     
2005:
                   
Federal
 
$
16,644,603
 
$
(2,365,863
)
$
14,278,740
 
State
   
4,802,050
   
(328,014
)
 
4,474,036
 
                 
   
$
21,446,653
 
$
(2,693,877
)
$
18,752,776
 
                     
2004:
                   
Federal
 
$
9,453,894
 
$
443,377
 
$
9,897,271
 
State
   
2,839,784
   
286,878
   
3,126,662
 
                 
   
$
12,293,678
 
$
730,255
 
$
13,023,933
 
 
The following is a summary of the income taxes (receivable) payable included in other assets and other liabilities in the statements of financial condition at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively:

   
2006
 
2005
 
           
Current income taxes:
             
Federal
 
$
(84,612
)
$
101,382
 
State
   
(135,299
)
 
389,759
 
               
Total income taxes (receivable) payable
 
$
(219,911
)
$
491,141
 
 
 
F-27

 

The cumulative temporary differences, as tax effected, are as follows as of December 31, 2006 and 2005:

2006
 
Federal
 
State
 
Total
 
               
Deferred tax assets:
             
Statutory bad debt deduction less than
             
financial statement provision
 
$
6,762,053
 
$
2,101,339
 
$
8,863,392
 
Tax depreciation less than financial
                   
statement depreciation
   
493,714
   
273,702
   
767,416
 
Amortization of start-up cost
   
34,285
   
10,619
   
44,904
 
Deferred rent
   
90,854
   
28,139
   
118,993
 
Net operating loss
   
331,881
   
82,338
   
414,219
 
SFAS 123R non-qualified stock options
   
33,236
   
10,293
   
43,529
 
Unrealized gain on securities available-for-sale
   
440,745
   
111,166
   
551,911
 
State tax deferred and other
   
963,536
       
963,536
 
Mark-to-market loans held-for-sale
   
81,952
   
25,382
   
107,334
 
                     
Total deferred tax assets
   
9,232,256
   
2,642,978
   
11,875,234
 
                     
Deferred tax liabilities:
                   
Prepaid expenses
   
186,278
   
57,693
   
243,971
 
Deferred loan origination costs
   
876,725
   
271,534
   
1,148,259
 
Intangible business combination
   
536,233
   
166,079
   
702,312
 
State tax deferred and other
          
58,684
   
58,684
 
Total deferred tax liabilities
   
1,599,236
   
553,990
   
2,153,226
 
                     
Net deferred tax assets
 
$
7,633,020
 
$
2,088,988
 
$
9,722,008
 
 
2005
 
Federal
 
State
 
Total
 
               
Deferred tax assets:
             
Statutory bad debt deduction less than
             
financial statement provision
 
$
5,143,527
 
$
1,593,024
 
$
6,736,551
 
Tax depreciation less than financial
                   
statement depreciation
   
19,721
   
137,585
   
157,306
 
Unrealized loss on securities available-for-sale
   
664,322
   
140,104
   
804,426
 
State tax deferred and other
   
987,998
   
11,392
   
999,390
 
Amortization of start-up cost
   
47,999
   
14,866
   
62,865
 
Mark to market loans held-for-sale
   
640,060
   
198,236
   
838,296
 
                     
Total deferred tax assets
   
7,503,627
   
2,095,207
   
9,598,834
 
                     
Deferred tax liabilities:
                   
Prepaid expenses
   
196,037
   
60,715
   
256,752
 
Deferred loan origination costs
   
806,739
   
249,859
   
1,056,598
 
Other
   
131,165
   
39,976
   
171,141
 
                     
Total deferred tax liabilities
   
1,133,941
   
350,550
   
1,484,491
 
                     
Net deferred tax assets
 
$
6,369,686
 
$
1,744,657
 
$
8,114,343
 
 
F-28

 
In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, the projected future taxable income, and tax-planning strategies in making this assessment.  A valuation allowance against deferred tax assets at the balance-sheet date is not considered necessary, because it is more likely than not the deferred tax asset will be fully realized.
 
A reconciliation of the difference between the federal statutory income tax rate and the effective tax rate is shown in the following table for the three years ended December 31:
 
   
2006
 
 2005
 
 2004
 
Statutory tax rate
   
35
%
 
35
%
 
35
%
State taxes - net of Los Angeles Revitalization
   
5
   
6
   
6
 
and federal tax benefits
   
(1
)
 
(1
)
 
(1
)
Other - net
   
39
%
 
40
%
 
40
%
 
10.
BUSINESS COMBINATION
 
On May 19, 2006, the Company completed its acquisition of Liberty Bank of New York (“Liberty”), a commercial bank with about $66 million in assets and two branches in New York City, which was then immediately merged into Wilshire State Bank. The Company paid $8,592,407 in cash and issued an aggregate of 328,110 shares of its common stock to the former shareholders of Liberty in connection with the Company’s acquisition of all the outstanding capital stock of Liberty. The Company’s common stock was valued pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement at $18.0933 per share, the average of the daily closing prices of the Company’s common stock as reported on the NASDAQ National Market for the 20 consecutive trading days ending on the last business day prior to the closing. The aggregate purchase price of this business combination was $15,154,000, which included $625,000 of capitalized direct costs associated with this business combination in addition to the payment to the former Liberty shareholders of $14,529,000. The purchase price, as well as the fair values of assets and liabilities recorded, may change as certain estimates are finalized.
 
Certain restructuring costs, mainly consulting fees paid to third parties and severance payments to certain Liberty employees specified in the stock purchase agreement, were recognized as liabilities assumed in the business combination. Accordingly, they have been considered part of the purchase price of Liberty and recorded as an increase in the balance of goodwill. Such payments totaled $625,000 and consisted of $332,000 of legal and accounting consulting fees, $253,000 for severance payments, and $40,000 for miscellaneous items.

F-29

 

As of May 19, 2006, the fair value of the Liberty’s net assets acquired and the related intangible and goodwill were as follows:
 
Assets:
 
(dollars in thousands)
 
Cash and due from banks
 
$
2,423
 
Federal funds sold and other cash equivalents
   
12,700
 
Cash and cash equivalents
   
15,123
 
Securities available for sale
   
15,110
 
Loans receivable
   
25,657
 
Bank premises and equipment, net
   
631
 
Accrued interest receivable
   
282
 
Deferred income taxes
   
538
 
Other assets
   
274
 
Favorable lease intangible1 
   
429
 
Core deposit intangible2 
   
1,640
 
Goodwill3 
   
6,675
 
Total assets
 
$
66,359
 
         
Liabilities:
       
Deposits:
       
Noninterest-bearing
   
22,217
 
Interest-bearing
       
Savings
   
2,445
 
Time deposits of $100,000 or more
   
12,116
 
Other time deposits
   
5,191
 
Interest bearing demand deposit
   
8,528
 
Total deposits
   
50,497
 
Accrued interest payable
   
56
 
Other liabilities
   
420
 
Unfavorable lease intangible
   
232
 
         
Total liabilities
   
51,205
 
         
Total consideration paid
 
$
15,154
 
 
The company recorded goodwill of $6.7 million from the acquisition of Liberty Bank of New York in May 2006. The gross carrying amount of goodwill amounted to $6.7 million at December 31, 2006 since no impairment losses were recoded during the year ended December 31, 2006.
 

1 The favorable lease intangible is being amortized for the remaining lease term of 41 months.
 
2 The core-deposit intangibles are the sum of intangibles on different types of core deposits. The intangible for each type of core deposit is being amortized over its respective estimated useful life, which ranges from 94 to 126 months.
 
3 None of the goodwill balance is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes.
 
F-30

 
The company also has core deposit intangibles and favorable lease intangible from the acquisition of Liberty Bank of New York in May 2006. The gross carrying amount of core deposit intangibles totaled $1.6 million, and the related accumulated amortization totaled $108, 000 at December 31, 2006. Total amortization expense on core deposit intangible was $108,000 during the year ended December 31, 2006. The gross carrying amount of favorable lease intangible is $429,000, and the related accumulated amortization totaled $77,000. Total amortization expense on favorable lease intangible was $77,000 during the year ended December 31, 2006. The following table provides the estimated future amortization expense of acquired intangibles for the succeeding five years:

Estimate For The Year
      
Ending December 31,
 
 Amount
 
2007
 
$
298,000
 
2008
   
298,000
 
2009
   
277,000
 
2010
   
174,000
 
2011
   
174,000
 
 
11.
RETIREMENT PLAN
 
In 1996, the Company established a 401(k) savings plan, which is open to all eligible employees who are 21 years old or over and have completed six months of service. The plan provides for the Company’s matching contribution up to 6% of participants’ compensation during the plan year. Vesting in employer contributions is 25% after two years of service and 25% per year thereafter. Total employer contributions to the plan amounted to approximately $413,000, $225,000, and $119,000 for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
 
12.
REGULATORY MATTERS
 
The Company is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory—and possibly additional discretionary—actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on the Company’s financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Company must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the Company’s assets, liabilities and certain off-balance-sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Company’s capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.
 
Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Company to maintain minimum ratios (set forth in the table below) of total and Tier I capital (as defined in the regulations) to risk-weighted assets (as defined) and Tier I capital (as defined) to average assets (as defined). Management believes that, as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, the Company meets all capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject.
 
Federal Reserve Board rules provide that a bank holding company may count proceeds from a trust preferred securities issuance as Tier 1 capital in an amount up to 25% of its total Tier 1 capital.  Under the current Federal Reserve Board capital guidelines, as of December 31, 2006, the Company is able to include all of the proceeds from the issuance of the trust preferred securities as Tier 1 capital.
 
F-31

 
The Bank is periodically examined by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and the Department of Financial Institutions of the State of California. As of the most recent notification from the FDIC, the Company is categorized as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. To be categorized as well capitalized, the Company must maintain minimum total risk-based, Tier I risk-based and Tier I leverage ratios as set forth in the table.
 
The Company’s and Bank’s actual capital amounts and ratios are presented in the table.

   
Actual
 
For Capital Adequacy Purposes
 
To Be Categorized As Well Capitalized under Prompt Corrective Action Provisions
 
   
Amount   (in thousands)
 
Ratio
 
Amount   (in thousands)
     
Ratio
 
Amount   (in thousands)
     
Ratio
 
                                   
As of December 31, 2006:
                                                 
Total Capital (to risk-weighted assets):
                                                 
                                                   
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
$
220,748
   
13.63
%
$
129,554
   
   
8.00
%
$
161,942
   
   
10.00
%
Wilshire State Bank
 
$
218,659
   
13.51
%
$
129,521
   
   
8.00
%
$
161,901
   
   
10.00
%
                                                   
Tier 1 Capital (to risk-weighted assets):
                                                 
                                                   
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
$
191,203
   
11.81
%
$
64,777
   
   
4.00
%
$
97,165
   
   
6.00
%
Wilshire State Bank
 
$
189,114
   
11.68
%
$
64,761
   
   
4.00
%
$
97,141
   
   
6.00
%
                                                   
Tier 1 Capital (to average assets):
                                                 
                                                   
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
$
191,203
   
9.79
%
$
78,116
   
   
4.00
%
$
97,645
   
   
5.00
%
Wilshire State Bank
 
$
189,114
   
9.69
%
$
78,053
   
   
4.00
%
$
97,566
   
   
5.00
%
                                                   
As of December 31, 2005:
                                                 
Total Capital (to risk-weighted assets):
                                                 
                                                   
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
$
188,440
   
14.41
%
$
104,635
   
   
8.00
%
$
130,793
   
   
10.00
%
Wilshire State Bank
 
$
170,623
   
13.05
%
$
104,635
   
   
8.00
%
$
130,793
   
   
10.00
%
                                                   
Tier 1 Capital (to risk-weighted assets):
                                                 
                                                   
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
$
151,705
   
11.60
%
$
52,317
   
   
4.00
%
$
78,476
   
   
6.00
%
Wilshire State Bank
 
$
145,845
   
11.15
%
$
52,317
   
   
4.00
%
$
78,476
   
   
6.00
%
                                                   
Tier 1 Capital (to average assets):
                                                 
                                                   
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
$
151,705
   
9.39
%
$
64,601
   
   
4.00
%
$
80,751
   
   
5.00
%
Wilshire State Bank
 
$
145,845
   
9.04
%
$
64,539
   
   
4.00
%
$
80,674
   
   
5.00
%
 
As a holding company whose only significant asset is the common stock of the Bank, the Company's ability to pay dividends on its common stock and to conduct business activities directly or in non-banking subsidiaries depends significantly on the receipt of dividends or other distributions from the Bank. The Bank’s ability to pay any cash dividends will depend not only upon its earnings during a specified period, but also on its meeting certain capital requirements. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act and FDIC regulations restrict the payment of dividends when a bank is undercapitalized, when a bank has failed to pay insurance assessments, or when there are safety and soundness concerns regarding a bank.
 
F-32

 
The payment of dividends by the Bank may also be affected by other regulatory requirements and policies, such as maintenance of adequate capital. If, in the opinion of the regulatory authority, a depository institution under its jurisdiction is engaged in, or is about to engage in, an unsafe or unsound practice (that, depending on the financial condition of the depository institution, could include the payment of dividends), such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such depository institution cease and desist from such practice. The Federal Reserve Board has issued a policy statement that provides that insured banks and bank holding companies should generally pay dividends only out of operating earnings for the current and preceding two years. In addition, all insured depository institutions are subject to the capital-based limitations required by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991. In addition to the regulation of dividends and other capital distributions, there are various statutory and regulatory limitations on the extent to which the Bank can finance or otherwise transfer funds to the Company or any of its non-banking subsidiaries, whether in the form of loans, extensions of credit, investments or asset purchases. The Federal Reserve Act and Regulation may further restrict these transactions in the interest of safety and soundness. The foregoing restrictions on dividends paid by the Bank may limit Wilshire Bancorp’s ability to obtain funds from such dividends for its cash needs, including funds for payment of its debt service requirements and operating expenses and for payment of cash dividends to Wilshire Bancorp’s shareholders. The amount of dividends the Bank could pay to Wilshire Bancorp as of December 31, 2006 without prior regulatory approval, which is limited by statute to the sum of undivided profits for the current year plus net profits for the preceding two years, was $81.2 million.
 
13.
FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
 
The estimated fair value of financial instruments has been determined by the Company using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. However, considerable judgment is required to interpret market data in order to develop estimates of fair value.
 
Accordingly, the estimates presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the amounts the Company could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts at December 31:
 
F-33

 
   
2006
 
2005
 
   
Carrying
 
Estimated
 
Carrying
 
Estimated
 
 
 
Amount
 
Fair Value
 
Amount
 
Fair Value
 
                   
Assets:
                 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
205,246,614
 
$
205,246,614
 
$
194,208,056
 
$
194,208,056
 
Interest-bearing deposits in other
                         
financial institutions
   
-
   
-
   
500,000
   
500,000
 
Investment securities available for sale
   
167,837,734
   
167,837,734
   
138,650,270
   
138,650,270
 
Investment securities held to maturity
   
14,620,870
   
14,445,714
   
22,860,200
   
22,510,961
 
Interest-only strip
   
1,130,006
   
1,130,006
   
1,501,866
   
1,501,866
 
Loans receivable—net
   
1,536,388,815
   
1,541,497,091
   
1,226,763,867
   
1,219,280,588
 
Loans held for sale
   
5,496,421
   
5,730,569
   
21,796,677
   
23,625,418
 
Cash surrender value of life insurance
   
15,635,773
   
15,635,773
   
15,098,770
   
15,098,770
 
Federal Home Loan Bank stock
   
7,541,700
   
7,541,700
   
6,181,700
   
6,181,700
 
Accrued interest receivable
   
10,049,265
   
10,049,265
   
6,891,670
   
6,891,670
 
Servicing asset
   
5,080,466
   
5,333,279
   
4,682,848
   
4,682,848
 
Due from customer on acceptances
   
2,385,134
   
2,385,134
   
3,220,846
   
3,220,846
 
                           
Liabilities:
                         
Noninterest-bearing deposits
 
$
319,310,552
 
$
319,310,552
 
$
292,170,888
 
$
292,170,888
 
Interest-bearing deposits
   
1,432,662,100
   
1,432,528,511
   
1,117,294,349
   
1,115,684,553
 
Junior subordinated Debentures
   
61,547,000
   
61,221,054
   
61,547,000
   
61,545,376
 
Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings
   
20,000,000
   
19,642,655
   
61,000,000
   
60,143,722
 
Accrued interest payable
   
12,006,124
   
12,006,124
   
6,898,196
   
6,898,196
 
Acceptances outstanding
   
2,385,134
   
2,385,134
   
3,220,846
   
3,220,846
 
 
The methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial statements for which it is practicable to estimate that value are explained below:
 
Cash and Cash Equivalents—The carrying amounts approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these investments.
 
Interest-Bearing Deposits in Other Financial Institutions—The carrying amounts approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these investments.
 
Investment Securities—The fair value of investment securities is generally obtained from market bids from similar or identical securities, or obtained from independent securities brokers or dealers.
 
Interest-Only Strips—The fair value of the I/O strip is calculated by the Company’s management based on the present value of the excess of total servicing fees over the contractually specified servicing fee for the estimated life of loans that were sold, discounted at a market interest rate.
 
Loans—Fair values are estimated for portfolios of loans with similar financial characteristics, primarily fixed and adjustable rate interest terms. The fair values of fixed rate mortgage loans are based on discounted cash flows utilizing applicable risk-adjusted spreads relative to the current pricing of similar fixed rate loans, as well as anticipated repayment schedules. The fair value of adjustable rate commercial loans is based on the estimated discounted cash flows utilizing the discount rates that approximate the pricing of loans collateralized by similar commercial properties. The estimated fair value is net of allowance for loan losses. The carrying amount of accrued interest receivable approximates its fair value.
 
F-34

 
The fair value of nonperforming loans at December 31, 2006 and 2005 was not estimated because it is not practicable to reasonably assess the credit adjustment that would be applied in the marketplace for such loans.
 
Cash Surrender Value of Life Insurance—The carrying amounts approximate fair value since the carrying amount represents the cash surrender value.
 
Federal Home Loan Bank Stock—The carrying amounts approximate fair value, as the stock may be sold back to the FHLB at the carrying value.
 
Servicing Asset—The fair value of the servicing asset is based on the present value of the contractually specified servicing fee, net of servicing cost, for the estimated life of the loans the Company sold, based upon approximate prepayment speed, discounted by the effective interest rate.
 
Deposits—The fair values of nonmaturity deposits are equal to the carrying values of such deposits. Nonmaturity deposits include noninterest-bearing demand deposits, savings accounts, super NOW accounts, and money market demand accounts. Discounted cash flows have been used to value term deposits, such as CDs. The discount rate used is based on interest rates currently being offered by the Company on comparable deposits as to amount and term. The carrying amount of accrued interest payable approximates its fair value.
 
Junior Subordinated Debentures and Federal Home Loan Bank Borrowings—The fair value of debt is based on discounted cash flows. The discount rate used is based on the current market rate.
 
Loan Commitments and Standby Letters of Credit—The fair value of loan commitments and standby letters of credit is based upon the difference between the current value of similar loans and the price at which the Company has committed to make the loans. The fair value of loan commitments and standby letters of credit is not material at December 31, 2006 and 2005.
 
Due from Customer on Acceptances and Acceptances Outstanding—The carrying amount approximates fair value due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.
 
The fair value estimates presented herein are based on pertinent information available to management at December 31, 2006 and 2005. Although management is not aware of any factors that would significantly affect the estimated fair value amounts, such amounts have not been comprehensively revalued for purposes of these financial statements since that date, and therefore, current estimates of fair value may differ significantly from the amounts presented herein.
 
F-35

 

14.
EARNINGS PER SHARE
 
The following is a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted per share computations at December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004:
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
Numerator:
                   
Net income - numerator for basic earnings per share and diluted earnings per share-income available to common stockholders
 
$
33,941,659
 
$
27,759,649
 
$
19,458,308
 
Denominator:
                   
Denominator for basic earnings per share:
                   
Weighted-average shares
   
28,986,217
   
28,544,474
   
27,623,766
 
Effect of dilutive securities:
                   
Stock option dilution4 
   
344,515
   
369,068
   
892,116
 
Denominator for diluted earnings per share:
                   
Adjusted weighted-average shares And assumed conversions
   
29,330,732
   
28,913,542
   
28,515,882
 
Basic earnings per share
 
$
1.17
 
$
0.97
 
$
0.70
 
Diluted earnings per share
 
$
1.16
 
$
0.96
 
$
0.68
 
 

Excludes 162,000 and 4,000 options outstanding at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively, for which the exercise price exceeded the average market price of the Company’s common stock. There were no such anti-dilutive options at December 31, 2004.
 
F-36

 

15. QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)
 
Summarized quarterly financial data follows:

   
Three Months Ended
 
   
March 31
 
June 30
 
September 30
 
December 31
 
Total
 
2006
 
 (In thousands, except per share amounts)
 
                           
Net interest income
 
$
17,279
 
$
19,438
 
$
20,103
 
$
19,757
 
$
76,577
 
Provision for loan losses
   
1,060
   
1,200
   
2,800
   
940
   
6,000
 
Net income
   
7,823
   
8,415
   
8,818
   
8,886
   
33,942
 
Basic earnings per common share
   
0.27
   
0.29
   
0.30
   
0.31
   
1.17
 
Diluted earnings per common share
   
0.27
   
0.29
   
0.30
   
0.30
   
1.16
 
                                 
2005
                               
                                 
Net interest income
 
$
13,640
 
$
14,968
 
$
16,326
 
$
18,014
 
$
62,948
 
Provision for loan losses
   
500
   
720
   
1,250
   
880
   
3,350
 
Net income
   
6,070
   
6,752
   
7,179
   
7,759
   
27,760
 
Basic earnings per common share
   
0.21
   
0.24
   
0.25
   
0.27
   
0.97
 
Diluted earnings per common share
   
0.21
   
0.23
   
0.25
   
0.27
   
0.96
 
 
16.
BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION
 
The following disclosure about segments of the Company is made in accordance with the requirements of SFAS No. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information. The Company segregates its operations into three primary segments: Banking Operations, Trade Finance Services (“TFS”), and Small Business Administration Lending Services. The Company determines the operating results of each segment based on an internal management system that allocates certain expenses to each segment.
 
Banking Operations—The Company provides lending products, including commercial, installment and real estate loans, to its customers.
 
Trade Finance Services—The Trade Finance department allows the Company’s import/export customers to handle their international transactions. Trade finance products include, among others, the issuance and collection of letters of credit, international collection and import/export financing.
 
Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Lending Services—The SBA department mainly provides customers of the Company access to the U.S. SBA-guaranteed lending program.
 
F-37

 
The following are the results of operations of the Company’s segments for the year-ended December 31:

   
Business Segment
     
   
Banking
             
   
Operations
 
TFS
 
SBA
 
Company
 
2006
 
(In thousands)
 
                   
Net interest income
 
$
55,769
 
$
4,176
 
$
16,632
 
$
76,577
 
Less provision for loan losses
   
4,404
   
1,254
   
342
   
6,000
 
Other operating income
   
12,064
   
1,618
   
12,718
   
26,400
 
                           
Net revenue
   
63,429
   
4,540
   
29,008
   
96,977
 
Other operating expenses
   
35,045
   
1,016
   
5,171
   
41,232
 
                           
Income before taxes
 
$
28,384
 
$
3,524
 
$
23,837
 
$
55,745
 
                           
Total assets
 
$
1,818,580
 
$
56,117
 
$
133,787
 
$
2,008,484
 
 
 
   
Business Segment
     
   
Banking
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operations
 
TFS
 
SBA
 
Company
 
2005
 
(In thousands)
 
                   
Net interest income
 
$
45,181
 
$
3,203
 
$
14,564
 
$
62,948
 
Less provision for loan losses
   
3,365
   
(264
)
 
249
   
3,350
 
Other operating income
   
9,570
   
1,816
   
9,092
   
20,478
 
Net revenue
   
51,386
   
5,283
   
23,407
   
80,076
 
Other operating expenses
   
27,916
   
926
   
4,721
   
33,563
 
                           
Income before taxes
 
$
23,470
 
$
4,357
 
$
18,686
 
$
46,513
 
                           
Total assets
 
$
1,450,342
 
$
56,419
 
$
159,512
 
$
1,666,273
 
 
 
   
Business Segment
     
   
Banking
             
   
Operations
 
TFS
 
SBA
 
Company
 
2004
 
(In thousands)
 
                   
Net interest income
 
$
31,029
 
$
1,965
 
$
9,341
 
$
42,335
 
Less provision for loan losses
   
2,180
   
1,327
   
60
   
3,567
 
Other operating income
   
9,233
   
1,808
   
9,956
   
20,997
 
Net revenue
   
38,082
   
2,446
   
19,237
   
59,765
 
Other operating expenses
   
22,685
   
762
   
3,836
   
27,283
 
                           
Income before taxes
 
$
15,397
 
$
1,684
 
$
15,401
 
$
32,482
 
                           
Total assets
 
$
1,063,676
 
$
46,097
 
$
155,868
 
$
1,265,641
 
 
F-38

 
17. RELATED PARTIES TRANSACTION
 
The Company, in the normal course of business has paid, and to the extent permitted by applicable regulations and other regulatory restrictions and expects to continue to pay the loan referral fees to affiliates of one of the Company’s officers. Such fees were approximately $1.3 million during the fiscal year 2006 and have been paid from loan fees collected from the borrowers. All such transactions are and will continue to be on terms no less favorable to the Company than those which could be obtained with non-affiliated parties. Management believes that such loans were made in the ordinary course of business, on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with other parties and do not involve more than the normal risk of collectibility or present other unfavorable features.
 
18. CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF PARENT COMPANY
 
The following presents the unconsolidated financial statements of only the parent company, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as of December 31:

   
2006
 
2005
 
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
 
(In thousands)
 
           
Assets:
         
Cash and cash equivalents 
 
$
2,049
 
$
16,180
 
Investment in subsidiary 
   
199,094
   
146,834
 
Prepaid income taxes 
   
1,601
   
2,910
 
Other assets 
   
40
   
-
 
 Total assets
 
$
202,784
 
$
165,924
 
               
Liabilities:
             
Other borrowings 
 
$
51,547
 
$
51,547
 
Accounts payable and other liabilities 
   
142
   
128
 
Cash dividend payable 
   
1,460
   
1,145
 
 Total liabilities
   
53,149
   
52,820
 
Shareholders' Equity
   
149,635
   
113,104
 
Total
 
$
202,784
 
$
165,924
 
 
F-39

 

   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
(In thousands)
 
               
Interest expense
 
$
3,506
 
$
2,054
 
$
228
 
Other operating expense
   
885
   
270
   
-
 
Total expense
   
4,391
   
2,324
   
228
 
Undistributed earnings of subsidiary
   
36,487
   
29,107
   
6,209
 
Earnings before income tax provision
   
32,096
   
26,783
   
5,981
 
Income tax benefit
   
1,846
   
977
   
-
 
Net Income
 
$
33,942
 
$
27,760
 
$
5,981
 
 
   
2006
 
2005
 
2004
 
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
(In thousands)
 
               
Cash flows from operating activities:
             
Net income
 
$
33,942
 
$
27,760
 
$
5,981
 
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash
                   
used in operating activities:
                   
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable and 
                   
other liabilities 
   
14
   
97
   
(111
)
Stock compensation expense 
   
472
   
-
   
-
 
Decrease (increase) in prepaid income taxes 
   
1,309
   
(2,910
)
 
-
 
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options 
   
-
   
1,933
   
-
 
Increase in other assets 
   
(40
)
 
-
   
-
 
Undistributed earnings of subsidiary 
   
(36,487
)
 
(29,107
)
 
(6,209
)
Net cash used in operating activities
   
(790
)
 
(2,227
)
 
(339
)
                     
Cash flows from investing activities:
                   
Payments for investments in and advances to subsidiary
   
-
   
(15,083
)
 
(14,500
)
Cash payment for acquisition of Liberty Bank of New York
   
(9,217
)
 
-
   
-
 
Net cash used in investing activities 
   
(9,217
)
 
(15,083
)
 
(14,500
)
                     
Cash flows from financing activities:
                   
Proceeds from the issuance of trust preferred securities
   
-
   
36,083
   
15,141
 
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
   
474
   
480
   
54
 
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options
   
899
   
-
   
-
 
Payments of cash dividend
   
(5,497
)
 
(3,429
)
 
-
 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 
   
(4,124
)
 
33,134
   
15,195
 
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
   
(14,131
)
 
15,824
   
356
 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year
   
16,180
   
356
   
-
 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year
 
$
2,049
 
$
16,180
 
$
356
 
 
F-40

 
EX-4.4 2 v068251_ex4-4.htm
 
Exhibit 4.4
 


 
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION
OF TRUST

by and among

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Institutional Trustee,

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.,
as Sponsor,

and

SOO BONG MIN and BRIAN E. CHO,
as Administrators,

Dated as of December 17, 2003
 


 

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
Page
ARTICLE I INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
1
Section 1.1.
Definitions
1
 
 
ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION
7
Section 2.1.
Name
7
Section 2.2.
Office
7
Section 2.3.
Purpose
7
Section 2.4.
Authority
7
Section 2.5.
Title to Property of the Trust
7
Section 2.6.
Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators
8
Section 2.7.
Prohibition of Actions by the Trust and the Institutional Trustee
11
Section 2.8.
Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee
12
Section 2.9.
Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Institutional Trustee and Administrators
13
Section 2.10.
Certain Rights of Institutional Trustee
14
Section 2.11.
Execution of Documents
16
Section 2.12.
Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities
16
Section 2.13.
Duration of Trust
16
Section 2.14.
Mergers
16
 
 
ARTICLE III SPONSOR
18
Section 3.1.
Sponsor’s Purchase of Common Securities
18
Section 3.2.
Responsibilities of the Sponsor
18
Section 3.3.
Expenses
18
Section 3.4.
Right to Proceed
19
 
 
ARTICLE IV INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS
19
Section 4.1.
Institutional Trustee; Eligibility
19
Section 4.2.
Administrators
20
Section 4.3.
Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Institutional Trustee and Administrators
20
Section 4.4.
Institutional Trustee Vacancies
21
Section 4.5.
Effect of Vacancies
21
Section 4.6.
Meetings of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators
21
Section 4.7.
Delegation of Power
22
Section 4.8.
Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business
22
 
 
ARTICLE V DISTRIBUTIONS
22
Section 5.1.
Distributions
22
 
 
ARTICLE VI ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES
22
Section 6.1.
General Provisions Regarding Securities
22
Section 6.2.
Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar
23
Section 6.3.
Form and Dating
23
Section 6.4.
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates
24
Section 6.5.
Temporary Securities
24
Section 6.6.
Cancellation
24
 
i

 
Section 6.7.
Rights of Holders; Waivers of Past Defaults
24
 
 
ARTICLE VII DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST
26
Section 7.1.
Dissolution and Termination of Trust
26
 
 
ARTICLE VIII TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
27
Section 8.1.
General
27
Section 8.2.
Transfer Procedures and Restrictions
28
Section 8.3.
Deemed Security Holders
29
 
 
ARTICLE IX LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES, INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE OR OTHERS
30
Section 9.1.
Liability
30
Section 9.2.
Exculpation
30
Section 9.3.
Fiduciary Duty
31
Section 9.4.
Indemnification
31
Section 9.5.
Outside Businesses
33
Section 9.6.
Compensation; Fee
33
 
 
ARTICLE X ACCOUNTING
34
Section 10.1.
Fiscal Year
34
Section 10.2.
Certain Accounting Matters
34
Section 10.3.
Banking
34
Section 10.4.
Withholding
34
 
 
ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS AND MEETINGS
35
Section 11.1.
Amendments
35
Section 11.2.
Meetings of the Holders of Securities; Action by Written Consent
36
 
 
ARTICLE XII REPRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE
37
Section 12.1.
Representations and Warranties of Institutional Trustee
37
 
 
ARTICLE XIII MISCELLANEOUS
38
Section 13.1.
Notices
38
Section 13.2.
Governing Law
39
Section 13.3.
Intention of the Parties
39
Section 13.4.
Headings
39
Section 13.5.
Successors and Assigns
39
Section 13.6.
Partial Enforceability
39
Section 13.7.
Counterparts
39

Annex I
Terms of Securities
Exhibit A-1
Form of Capital Security Certificate
Exhibit A-2
Form of Common Security Certificate
Exhibit B
Specimen of Initial Debenture
Exhibit C
Placement Agreement
 
ii

 
AMENDED AND RESTATED
 
DECLARATION OF TRUST
 
OF
 
WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST I
 
December 17, 2003
 
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST (“Declaration”) dated and effective as of December 17, 2003, by the Institutional Trustee (as defined herein), the Administrators (as defined herein), the Sponsor (as defined herein) and by the holders, from time to time, of undivided beneficial interests in the Trust (as defined herein) to be issued pursuant to this Declaration;
 
WHEREAS, the Institutional Trustee, the Administrators and the Sponsor established Wilshire Statutory Trust I (the “Trust”), a statutory trust under the Statutory Trust Act (as defined herein) pursuant to a Declaration of Trust dated as of December 9, 2003 (the “Original Declaration”), and a Certificate of Trust filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Connecticut on December 9, 2003, for the sole purpose of issuing and selling certain securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust and investing the proceeds thereof in certain debentures of the Debenture Issuer (as defined herein);
 
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, no interests in the Trust have been issued; and
 
WHEREAS, the Institutional Trustee, the Administrators and the Sponsor, by this Declaration, amend and restate each and every term and provision of the Original Declaration;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, it being the intention of the parties hereto to continue the Trust as a statutory trust under the Statutory Trust Act and that this Declaration constitutes the governing instrument of such statutory trust, the Institutional Trustee declares that all assets contributed to the Trust will be held in trust for the benefit of the holders, from time to time, of the securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust issued hereunder, subject to the provisions of this Declaration. The parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
 
ARTICLE I
 
INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
 
Section 1.1. Definitions.  Unless the context otherwise requires:
 
(a)   Capitalized terms used in this Declaration but not defined in the preamble above have the respective meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1;
 
(b)   a term defined anywhere in this Declaration has the same meaning throughout;
 
(c)   all references to “the Declaration” or “this Declaration” are to this Declaration as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
(d)   all references in this Declaration to Articles and Sections and Annexes and Exhibits are to Articles and Sections of and Annexes and Exhibits to this Declaration unless otherwise specified; and
 
1

 
(e)   a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
 
Additional Interest” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Administrative Action” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Administrators” means each of Soo Bong Min and Brian E. Cho, solely in such Person’s capacity as Administrator of the Trust created and continued hereunder and not in such Person’s individual capacity, or such Administrator’s successor in interest in such capacity, or any successor appointed as herein provided.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Authorized Officer” of a Person means any Person that is authorized to bind such Person.
 
Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person:
 
(a) a court having jurisdiction in the premises shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of such Person in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of such Person or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or
 
(b) such Person shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of such Person of any substantial part of its property, or shall make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due.
 
Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in New York City or Hartford, Connecticut are permitted or required by any applicable law or executive order to close.
 
Capital Securities” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(a) of Annex I.
 
Capital Security Certificate” means a definitive Certificate in fully registered form representing a Capital Security substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1.
 
Capital Treatment Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Certificate” means any certificate evidencing Securities.
 
Closing Date” has the meaning set forth in the Placement Agreement.
 
Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Common Securities” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(b) of Annex I.
 
2

 
Common Security Certificate” means a definitive Certificate in fully registered form representing a Common Security substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2.
 
Company Indemnified Person” means (a) any Administrator; (b) any Affiliate of any Administrator; (c) any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives or agents of any Administrator; or (d) any officer, employee or agent of the Trust or its Affiliates.
 
Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Institutional Trustee at which the corporate trust business of the Institutional Trustee shall, at any particular time, be principally administered, which office at the date of execution of this Declaration is located at 225 Asylum Street, Goodwin Square, Hartford, Connecticut 06103.
 
Coupon Rate” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(a) of Annex I.
 
Covered Person” means: (a) any Administrator, officer, director, shareholder, partner, member, representative, employee or agent of (i) the Trust or (ii) any of the Trust’s Affiliates; and (b) any Holder of Securities.
 
Creditor” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3.
 
Debenture Issuer” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, in its capacity as issuer of the Debentures under the Indenture.
 
Debenture Trustee” means U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee under the Indenture until a successor is appointed thereunder, and thereafter means such successor trustee.
 
Debentures” means the Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2033 to be issued by the Debenture Issuer under the Indenture.
 
Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Determination Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Direct Action” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8(d).
 
Distribution” means a distribution payable to Holders of Securities in accordance with Section 5.1.
 
Distribution Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(b) of Annex I.
 
Distribution Period” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(a) of Annex I.
 
Distribution Rate” means, for the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) March 17, 2004, the rate per annum of 4.02%, and for the period beginning on (and including) March 17, 2004 and thereafter, the Coupon Rate.
 
Event of Default” means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such event and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
 
(a) the occurrence of an Indenture Event of Default; or
 
3

 
(b) default by the Trust in the payment of any Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price of any Security when it becomes due and payable; or
 
(c) default in the performance, or breach, in any material respect, of any covenant or warranty of the Institutional Trustee in this Declaration (other than those specified in clause (a) or (b) above) and continuation of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail to the Institutional Trustee and to the Sponsor by the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Capital Securities, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or
 
(d) the occurrence of a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Institutional Trustee if a successor Institutional Trustee has not been appointed within 90 days thereof.
 
Extension Period” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(b) of Annex I.
 
Federal Reserve” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Fiduciary Indemnified Person” shall mean the Institutional Trustee, any Affiliate of the Institutional Trustee and any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, custodians, nominees or agents of the Institutional Trustee.
 
Fiscal Year” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.
 
Guarantee” means the guarantee agreement to be dated as of the Closing Date, of the Sponsor in respect of the Capital Securities.
 
Holder” means a Person in whose name a Certificate representing a Security is registered in the register maintained by the Registrar pursuant to Section 6.2, such Person being a beneficial owner within the meaning of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
Indemnified Person” means a Company Indemnified Person or a Fiduciary Indemnified Person.
 
Indenture” means the Indenture dated as of the Closing Date, between the Debenture Issuer and the Debenture Trustee, and any indenture supplemental thereto pursuant to which the Debentures are to be issued, as such Indenture and any supplemental indenture may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
 
Indenture Event of Default” means an “Event of Default” as defined in the Indenture.
 
Institutional Trustee” means the Trustee meeting the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 4.1.
 
Interest” means any interest due on the Debentures including any Additional Interest and Defaulted Interest.
 
Investment Company” means an investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act.
 
Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Investment Company Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
4

 
Liquidation” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Liquidation Distribution” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Securities voting together as a single class or, as the context may require, Holders of outstanding Capital Securities or Holders of outstanding Common Securities voting separately as a class, who are the record owners of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all outstanding Securities of the relevant class.
 
Maturity Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Officers’ Certificates” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by two Authorized Officers of such Person. Any Officers’ Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant providing for it in this Declaration shall include:
 
(a) a statement that each officer signing the Certificate has read the covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto;
 
(b) a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination or investigation undertaken by each officer in rendering the Certificate;
 
(c) a statement that each such officer has made such examination or investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
 
(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such officer, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
OTS” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Paying Agent” has the meaning specified in Section 6.2.
 
Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.
 
Placement Agreement” means the Placement Agreement relating to the offering and sale of Capital Securities in the form of Exhibit C.
 
Property Account” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8(c).
 
Pro Rata” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 8 of Annex I.
 
Quorum” means a majority of the Administrators or, if there are only two Administrators, both of them.
 
Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Redemption/Distribution Notice” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(e) of Annex I.
 
Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
5

 
Registrar” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2.
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Institutional Trustee, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Institutional Trustee, including any vice-president, any assistant vice-president, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or other officer of the Corporate Trust Office of the Institutional Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Restricted Securities Legend” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.2(b).
 
Rule 3a-5” means Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act.
 
Rule 3a-7” means Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act.
 
Securities” means the Common Securities and the Capital Securities.
 
Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Special Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Special Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Special Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Sponsor” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, or any successor entity in a merger, consolidation or amalgamation, in its capacity as sponsor of the Trust.
 
Statutory Trust Act” means Chapter 615 of Title 34 of the Connecticut General Statutes, Sections 500, et seq. as may be amended from time to time.
 
Successor Entity” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.14(b).
 
Successor Institutional Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.3(a).
 
Successor Securities” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.14(b).
 
Super Majority” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 5(b) of Annex I.
 
Tax Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
10% in liquidation amount of the Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Securities voting together as a single class or, as the context may require, Holders of outstanding Capital Securities or Holders of outstanding Common Securities voting separately as a class, who are the record owners of 10% or more of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all outstanding Securities of the relevant class.
 
3-Month LIBOR” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Transfer Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2.
 
6

 
Treasury Regulations” means the income tax regulations, including temporary and proposed regulations, promulgated under the Code by the United States Treasury, as such regulations may be amended from time to time (including corresponding provisions of succeeding regulations).
 
Trust Property” means (a) the Debentures, (b) any cash on deposit in, or owing to, the Property Account and (c) all proceeds and rights in respect of the foregoing and any other property and assets for the time being held or deemed to be held by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to the trusts of this Declaration.
 
U.S. Person” means a United States Person as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
 
ARTICLE II
 
ORGANIZATION
 
Section 2.1. Name.  The Trust is named “Wilshire Statutory Trust I,” as such name may be modified from time to time by the Administrators following written notice to the Holders of the Securities. The Trust’s activities may be conducted under the name of the Trust or any other name deemed advisable by the Administrators.
 
Section 2.2. Office.  The address of the principal office of the Trust is c/o U.S. Bank National Association, 225 Asylum Street, Goodwin Square, Hartford, Connecticut 06103. On at least 10 Business Days written notice to the Holders of the Securities, the Administrators may designate another principal office, which shall be in a state of the United States or in the District of Columbia.
 
Section 2.3. PurposeThe exclusive purposes and functions of the Trust are (a) to issue and sell the Securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (b) to invest the gross proceeds from such sale to acquire the Debentures, (c) to facilitate direct investment in the assets of the Trust through issuance of the Common Securities and the Capital Securities and (d) except as otherwise limited herein, to engage in only those other activities necessary or incidental thereto. The Trust shall not borrow money, issue debt or reinvest proceeds derived from investments, pledge any of its assets, or otherwise undertake (or permit to be undertaken) any activity that would cause the Trust not to be classified for United States federal income tax purposes as a grantor trust.
 
Section 2.4. Authority.  Except as specifically provided in this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall have exclusive and complete authority to carry out the purposes of the Trust. An action taken by the Institutional Trustee in accordance with its powers shall constitute the act of and serve to bind the Trust. In dealing with the Institutional Trustee acting on behalf of the Trust, no Person shall be required to inquire into the authority of the Institutional Trustee to bind the Trust. Persons dealing with the Trust are entitled to rely conclusively on the power and authority of the Institutional Trustee as set forth in this Declaration. The Administrators shall have only those ministerial duties set forth herein with respect to accomplishing the purposes of the Trust and are not intended to be trustees or fiduciaries with respect to the Trust or the Holders. The Institutional Trustee shall have the right, but shall not be obligated except as provided in Section 2.6, to perform those duties assigned to the Administrators.
 
Section 2.5. Title to Property of the Trust.  Except as provided in Section 2.8 with respect to the Debentures and the Property Account or as otherwise provided in this Declaration, legal title to all assets of the Trust shall be vested in the Trust. The Holders shall not have legal title to any part of the assets of the Trust, but shall have an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust.
 
7

 
Section 2.6. Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators.
 
(a)   The Institutional Trustee and the Administrators shall conduct the affairs of the Trust in accordance with the terms of this Declaration. Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph (b) of this Section, and in accordance with the following provisions (i) and (ii), the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators shall have the authority to enter into all transactions and agreements determined by the Institutional Trustee to be appropriate in exercising the authority, express or implied, otherwise granted to the Institutional Trustee or the Administrators, as the case may be, under this Declaration, and to perform all acts in furtherance thereof, including without limitation, the following:
 
(i)   Each Administrator shall have the power and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters:
 
(A)  the issuance and sale of the Securities;
 
(B)  to cause the Trust to enter into, and to execute and deliver on behalf of the Trust, such agreements as may be necessary or desirable in connection with the purposes and function of the Trust, including agreements with the Paying Agent;
 
(C)  ensuring compliance with the Securities Act, applicable state securities or blue sky laws;
 
(D)  the sending of notices (other than notices of default), and other information regarding the Securities and the Debentures to the Holders in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(E)  the consent to the appointment of a Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar in accordance with this Declaration, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed;
 
(F)  execution and delivery of the Securities in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(G)  execution and delivery of closing certificates pursuant to the Placement Agreement and the application for a taxpayer identification number;
 
(H)  unless otherwise determined by the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities or as otherwise required by the Statutory Trust Act, to execute on behalf of the Trust (either acting alone or together with any or all of the Administrators) any documents that the Administrators have the power to execute pursuant to this Declaration;
 
(I)  the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Institutional Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to give effect to the terms of this Declaration for the benefit of the Holders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Holder);
 
(J)  to establish a record date with respect to all actions to be taken hereunder that require a record date be established, including Distributions, voting rights, redemptions and exchanges, and to issue relevant notices to the Holders of Capital Securities and Holders of Common Securities as to such actions and applicable record dates; and
 
8

 
(K)  to duly prepare and file all applicable tax returns and tax information reports that are required to be filed with respect to the Trust on behalf of the Trust.
 
(ii)   As among the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators, the Institutional Trustee shall have the power, duty and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters:
 
(A)  the establishment of the Property Account;
 
(B)  the receipt of the Debentures;
 
(C)  the collection of interest, principal and any other payments made in respect of the Debentures in the Property Account;
 
(D)  the distribution through the Paying Agent of amounts owed to the Holders in respect of the Securities;
 
(E)  the exercise of all of the rights, powers and privileges of a holder of the Debentures;
 
(F)  the sending of notices of default and other information regarding the Securities and the Debentures to the Holders in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(G)  the distribution of the Trust Property in accordance with the terms of this Declaration;
 
(H)  to the extent provided in this Declaration, the winding up of the affairs of and liquidation of the Trust and the preparation, execution and filing of the certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Connecticut;
 
(I)  after any Event of Default (provided that such Event of Default is not by or with respect to the Institutional Trustee) the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Institutional Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to give effect to the terms of this Declaration and protect and conserve the Trust Property for the benefit of the Holders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Holder); and
 
(J)  to take all action that may be necessary for the preservation and the continuation of the Trust’s valid existence, rights, franchises and privileges as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Connecticut and of each other jurisdiction in which such existence is necessary to protect the limited liability of the Holders of the Capital Securities or to enable the Trust to effect the purposes for which the Trust was created.
 
(iii)   The Institutional Trustee shall have the power and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to any of the duties, liabilities, powers or the authority of the Administrators set forth in Section 2.6(a)(i)(D), (E) and (F) herein but shall not have a duty to do any such act unless specifically requested to do so in writing by the Sponsor, and shall then be fully protected in acting pursuant to such written request; and in the event of a conflict between the action of the Administrators and the action of the Institutional Trustee, the action of the Institutional Trustee shall prevail.
 
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(b)   So long as this Declaration remains in effect, the Trust (or the Institutional Trustee or Administrators acting on behalf of the Trust) shall not undertake any business, activities or transaction except as expressly provided herein or contemplated hereby. In particular, neither the Institutional Trustee nor the Administrators may cause the Trust to (i) acquire any investments or engage in any activities not authorized by this Declaration, (ii) sell, assign, transfer, exchange, mortgage, pledge, set-off or otherwise dispose of any of the Trust Property or interests therein, including to Holders, except as expressly provided herein, (iii) take any action that would reasonably be expected (x) to cause the Trust to fail or cease to qualify as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes or (y) to require the trust to register as an Investment Company under the Investment Company Act, (iv) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any other debt or (v) take or consent to any action that would result in the placement of a lien on any of the Trust Property. The Institutional Trustee shall, at the sole cost and expense of the Trust, defend all claims and demands of all Persons at any time claiming any lien on any of the Trust Property adverse to the interest of the Trust or the Holders in their capacity as Holders.
 
(c)   In connection with the issuance and sale of the Capital Securities, the Sponsor shall have the right and responsibility to assist the Trust with respect to, or effect on behalf of the Trust, the following (and any actions taken by the Sponsor in furtherance of the following prior to the date of this Declaration are hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects):
 
(i)   the taking of any action necessary to obtain an exemption from the Securities Act;
 
(ii)  the determination of the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Capital Securities and the determination of any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by or on behalf of the Trust, and the advice to the Administrators of actions they must take on behalf of the Trust, and the preparation for execution and filing of any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust or on behalf of the Trust, as the Sponsor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States in connection with the sale of the Capital Securities;
 
(iii)   the negotiation of the terms of, and the execution and delivery of, the Placement Agreement providing for the sale of the Capital Securities; and
 
(iv)   the taking of any other actions necessary or desirable to carry out any of the foregoing activities.
 
(d)   Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities are authorized and directed to conduct the affairs of the Trust and to operate the Trust so that the Trust will not (i) be deemed to be an Investment Company required to be registered under the Investment Company Act, and (ii) fail to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes. The Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities shall not take any action inconsistent with the treatment of the Debentures as indebtedness of the Debenture Issuer for United States federal income tax purposes. In this connection, the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities are authorized to take any action, not inconsistent with applicable laws, the Certificate of Trust or this Declaration, as amended from time to time, that each of the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities determines in their discretion to be necessary or desirable for such purposes.
 
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(e)   All expenses incurred by the Administrators or the Institutional Trustee pursuant to this Section 2.6 shall be reimbursed by the Sponsor, and the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators shall have no obligations with respect to such expenses.
 
(f)   The assets of the Trust shall consist of the Trust Property.
 
(g)  Legal title to all Trust Property shall be vested at all times in the Institutional Trustee (in its capacity as such) and shall be held and administered by the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators for the benefit of the Trust in accordance with this Declaration.
 
(h)  If the Institutional Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Declaration and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Institutional Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case the Sponsor, the Institutional Trustee and the Holders shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder, and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Institutional Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
 
Section 2.7. Prohibition of Actions by the Trust and the Institutional Trustee.
 
(a)   The Trust shall not, and the Institutional Trustee shall cause the Trust not to, engage in any activity other than as required or authorized by this Declaration. In particular, the Trust shall not and the Institutional Trustee shall cause the Trust not to:
 
(i)   invest any proceeds received by the Trust from holding the Debentures, but shall distribute all such proceeds to Holders of the Securities pursuant to the terms of this Declaration and of the Securities;
 
(ii)  acquire any assets other than as expressly provided herein;
 
(iii) possess Trust Property for other than a Trust purpose;
 
(iv) make any loans or incur any indebtedness other than loans represented by the Debentures;
 
(v)  possess any power or otherwise act in such a way as to vary the Trust assets or the terms of the Securities in any way whatsoever other than as expressly provided herein;
 
(vi) issue any securities or other evidences of beneficial ownership of, or beneficial interest in, the Trust other than the Securities;
 
(vii)carry on any “trade or business” as that phrase is used in the Code; or
 
(viii)   other than as provided in this Declaration (including Annex I), (A) direct the time, method and place of exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures, (B) waive any past default that is waivable under the Indenture, (C) exercise any right to rescind or annul any declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable, or (D) consent to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures where such consent shall be required unless the Trust shall have received a written opinion of counsel to the effect that such modification will not cause the Trust to cease to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
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Section 2.8. Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee.
 
(a)   The legal title to the Debentures shall be owned by and held of record in the name of the Institutional Trustee in trust for the benefit of the Trust and the Holders of the Securities. The right, title and interest of the Institutional Trustee to the Debentures shall vest automatically in each Person who may hereafter be appointed as Institutional Trustee in accordance with Section 4.3. Such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents with regard to the Debentures have been executed and delivered.
 
(b)   The Institutional Trustee shall not transfer its right, title and interest in the Debentures to the Administrators.
 
(c)   The Institutional Trustee shall:
 
(i)   establish and maintain a segregated non-interest bearing trust account (the “Property Account”) in the name of and under the exclusive control of the Institutional Trustee, and maintained in the Institutional Trustee’s trust department, on behalf of the Holders of the Securities and, upon the receipt of payments of funds made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee, deposit such funds into the Property Account and make payments, or cause the Paying Agent to make payments, to the Holders of the Capital Securities and Holders of the Common Securities from the Property Account in accordance with Section 5.1. Funds in the Property Account shall be held uninvested until disbursed in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(ii)   engage in such ministerial activities as shall be necessary or appropriate to effect the redemption of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities to the extent the Debentures are redeemed or mature; and
 
(iii)  upon written notice of distribution issued by the Administrators in accordance with the terms of the Securities, engage in such ministerial activities as shall be necessary or appropriate to effect the distribution of the Debentures to Holders of Securities upon the occurrence of certain circumstances pursuant to the terms of the Securities.
 
(d)   The Institutional Trustee may bring or defend, pay, collect, compromise, arbitrate, resort to legal action with respect to, or otherwise adjust claims or demands of or against, the Trust which arises out of or in connection with an Event of Default of which a Responsible Officer of the Institutional Trustee has actual knowledge or arises out of the Institutional Trustee’s duties and obligations under this Declaration; provided, however, that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Debenture Issuer to pay interest or principal on the Debentures on the date such interest or principal is otherwise payable (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), then a Holder of the Capital Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment to such Holder of the principal of or interest on the Debentures having a principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities of such Holder (a “Direct Action”) on or after the respective due date specified in the Debentures. In connection with such Direct Action, the rights of the Holders of the Common Securities will be subrogated to the rights of such Holder of the Capital Securities to the extent of any payment made by the Debenture Issuer to such Holder of the Capital Securities in such Direct Action; provided, however, that no Holder of the Common Securities may exercise such right of subrogation so long as an Event of Default with respect to the Capital Securities has occurred and is continuing.
 
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(e)   The Institutional Trustee shall continue to serve as a Trustee until either:
 
(i)   the Trust has been completely liquidated and the proceeds of the liquidation distributed to the Holders of the Securities pursuant to the terms of the Securities and this Declaration; or
 
(ii)  a Successor Institutional Trustee has been appointed and has accepted that appointment in accordance with Section 4.3.
 
(f)   The Institutional Trustee shall have the legal power to exercise all of the rights, powers and privileges of a Holder of the Debentures under the Indenture and, if an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Institutional Trustee may, for the benefit of Holders of the Securities, enforce its rights as holder of the Debentures subject to the rights of the Holders pursuant to this Declaration (including Annex I) and the terms of the Securities.
 
The Institutional Trustee must exercise the powers set forth in this Section 2.8 in a manner that is consistent with the purposes and functions of the Trust set out in Section 2.3, and the Institutional Trustee shall not take any action that is inconsistent with the purposes and functions of the Trust set out in Section 2.3.
 
Section 2.9. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Institutional Trustee and Administrators.
 
(a)   The Institutional Trustee, before the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Declaration and no implied covenants shall be read into this Declaration against the Institutional Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 6.7), the Institutional Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Declaration, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
 
(b)   The duties and responsibilities of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators shall be as provided by this Declaration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no provision of this Declaration shall require the Institutional Trustee or Administrators to expend or risk their own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of their duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of their rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds to believe that repayment of such funds or adequate protection against such risk of liability is not reasonably assured to it. Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Declaration relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Institutional Trustee or Administrators shall be subject to the provisions of this Article. Nothing in this Declaration shall be construed to relieve an Administrator or the Institutional Trustee from liability for its own negligent act, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct. To the extent that, at law or in equity, the Institutional Trustee or an Administrator has duties and liabilities relating to the Trust or to the Holders, the Institutional Trustee or such Administrator shall not be liable to the Trust or to any Holder for the Institutional Trustee’s or such Administrator’s good faith reliance on the provisions of this Declaration. The provisions of this Declaration, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of the Administrators or the Institutional Trustee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Sponsor and the Holders to replace such other duties and liabilities of the Administrators or the Institutional Trustee.
 
(c)   All payments made by the Institutional Trustee or a Paying Agent in respect of the Securities shall be made only from the revenue and proceeds from the Trust Property and only to the extent that there shall be sufficient revenue or proceeds from the Trust Property to enable the Institutional Trustee or a Paying Agent to make payments in accordance with the terms hereof. Each Holder, by its acceptance of a Security, agrees that it will look solely to the revenue and proceeds from the Trust Property to the extent legally available for distribution to it as herein provided and that the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators are not personally liable to it for any amount distributable in respect of any Security or for any other liability in respect of any Security. This Section 2.9(c) does not limit the liability of the Institutional Trustee expressly set forth elsewhere in this Declaration.
 
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(d)   The Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for its own acts or omissions hereunder except as a result of its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(i)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by an Authorized Officer of the Institutional Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Institutional Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
 
(ii)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities or the Common Securities, as applicable, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration;
 
(iii) the Institutional Trustee’s sole duty with respect to the custody, safekeeping and physical preservation of the Debentures and the Property Account shall be to deal with such property in a similar manner as the Institutional Trustee deals with similar property for its fiduciary accounts generally, subject to the protections and limitations on liability afforded to the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration;
 
(iv) the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for any interest on any money received by it except as it may otherwise agree in writing with the Sponsor; and money held by the Institutional Trustee need not be segregated from other funds held by it except in relation to the Property Account maintained by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to Section 2.8(c)(i) and except to the extent otherwise required by law; and
 
(v)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be responsible for monitoring the compliance by the Administrators or the Sponsor with their respective duties under this Declaration, nor shall the Institutional Trustee be liable for any default or misconduct of the Administrators or the Sponsor.
 
Section 2.10. Certain Rights of Institutional Trustee.  Subject to the provisions of Section 2.9:
 
(a)   the Institutional Trustee may conclusively rely and shall fully be protected in acting or refraining from acting in good faith upon any resolution, opinion of counsel, certificate, written representation of a Holder or transferee, certificate of auditors or any other certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, appraisal, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or presented by the proper party or parties;
 
(b)   if (i) in performing its duties under this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee is required to decide between alternative courses of action, (ii) in construing any of the provisions of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee finds the same ambiguous or inconsistent with any other provisions contained herein, or (iii) the Institutional Trustee is unsure of the application of any provision of this Declaration, then, except as to any matter as to which the Holders of Capital Securities are entitled to vote under the terms of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee may deliver a notice to the Sponsor requesting the Sponsor’s written instructions as to the course of action to be taken and the Institutional Trustee shall take such action, or refrain from taking such action, as the Institutional Trustee shall be instructed in writing, in which event the Institutional Trustee shall have no liability except for its own negligence or willful misconduct;
 
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(c)   any direction or act of the Sponsor or the Administrators contemplated by this Declaration shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate;
 
(d)   whenever in the administration of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established before undertaking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Institutional Trustee (unless other evidence is herein specifically prescribed) may request and conclusively rely upon an Officers’ Certificate as to factual matters which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Sponsor or the Administrators;
 
(e)   the Institutional Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (including any financing or continuation statement or any filing under tax or securities laws) or any rerecording, refiling or reregistration thereof;
 
(f)   the Institutional Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection (which counsel may be counsel to the Sponsor or any of its Affiliates) and the advice of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon and in accordance with such advice; the Institutional Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Declaration from any court of competent jurisdiction;
 
(g)  the Institutional Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Declaration at the request or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to this Declaration, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Institutional Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction; provided, that nothing contained in this Section 2.10(g) shall be taken to relieve the Institutional Trustee, subject to Section 2.9(b), upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 6.7), to exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Declaration, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs;
 
(h)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, unless requested in writing to do so by one or more Holders, but the Institutional Trustee may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit;
 
(i)   the Institutional Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through its agents or attorneys and the Institutional Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of or for the supervision of, any such agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
 
(j)   whenever in the administration of this Declaration the Institutional Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder the Institutional Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of the Capital Securities which instructions may only be given by the Holders of the same proportion in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as would be entitled to direct the Institutional Trustee under the terms of the Capital Securities in respect of such remedy, right or action, (ii) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (iii) shall be fully protected in acting in accordance with such instructions;
 
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(k)   except as otherwise expressly provided in this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall not be under any obligation to take any action that is discretionary under the provisions of this Declaration;
 
(l)   when the Institutional Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with a Bankruptcy Event, such expenses (including the fees and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for such services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any bankruptcy law or law relating to creditors rights generally;
 
(m) the Institutional Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of an Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Institutional Trustee obtains actual knowledge of such event or the Institutional Trustee receives written notice of such event from any Holder, the Sponsor or the Debenture Trustee;
 
(n)  any action taken by the Institutional Trustee or its agents hereunder shall bind the Trust and the Holders of the Securities, and the signature of the Institutional Trustee or its agents alone shall be sufficient and effective to perform any such action and no third party shall be required to inquire as to the authority of the Institutional Trustee to so act or as to its compliance with any of the terms and provisions of this Declaration, both of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the Institutional Trustee’s or its agent’s taking such action; and
 
(o)  no provision of this Declaration shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Institutional Trustee to perform any act or acts or exercise any right, power, duty or obligation conferred or imposed on it, in any jurisdiction in which it shall be illegal, or in which the Institutional Trustee shall be unqualified or incompetent in accordance with applicable law, to perform any such act or acts, or to exercise any such right, power, duty or obligation. No permissive power or authority available to the Institutional Trustee shall be construed to be a duty.
 
Section 2.11. Execution of Documents.  Unless otherwise determined in writing by the Institutional Trustee, and except as otherwise required by the Statutory Trust Act, the Institutional Trustee, or any one or more of the Administrators, as the case may be, is authorized to execute on behalf of the Trust any documents that the Institutional Trustee or the Administrators, as the case may be, have the power and authority to execute pursuant to Section 2.6.
 
Section 2.12. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.  The recitals contained in this Declaration and the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Sponsor, and the Institutional Trustee does not assume any responsibility for their correctness. The Institutional Trustee makes no representations as to the value or condition of the property of the Trust or any part thereof. The Institutional Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Declaration, the Debentures or the Securities.
 
Section 2.13. Duration of Trust.  The Trust, unless earlier dissolved pursuant to the provisions of Article VII hereof, shall be in existence for 35 years from the Closing Date.
 
Section 2.14. Mergers.
 
(a)   The Trust may not consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any corporation or other body, except as described in Section 2.14(b) and (c) and except in connection with the liquidation of the Trust and the distribution of the Debentures to Holders of Securities pursuant to Section 7.1(a)(iv) of the Declaration or Section 3 of Annex I.
 
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(b)   The Trust may, with the consent of the Institutional Trustee and without the consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by a trust organized as such under the laws of any state; provided that:
 
(i)   if the Trust is not the surviving entity, such successor entity (the “Successor Entity”) either:
 
(A)  expressly assumes all of the obligations of the Trust under the Securities; or
 
(B)  substitutes for the Securities other securities having substantially the same terms as the Securities (the “Successor Securities”) so that the Successor Securities rank the same as the Securities rank with respect to Distributions and payments upon Liquidation, redemption and otherwise;
 
(ii)   the Sponsor expressly appoints a trustee of the Successor Entity that possesses substantially the same powers and duties as the Institutional Trustee as the Holder of the Debentures;
 
(iii)  such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the Holders of the Securities (including any Successor Securities) in any material respect;
 
(iv)  the Institutional Trustee receives written confirmation from Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization that rates securities issued by the initial purchaser of the Capital Securities that it will not reduce or withdraw the rating of any such securities because of such merger, conversion, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement;
 
(v)   such Successor Entity has a purpose substantially identical to that of the Trust;
 
(vi)   prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Trust has received an opinion of a nationally recognized independent counsel to the Trust experienced in such matters to the effect that:
 
(A)  such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the Holders of the Securities (including any Successor Securities) in any material respect;
 
(B)  following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, neither the Trust nor the Successor Entity will be required to register as an Investment Company; and
 
(C)  following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Trust (or the Successor Entity) will continue to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes;
 
(vii)   the Sponsor guarantees the obligations of such Successor Entity under the Successor Securities at least to the extent provided by the Guarantee;
 
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(viii)  the Sponsor owns 100% of the common securities of any Successor Entity; and
 
(ix)   prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Institutional Trustee shall have received an Officers’ Certificate of the Administrators and an opinion of counsel, each to the effect that all conditions precedent under this Section 2.14(b) to such transaction have been satisfied.
 
(c)   Notwithstanding Section 2.14(b), the Trust shall not, except with the consent of Holders of 100% in aggregate liquidation amount of the Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by any other entity or permit any other entity to consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or replace it if such consolidation, amalgamation, merger or replacement would cause the Trust or Successor Entity to be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
ARTICLE III
 
SPONSOR
 
Section 3.1. Sponsor’s Purchase of Common Securities.  On the Closing Date, the Sponsor will purchase all of the Common Securities issued by the Trust in an amount at least equal to 3% of the capital of the Trust, at the same time as the Capital Securities are sold.
 
Section 3.2. Responsibilities of the Sponsor.  In connection with the issue and sale of the Capital Securities, the Sponsor shall have the exclusive right and responsibility to engage in, or direct the Administrators to engage in, the following activities:
 
(a)   to determine the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Capital Securities and to do any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by the Trust, and advise the Trust of actions it must take, and prepare for execution and filing any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust, as the Sponsor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States; and
 
(b)   to negotiate the terms of and/or execute on behalf of the Trust, the Placement Agreement and other related agreements providing for the sale of the Capital Securities.
 
Section 3.3. Expenses.  In connection with the offering, sale and issuance of the Debentures to the Trust and in connection with the sale of the Securities by the Trust, the Sponsor, in its capacity as Debenture Issuer, shall:
 
(a)   pay all reasonable costs and expenses owing to the Debenture Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6 of the Indenture;
 
(b)   be responsible for and shall pay all debts and obligations (other than with respect to the Securities) and all costs and expenses of the Trust, the offering, sale and issuance of the Securities (including fees to the placement agents in connection therewith), the costs and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators, the costs and expenses relating to the operation of the Trust, including, without limitation, costs and expenses of accountants, attorneys, statistical or bookkeeping services, expenses for printing and engraving and computing or accounting equipment, Paying Agents, Registrars, Transfer Agents, duplicating, travel and telephone and other telecommunications expenses and costs and expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition, financing, and disposition of Trust assets and the enforcement by the Institutional Trustee of the rights of the Holders (for purposes of clarification, this Section 3.3(b) does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Institutional Trustee pursuant to the services to be provided by the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Institutional Trustee’s counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration); and
 
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(c)   pay any and all taxes (other than United States withholding taxes attributable to the Trust or its assets) and all liabilities, costs and expenses with respect to such taxes of the Trust.
 
The Sponsor’s obligations under this Section 3.3 shall be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, any Person to whom such debts, obligations, costs, expenses and taxes are owed (a “Creditor”) whether or not such Creditor has received notice hereof. Any such Creditor may enforce the Sponsor’s obligations under this Section 3.3 directly against the Sponsor and the Sponsor irrevocably waives any right or remedy to require that any such Creditor take any action against the Trust or any other Person before proceeding against the Sponsor. The Sponsor agrees to execute such additional agreements as may be necessary or desirable in order to give full effect to the provisions of this Section 3.3.
 
Section 3.4. Right to Proceed.  The Sponsor acknowledges the rights of Holders to institute a Direct Action as set forth in Section 2.8(d) hereto.
 
ARTICLE IV
 
INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS
 
Section 4.1. Institutional Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a)   There shall at all times be one Institutional Trustee which shall:
 
(i)   not be an Affiliate of the Sponsor;
 
(ii)   not offer or provide credit or credit enhancement to the Trust; and
 
(iii)   be a banking corporation or trust company organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000.00), and subject to supervision or examination by Federal, state, or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the supervising or examining authority referred to above, then for the purposes of this Section 4.1(a)(iii), the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published.
 
(b)   If at any time the Institutional Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 4.1(a), the Institutional Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set forth in Section 4.3(a).
 
(c)  If the Institutional Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Institutional Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to this Declaration.
 
(d) The initial Institutional Trustee shall be U.S. Bank National Association.
 
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Section 4.2. Administrators.  Each Administrator shall be a U.S. Person, 21 years of age or older and authorized to bind the Sponsor. The initial Administrators shall be Soo Bong Min and Brian E. Cho. There shall at all times be at least one Administrator. Except where a requirement for action by a specific number of Administrators is expressly set forth in this Declaration and except with respect to any action the taking of which is the subject of a meeting of the Administrators, any action required or permitted to be taken by the Administrators may be taken by, and any power of the Administrators may be exercised by, or with the consent of, any one such Administrator.
 
Section 4.3. Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Institutional Trustee and Administrators.  
 
(a)   Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Declaration, no resignation or removal of the Institutional Trustee and no appointment of a Successor Institutional Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the Successor Institutional Trustee in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.3.
 
Subject to the immediately preceding paragraph, the Institutional Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Holders of the Securities and by appointing a Successor Institutional Trustee. Upon the resignation of the Institutional Trustee, the Institutional Trustee shall appoint a successor by requesting from at least three Persons meeting the eligibility requirements, its expenses and charges to serve as the successor Institutional Trustee on a form provided by the Administrators, and selecting the Person who agrees to the lowest expense and charges (the “Successor Institutional Trustee”). If the instrument of acceptance by the Successor Institutional Trustee required by this Section 4.3 shall not have been delivered to the Institutional Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation or delivery of the instrument of removal, the Institutional Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Trust, any Federal, state or District of Columbia court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a Successor Institutional Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Successor Institutional Trustee. The Institutional Trustee shall have no liability for the selection of such successor pursuant to this Section 4.3.
 
The Institutional Trustee may be removed by the act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, delivered to the Institutional Trustee (in its individual capacity and on behalf of the Trust) if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing. If the Institutional Trustee shall be so removed, the Holders of Capital Securities, by act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities then outstanding delivered to the Institutional Trustee, shall promptly appoint a Successor Institutional Trustee, and such Successor Institutional Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.3. If no Successor Institutional Trustee shall have been so appointed by the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities and accepted appointment in the manner required by this Section 4.3, within 30 days after delivery of an instrument of removal, any Holder who has been a Holder of the Securities for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any Federal, state or District of Columbia court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of the Successor Institutional Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Successor Institutional Trustee.
 
The Institutional Trustee shall give notice of its resignation and removal and each appointment of a Successor Institutional Trustee to all Holders in the manner provided in Section 13.1(d) and shall give notice to the Sponsor. Each notice shall include the name of the Successor Institutional Trustee and the address of its Corporate Trust Office.
 
(b)  In case of the appointment hereunder of a Successor Institutional Trustee, the retiring Institutional Trustee and the Successor Institutional Trustee shall execute and deliver an amendment hereto wherein the Successor Institutional Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (i) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, the Successor Institutional Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Institutional Trustee with respect to the Securities and the Trust and (ii) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Declaration as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the Trust by more than one Institutional Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such amendment shall constitute such Institutional Trustees co-trustees and upon the execution and delivery of such amendment the resignation or removal of the retiring Institutional Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each Successor Institutional Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Institutional Trustee; but, on request of the Trust or any Successor Institutional Trustee such retiring Institutional Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such Successor Institutional Trustee all Trust Property, all proceeds thereof and money held by such retiring Institutional Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities and the Trust.
 
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(c)   No Institutional Trustee shall be liable for the acts or omissions to act of any Successor Institutional Trustee.
 
(d)  The Holders of the Capital Securities will have no right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Administrators, which voting rights are vested exclusively in the Holder of the Common Securities.
 
Section 4.4. Institutional Trustee Vacancies.  If the Institutional Trustee ceases to hold office for any reason a vacancy shall occur. A resolution certifying the existence of such vacancy by the Institutional Trustee shall be conclusive evidence of the existence of such vacancy. The vacancy shall be filled with a trustee appointed in accordance with Section 4.3.
 
Section 4.5. Effect of Vacancies.  The death, resignation, retirement, removal, bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation, incompetence or incapacity to perform the duties of the Institutional Trustee shall not operate to dissolve, terminate or annul the Trust or terminate this Declaration.
 
Section 4.6. Meetings of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators.  Meetings of the Administrators shall be held from time to time upon the call of an Administrator. Regular meetings of the Administrators may be held in person in the United States or by telephone, at a place (if applicable) and time fixed by resolution of the Administrators. Notice of any in-person meetings of the Institutional Trustee with the Administrators or meetings of the Administrators shall be hand delivered or otherwise delivered in writing (including by facsimile, with a hard copy by overnight courier) not less than 48 hours before such meeting. Notice of any telephonic meetings of the Institutional Trustee with the Administrators or meetings of the Administrators or any committee thereof shall be hand delivered or otherwise delivered in writing (including by facsimile, with a hard copy by overnight courier) not less than 24 hours before a meeting. Notices shall contain a brief statement of the time, place and anticipated purposes of the meeting. The presence (whether in person or by telephone) of the Institutional Trustee or an Administrator, as the case may be, at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting except where the Institutional Trustee or an Administrator, as the case may be, attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any activity on the grounds that the meeting has not been lawfully called or convened. Unless provided otherwise in this Declaration, any action of the Institutional Trustee or the Administrators, as the case may be, may be taken at a meeting by vote of the Institutional Trustee or a majority vote of the Administrators present (whether in person or by telephone) and eligible to vote with respect to such matter, provided that a Quorum is present, or without a meeting by the unanimous written consent of the Institutional Trustee or the Administrators. Meetings of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators together shall be held from time to time upon the call of the Institutional Trustee or an Administrator.
 
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Section 4.7. Delegation of Power.
 
(a)   Any Administrator may, by power of attorney consistent with applicable law, delegate to any other natural person over the age of 21 that is a U.S. Person his or her power for the purpose of executing any documents contemplated in Section 2.6; and
 
(b)   the Administrators shall have power to delegate from time to time to such of their number the doing of such things and the execution of such instruments either in the name of the Trust or the names of the Administrators or otherwise as the Administrators may deem expedient, to the extent such delegation is not prohibited by applicable law or contrary to the provisions of the Trust, as set forth herein.
 
Section 4.8. Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.  Any Person into which the Institutional Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Institutional Trustee shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate trust business of the Institutional Trustee shall be the successor of the Institutional Trustee hereunder, provided such Person shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto.
 
ARTICLE V
 
DISTRIBUTIONS
 
Section 5.1. Distributions.  Holders shall receive Distributions in accordance with the applicable terms of the relevant Holder’s Securities. Distributions shall be made on the Capital Securities and the Common Securities in accordance with the preferences set forth in their respective terms. If and to the extent that the Debenture Issuer makes a payment of Interest or any principal on the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee, the Institutional Trustee shall and is directed, to the extent funds are available for that purpose, to make a distribution (a “Distribution”) of such amounts to Holders.
 
ARTICLE VI
 
ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES
 
Section 6.1. General Provisions Regarding Securities. (a)   The Administrators shall, on behalf of the Trust, issue one series of capital securities substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1 representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust having such terms as are set forth in Annex I and one series of common securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust having such terms as are set forth in Annex I. The Trust shall issue no securities or other interests in the assets of the Trust other than the Capital Securities and the Common Securities. The Capital Securities rank pari passu to, and payment thereon shall be made Pro Rata with, the Common Securities except that, where an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of the Common Securities to payment in respect of Distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights to payment of the Holders of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I.
 
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(b)   The Certificates shall be signed on behalf of the Trust by one or more Administrators. Such signature shall be the facsimile or manual signature of any Administrator. In case any Administrator of the Trust who shall have signed any of the Securities shall cease to be such Administrator before the Certificates so signed shall be delivered by the Trust, such Certificates nevertheless may be delivered as though the person who signed such Certificates had not ceased to be such Administrator, and any Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Trust by such persons who, at the actual date of execution of such Security, shall be an Administrator of the Trust, although at the date of the execution and delivery of the Declaration any such person was not such an Administrator. A Capital Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the facsimile or manual signature of an Authorized Officer of the Institutional Trustee. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Capital Security has been authenticated under this Declaration. Upon written order of the Trust signed by one Administrator, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate the Capital Securities for original issue. The Institutional Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent that is a U.S. Person acceptable to the Trust to authenticate the Capital Securities. A Common Security need not be so authenticated.
 
(c)   The consideration received by the Trust for the issuance of the Securities shall constitute a contribution to the capital of the Trust and shall not constitute a loan to the Trust.
 
(d)  Upon issuance of the Securities as provided in this Declaration, the Securities so issued shall be deemed to be validly issued, fully paid and, except as provided in Section 9.1(b) with respect to the Common Securities, non-assessable.
 
(e)   Every Person, by virtue of having become a Holder in accordance with the terms of this Declaration, shall be deemed to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of, and shall be bound by, this Declaration and the Guarantee.
 
Section 6.2. Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar.  The Trust shall maintain in Hartford, Connecticut, an office or agency where the Capital Securities may be presented for payment (“Paying Agent”), and an office or agency where Securities may be presented for registration of transfer or exchange (the “Transfer Agent”). The Trust shall keep or cause to be kept at such office or agency a register for the purpose of registering Securities, transfers and exchanges of Securities, such register to be held by a registrar (the “Registrar”). The Administrators may appoint the Paying Agent, the Registrar and the Transfer Agent and may appoint one or more additional Paying Agents or one or more co-Registrars, or one or more co-Transfer Agents in such other locations as it shall determine. The term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent, the term “Registrar” includes any additional registrar or co-Registrar and the term “Transfer Agent” includes any additional transfer agent. The Administrators may change any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar at any time without prior notice to any Holder. The Administrators shall notify the Institutional Trustee of the name and address of any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar not a party to this Declaration. The Administrators hereby initially appoint the Institutional Trustee to act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar for the Capital Securities and the Common Securities. The Institutional Trustee or any of its Affiliates in the United States may act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar.
 
Section 6.3. Form and Dating.  The Capital Securities and the Institutional Trustee’s certificate of authentication thereon shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1, and the Common Securities shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2, each of which is hereby incorporated in and expressly made a part of this Declaration. Certificates may be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved or may be produced in any other manner as is reasonably acceptable to the Administrators, as conclusively evidenced by their execution thereof. The Securities may have letters, numbers, notations or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule, agreements to which the Trust is subject if any, or usage (provided that any such notation, legend or endorsement is in a form acceptable to the Sponsor). The Trust at the direction of the Sponsor shall furnish any such legend not contained in Exhibit A-1 to the Institutional Trustee in writing. Each Capital Security shall be dated on or before the date of its authentication. The terms and provisions of the Securities set forth in Annex I and the forms of Securities set forth in Exhibits A-1 and A-2 are part of the terms of this Declaration and to the extent applicable, the Institutional Trustee, the Administrators and the Sponsor, by their execution and delivery of this Declaration, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. Capital Securities will be issued only in blocks having a stated liquidation amount of not less than $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof.
 
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The Capital Securities are being offered and sold by the Trust pursuant to the Placement Agreement in definitive, registered form without coupons and with the Restricted Securities Legend.
 
Section 6.4. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.
 
If:
 
(a)   any mutilated Certificates should be surrendered to the Registrar, or if the Registrar shall receive evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Certificate; and
 
(b)  there shall be delivered to the Registrar, the Administrators and the Institutional Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to keep each of them harmless;
 
then, in the absence of notice that such Certificate shall have been acquired by a protected purchaser, an Administrator on behalf of the Trust shall execute (and in the case of a Capital Security Certificate, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate) and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Certificate, a new Certificate of like denomination. In connection with the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 6.4, the Registrar or the Administrators may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith. Any duplicate Certificate issued pursuant to this Section shall constitute conclusive evidence of an ownership interest in the relevant Securities, as if originally issued, whether or not the lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate shall be found at any time.
 
Section 6.5. Temporary Securities.  Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Administrators may prepare and, in the case of the Capital Securities, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate, temporary Securities. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Administrators consider appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Administrators shall prepare and, in the case of the Capital Securities, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate, definitive Securities in exchange for temporary Securities.
 
Section 6.6. Cancellation.  The Administrators at any time may deliver Securities to the Institutional Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar shall forward to the Institutional Trustee any Securities surrendered to it for registration of transfer, redemption or payment. The Institutional Trustee shall promptly cancel all Securities surrendered for registration of transfer, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall dispose of such canceled Securities as the Administrators direct. The Administrators may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that have been paid or that have been delivered to the Institutional Trustee for cancellation.
 
Section 6.7. Rights of Holders; Waivers of Past Defaults.
 
(a)   The legal title to the Trust Property is vested exclusively in the Institutional Trustee (in its capacity as such) in accordance with Section 2.5, and the Holders shall not have any right or title therein other than the undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust conferred by their Securities and they shall have no right to call for any partition or division of property, profits or rights of the Trust except as described below. The Securities shall be personal property giving only the rights specifically set forth therein and in this Declaration. The Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights.
 
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(b)  For so long as any Capital Securities remain outstanding, if upon an Indenture Event of Default, the Debenture Trustee fails or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Debentures fail to declare the principal of all of the Debentures to be immediately due and payable, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities then outstanding shall have the right to make such declaration by a notice in writing to the Institutional Trustee, the Sponsor and the Debenture Trustee.
 
At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Debentures has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Debenture Trustee as provided in the Indenture, if the Institutional Trustee, subject to the provisions hereof, fails to annul any such declaration and waive such default, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, by written notice to the Institutional Trustee, the Sponsor and the Debenture Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:
 
(i) the Debenture Issuer has paid or deposited with the Debenture Trustee a sum sufficient to pay
 
(A) all overdue installments of interest on all of the Debentures,
 
(B)  any accrued Additional Interest on all of the Debentures,
 
(C)  the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any Debentures that have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest and Additional Interest thereon at the rate borne by the Debentures, and
 
(D)  all sums paid or advanced by the Debenture Trustee under the Indenture and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Debenture Trustee and the Institutional Trustee, their agents and counsel; and
 
(ii) all Events of Default with respect to the Debentures, other than the non-payment of the principal of the Debentures that has become due solely by such acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.7 of the Indenture.
 
The Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Capital Securities, waive any past default under the Indenture or any Indenture Event of Default, except a default or Indenture Event of Default in the payment of principal or interest on the Debentures (unless such default or Indenture Event of Default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest and principal due otherwise than by acceleration has been deposited with the Debenture Trustee) or a default under the Indenture or an Indenture Event of Default in respect of a covenant or provision that under the Indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture. No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
Upon receipt by the Institutional Trustee of written notice declaring such an acceleration, or rescission and annulment thereof, by Holders of any part of the Capital Securities, a record date shall be established for determining Holders of outstanding Capital Securities entitled to join in such notice, which record date shall be at the close of business on the day the Institutional Trustee receives such notice. The Holders on such record date, or their duly designated proxies, and only such Persons, shall be entitled to join in such notice, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date; provided, that unless such declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment, as the case may be, shall have become effective by virtue of the requisite percentage having joined in such notice prior to the day that is 90 days after such record date, such notice of declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment, as the case may be, shall automatically and without further action by any Holder be canceled and of no further effect. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a Holder, or a proxy of a Holder, from giving, after expiration of such 90-day period, a new written notice of declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment thereof, as the case may be, that is identical to a written notice that has been canceled pursuant to the proviso to the preceding sentence, in which event a new record date shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this Section 6.7.
 
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(c)   Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 6.7, the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Capital Securities, waive any past default or Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such default or Event of Default shall cease to exist, and any default or Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Declaration, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
ARTICLE VII
 
DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST
 
Section 7.1. Dissolution and Termination of Trust.
 
(a)   The Trust shall dissolve on the first to occur of:
 
(i)  unless earlier dissolved, on December 17, 2038, the expiration of the term of the Trust;
 
(ii)  upon a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Sponsor, the Trust or the Debenture Issuer;
 
(iii) upon the filing of a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent with respect to the Sponsor (other than in connection with a merger, consolidation or similar transaction not prohibited by the Indenture, this Declaration or the Guarantee, as the case may be) or upon the revocation of the charter of the Sponsor and the expiration of 90 days after the date of revocation without a reinstatement thereof;
 
(iv) upon the distribution of the Debentures to the Holders of the Securities in accordance with Section 3 of Annex I, upon exercise of the right of the Holder of all of the outstanding Common Securities to dissolve the Trust as provided in Annex I hereto;
 
(v)  upon the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Holder of the Common Securities, the Sponsor, the Trust or the Debenture Issuer;
 
(vi)   when all of the Securities shall have been called for redemption and the amounts necessary for redemption thereof shall have been paid to the Holders in accordance with the terms of the Securities; or
 
(vii) before the issuance of any Securities, with the consent of the Institutional Trustee and the Sponsor.
 
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(b)  As soon as is practicable after the occurrence of an event referred to in Section 7.1(a), and after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust as required by applicable law, including of the Statutory Trust Act, and subject to the terms set forth in Annex I, the Institutional Trustee shall terminate the Trust by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Connecticut.
 
(c)   The provisions of Section 2.9 and Article IX shall survive the termination of the Trust.
 
ARTICLE VIII
 
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
 
Section 8.1. General.
 
(a)   Subject to Section 8.1(c), where Capital Securities are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal number of Capital Securities represented by different certificates, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfer and exchanges, the Trust shall issue and the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate Capital Securities at the Registrar’s request.
 
(b)   Upon issuance of the Common Securities, the Sponsor shall acquire and retain beneficial and record ownership of the Common Securities and for so long as the Securities remain outstanding, the Sponsor shall maintain 100% ownership of the Common Securities; provided, however, that any permitted successor of the Sponsor, in its capacity as Debenture Issuer, under the Indenture that is a U.S. Person may succeed to the Sponsor’s ownership of the Common Securities.
 
(c)   Capital Securities may only be transferred, in whole or in part, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Declaration and in the terms of the Securities. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any transfer or purported transfer of any Security not made in accordance with this Declaration shall be null and void and will be deemed to be of no legal effect whatsoever and any such transferee shall be deemed not to be the holder of such Capital Securities for any purpose, including but not limited to the receipt of Distributions on such Capital Securities, and such transferee shall be deemed to have no interest whatsoever in such Capital Securities.
 
(d)   The Registrar shall provide for the registration of Securities and of transfers of Securities, which will be effected without charge but only upon payment (with such indemnity as the Registrar may require) in respect of any tax or other governmental charges that may be imposed in relation to it. Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Securities, the Registrar shall cause one or more new Securities of the same tenor to be issued in the name of the designated transferee or transferees. Every Security surrendered for registration of transfer shall be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by the Holder or such Holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing. Each Security surrendered for registration of transfer shall be canceled by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6. A transferee of a Security shall be entitled to the rights and subject to the obligations of a Holder hereunder upon the receipt by such transferee of a Security. By acceptance of a Security, each transferee shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by this Declaration.
 
(e)   The Trust shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of any selection of Securities for redemption and ending at the close of business on the earliest date on which the relevant notice of redemption is deemed to have been given to all Holders of the Securities to be redeemed, or (ii) to register the transfer or exchange of any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part.
 
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Section 8.2. Transfer Procedures and Restrictions.
 
(a)   The Capital Securities shall bear the Restricted Securities Legend, which shall not be removed unless there is delivered to the Trust such satisfactory evidence, which may include an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Trustee, as may be reasonably required by the Trust, that neither the legend nor the restrictions on transfer set forth therein are required to ensure that transfers thereof comply with the provisions of the Securities Act. Upon provision of such satisfactory evidence, the Institutional Trustee, at the written direction of the Trust, shall authenticate and deliver Capital Securities that do not bear the legend.
 
(b)   Except as permitted by Section 8.2(a), each Capital Security shall bear a legend (the “Restricted Securities Legend”) in substantially the following form and a Capital Security shall not be transferred except in compliance with such legend, unless otherwise determined by the Sponsor, upon the advice of counsel expert in securities law, in accordance with applicable law:
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
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THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
(c)   To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trust shall execute and the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate Capital Securities at the Registrar’s request.
 
(d)  Registrations of transfers or exchanges will be effected without charge, but only upon payment (with such indemnity as the Registrar or the Sponsor may require) in respect of any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation to it.
 
(e)   All Capital Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange pursuant to the terms of this Declaration shall evidence the same security and shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Declaration as the Capital Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
 
Section 8.3. Deemed Security Holders.  The Trust, the Administrators, the Institutional Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Transfer Agent or the Registrar may treat the Person in whose name any Certificate shall be registered on the books and records of the Trust as the sole holder of such Certificate and of the Securities represented by such Certificate for purposes of receiving Distributions and for all other purposes whatsoever and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Certificate or in the Securities represented by such Certificate on the part of any Person, whether or not the Trust, the Administrators, the Institutional Trustee, the Paying Agent, the Transfer Agent or the Registrar shall have actual or other notice thereof.
 
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ARTICLE IX
 
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF
HOLDERS OF SECURITIES, INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE OR OTHERS
 
Section 9.1. Liability.
 
(a)   Except as expressly set forth in this Declaration, the Guarantee and the terms of the Securities, the Sponsor shall not be:
 
(i)  personally liable for the return of any portion of the capital contributions (or any return thereon) of the Holders of the Securities which shall be made solely from assets of the Trust; or
 
(ii) required to pay to the Trust or to any Holder of the Securities any deficit upon dissolution of the Trust or otherwise.
 
(b)   The Holder of the Common Securities shall be liable for all of the debts and obligations of the Trust (other than with respect to the Securities) to the extent not satisfied out of the Trust’s assets.
 
(c)   Pursuant to the Statutory Trust Act, the Holders of the Capital Securities shall be entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Connecticut.
 
Section 9.2. Exculpation.
 
(a)   No Indemnified Person shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Trust or any Covered Person for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnified Person in good faith on behalf of the Trust and in a manner such Indemnified Person reasonably believed to be within the scope of the authority conferred on such Indemnified Person by this Declaration or by law, except that an Indemnified Person shall be liable for any such loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Indemnified Person’s negligence or willful misconduct with respect to such acts or omissions.
 
(b)   An Indemnified Person shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Trust and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Trust by any Person as to matters the Indemnified Person reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and, if selected by such Indemnified Person, has been selected by such Indemnified Person with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Trust, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits, losses, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which Distributions to Holders of Securities might properly be paid.
 
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Section 9.3. Fiduciary Duty.
 
(a)   To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnified Person has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust or to any other Covered Person, an Indemnified Person acting under this Declaration shall not be liable to the Trust or to any other Covered Person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Declaration. The provisions of this Declaration, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of an Indemnified Person otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the parties hereto to replace such other duties and liabilities of the Indemnified Person.
 
(b)   Whenever in this Declaration an Indemnified Person is permitted or required to make a decision:
 
(i)    in its “discretion” or under a grant of similar authority, the Indemnified Person shall be entitled to consider such interests and factors as it desires, including its own interests, and shall have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting the Trust or any other Person; or
 
(ii)   in its “good faith” or under another express standard, the Indemnified Person shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard imposed by this Declaration or by applicable law.
 
Section 9.4. Indemnification.
 
(a)   The Sponsor shall indemnify, to the full extent permitted by law, any Indemnified Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Trust) arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Declaration by reason of the fact that he is or was an Indemnified Person against expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the Indemnified Person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
 
(b)   The Sponsor shall indemnify, to the full extent permitted by law, any Indemnified Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Trust to procure a judgment in its favor arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Declaration by reason of the fact that he is or was an Indemnified Person against expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust; provided, however, that no such indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such Indemnified Person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Trust unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
 
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(c)   To the extent that an Indemnified Person shall be successful on the merits or otherwise (including dismissal of an action without prejudice or the settlement of an action without admission of liability) in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified, to the full extent permitted by law, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.
 
(d)   Any indemnification of an Administrator under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4 (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Sponsor only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Indemnified Person is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b). Such determination shall be made (i) by the Administrators by a majority vote of a Quorum consisting of such Administrators who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, (ii) if such a Quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, if a Quorum of disinterested Administrators so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (iii) by the Common Security Holder of the Trust.
 
(e)   To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnified Person in defending a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4 shall be paid by the Sponsor in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Sponsor as authorized in this Section 9.4. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no advance shall be made by the Sponsor if a determination is reasonably and promptly made (i) by the Administrators by a majority vote of a Quorum of disinterested Administrators, (ii) if such a Quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, if a quorum of disinterested Administrators so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iii) by the Common Security Holder of the Trust, that, based upon the facts known to the Administrators, counsel or the Common Security Holder at the time such determination is made, such Indemnified Person acted in bad faith or in a manner that such Indemnified Person did not believe to be in the best interests of the Trust, or, with respect to any criminal proceeding, that such Indemnified Person believed or had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. In no event shall any advance be made in instances where the Administrators, independent legal counsel or the Common Security Holder reasonably determine that such Indemnified Person deliberately breached his duty to the Trust or its Common or Capital Security Holders.
 
(f)   The Institutional Trustee, at the sole cost and expense of the Sponsor, retains the right to representation by counsel of its own choosing in any action, suit or any other proceeding for which it is indemnified under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4, without affecting its right to indemnification hereunder or waiving any rights afforded to it under this Declaration or applicable law.
 
(g)   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other paragraphs of this Section 9.4 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification and advancement of expenses may be entitled under any agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors of the Sponsor or Capital Security Holders of the Trust or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. All rights to indemnification under this Section 9.4 shall be deemed to be provided by a contract between the Sponsor and each Indemnified Person who serves in such capacity at any time while this Section 9.4 is in effect. Any repeal or modification of this Section 9.4 shall not affect any rights or obligations then existing.
 
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(h)   The Sponsor or the Trust may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any Person who is or was an Indemnified Person against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Sponsor would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Section 9.4.
 
(i)    For purposes of this Section 9.4, references to “the Trust” shall include, in addition to the resulting or surviving entity, any constituent entity (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger, so that any Person who is or was a director, trustee, officer or employee of such constituent entity, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent entity as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent of another entity, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Section 9.4 with respect to the resulting or surviving entity as he would have with respect to such constituent entity if its separate existence had continued.
 
(j)   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Section 9.4 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, (i) continue as to a Person who has ceased to be an Indemnified Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a Person; and (ii) survive the termination or expiration of this Declaration or the earlier removal or resignation of an Indemnified Person.
 
Section 9.5. Outside Businesses.  Any Covered Person, the Sponsor and the Institutional Trustee may engage in or possess an interest in other business ventures of any nature or description, independently or with others, similar or dissimilar to the business of the Trust, and the Trust and the Holders of Securities shall have no rights by virtue of this Declaration in and to such independent ventures or the income or profits derived therefrom, and the pursuit of any such venture, even if competitive with the business of the Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper. None of any Covered Person, the Sponsor or the Institutional Trustee shall be obligated to present any particular investment or other opportunity to the Trust even if such opportunity is of a character that, if presented to the Trust, could be taken by the Trust, and any Covered Person, the Sponsor and the Institutional Trustee shall have the right to take for its own account (individually or as a partner or fiduciary) or to recommend to others any such particular investment or other opportunity. Any Covered Person and the Institutional Trustee may engage or be interested in any financial or other transaction with the Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor, or may act as depositary for, trustee or agent for, or act on any committee or body of holders of, securities or other obligations of the Sponsor or its Affiliates.
 
Section 9.6. Compensation; Fee.  The Sponsor agrees:
 
(a)   to pay to the Institutional Trustee from time to time such compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder as the parties shall agree from time to time (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); and
 
(b)   except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Institutional Trustee upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Institutional Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Declaration (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of their respective agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
 
The provisions of this Section 9.6 shall survive the dissolution of the Trust and the termination of this Declaration and the removal or resignation of the Institutional Trustee.
 
No Institutional Trustee may claim any lien or charge on any property of the Trust as a result of any amount due pursuant to this Section 9.6.
 
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ARTICLE X
 
ACCOUNTING
 
Section 10.1. Fiscal Year.  The fiscal year (“Fiscal Year”) of the Trust shall be the calendar year, or such other year as is required by the Code.
 
Section 10.2. Certain Accounting Matters.  
 
(a)   At all times during the existence of the Trust, the Administrators shall keep, or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Trust in the United States, as defined for purposes of Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7, full books of account, records and supporting documents, which shall reflect in reasonable detail each transaction of the Trust. The books of account shall be maintained, at the Sponsor’s expense, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied. The books of account and the records of the Trust shall be examined by and reported upon (either separately or as part of the Sponsor’s regularly prepared consolidated financial report) as of the end of each Fiscal Year of the Trust by a firm of independent certified public accountants selected by the Administrators.
 
(b)   The Administrators shall cause to be duly prepared and delivered to each of the Holders of Securities Form 1099 or such other annual United States federal income tax information statement required by the Code, containing such information with regard to the Securities held by each Holder as is required by the Code and the Treasury Regulations. Notwithstanding any right under the Code to deliver any such statement at a later date, the Administrators shall endeavor to deliver all such statements within 30 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Trust.
 
(c)   The Administrators, at the Sponsor’s expense, shall cause to be duly prepared in the United States, as ‘United States’ is defined in Section 7701(a)(9) of the Code, and filed an annual United States federal income tax return on a Form 1041 or such other form required by United States federal income tax law, and any other annual income tax returns required to be filed by the Administrators on behalf of the Trust with any state or local taxing authority.
 
Section 10.3. Banking.  The Trust shall maintain in the United States, as defined for purposes of Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7, one or more bank accounts in the name and for the sole benefit of the Trust; provided, however, that all payments of funds in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee shall be made directly to the Property Account and no other funds of the Trust shall be deposited in the Property Account. The sole signatories for such accounts (including the Property Account) shall be designated by the Institutional Trustee.
 
Section 10.4. Withholding.  The Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent and the Administrators shall comply with all withholding requirements under United States federal, state and local law. The Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent shall request, and each Holder shall provide to the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent, such forms or certificates as are necessary to establish an exemption from withholding with respect to the Holder, and any representations and forms as shall reasonably be requested by the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent to assist it in determining the extent of, and in fulfilling, its withholding obligations. The Administrators shall file required forms with applicable jurisdictions and, unless an exemption from withholding is properly established by a Holder, shall remit amounts withheld with respect to the Holder to applicable jurisdictions. To the extent that the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent is required to withhold and pay over any amounts to any authority with respect to distributions or allocations to any Holder, the amount withheld shall be deemed to be a Distribution in the amount of the withholding to the Holder. In the event of any claimed overwithholding, Holders shall be limited to an action against the applicable jurisdiction. If the amount required to be withheld was not withheld from actual Distributions made, the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent may reduce subsequent Distributions by the amount of such withholding.
 
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ARTICLE XI
 
AMENDMENTS AND MEETINGS
 
Section 11.1. Amendments.
 
(a)   Except as otherwise provided in this Declaration or by any applicable terms of the Securities, this Declaration may only be amended by a written instrument approved and executed by the Institutional Trustee.
 
(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XI, an amendment may be made, and any such purported amendment shall be valid and effective only if:
 
(i)   the Institutional Trustee shall have first received
 
(A)  an Officers’ Certificate from each of the Trust and the Sponsor that such amendment is permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Declaration (including the terms of the Securities); and
 
(B)  an opinion of counsel (who may be counsel to the Sponsor or the Trust) that such amendment is permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Declaration (including the terms of the Securities); and
 
(ii)   the result of such amendment would not be to
 
(A)  cause the Trust to cease to be classified for purposes of United States federal income taxation as a grantor trust; or
 
(B)  cause the Trust to be deemed to be an Investment Company required to be registered under the Investment Company Act.
 
(c)   Except as provided in Section 11.1(d), (e) or (h), no amendment shall be made, and any such purported amendment shall be void and ineffective, unless the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities shall have consented to such amendment.
 
(d)   In addition to and notwithstanding any other provision in this Declaration, without the consent of each affected Holder, this Declaration may not be amended to (i) change the amount or timing of any Distribution on the Securities or otherwise adversely affect the amount of any Distribution required to be made in respect of the Securities as of a specified date or change any conversion or exchange provisions or (ii) restrict the right of a Holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such date.
 
(e)   Sections 9.1(b) and 9.1(c) and this Section 11.1 shall not be amended without the consent of all of the Holders of the Securities.
 
(f)   Article III shall not be amended without the consent of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities.
 
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(g)   The rights of the Holders of the Capital Securities under Article IV to appoint and remove the Institutional Trustee shall not be amended without the consent of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
(h)   This Declaration may be amended by the Institutional Trustee and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities without the consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities to:
 
(i)    cure any ambiguity;
 
(ii)   correct or supplement any provision in this Declaration that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision of this Declaration;
 
(iii)   add to the covenants, restrictions or obligations of the Sponsor; or
 
(iv)   modify, eliminate or add to any provision of this Declaration to such extent as may be necessary to ensure that the Trust will be classified for United States federal income tax purposes at all times as a grantor trust and will not be required to register as an Investment Company (including without limitation to conform to any change in Rule 3a-5, Rule 3a-7 or any other applicable rule under the Investment Company Act or written change in interpretation or application thereof by any legislative body, court, government agency or regulatory authority) which amendment does not have a material adverse effect on the rights, preferences or privileges of the Holders of Securities;
 
provided, however, that no such modification, elimination or addition referred to in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) shall adversely affect in any material respect the powers, preferences or special rights of Holders of Capital Securities.
 
Section 11.2. Meetings of the Holders of Securities; Action by Written Consent.
 
(a)   Meetings of the Holders of any class of Securities may be called at any time by the Administrators (or as provided in the terms of the Securities) to consider and act on any matter on which Holders of such class of Securities are entitled to act under the terms of this Declaration or the terms of the Securities. The Administrators shall call a meeting of the Holders of such class if directed to do so by the Holders of at least 10% in liquidation amount of such class of Securities. Such direction shall be given by delivering to the Administrators one or more calls in a writing stating that the signing Holders of the Securities wish to call a meeting and indicating the general or specific purpose for which the meeting is to be called. Any Holders of the Securities calling a meeting shall specify in writing the Certificates held by the Holders of the Securities exercising the right to call a meeting and only those Securities represented by such Certificates shall be counted for purposes of determining whether the required percentage set forth in the second sentence of this paragraph has been met.
 
(b)   Except to the extent otherwise provided in the terms of the Securities, the following provisions shall apply to meetings of Holders of the Securities:
 
(i)   notice of any such meeting shall be given to all the Holders of the Securities having a right to vote thereat at least 7 days and not more than 60 days before the date of such meeting. Whenever a vote, consent or approval of the Holders of the Securities is permitted or required under this Declaration, such vote, consent or approval may be given at a meeting of the Holders of the Securities. Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Holders of the Securities may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Holders of the Securities owning not less than the minimum amount of Securities in liquidation amount that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all Holders of the Securities having a right to vote thereon were present and voting. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Holders of the Securities entitled to vote who have not consented in writing. The Administrators may specify that any written ballot submitted to the Holders of the Securities for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Trust within the time specified by the Administrators;
 
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(ii)   each Holder of a Security may authorize any Person to act for it by proxy on all matters in which a Holder of Securities is entitled to participate, including waiving notice of any meeting, or voting or participating at a meeting. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of 11 months from the date thereof unless otherwise provided in the proxy. Every proxy shall be revocable at the pleasure of the Holder of the Securities executing it. Except as otherwise provided herein, all matters relating to the giving, voting or validity of proxies shall be governed by the General Corporation Law of the State of Connecticut relating to proxies, and judicial interpretations thereunder, as if the Trust were a Connecticut corporation and the Holders of the Securities were stockholders of a Connecticut corporation; each meeting of the Holders of the Securities shall be conducted by the Administrators or by such other Person that the Administrators may designate; and
 
(iii) unless the Statutory Trust Act, this Declaration, or the terms of the Securities otherwise provides, the Administrators, in their sole discretion, shall establish all other provisions relating to meetings of Holders of Securities, including notice of the time, place or purpose of any meeting at which any matter is to be voted on by any Holders of the Securities, waiver of any such notice, action by consent without a meeting, the establishment of a record date, quorum requirements, voting in person or by proxy or any other matter with respect to the exercise of any such right to vote; provided, however, that each meeting shall be conducted in the United States (as that term is defined in Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7).
 
ARTICLE XII
 
REPRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE
 
Section 12.1. Representations and Warranties of Institutional Trustee.  The initial Institutional Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and to the Sponsor at the date of this Declaration, and each Successor Institutional Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and the Sponsor at the time of the Successor Institutional Trustee’s acceptance of its appointment as Institutional Trustee, that:
 
(a)   the Institutional Trustee is a national banking association with trust powers, duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the United States of America with trust power and authority to execute and deliver, and to carry out and perform its obligations under the terms of, this Declaration;
 
(b)   the execution, delivery and performance by the Institutional Trustee of this Declaration has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Institutional Trustee. This Declaration has been duly executed and delivered by the Institutional Trustee, and it constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Institutional Trustee, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, moratorium, insolvency, and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law);
 
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(c)   the execution, delivery and performance of this Declaration by the Institutional Trustee does not conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or by-laws of the Institutional Trustee; and
 
(d)   no consent, approval or authorization of, or registration with or notice to, any state or federal banking authority is required for the execution, delivery or performance by the Institutional Trustee of this Declaration.
 
ARTICLE XIII
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
Section 13.1. Notices.  All notices provided for in this Declaration shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and shall be delivered, telecopied (which telecopy shall be followed by notice delivered or mailed by first class mail) or mailed by first class mail, as follows:
 
(a)   if given to the Trust, in care of the Administrators at the Trust’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Trust may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust I
c/o Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(b)   if given to the Institutional Trustee, at the Institutional Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Institutional Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
U.S. Bank National Association
225 Asylum Street, Goodwin Square
Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Attention: Vice President, Corporate Trust Services Division
Telecopy: 860-241-6889
 
With a copy to:
 
U.S. Bank National Association
1 Federal Street - 3rd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Attention: Paul D. Allen, Corporate Trust Services Division
Telecopy: 617-603-6665
 
(c)   if given to the Holder of the Common Securities, at the mailing address of the Sponsor set forth below (or such other address as the Holder of the Common Securities may give notice of to the Trust):
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
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(d)   if given to any other Holder, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Trust.
 
All such notices shall be deemed to have been given when received in person, telecopied with receipt confirmed, or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid except that if a notice or other document is refused delivery or cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given, such notice or other document shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date of such refusal or inability to deliver.
 
Section 13.2. Governing Law.  This Declaration and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the law of the State of Connecticut and all rights and remedies shall be governed by such laws without regard to the principles of conflict of laws of the State of Connecticut or any other jurisdiction that would call for the application of the law of any jurisdiction other than the State of Connecticut; provided, however, that there shall not be applicable to the Trust, the Institutional Trustee or this Declaration any provision of the laws (statutory or common) of the State of Connecticut pertaining to trusts that relate to or regulate, in a manner inconsistent with the terms hereof (a) the filing with any court or governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and charges, (b) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust, (c) the necessity for obtaining court or other governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding or disposition of real or personal property, (d) fees or other sums payable to trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust, (e) the allocation of receipts and expenditures to income or principal, or (f) restrictions or limitations on the permissible nature, amount or concentration of trust investments or requirements relating to the titling, storage or other manner of holding or investing trust assets.
 
Section 13.3. Intention of the Parties.  It is the intention of the parties hereto that the Trust be classified for United States federal income tax purposes as a grantor trust. The provisions of this Declaration shall be interpreted to further this intention of the parties.
 
Section 13.4. Headings.  Headings contained in this Declaration are inserted for convenience of reference only and do not affect the interpretation of this Declaration or any provision hereof.
 
Section 13.5. Successors and Assigns.  Whenever in this Declaration any of the parties hereto is named or referred to, the successors and assigns of such party shall be deemed to be included, and all covenants and agreements in this Declaration by the Sponsor and the Institutional Trustee shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns, whether or not so expressed.
 
Section 13.6. Partial Enforceability.  If any provision of this Declaration, or the application of such provision to any Person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, the remainder of this Declaration, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.
 
Section 13.7. Counterparts.  This Declaration may contain more than one counterpart of the signature page and this Declaration may be executed by the affixing of the signature of each of the Institutional Trustee and Administrators to any of such counterpart signature pages. All of such counterpart signature pages shall be read as though one, and they shall have the same force and effect as though all of the signers had signed a single signature page.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused these presents to be executed as of the day and year first above written.
     
 
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Institutional Trustee
     
By:  
 
Name:
Title:
 
     
 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC., as Sponsor
     
By:    
 
Name:
Title:
 
     
 
WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST I
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Administrator
 
     
By:  
 
Administrator
 
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ANNEX I

TERMS OF SECURITIES

Pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated as of December 17, 2003 (as amended from time to time, the “Declaration”), the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities are set out below (each capitalized term used but not defined herein has the meaning set forth in the Declaration):
 
1. Designation and Number.
 
(a) 15,000 Floating Rate Capital Securities of Wilshire Statutory Trust I (the “Trust”), with an aggregate stated liquidation amount with respect to the assets of the Trust of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000.00) and a stated liquidation amount with respect to the assets of the Trust of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, are hereby designated for the purposes of identification only as the “Capital Securities”. The Capital Security Certificates evidencing the Capital Securities shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1 to the Declaration, with such changes and additions thereto or deletions therefrom as may be required by ordinary usage, custom or practice.
 
(b) 464 Floating Rate Common Securities of the Trust (the “Common Securities”) will be evidenced by Common Security Certificates substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2 to the Declaration, with such changes and additions thereto or deletions therefrom as may be required by ordinary usage, custom or practice.
 
2. Distributions.
 
(a) Distributions will be payable on each Security for the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) March 17, 2004 at a rate per annum of 4.02% and shall bear interest for each successive period beginning on (and including) March 17, 2004, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each, a “Distribution Period”) at a rate per annum equal to the 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 2.85% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount thereof, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the applicable Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by law). Distributions, as used herein, include cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
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(b) Distributions on the Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance, and will be payable, subject to extension of distribution payment periods as described herein, quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year, or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day, commencing on March 17, 2004 (each a “Distribution Payment Date”) when, as and if available for payment. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Indenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date and provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer and its Affiliates shall not (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Debenture Issuer’s or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Debenture Issuer or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Debenture Issuer to their parent corporations which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Debenture Issuer) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing, or (ii) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Debenture Issuer or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (i) and (ii) above, (a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Debenture Issuer in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Debenture Issuer (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, (b) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Debenture Issuer) for any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (e) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (f) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Debenture Issuer (or any redemptions, repurchase or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (g) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee). Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
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(c) Distributions on the Securities will be payable to the Holders thereof as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the relevant record dates. The relevant record dates shall be 15 days before the relevant Distribution Payment Date. Distributions payable on any Securities that are not punctually paid on any Distribution Payment Date, as a result of the Debenture Issuer having failed to make a payment under the Debentures, as the case may be, when due (taking into account any Extension Period), will cease to be payable to the Person in whose name such Securities are registered on the relevant record date, and such defaulted Distribution will instead be payable to the Person in whose name such Securities are registered on the special record date or other specified date determined in accordance with the Indenture. If any date on which Distributions are payable on the Securities is not a Business Day, then payment of the Distribution payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay) except that, if such Business Day is in the next succeeding calendar year, such payment shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day, in each case with the same force and effect as if made on such payment date.
 
(d) In the event that there is any money or other property held by or for the Trust that is not accounted for hereunder, such property shall be distributed Pro Rata (as defined herein) among the Holders of the Securities.
 
3. Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution. In the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust (each a “Liquidation”) other than in connection with a redemption of the Debentures, the Holders of the Securities will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to Holders of the Securities, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust (to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer), distributions equal to the aggregate of the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Security plus accrued and unpaid Distributions thereon to the date of payment (such amount being the “Liquidation Distribution”), unless in connection with such Liquidation, the Debentures in an aggregate stated principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount of such Securities, with an interest rate equal to the Distribution Rate of, and bearing accrued and unpaid interest in an amount equal to the accrued and unpaid Distributions on, and having the same record date as, such Securities, after paying or making reasonable provision to pay all claims and obligations of the Trust in accordance with the Statutory Trust Act, shall be distributed on a Pro Rata basis to the Holders of the Securities in exchange for such Securities.
 
The Sponsor, as the Holder of all of the Common Securities, has the right at any time to dissolve the Trust (including, without limitation, upon the occurrence of a Special Event), subject to the receipt by the Debenture Issuer of prior approval from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or its designated district bank, as applicable, and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of the Sponsor (the “Federal Reserve”), if the Sponsor is a bank holding company, or from the Office of Thrift Supervision and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of Sponsor, (the “OTS”) if the Sponsor is a savings and loan holding company, in either case if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, and, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, cause the Debentures to be distributed to the Holders of the Securities on a Pro Rata basis in accordance with the aggregate stated liquidation amount thereof.
 
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If a Liquidation of the Trust occurs as described in clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (v) in Section 7.1(a) of the Declaration, the Trust shall be liquidated by the Institutional Trustee as expeditiously as it determines to be possible by distributing, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, to the Holders of the Securities, the Debentures on a Pro Rata basis to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer, unless such distribution is determined by the Institutional Trustee not to be practical, in which event such Holders will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to the Holders, after satisfaction of liabilities of creditors of the Trust to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer, an amount equal to the Liquidation Distribution. An early Liquidation of the Trust pursuant to clause (iv) of Section 7.1(a) of the Declaration shall occur if the Institutional Trustee determines that such Liquidation is possible by distributing, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, to the Holders of the Securities on a Pro Rata basis, the Debentures, and such distribution occurs.
 
If, upon any such Liquidation the Liquidation Distribution can be paid only in part because the Trust has insufficient assets available to pay in full the aggregate Liquidation Distribution, then the amounts payable directly by the Trust on such Capital Securities shall be paid to the Holders of the Trust Securities on a Pro Rata basis, except that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Capital Securities shall have a preference over the Common Securities with regard to such distributions.
 
After the date for any distribution of the Debentures upon dissolution of the Trust (i) the Securities of the Trust will be deemed to be no longer outstanding, (ii) upon surrender of a Holder’s Securities certificate, such Holder of the Securities will receive a certificate representing the Debentures to be delivered upon such distribution, (iii) any certificates representing the Securities still outstanding will be deemed to represent undivided beneficial interests in such of the Debentures as have an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount with an interest rate identical to the Distribution Rate of, and bearing accrued and unpaid interest equal to accrued and unpaid distributions on, the Securities until such certificates are presented to the Debenture Issuer or its agent for transfer or reissuance (and until such certificates are so surrendered, no payments of interest or principal shall be made to Holders of Securities in respect of any payments due and payable under the Debentures; provided, however that such failure to pay shall not be deemed to be an Event of Default and shall not entitle the Holder to the benefits of the Guarantee), and (iv) all rights of Holders of Securities under the Declaration shall cease, except the right of such Holders to receive Debentures upon surrender of certificates representing such Securities.
 
4. Redemption and Distribution.
 
(a) The Debentures will mature on December 17, 2033. The Debentures may be redeemed by the Debenture Issuer, in whole or in part, at any Distribution Payment Date on or after December 17, 2008, at the Redemption Price. In addition, the Debentures may be redeemed by the Debenture Issuer at the Special Redemption Price, in whole but not in part, at any Distribution Payment Date, upon the occurrence and continuation of a Special Event within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event at the Special Redemption Price, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice to holders of such Debentures so long as such Special Event is continuing. In each case, the right of the Debenture Issuer to redeem the Debentures is subject to the Debenture Issuer having received prior approval from the Federal Reserve (if the Debenture Issuer is a bank holding company) or prior approval from the OTS (if the Debenture Issuer is a savings and loan holding company), in each case if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the applicable federal agency.
 
3-Month LIBOR” means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month, U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority:
 
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(1) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (as defined below). “Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Dow Jones Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits;
 
(2) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations;
 
(3) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (2) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and
 
(4) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (3) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period.
 
If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
Capital Treatment Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective change) in, the laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein, or as the result of any official or administrative pronouncement or action or decision interpreting or applying such laws, rules or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Sponsor will not, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, be entitled to treat an amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Sponsor (or if the Sponsor is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Sponsor as if the Sponsor were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Sponsor to treat all or any portion of the liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as Tier l Capital shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event, if such inability results from the Sponsor having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, may now or hereafter accord Tier 1 Capital treatment in excess of the amount which may now or hereafter qualify for treatment as Tier 1 Capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines; provided further, however, that the distribution of Debentures in connection with the Liquidation of the Trust shall not in and of itself constitute a Capital Treatment Event unless such Liquidation shall have occurred in connection with a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event.
 
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Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the particular Distribution Period for which a Coupon Rate is being determined.
 
Investment Company Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of a change in law or regulation or written change (including any announced prospective change) in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will be considered an Investment Company that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act which change or prospective change becomes effective or would become effective, as the case may be, on or after the date of the issuance of the Debentures.
 
Maturity Date” means December 17, 2033.
 
Redemption Date” shall mean the date fixed for the redemption of Capital Securities, which shall be any March 17, June 17, September 17 or December 17 commencing December 17, 2008.
 
Redemption Price” means 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid Interest on such Debentures to the Redemption Date.
 
Special Event” means a Tax Event, an Investment Company Event or a Capital Treatment Event.
 
Special Redemption Date” means a date on which a Special Event redemption occurs, which shall be any March 17, June 17, September 17 or December 17.
 
Special Redemption Price” means the price set forth in the following table for any Special Redemption Date that occurs on the date indicated below (or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day), expressed as the percentage of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed:
 
Special Redemption Date
 
Special Redemption Price
March 17, 2004
 
104.625%
June 17, 2004
 
104.300%
September 17, 2004
 
104.000%
December 17, 2004
 
103.650%
March 17, 2005
 
103.350%
June 17, 2005
 
103.000%
September 17, 2005
 
102.700%
December 17, 2005
 
102.350%
March 17, 2006
 
102.050%
June 17, 2006
 
101.700%
September 17, 2006
 
101.400%
December 17, 2006
 
101.050%
March 17, 2007
 
100.750%
June 17, 2007
 
100.450%
September 17, 2007
 
100.200%
December 17, 2007 and thereafter
 
100.000%
 
 
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plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid Interest on such Debentures to the Special Redemption Date.
 
Tax Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, or as a result of any official administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum, field service advice, regulatory procedure, notice or announcement including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt such procedures or regulations) (an “Administrative Action”) or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, regardless of whether such Administrative Action or judicial decision is issued to or in connection with a proceeding involving the Debenture Issuer or the Trust and whether or not subject to review or appeal, which amendment, clarification, change, Administrative Action or decision is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that: (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures; (ii) interest payable by the Debenture Issuer on the Debentures is not, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Debenture Issuer, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes; or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges.
 
(b) Upon the repayment in full at maturity or redemption in whole or in part of the Debentures (other than following the distribution of the Debentures to the Holders of the Securities), the proceeds from such repayment or payment shall concurrently be applied to redeem Pro Rata at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, Securities having an aggregate liquidation amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures so repaid or redeemed; provided, however, that holders of such Securities shall be given not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice of such redemption (other than at the scheduled maturity of the Debentures).
 
(c) If fewer than all the outstanding Securities are to be so redeemed, the Common Securities and the Capital Securities will be redeemed Pro Rata and the Capital Securities to be redeemed will be redeemed Pro Rata from each Holder of Capital Securities.
 
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(d) The Trust may not redeem fewer than all the outstanding Capital Securities unless all accrued and unpaid Distributions have been paid on all Capital Securities for all quarterly Distribution periods terminating on or before the date of redemption.
 
(e) Redemption or Distribution Procedures.
 
(i) Notice of any redemption of, or notice of distribution of the Debentures in exchange for, the Securities (a “Redemption/Distribution Notice”) will be given by the Trust by mail to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed or exchanged not fewer than 30 nor more than 60 days before the date fixed for redemption or exchange thereof which, in the case of a redemption, will be the date fixed for redemption of the Debentures. For purposes of the calculation of the date of redemption or exchange and the dates on which notices are given pursuant to this paragraph 4(e)(i), a Redemption/Distribution Notice shall be deemed to be given on the day such notice is first mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to Holders of such Securities. Each Redemption/Distribution Notice shall be addressed to the Holders of such Securities at the address of each such Holder appearing on the books and records of the Trust. No defect in the Redemption/Distribution Notice or in the mailing thereof with respect to any Holder shall affect the validity of the redemption or exchange proceedings with respect to any other Holder.
 
(ii) If the Securities are to be redeemed and the Trust gives a Redemption/ Distribution Notice, which notice may only be issued if the Debentures are redeemed as set out in this paragraph 4 (which notice will be irrevocable), then, provided that the Institutional Trustee has a sufficient amount of cash in connection with the related redemption or maturity of the Debentures, the Institutional Trustee will pay the relevant Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, to the Holders of such Securities by check mailed to the address of each such Holder appearing on the books and records of the Trust on the Redemption Date. If a Redemption/Distribution Notice shall have been given and funds deposited as required then immediately prior to the close of business on the date of such deposit Distributions will cease to accrue on the Securities so called for redemption and all rights of Holders of such Securities so called for redemption will cease, except the right of the Holders of such Securities to receive the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price specified in paragraph 4(a), but without interest on such Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price. If payment of the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price in respect of any Securities is improperly withheld or refused and not paid either by the Trust or by the Debenture Issuer as guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee, Distributions on such Securities will continue to accrue at the Distribution Rate from the original Redemption Date to the actual date of payment, in which case the actual payment date will be considered the date fixed for redemption for purposes of calculating the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price. In the event of any redemption of the Capital Securities issued by the Trust in part, the Trust shall not be required to (i) issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection for redemption of the Capital Securities and ending at the close of business on the earliest date on which the relevant notice of redemption is deemed to have been given to all Holders of the Capital Securities to be so redeemed or (ii) register the transfer of or exchange any Capital Securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except for the unredeemed portion of any Capital Securities being redeemed in part.
 
(iii) Redemption/Distribution Notices shall be sent by the Administrators on behalf of the Trust to (A) in respect of the Capital Securities, the Holders thereof and (B) in respect of the Common Securities, the Holder thereof.
 
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(iv) Subject to the foregoing and applicable law (including, without limitation, United States federal securities laws), and provided that the acquiror is not the Holder of the Common Securities or the obligor under the Indenture, the Sponsor or any of its subsidiaries may at any time and from time to time purchase outstanding Capital Securities by tender, in the open market or by private agreement.
 
5. Voting Rights - Capital Securities.
 
(a) Except as provided under paragraphs 5(b) and 7 and as otherwise required by law and the Declaration, the Holders of the Capital Securities will have no voting rights. The Administrators are required to call a meeting of the Holders of the Capital Securities if directed to do so by Holders of at least 10% in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
(b) Subject to the requirements of obtaining a tax opinion by the Institutional Trustee in certain circumstances set forth in the last sentence of this paragraph, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, voting separately as a class, have the right to direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under the Declaration, including the right to direct the Institutional Trustee, as holder of the Debentures, to (i) exercise the remedies available under the Indenture as the holder of the Debentures, (ii) waive any past default that is waivable under the Indenture, (iii) exercise any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable or (iv) consent on behalf of all the Holders of the Capital Securities to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures where such consent shall be required; provided, however, that, where a consent or action under the Indenture would require the consent or act of the holders of greater than a simple majority in aggregate principal amount of Debentures (a “Super Majority”) affected thereby, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent or take such action at the written direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities outstanding which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. If the Institutional Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the Debentures after the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of such Capital Securities have so directed the Institutional Trustee, to the fullest extent permitted by law, a Holder of the Capital Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Debenture Issuer to enforce the Institutional Trustee’s rights under the Debentures without first instituting any legal proceeding against the Institutional Trustee or any other person or entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Debenture Issuer to pay interest or principal on the Debentures on the date the interest or principal is payable (or in the case of redemption, the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable), then a Holder of record of the Capital Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment, on or after the respective due dates specified in the Debentures, to such Holder directly of the principal of or interest on the Debentures having an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities of such Holder. The Institutional Trustee shall notify all Holders of the Capital Securities of any default actually known to the Institutional Trustee with respect to the Debentures unless (x) such default has been cured prior to the giving of such notice or (y) the Institutional Trustee determines in good faith that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Holders of such Capital Securities, except where the default relates to the payment of principal of or interest on any of the Debentures. Such notice shall state that such Indenture Event of Default also constitutes an Event of Default hereunder. Except with respect to directing the time, method and place of conducting a proceeding for a remedy, the Institutional Trustee shall not take any of the actions described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that, as a result of such action, the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
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In the event the consent of the Institutional Trustee, as the holder of the Debentures, is required under the Indenture with respect to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture, the Institutional Trustee shall request the direction of the Holders of the Securities with respect to such amendment, modification or termination and shall vote with respect to such amendment, modification or termination as directed by a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities voting together as a single class; provided, however, that where a consent under the Indenture would require the consent of a Super-Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent at the direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Securities outstanding which the relevant Super-Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. The Institutional Trustee shall not take any such action in accordance with the directions of the Holders of the Securities unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that, as a result of such action, the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
A waiver of an Indenture Event of Default will constitute a waiver of the corresponding Event of Default hereunder. Any required approval or direction of Holders of the Capital Securities may be given at a separate meeting of Holders of the Capital Securities convened for such purpose, at a meeting of all of the Holders of the Securities in the Trust or pursuant to written consent. The Institutional Trustee will cause a notice of any meeting at which Holders of the Capital Securities are entitled to vote, or of any matter upon which action by written consent of such Holders is to be taken, to be mailed to each Holder of record of the Capital Securities. Each such notice will include a statement setting forth the following information (i) the date of such meeting or the date by which such action is to be taken, (ii) a description of any resolution proposed for adoption at such meeting on which such Holders are entitled to vote or of such matter upon which written consent is sought and (iii) instructions for the delivery of proxies or consents. No vote or consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel Capital Securities or to distribute the Debentures in accordance with the Declaration and the terms of the Securities.
 
Notwithstanding that Holders of the Capital Securities are entitled to vote or consent under any of the circumstances described above, any of the Capital Securities that are owned by the Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor shall not entitle the Holder thereof to vote or consent and shall, for purposes of such vote or consent, be treated as if such Capital Securities were not outstanding.
 
In no event will Holders of the Capital Securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Administrators, which voting rights are vested exclusively in the Sponsor as the Holder of all of the Common Securities of the Trust. Under certain circumstances as more fully described in the Declaration, Holders of Capital Securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Institutional Trustee.
 
6. Voting Rights - Common Securities.
 
(a) Except as provided under paragraphs 6(b), 6(c) and 7 and as otherwise required by law and the Declaration, the Common Securities will have no voting rights.
 
(b) The Holders of the Common Securities are entitled, in accordance with Article IV of the Declaration, to vote to appoint, remove or replace any Administrators.
 
I-10

 
(c) Subject to Section 6.7 of the Declaration and only after each Event of Default (if any) with respect to the Capital Securities has been cured, waived, or otherwise eliminated and subject to the requirements of the second to last sentence of this paragraph, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities, voting separately as a class, may direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under the Declaration, including (i) directing the time, method, place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Debenture Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures, (ii) waiving any past default and its consequences that is waivable under the Indenture, or (iii) exercising any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable; provided, however, that, where a consent or action under the Indenture would require a Super Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent or take such action at the written direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Common Securities which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. Notwithstanding this paragraph 6(c), the Institutional Trustee shall not revoke any action previously authorized or approved by a vote or consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities. Other than with respect to directing the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee or the Debenture Trustee as set forth above, the Institutional Trustee shall not take any action described in (i), (ii) or (iii) above, unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that for the purposes of United States federal income tax the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust on account of such action. If the Institutional Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the Declaration to the fullest extent permitted by law, any Holder of the Common Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against any Person to enforce the Institutional Trustee’s rights under the Declaration, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Institutional Trustee or any other Person.
 
Any approval or direction of Holders of the Common Securities may be given at a separate meeting of Holders of the Common Securities convened for such purpose, at a meeting of all of the Holders of the Securities in the Trust or pursuant to written consent. The Administrators will cause a notice of any meeting at which Holders of the Common Securities are entitled to vote, or of any matter upon which action by written consent of such Holders is to be taken, to be mailed to each Holder of the Common Securities. Each such notice will include a statement setting forth (i) the date of such meeting or the date by which such action is to be taken, (ii) a description of any resolution proposed for adoption at such meeting on which such Holders are entitled to vote or of such matter upon which written consent is sought and (iii) instructions for the delivery of proxies or consents.
 
No vote or consent of the Holders of the Common Securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel Common Securities or to distribute the Debentures in accordance with the Declaration and the terms of the Securities.
 
7. Amendments to Declaration and Indenture.
 
(a) In addition to any requirements under Section 11.1 of the Declaration, if any proposed amendment to the Declaration provides for, or the Institutional Trustee, Sponsor or Administrators otherwise propose to effect, (i) any action that would adversely affect the powers, preferences or special rights of the Securities, whether by way of amendment to the Declaration or otherwise, or (ii) the Liquidation of the Trust, other than as described in Section 7.1 of the Declaration, then the Holders of outstanding Securities, voting together as a single class, will be entitled to vote on such amendment or proposal and such amendment or proposal shall not be effective except with the approval of the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities, affected thereby; provided, however, if any amendment or proposal referred to in clause (i) above would adversely affect only the Capital Securities or only the Common Securities, then only the affected class will be entitled to vote on such amendment or proposal and such amendment or proposal shall not be effective except with the approval of a Majority in liquidation amount of such class of Securities.
 
(b) In the event the consent of the Institutional Trustee as the holder of the Debentures is required under the Indenture with respect to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures, the Institutional Trustee shall request the written direction of the Holders of the Securities with respect to such amendment, modification or termination and shall vote with respect to such amendment, modification, or termination as directed by a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities voting together as a single class; provided, however, that where a consent under the Indenture would require a Super Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent at the direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Securities which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding.
 
I-11

 
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment or modification may be made to the Declaration if such amendment or modification would (i) cause the Trust to be classified for purposes of United States federal income taxation as other than a grantor trust, (ii) reduce or otherwise adversely affect the powers of the Institutional Trustee or (iii) cause the Trust to be deemed an Investment Company which is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act.
 
(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the Declaration, the right of any Holder of the Capital Securities to receive payment of distributions and other payments upon redemption or otherwise, on or after their respective due dates, or to institute a suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder. For the protection and enforcement of the foregoing provision, each and every Holder of the Capital Securities shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or equity.
 
8. Pro Rata. A reference in these terms of the Securities to any payment, distribution or treatment as being “Pro Rata” shall mean pro rata to each Holder of the Securities according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Securities held by the relevant Holder in relation to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Securities then outstanding unless, in relation to a payment, an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, in which case any funds available to make such payment shall be paid first to each Holder of the Capital Securities Pro Rata according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities held by the relevant Holder relative to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Capital Securities outstanding, and only after satisfaction of all amounts owed to the Holders of the Capital Securities, to each Holder of the Common Securities Pro Rata according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Common Securities held by the relevant Holder relative to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Common Securities outstanding.
 
9. Ranking. The Capital Securities rank pari passu with and payment thereon shall be made Pro Rata with the Common Securities except that, where an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of the Common Securities to receive payment of Distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of the Holders of the Capital Securities with the result that no payment of any Distribution on, or Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) of, any Common Security, and no other payment on account of redemption, liquidation or other acquisition of Common Securities, shall be made unless payment in full in cash of all accumulated and unpaid Distributions on all outstanding Capital Securities for all distribution periods terminating on or prior thereto, or in the case of payment of the Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) the full amount of such Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) on all outstanding Capital Securities then called for redemption, shall have been made or provided for, and all funds immediately available to the Institutional Trustee shall first be applied to the payment in full in cash of all Distributions on, or the Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) of, the Capital Securities then due and payable.
 
10. Acceptance of Guarantee and Indenture. Each Holder of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities, by the acceptance of such Securities, agrees to the provisions of the Guarantee, including the subordination provisions therein and to the provisions of the Indenture.
 
I-12

 
11. No Preemptive Rights. The Holders of the Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights to subscribe for any additional securities.
 
12. Miscellaneous. These terms constitute a part of the Declaration. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to a Holder without charge on written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
I-13

 
EXHIBIT A-1

FORM OF CAPITAL SECURITY CERTIFICATE

[FORM OF FACE OF SECURITY]
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
A-1-1

 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER, THE HOLDER WILL DELIVER TO THE REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT SUCH CERTIFICATES AND OTHER INFORMATION AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE DECLARATION TO CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSFER COMPLIES WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.

Certificate Number P-1
15,000 Capital Securities
 
December 17, 2003
 
Certificate Evidencing Floating Rate Capital Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust I
 
(liquidation amount $1,000.00 per Capital Security)
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust I, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Connecticut (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that Hare & Co. (the “Holder”), as the nominee of The Bank of New York, indenture trustee under the Indenture dated as of December 17, 2003 among Preferred Term Securities XII, Ltd., Preferred Term Securities XII, Inc. and The Bank of New York, is the registered owner of capital securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (liquidation amount $1,000.00 per capital security) (the “Capital Securities”). Subject to the Declaration (as defined below), the Capital Securities are transferable on the books and records of the Trust in person or by a duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate duly endorsed and in proper form for transfer. The Capital Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of December 17, 2003, among Soo Bong Min and Brian E. Cho, as Administrators, U.S. Bank National Association, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, including the designation of the terms of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
A-1-2

 
Upon receipt of this Security, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Security, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Capital Securities as evidence of beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Capital Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Connecticut, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
 
Signatures appear on following page

A-1-3

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
     
 
WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST I
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
Title: Administrator
 
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Capital Securities referred to in the within-mentioned Declaration.

     
 
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as the Institutional Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Authorized Officer
 

A-1-4

 

[FORM OF REVERSE OF CAPITAL SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Capital Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 4.02% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) March 17, 2004 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) March 17, 2004, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 2.85% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Dow Jones Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
A-1-5

 
Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Capital Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year (or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day), commencing on March 17, 2004. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Indenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Capital Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
The Capital Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.

A-1-6

 

ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Capital Security Certificate to: 
 

    
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number) 

 

   

 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 

 
agent to transfer this Capital Security Certificate on the books of the Trust. The agent may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date: 

 
Signature:    

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Capital Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee:1
 
ARTICLE I
 

1 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
A-1-7

 
EXHIBIT A-2
 
FORM OF COMMON SECURITY CERTIFICATE
 
THIS COMMON SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION.
 
THIS CERTIFICATE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 8.1 OF THE DECLARATION.

Certificate Number C-1
464 Common Securities
 
December 17, 2003
 
Certificate Evidencing Floating Rate Common Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust I
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust I, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Connecticut (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (the “Holder”) is the registered owner of common securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust (the “Common Securities”). The Common Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Common Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of December 17, 2003, among Soo Bong Min and Brian E. Cho, as Administrators, U.S. Bank National Association, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust including the designation of the terms of the Common Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
As set forth in the Declaration, when an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of Common Securities to payment in respect of Distributions and payments upon Liquidation, redemption or otherwise are subordinated to the rights of payment of Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
Upon receipt of this Certificate, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Certificate, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Common Securities as evidence of undivided beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Common Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Connecticut, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.

A-2-1

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
     
 
WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST I
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:
 
Name:
Title: Administrator
 
 

A-2-2

 

[FORM OF REVERSE OF COMMON SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Common Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 4.02% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) March 17, 2004 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) March 17, 2004, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 2.85% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Common Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Dow Jones Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Common Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
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Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Common Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year (or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day), commencing on March 17, 2004. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Indenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Common Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer.
 
The Common Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.

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ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Common Security Certificate to:
 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number) 

 

 
 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 


 

agent to transfer this Common Security Certificate on the books of the
Trust. The agent may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date:

Signature:

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Common Security Certificate)
 
Signature:

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Common Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee2 
ARTICLE I
 

2 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union, meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
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EX-4.5 3 v068251_ex4-5.htm
Exhibit 4.5



 
GUARANTEE AGREEMENT

by and between

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.

and

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Dated as of December 17, 2003






GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
 
This GUARANTEE AGREEMENT (this “Guarantee”), dated as of December 17, 2003, is executed and delivered by Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Guarantor”), and U.S. Bank National Association, a national banking association, organized under the laws of the United States of America, as trustee (the “Guarantee Trustee”), for the benefit of the Holders (as defined herein) from time to time of the Capital Securities (as defined herein) of Wilshire Statutory Trust I, a Connecticut statutory trust (the “Issuer”).
 
WHEREAS, pursuant to an Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”), dated as of the date hereof among U.S. Bank National Association, not in its individual capacity but solely as institutional trustee, the administrators of the Issuer named therein, the Guarantor, as sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Issuer, the Issuer is issuing on the date hereof those undivided beneficial interests, having an aggregate liquidation amount of $15,000,000.00 (the “Capital Securities”); and
 
WHEREAS, as incentive for the Holders to purchase the Capital Securities, the Guarantor desires irrevocably and unconditionally to agree, to the extent set forth in this Guarantee, to pay to the Holders of Capital Securities the Guarantee Payments (as defined herein) and to make certain other payments on the terms and conditions set forth herein;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the purchase by each Holder of the Capital Securities, which purchase the Guarantor hereby agrees shall benefit the Guarantor, the Guarantor executes and delivers this Guarantee for the benefit of the Holders.
 
ARTICLE I
 
DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
 
Section 1.1. Definitions and Interpretation.  In this Guarantee, unless the context otherwise requires:
 
(a) capitalized terms used in this Guarantee but not defined in the preamble above have the respective meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1;
 
(b) a term defined anywhere in this Guarantee has the same meaning throughout;
 
(c) all references to “the Guarantee” or “this Guarantee” are to this Guarantee as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
(d) all references in this Guarantee to “Articles” or “Sections” are to Articles or Sections of this Guarantee, unless otherwise specified;
 
(e) terms defined in the Declaration as at the date of execution of this Guarantee have the same meanings when used in this Guarantee, unless otherwise defined in this Guarantee or unless the context otherwise requires; and
 
(f) a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any successor rule thereunder.
 

 
Beneficiaries” means any Person to whom the Issuer is or hereafter becomes indebted or liable.
 
Capital Securities” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Guarantee.
 
Common Securities” means the common securities issued by the Issuer to the Guarantor pursuant to the Declaration.
 
Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Guarantee Trustee at which the corporate trust business of the Guarantee Trustee shall, at any particular time, be principally administered, which office at the date of execution of this Guarantee is located at 225 Asylum Street, Goodwin Square, Hartford, Connecticut 06103.
 
Covered Person” means any Holder of Capital Securities.
 
Debentures” means the debt securities of the Guarantor designated the Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2033 held by the Institutional Trustee (as defined in the Declaration) of the Issuer.
 
Declaration Event of Default” means an “Event of Default” as defined in the Declaration.
 
Event of Default” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4(a).
 
Guarantee Payments” means the following payments or distributions, without duplication, with respect to the Capital Securities, to the extent not paid or made by the Issuer: (i) any accrued and unpaid Distributions (as defined in the Declaration) which are required to be paid on such Capital Securities to the extent the Issuer shall have funds available therefor, (ii) the Redemption Price to the extent the Issuer has funds available therefor, with respect to any Capital Securities called for redemption by the Issuer, (iii) the Special Redemption Price to the extent the Issuer has funds available therefor, with respect to Capital Securities redeemed upon the occurrence of a Special Event, and (iv) upon a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Issuer (other than in connection with the distribution of Debentures to the Holders of the Capital Securities in exchange therefor as provided in the Declaration), the lesser of (a) the aggregate of the liquidation amount and all accrued and unpaid Distributions on the Capital Securities to the date of payment, to the extent the Issuer shall have funds available therefor, and (b) the amount of assets of the Issuer remaining available for distribution to Holders in liquidation of the Issuer (in either case, the “Liquidation Distribution”).
 
Guarantee Trustee” means U.S. Bank National Association, until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee and thereafter means each such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
Guarantor” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and each of its successors and assigns.
 
Holder” means any holder, as registered on the books and records of the Issuer, of any Capital Securities; provided, however, that, in determining whether the Holders of the requisite percentage of Capital Securities have given any request, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, “Holder” shall not include the Guarantor or any Affiliate of the Guarantor.
 
Indemnified Person” means the Guarantee Trustee, any Affiliate of the Guarantee Trustee, or any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, nominees, custodians or agents of the Guarantee Trustee.
 
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Indenture” means the Indenture dated as of the date hereof between the Guarantor and U.S. Bank National Association, not in its individual capacity but solely as trustee, and any indenture supplemental thereto pursuant to which the Debentures are to be issued to the institutional trustee of the Issuer.
 
Issuer” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph to this Guarantee.
 
Liquidation Distribution” has the meaning set forth in the definition of “Guarantee Payments” herein.
 
Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Capital Securities, voting together as a class, but separately from the holders of Common Securities, of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all Capital Securities then outstanding.
 
Obligations” means any costs, expenses or liabilities (but not including liabilities related to taxes) of the Issuer other than obligations of the Issuer to pay to holders of any Trust Securities the amounts due such holders pursuant to the terms of the Trust Securities.
 
Officer’s Certificate” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by one Authorized Officer of such Person. Any Officer’s Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Guarantee shall include:
 
(a) a statement that the officer signing the Officer’s Certificate has read the covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto;
 
(b) a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination or investigation undertaken by the officer in rendering the Officer’s Certificate;
 
(c) a statement that the officer has made such examination or investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
 
(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of the officer, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.
 
Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Guarantee Trustee, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Guarantee Trustee including any Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary or any other officer of the Guarantee Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Special Event” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
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Special Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Successor Guarantee Trustee” means a successor Guarantee Trustee possessing the qualifications to act as Guarantee Trustee under Section 3.1.
 
Trust Securities” means the Common Securities and the Capital Securities.
 
ARTICLE II
 
POWERS, DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF
GUARANTEE TRUSTEE
 
Section 2.1. Powers and Duties of the Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a) This Guarantee shall be held by the Guarantee Trustee for the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not transfer this Guarantee to any Person except a Holder of Capital Securities exercising his or her rights pursuant to Section 4.4(b) or to a Successor Guarantee Trustee on acceptance by such Successor Guarantee Trustee of its appointment to act as Successor Guarantee Trustee. The right, title and interest of the Guarantee Trustee shall automatically vest in any Successor Guarantee Trustee, and such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents have been executed and delivered pursuant to the appointment of such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(b) If an Event of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee has occurred and is continuing, the Guarantee Trustee shall enforce this Guarantee for the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
(c) The Guarantee Trustee, before the occurrence of any Event of Default and after curing all Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Guarantee against the Guarantee Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been waived pursuant to Section 2.4) and is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise thereof, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
 
(d) No provision of this Guarantee shall be construed to relieve the Guarantee Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(i) prior to the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default that may have occurred:
 
(A) the duties and obligations of the Guarantee Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Guarantee, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Guarantee against the Guarantee Trustee; and
 
(B) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Guarantee Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Guarantee; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Guarantee;
 
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(ii) the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, unless it shall be proved that such Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee or the Guarantee Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts upon which such judgment was made;
 
(iii) the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the written direction of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee, or relating to the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee; and
 
(iv) no provision of this Guarantee shall require the Guarantee Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if the Guarantee Trustee shall have reasonable grounds for believing that the repayment of such funds is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Guarantee or security and indemnity, reasonably satisfactory to the Guarantee Trustee, against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
 
Section 2.2. Certain Rights of Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.1:
 
(i) The Guarantee Trustee may conclusively rely, and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon, any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or presented by the proper party or parties.
 
(ii) Any direction or act of the Guarantor contemplated by this Guarantee shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officer’s Certificate.
 
(iii) Whenever, in the administration of this Guarantee, the Guarantee Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established before taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Guarantee Trustee (unless other evidence is herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, request and conclusively rely upon an Officer’s Certificate of the Guarantor which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Guarantor.
 
(iv) The Guarantee Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (or any re-recording, refiling or re-registration thereof).
 
(v) The Guarantee Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection, and the advice or opinion of such counsel with respect to legal matters shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or opinion. Such counsel may be counsel to the Guarantor or any of its Affiliates and may include any of its employees. The Guarantee Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Guarantee from any court of competent jurisdiction.
 
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(vi) The Guarantee Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Guarantee at the request or direction of any Holder, unless such Holder shall have provided to the Guarantee Trustee such security and indemnity, reasonably satisfactory to the Guarantee Trustee, against the costs, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses and the expenses of the Guarantee Trustee’s agents, nominees or custodians) and liabilities that might be incurred by it in complying with such request or direction, including such reasonable advances as may be requested by the Guarantee Trustee; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Section 2.2(a)(vi) shall relieve the Guarantee Trustee, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, of its obligation to exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee.
 
(vii) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Guarantee Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.
 
(viii) The Guarantee Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents, nominees, custodians or attorneys, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder.
 
(ix) Any action taken by the Guarantee Trustee or its agents hereunder shall bind the Holders of the Capital Securities, and the signature of the Guarantee Trustee or its agents alone shall be sufficient and effective to perform any such action. No third party shall be required to inquire as to the authority of the Guarantee Trustee to so act or as to its compliance with any of the terms and provisions of this Guarantee, both of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the Guarantee Trustee’s or its agent’s taking such action.
 
(x) Whenever in the administration of this Guarantee the Guarantee Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder, the Guarantee Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, (ii) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (iii) shall be protected in conclusively relying on or acting in accordance with such instructions.
 
(xi) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, without negligence, and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Guarantee.
 
(b) No provision of this Guarantee shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Guarantee Trustee to perform any act or acts or exercise any right, power, duty or obligation conferred or imposed on it, in any jurisdiction in which it shall be illegal or in which the Guarantee Trustee shall be unqualified or incompetent in accordance with applicable law to perform any such act or acts or to exercise any such right, power, duty or obligation. No permissive power or authority available to the Guarantee Trustee shall be construed to be a duty.
 
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Section 2.3. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Guarantee.  The recitals contained in this Guarantee shall be taken as the statements of the Guarantor, and the Guarantee Trustee does not assume any responsibility for their correctness. The Guarantee Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or sufficiency of this Guarantee.
 
Section 2.4. Events of Default; Waiver.
 
(a) An Event of Default under this Guarantee will occur upon the failure of the Guarantor to perform any of its payment or other obligations hereunder.
 
(b) The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, voting or consenting as a class, on behalf of the Holders of all of the Capital Securities, waive any past Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such Event of Default shall cease to exist, and shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Guarantee, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
Section 2.5. Events of Default; Notice.
 
(a) The Guarantee Trustee shall, within 90 days after the occurrence of an Event of Default, transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Holders of the Capital Securities and the Guarantor, notices of all Events of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, unless such defaults have been cured before the giving of such notice, provided, however, that the Guarantee Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
(b) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Event of Default unless the Guarantee Trustee shall have received written notice from the Guarantor or a Holder of the Capital Securities (except in the case of a payment default), or a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee charged with the administration of this Guarantee shall have obtained actual knowledge thereof.
 
ARTICLE III
 
GUARANTEE TRUSTEE
 
Section 3.1. Guarantee Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a) There shall at all times be a Guarantee Trustee which shall:
 
(i) not be an Affiliate of the Guarantor, and
 
(ii) be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any State or Territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or Person authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by Federal, State, Territorial or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the supervising or examining authority referred to above, then, for the purposes of this Section 3.1(a)(ii), the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published.
 
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(b) If at any time the Guarantee Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 3.1(a), the Guarantee Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set out in Section 3.2(c).
 
(c) If the Guarantee Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Guarantee Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to this Guarantee.
 
Section 3.2. Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a) Subject to Section 3.2(b), the Guarantee Trustee may be appointed or removed without cause at any time by the Guarantor except during an Event of Default.
 
(b) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be removed in accordance with Section 3.2(a) until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment by written instrument executed by such Successor Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor.
 
(c) The Guarantee Trustee appointed to office shall hold office until a Successor Guarantee Trustee shall have been appointed or until its removal or resignation. The Guarantee Trustee may resign from office (without need for prior or subsequent accounting) by an instrument in writing executed by the Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor, which resignation shall not take effect until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment by an instrument in writing executed by such Successor Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor and the resigning Guarantee Trustee.
 
(d) If no Successor Guarantee Trustee shall have been appointed and accepted appointment as provided in this Section 3.2 within 60 days after delivery of an instrument of removal or resignation, the Guarantee Trustee resigning or being removed may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for appointment of a Successor Guarantee Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(e) No Guarantee Trustee shall be liable for the acts or omissions to act of any Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(f) Upon termination of this Guarantee or removal or resignation of the Guarantee Trustee pursuant to this Section 3.2, the Guarantor shall pay to the Guarantee Trustee all amounts owing to the Guarantee Trustee under Sections 7.2 and 7.3 accrued to the date of such termination, removal or resignation.
 
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ARTICLE IV
 
GUARANTEE
 
Section 4.1. Guarantee.
 
(a) The Guarantor irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to pay in full to the Holders the Guarantee Payments (without duplication of amounts theretofore paid by the Issuer), as and when due, regardless of any defense (except the defense of payment by the Issuer), right of set-off or counterclaim that the Issuer may have or assert. The Guarantor’s obligation to make a Guarantee Payment may be satisfied by direct payment of the required amounts by the Guarantor to the Holders or by causing the Issuer to pay such amounts to the Holders.
 
(b) The Guarantor hereby also agrees to assume any and all Obligations of the Issuer and in the event any such Obligation is not so assumed, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees to each Beneficiary the full payment, when and as due, of any and all Obligations to such Beneficiaries. This Guarantee is intended to be for the benefit of, and to be enforceable by, all such Beneficiaries, whether or not such Beneficiaries have received notice hereof.
 
Section 4.2. Waiver of Notice and Demand.  The Guarantor hereby waives notice of acceptance of this Guarantee and of any liability to which it applies or may apply, presentment, demand for payment, any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuer or any other Person before proceeding against the Guarantor, protest, notice of nonpayment, notice of dishonor, notice of redemption and all other notices and demands.
 
Section 4.3. Obligations Not Affected.  The obligations, covenants, agreements and duties of the Guarantor under this Guarantee shall in no way be affected or impaired by reason of the happening from time to time of any of the following:
 
(a) the release or waiver, by operation of law or otherwise, of the performance or observance by the Issuer of any express or implied agreement, covenant, term or condition relating to the Capital Securities to be performed or observed by the Issuer;
 
(b) the extension of time for the payment by the Issuer of all or any portion of the Distributions, Redemption Price, Special Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or any other sums payable under the terms of the Capital Securities or the extension of time for the performance of any other obligation under, arising out of or in connection with, the Capital Securities (other than an extension of time for payment of Distributions, Redemption Price, Special Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or other sum payable that results from the extension of any interest payment period on the Debentures or any extension of the maturity date of the Debentures permitted by the Indenture);
 
(c) any failure, omission, delay or lack of diligence on the part of the Holders to enforce, assert or exercise any right, privilege, power or remedy conferred on the Holders pursuant to the terms of the Capital Securities, or any action on the part of the Issuer granting indulgence or extension of any kind;
 
(d) the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, sale of any collateral, receivership, insolvency, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, reorganization, arrangement, composition or readjustment of debt of, or other similar proceedings affecting, the Issuer or any of the assets of the Issuer;
 
9

 
(e) any invalidity of, or defect or deficiency in, the Capital Securities;
 
(f) the settlement or compromise of any obligation guaranteed hereby or hereby incurred; or
 
(g) any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 4.3 that the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances.
 
There shall be no obligation of the Holders to give notice to, or obtain consent of, the Guarantor with respect to the happening of any of the foregoing.
 
Section 4.4. Rights of Holders.
 
(a) The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee in respect of this Guarantee or to direct the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee; provided, however, that (subject to Section 2.1) the Guarantee Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Guarantee Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action or proceeding so directed may not lawfully be taken or if the Guarantee Trustee in good faith by its board of directors or trustees, executive committees or a trust committee of directors or trustees and/or Responsible Officers shall determine that the action or proceedings so directed would involve the Guarantee Trustee in personal liability.
 
(b) Any Holder of Capital Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Guarantor to enforce the Guarantee Trustee’s rights under this Guarantee, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Issuer, the Guarantee Trustee or any other Person. The Guarantor waives any right or remedy to require that any such action be brought first against the Issuer, the Guarantee Trustee or any other Person before so proceeding directly against the Guarantor.
 
Section 4.5. Guarantee of Payment.  This Guarantee creates a guarantee of payment and not of collection.
 
Section 4.6. Subrogation.  The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all (if any) rights of the Holders of Capital Securities against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to such Holders by the Guarantor under this Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not (except to the extent required by mandatory provisions of law) be entitled to enforce or exercise any right that it may acquire by way of subrogation or any indemnity, reimbursement or other agreement, in all cases as a result of payment under this Guarantee, if, after giving effect to any such payment, any amounts are due and unpaid under this Guarantee. If any amount shall be paid to the Guarantor in violation of the preceding sentence, the Guarantor agrees to hold such amount in trust for the Holders and to pay over such amount to the Holders.
 
Section 4.7. Independent Obligations.  The Guarantor acknowledges that its obligations hereunder are independent of the obligations of the Issuer with respect to the Capital Securities and that the Guarantor shall be liable as principal and as debtor hereunder to make Guarantee Payments pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee notwithstanding the occurrence of any event referred to in subsections (a) through (g), inclusive, of Section 4.3 hereof.
 
Section 4.8. Enforcement by a Beneficiary.  A Beneficiary may enforce the obligations of the Guarantor contained in Section 4.1(b) directly against the Guarantor and the Guarantor waives any right or remedy to require that any action be brought against the Issuer or any other person or entity before proceeding against the Guarantor. The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights (if any) of any Beneficiary against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to the Beneficiaries by the Guarantor under this Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not (except to the extent required by mandatory provisions of law) be entitled to enforce or exercise any rights that it may acquire by way of subrogation or any indemnity, reimbursement or other agreement, in all cases as a result of payment under this Guarantee, if at the time of any such payment, and after giving effect to such payment, any amounts are due and unpaid under this Guarantee.
 
10

 
ARTICLE V
 
LIMITATION OF TRANSACTIONS; SUBORDINATION
 
Section 5.1. Limitation of Transactions.  So long as any Capital Securities remain outstanding, if (a) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default or a Declaration Event of Default or (b) the Guarantor shall have selected an Extension Period as provided in the Declaration and such period, or any extension thereof, shall have commenced and be continuing, then the Guarantor shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Guarantor’s or such Affiliate’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Guarantor or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Guarantor to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Guarantor) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Guarantor or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (i) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Guarantor in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Guarantor (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the occurrence of the Event of Default, Declaration Event of Default or Extension Period, as applicable, (ii) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Guarantor) for any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Guarantor’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock, (iii) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Guarantor’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (iv) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (v) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (vi) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Guarantor (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (vii) payments under this Guarantee).
 
Section 5.2. Ranking.  This Guarantee will constitute an unsecured obligation of the Guarantor and will rank subordinate and junior in right of payment to all present and future Senior Indebtedness (as defined in the Indenture) of the Guarantor. By their acceptance thereof, each Holder of Capital Securities agrees to the foregoing provisions of this Guarantee and the other terms set forth herein.
 
11

 
The right of the Guarantor to participate in any distribution of assets of any of its subsidiaries upon any such subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization or otherwise is subject to the prior claims of creditors of that subsidiary, except to the extent the Guarantor may itself be recognized as a creditor of that subsidiary. Accordingly, the Guarantor’s obligations under this Guarantee will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of the Guarantor’s subsidiaries, and claimants should look only to the assets of the Guarantor for payments hereunder. This Guarantee does not limit the incurrence or issuance of other secured or unsecured debt of the Guarantor, including Senior Indebtedness of the Guarantor, under any indenture that the Guarantor may enter into in the future or otherwise.
 
ARTICLE VI
 
TERMINATION
 
Section 6.1. Termination.  This Guarantee shall terminate as to the Capital Securities (i) upon full payment of the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price of all Capital Securities then outstanding, (ii) upon the distribution of all of the Debentures to the Holders of all of the Capital Securities or (iii) upon full payment of the amounts payable in accordance with the Declaration upon dissolution of the Issuer. This Guarantee will continue to be effective or will be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any Holder of Capital Securities must restore payment of any sums paid under the Capital Securities or under this Guarantee.
 
ARTICLE VII
 
INDEMNIFICATION
 
Section 7.1. Exculpation.
 
(a) No Indemnified Person shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Guarantor or any Covered Person for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnified Person in good faith in accordance with this Guarantee and in a manner that such Indemnified Person reasonably believed to be within the scope of the authority conferred on such Indemnified Person by this Guarantee or by law, except that an Indemnified Person shall be liable for any such loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Indemnified Person’s negligence or willful misconduct with respect to such acts or omissions.
 
(b) An Indemnified Person shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Issuer or the Guarantor and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Issuer or the Guarantor by any Person as to matters the Indemnified Person reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who, if selected by such Indemnified Person, has been selected with reasonable care by such Indemnified Person, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits, losses, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which Distributions to Holders of Capital Securities might properly be paid.
 
Section 7.2. Indemnification.
 
(a) The Guarantor agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person for, and to hold each Indemnified Person harmless against, any and all loss, liability, damage, claim or expense incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Indemnified Person, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including, but not limited to, the costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) of the Indemnified Person defending itself against, or investigating, any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of the Indemnified Person’s powers or duties hereunder. The obligation to indemnify as set forth in this Section 7.2 shall survive the resignation or removal of the Guarantee Trustee and the termination of this Guarantee.
 
12

 
(b) Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Person under this Section 7.2 of notice of the commencement of any action, such Indemnified Person will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Guarantor under this Section 7.2, notify the Guarantor in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the Guarantor (i) will not relieve the Guarantor from liability under paragraph (a) above unless and to the extent that the Guarantor did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the Guarantor of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the Guarantor from any obligations to any Indemnified Person other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) above. The Guarantor shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the Guarantor’s choice at the Guarantor’s expense to represent the Indemnified Person in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the Guarantor shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the Indemnified Person or Persons except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person. Notwithstanding the Guarantor’s election to appoint counsel to represent the Guarantor in an action, the Indemnified Person shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the Guarantor shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the Guarantor to represent the Indemnified Person would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the Indemnified Person and the Guarantor and the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other Indemnified Person(s) which are different from or additional to those available to the Guarantor, (iii) the Guarantor shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the Guarantor shall authorize the Indemnified Person to employ separate counsel at the expense of the Guarantor. The Guarantor will not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Persons, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the Indemnified Persons are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each Indemnified Person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.
 
Section 7.3. Compensation; Reimbursement of Expenses.  The Guarantor agrees:
 
(a) to pay to the Guarantee Trustee from time to time such compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder as the parties shall agree to from time to time (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); and
 
(b) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Guarantee Trustee upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by it in accordance with any provision of this Guarantee (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence or willful misconduct.
 
For purposes of clarification, this Section 7.3 does not contemplate the payment by the Guarantor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Guarantee Trustee for services to be provided by the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee or the fees and expenses of the Guarantee Trustee’s counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Guarantee. The provisions of this Section 7.3 shall survive the resignation or removal of the Guarantee Trustee and the termination of this Guarantee.
 
13

 
ARTICLE VIII
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
Section 8.1. Successors and Assigns.  All guarantees and agreements contained in this Guarantee shall bind the successors, assigns, receivers, trustees and representatives of the Guarantor and shall inure to the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities then outstanding. Except in connection with any merger or consolidation of the Guarantor with or into another entity or any sale, transfer or lease of the Guarantor’s assets to another entity, in each case, to the extent permitted under the Indenture, the Guarantor may not assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Guarantee without the prior approval of the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
Section 8.2. Amendments.  Except with respect to any changes that do not adversely affect the rights of Holders of the Capital Securities in any material respect (in which case no consent of Holders will be required), this Guarantee may be amended only with the prior approval of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities. The provisions of the Declaration with respect to amendments thereof apply to the giving of such approval.
 
Section 8.3. Notices.  All notices provided for in this Guarantee shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and shall be delivered, telecopied or mailed by first class mail, as follows:
 
(a) If given to the Guarantee Trustee, at the Guarantee Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Guarantee Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Capital Securities and the Guarantor):
 
U.S. Bank National Association
225 Asylum Street, Goodwin Square
Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Attention: Corporate Trust Services Division
Telecopy: 860-241-6889
 
With a copy to:
 
U.S. Bank National Association
1 Federal Street - 3rd Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Attention: Paul D. Allen, Corporate Trust Services Division
Telecopy: 617-603-6665
 
(b) If given to the Guarantor, at the Guarantor’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Guarantor may give notice of to the Holders of the Capital Securities and to the Guarantee Trustee):
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
14

 
(c) If given to any Holder of the Capital Securities, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Issuer.
 
All such notices shall be deemed to have been given when received in person, telecopied with receipt confirmed, or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, except that if a notice or other document is refused delivery or cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given, such notice or other document shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date of such refusal or inability to deliver.
 
Section 8.4. Benefit.  This Guarantee is solely for the benefit of the Beneficiaries and, subject to Section 2.1(a), is not separately transferable from the Capital Securities.
 
Section 8.5. Governing Law.  THIS GUARANTEE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES THEREOF (OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).
 
Section 8.6. Counterparts.  This Guarantee may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
 
Section 8.7 Separability.  In case one or more of the provisions contained in this Guarantee shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Guarantee, but this Guarantee shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
15


THIS GUARANTEE is executed as of the day and year first above written.
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC., as Guarantor
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:

     
 
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as
Guarantee Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:

 
16

 
EX-4.6 4 v068251_ex4-6.htm

Exhibit 4.6
 


 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.,
as Issuer

INDENTURE
 
Dated as of March 17, 2005

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Trustee

FLOATING RATE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEFERRABLE INTEREST DEBENTURES

DUE 2035
 


 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

     
Page
ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS
1
 
Section 1.1.
Definitions
1
   
ARTICLE II. DEBENTURES
8
 
Section 2.1.
Authentication and Dating
8
 
Section 2.2.
Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication
9
 
Section 2.3.
Form and Denomination of Debentures
9
 
Section 2.4.
Execution of Debentures
9
 
Section 2.5.
Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Debentures
9
 
Section 2.6.
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Debentures
11
 
Section 2.7.
Temporary Debentures
12
 
Section 2.8.
Payment of Interest and Additional Interest
12
 
Section 2.9.
Cancellation of Debentures Paid, etc
14
 
Section 2.10.
Computation of Interest
14
 
Section 2.11.
Extension of Interest Payment Period
15
 
Section 2.12.
CUSIP Numbers
16
   
ARTICLE III. PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
17
 
Section 3.1.
Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest; Agreed Treatment of the Debentures
17
 
Section 3.2.
Offices for Notices and Payments, etc
17
 
Section 3.3.
Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office
18
 
Section 3.4.
Provision as to Paying Agent
18
 
Section 3.5.
Certificate to Trustee
19
 
Section 3.6.
Additional Sums
19
 
Section 3.7.
Compliance with Consolidation Provisions
19
 
Section 3.8.
Limitation on Dividends
19
 
Section 3.9.
Covenants as to the Trust
20
 
Section 3.10.
Additional Junior Indebtedness
20
   
ARTICLE IV. SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
20
 
Section 4.1.
Securityholders’ Lists
20
 
Section 4.2.
Preservation and Disclosure of Lists
21
   
ARTICLE V. REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS UPON AN EVENT OF DEFAULT
22
 
Section 5.1.
Events of Default
22
 
Section 5.2.
Payment of Debentures on Default; Suit Therefor
23
 
Section 5.3.
Application of Moneys Collected by Trustee
25
 
Section 5.4.
Proceedings by Securityholders
25
 
Section 5.5.
Proceedings by Trustee
25
 
Section 5.6.
Remedies Cumulative and Continuing; Delay or Omission Not a Waiver
25
 
 
i

 
 
 
Section 5.7.
Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Securityholders
26
 
Section 5.8.
Notice of Defaults
26
 
Section 5.9.
Undertaking to Pay Costs
27
   
ARTICLE VI. CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
27
 
Section 6.1.
Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee
27
 
Section 6.2.
Reliance on Documents, Opinions, etc
28
 
Section 6.3.
No Responsibility for Recitals, etc
29
 
Section 6.4.
Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agents, Transfer Agents or Registrar May Own Debentures
29
 
Section 6.5.
Moneys to be Held in Trust
29
 
Section 6.6.
Compensation and Expenses of Trustee
29
 
Section 6.7.
Officers’ Certificate as Evidence
30
 
Section 6.8.
Eligibility of Trustee
30
 
Section 6.9.
Resignation or Removal of Trustee
30
 
Section 6.10.
Acceptance by Successor Trustee
31
 
Section 6.11.
Succession by Merger, etc
32
 
Section 6.12.
Authenticating Agents
33
   
ARTICLE VII. CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
33
 
Section 7.1.
Action by Securityholders
33
 
Section 7.2.
Proof of Execution by Securityholders
34
 
Section 7.3.
Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners
34
 
Section 7.4.
Debentures Owned by Company Deemed Not Outstanding
34
 
Section 7.5.
Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound
35
   
ARTICLE VIII. SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
35
 
Section 8.1.
Purposes of Meetings
35
 
Section 8.2.
Call of Meetings by Trustee
35
 
Section 8.3.
Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders
36
 
Section 8.4.
Qualifications for Voting
36
 
Section 8.5.
Regulations
36
 
Section 8.6.
Voting
36
 
Section 8.7.
Quorum; Actions
37
   
ARTICLE IX. SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
37
 
Section 9.1.
Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Securityholders
37
 
Section 9.2.
Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders
38
 
Section 9.3.
Effect of Supplemental Indentures
39
 
Section 9.4.
Notation on Debentures
39
 
Section 9.5.
Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture to be Furnished to Trustee
40
   
ARTICLE X. REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
40
 
Section 10.1.
Optional Redemption
40
 
Section 10.2.
Special Event Redemption
40
 
Section 10.3.
Notice of Redemption; Selection of Debentures
40
 
Section 10.4.
Payment of Debentures Called for Redemption
41
 
 
ii

 
 
ARTICLE XI. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, CONVEYANCE AND LEASE
41
 
Section 11.1.
Company May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms
41
 
Section 11.2.
Successor Entity to be Substituted
41
 
Section 11.3.
Opinion of Counsel to be Given to Trustee
42
   
ARTICLE XII. SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
42
 
Section 12.1.
Discharge of Indenture
42
 
Section 12.2.
Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust by Trustee
43
 
Section 12.3.
Paying Agent to Repay Moneys Held
43
 
Section 12.4.
Return of Unclaimed Moneys
43
   
ARTICLE XIII. IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
43
Section 13.1.
Indenture and Debentures Solely Corporate Obligations
43
   
ARTICLE XIV. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
43
 
Section 14.1.
Successors
43
 
Section 14.2.
Official Acts by Successor Entity
43
 
Section 14.3.
Surrender of Company Powers
44
 
Section 14.4.
Addresses for Notices, etc
44
 
Section 14.5.
Governing Law
44
 
Section 14.6.
Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent
44
 
Section 14.7.
Table of Contents, Headings, etc
44
 
Section 14.8.
Execution in Counterparts
44
 
Section 14.9.
Separability
44
 
Section 14.10.
Assignment
45
 
Section 14.11.
Acknowledgment of Rights
45
   
ARTICLE XV. SUBORDINATION OF DEBENTURES
45
 
Section 15.1.
Agreement to Subordinate
45
 
Section 15.2.
Default on Senior Indebtedness
45
 
Section 15.3.
Liquidation, Dissolution, Bankruptcy
46
 
Section 15.4.
Subrogation
47
 
Section 15.5.
Trustee to Effectuate Subordination
47
 
Section 15.6.
Notice by the Company
48
 
Section 15.7.
Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness
48
 
Section 15.8.
Subordination May Not Be Impaired
48
 
Exhibit A
Form of Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debenture
 
 
iii

 
THIS INDENTURE, dated as of March 17, 2005, between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company”), and Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as debenture trustee (the “Trustee”).
 
WITNESSETH:
 
WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the issuance of its Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2035 (the “Debentures”) under this Indenture to provide, among other things, for the execution and authentication, delivery and administration thereof, and the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture; and
 
WHEREAS, all acts and things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement according to its terms, have been done and performed;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, This Indenture Witnesseth:
 
In consideration of the premises, and the purchase of the Debentures by the holders thereof, the Company covenants and agrees with the Trustee for the equal and proportionate benefit of the respective holders from time to time of the Debentures as follows:
 
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS
 
Section 1.1. Definitions.  The terms defined in this Section 1.1 (except as herein otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section 1.1. All accounting terms used herein and not expressly defined shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and the term “generally accepted accounting principles” means such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States at the time of any computation. The words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
 
Acceleration Event of Default” means an Event of Default under Section 5.1(a), (d), (e) or (f), whatever the reason for such Acceleration Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body.
 
Additional Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11.
 
Additional Junior Indebtedness” means, without duplication and other than the Debentures, any indebtedness, liabilities or obligations of the Company, or any Subsidiary of the Company, under debt securities (or guarantees in respect of debt securities) initially issued after the date of this Indenture to any trust, or a trustee of a trust, partnership or other entity affiliated with the Company that is, directly or indirectly, a finance subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940) or other financing vehicle of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in connection with the issuance by that entity of preferred securities or other securities that are eligible to qualify for Tier 1 capital treatment (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Company (or, if the Company is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Company as if the Company were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the Additional Junior Indebtedness as Tier 1 capital shall not disqualify it as Additional Junior Indebtedness if such inability results from the Company having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve now or may hereafter accord Tier 1 capital treatment (including the Debentures) in excess of the amount which may qualify for treatment as Tier 1 capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines.
 
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Additional Sums” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Authenticating Agent” means any agent or agents of the Trustee which at the time shall be appointed and acting pursuant to Section 6.12.
 
Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
 
Board of Directors” means the board of directors or the executive committee or any other duly authorized designated officers of the Company.
 
Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification and delivered to the Trustee.
 
Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in New York City or Wilmington, Delaware are permitted or required by any applicable law or executive order to close.
 
Capital Securities” means undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust which rank pari passu with Common Securities issued by the Trust; provided, however, that upon the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default (as defined in the Declaration), the rights of holders of such Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of holders of such Capital Securities.
 
Capital Securities Guarantee” means the guarantee agreement that the Company enters into with Wilmington Trust Company, as guarantee trustee, or other Persons that operates directly or indirectly for the benefit of holders of Capital Securities of the Trust.
 
Capital Treatment Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective change) in, the laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein, or as the result of any official or administrative pronouncement or action or decision interpreting or applying such laws, rules or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Company will not, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, be entitled to treat an amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Company (or if the Company is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Company as if the Company were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as Tier l Capital shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event, if such inability results from the Company having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, may now or hereafter accord Tier 1 Capital treatment in excess of the amount which may now or hereafter qualify for treatment as Tier 1 Capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines; provided further, however, that the distribution of Debentures in connection with the liquidation of the Trust shall not in and of itself constitute a Capital Treatment Event unless such liquidation shall have occurred in connection with a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event. For purposes of this definition, the rule designated “Risk-Based Capital Standards: Trust Preferred Securities and the Definition of Capital” issued by the Federal Reserve on March 1, 2005 shall be deemed to have been issued and effective prior to the date of this Indenture and shall not be deemed to constitute a Capital Treatment Event.
 
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Certificate” means a certificate signed by any one of the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the Company.
 
Common Securities” means undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust which rank pari passu with Capital Securities issued by the Trust; provided, however, that upon the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default (as defined in the Declaration), the rights of holders of such Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of holders of such Capital Securities.
 
Company” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, and, subject to the provisions of Article XI, shall include its successors and assigns.
 
Coupon Rate” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8.
 
Debenture” or “Debentures” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture.
 
Debenture Register” has the meaning specified in Section 2.5.
 
Declaration” means the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as amended or supplemented from time to time.
 
Default” means any event, act or condition that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default.
 
Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8.
 
Distribution Period” means (i) with respect to interest paid on the first Interest Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in June 2005 and (ii) thereafter, with respect to interest paid on each successive Interest Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the preceding Interest Payment Date and ending on (but excluding) such current Interest Payment Date.
 
Determination Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10.
 
Event of Default” means any event specified in Section 5.1, continued for the period of time, if any, and after the giving of the notice, if any, therein designated.
 
Extension Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11.
 
Federal Reserve” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or its designated district bank, as applicable, and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of bank holding companies.
 
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Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or, if amended or supplemented as herein provided, as so amended or supplemented, or both.
 
Institutional Trustee” has the meaning set forth in the Declaration.
 
Interest Payment Date” means March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year during the term of this Indenture, or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day, commencing in June 2005.
 
Interest Rate” means for the Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in June 2005 the rate per annum of 4.76%, and for each Distribution Period beginning on or after the Interest Payment Date in June 2005, the Coupon Rate for such Distribution Period.
 
Investment Company Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of a change in law or regulation or written change (including any announced prospective change) in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion will be considered an “investment company” that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended which change or prospective change becomes effective or would become effective, as the case may be, on or after the date of the issuance of the Debentures.
 
Liquidation Amount” means the stated amount of $1,000.00 per Trust Security.
 
Maturity Date” means March 17, 2035.
 
Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice Chairman, the President, any Managing Director or any Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Comptroller, an Assistant Comptroller, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, and delivered to the Trustee. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 14.6 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.
 
Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing signed by legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel to the Company, or may be other counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 14.6 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.
 
OTS” means the Office of Thrift Supervision and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of savings and loan holding companies.
 
The term “outstanding,” when used with reference to Debentures, means, subject to the provisions of Section 7.4, as of any particular time, all Debentures authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent under this Indenture, except:
 
(a) Debentures theretofore canceled by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;
 
(b) Debentures, or portions thereof, for the payment or redemption of which moneys in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any paying agent (other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own paying agent); provided, however, that, if such Debentures, or portions thereof, are to be redeemed prior to maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as provided in Section 10.3 or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made for giving such notice; and
 
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(c) Debentures paid pursuant to Section 2.6 or in lieu of or in substitution for which other Debentures shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.6 unless proof satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee is presented that any such Debentures are held by bona fide holders in due course.
 
Person” means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
 
Predecessor Security” of any particular Debenture means every previous Debenture evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Debenture; and, for purposes of this definition, any Debenture authenticated and delivered under Section 2.6 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Debenture shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Debenture.
 
Principal Office of the Trustee,” or other similar term, means the office of the Trustee, at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which at the time of the execution of this Indenture shall be Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attention: Corporate Trust Administration.
 
Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.
 
Redemption Price” means 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest (including any Additional Interest) on such Debentures to the Redemption Date.
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Trustee, any officer within the Principal Office of the Trustee, including any vice-president, any assistant vice-president, any secretary, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or other officer of the Principal Trust Office of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time or any successor legislation.
 
Securityholder,” “holder of Debentures,” or other similar terms, means any Person in whose name at the time a particular Debenture is registered on the register kept by the Company or the Trustee for that purpose in accordance with the terms hereof.
 
Senior Indebtedness” means, with respect to the Company, (i) the principal, premium, if any, and interest in respect of (A) indebtedness of the Company for all borrowed and purchased money and (B) indebtedness evidenced by securities, debentures, notes, bonds or other similar instruments issued by the Company; (ii) all capital lease obligations of the Company; (iii) all obligations of the Company issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations of the Company and all obligations of the Company under any title retention agreement; (iv) all obligations of the Company for the reimbursement of any letter of credit, any banker’s acceptance, any security purchase facility, any repurchase agreement or similar arrangement, any interest rate swap, any other hedging arrangement, any obligation under options or any similar credit or other transaction; (v) all obligations of the Company associated with derivative products such as interest and foreign exchange rate contracts, commodity contracts, and similar arrangements; (vi) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (v) above of other Persons for the payment of which the Company is responsible or liable as obligor, guarantor or otherwise including, without limitation, similar obligations arising from off-balance sheet guarantees and direct credit substitutes; and (vii) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (vi) above of other Persons secured by any lien on any property or asset of the Company (whether or not such obligation is assumed by the Company), whether incurred on or prior to the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Senior Indebtedness” shall not include (1) any Additional Junior Indebtedness, (2) Debentures issued pursuant to this Indenture and guarantees in respect of such Debentures, (3) trade accounts payable of the Company arising in the ordinary course of business (such trade accounts payable being pari passu in right of payment to the Debentures), or (4) obligations with respect to which (a) in the instrument creating or evidencing the same or pursuant to which the same is outstanding, it is provided that such obligations are pari passu, junior or otherwise not superior in right of payment to the Debentures and (b) the Company, prior to the issuance thereof, has notified (and, if then required under the applicable guidelines of the regulating entity, has received approval from) the Federal Reserve (if the Company is a bank holding company) or the OTS (if the Company is a savings and loan holding company). Senior Indebtedness shall continue to be Senior Indebtedness and be entitled to the subordination provisions irrespective of any amendment, modification or waiver of any term of such Senior Indebtedness.
 
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Special Event” means any of a Capital Treatment Event, an Investment Company Event or a Tax Event.
 
Special Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2.
 
Special Redemption Price” means the price set forth in the following table for any Special Redemption Date that occurs on the date indicated below (or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day), expressed as the percentage of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed:
 
Month in which Special Redemption Date Occurs
 
Special Redemption Price
June 2005
 
104.625%
September 2005
 
104.300%
December 2005
 
104.000%
March 2006
 
103.650%
June 2006
 
103.350%
September 2006
 
103.000%
December 2006
 
102.700%
March 2007
 
102.350%
June 2007
 
102.050%
September 2007
 
101.700%
December 2007
 
101.400%
March 2008
 
101.050%
June 2008
 
100.750%
September 2008
 
100.450%
December 2008
 
100.200%
March 2009 and thereafter
 
100.000%
 

 
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plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest (including any Additional Interest) on such Debentures to the Special Redemption Date.
 
Subsidiary” means with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation at least a majority of the outstanding voting stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, (ii) any general partnership, joint venture or similar entity, at least a majority of the outstanding partnership or similar interests of which shall at the time be owned by such Person, or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries and (iii) any limited partnership of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is a general partner. For the purposes of this definition, “voting stock” means shares, interests, participations or other equivalents in the equity interest (however designated) in such Person having ordinary voting power for the election of a majority of the directors (or the equivalent) of such Person, other than shares, interests, participations or other equivalents having such power only by reason of the occurrence of a contingency.
 
Tax Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, or as a result of any official administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum, field service advice, regulatory procedure, notice or announcement, including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt such procedures or regulations) (an “Administrative Action”) or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, regardless of whether such Administrative Action or judicial decision is issued to or in connection with a proceeding involving the Company or the Trust and whether or not subject to review or appeal, which amendment, clarification, change, Administrative Action or decision is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that: (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures; (ii) interest payable by the Company on the Debentures is not, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Company, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes; or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges.
 
3-Month LIBOR” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10.
 
Telerate Page 3750” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10.
 
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Trust” shall mean Wilshire Statutory Trust II, a Delaware statutory trust, or any other similar trust created for the purpose of issuing Capital Securities in connection with the issuance of Debentures under this Indenture, of which the Company is the sponsor.
 
Trust Securities” means Common Securities and Capital Securities of the Trust.
 
Trustee” means Wilmington Trust Company, and, subject to the provisions of Article VI hereof, shall also include its successors and assigns as Trustee hereunder.
 
ARTICLE II.
DEBENTURES
 
Section 2.1. Authentication and Dating.  Upon the execution and delivery of this Indenture, or from time to time thereafter, Debentures in an aggregate principal amount not in excess of $20,619,000.00 may be executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a written authentication order from the Company, shall thereupon authenticate and make available for delivery said Debentures to or upon the written order of the Company, signed by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, Vice Chairman, the President, one of its Managing Directors or one of its Vice Presidents without any further action by the Company hereunder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Trustee shall be fully protected in relying upon the aforementioned authentication order and written order in authenticating and delivering said Debentures. In authenticating such Debentures, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Debentures, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 6.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon:
 
(a) a copy of any Board Resolution or Board Resolutions relating thereto and, if applicable, an appropriate record of any action taken pursuant to such resolution, in each case certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, as the case may be; and
 
(b) an Opinion of Counsel prepared in accordance with Section 14.6 which shall also state:
 
(1) that such Debentures, when authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in each case in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, subject to or limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, conservatorship, receivership, moratorium and other statutory or decisional laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or the reorganization of financial institutions (including, without limitation, preference and fraudulent conveyance or transfer laws), heretofore or hereafter enacted or in effect, affecting the rights of creditors generally; and
 
(2) that all laws and requirements in respect of the execution and delivery by the Company of the Debentures have been complied with and that authentication and delivery of the Debentures by the Trustee will not violate the terms of this Indenture.
 
The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Debentures under this Section if the Trustee, being advised in writing by counsel, determines that such action may not lawfully be taken or if a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith shall determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability to existing holders.
 
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The definitive Debentures shall be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved on steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers executing such Debentures, as evidenced by their execution of such Debentures.
 
Section 2.2. Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.  The Trustee’s certificate of authentication on all Debentures shall be in substantially the following form:
 
This is one of the Debentures referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 
By      

Authorized Signer
 
Section 2.3. Form and Denomination of Debentures.  The Debentures shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto. The Debentures shall be in registered, certificated form without coupons and in minimum denominations of $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof. Any attempted transfer of the Debentures in a block having an aggregate principal amount of less than $100,000.00 shall be deemed to be void and of no legal effect whatsoever. Any such purported transferee shall be deemed not to be a holder of such Debentures for any purpose, including, but not limited to the receipt of payments on such Debentures, and such purported transferee shall be deemed to have no interest whatsoever in such Debentures. The Debentures shall be numbered, lettered, or otherwise distinguished in such manner or in accordance with such plans as the officers executing the same may determine with the approval of the Trustee as evidenced by the execution and authentication thereof.
 
Section 2.4. Execution of Debentures.  The Debentures shall be signed in the name and on behalf of the Company by the manual or facsimile signature of its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, Vice Chairman, President, one of its Managing Directors or one of its Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents or Vice Presidents. Only such Debentures as shall bear thereon a certificate of authentication substantially in the form herein before recited, executed by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent by the manual signature of an authorized signer, shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose. Such certificate by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent upon any Debenture executed by the Company shall be conclusive evidence that the Debenture so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.
 
In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Debentures shall cease to be such officer before the Debentures so signed shall have been authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent, or disposed of by the Company, such Debentures nevertheless may be authenticated and delivered or disposed of as though the Person who signed such Debentures had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Debenture may be signed on behalf of the Company by such Persons as, at the actual date of the execution of such Debenture, shall be the proper officers of the Company, although at the date of the execution of this Indenture any such person was not such an officer.
 
Every Debenture shall be dated the date of its authentication.
 
Section 2.5. Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Debentures.  The Company shall cause to be kept, at the office or agency maintained for the purpose of registration of transfer and for exchange as provided in Section 3.2, a register (the “Debenture Register”) for the Debentures issued hereunder in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration and transfer of all Debentures as in this Article II provided. The Debenture Register shall be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time.
 
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Debentures to be exchanged may be surrendered at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency to be maintained by the Company for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2, and the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in exchange therefor the Debenture or Debentures which the Securityholder making the exchange shall be entitled to receive. Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2, the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Debenture for a like aggregate principal amount. Registration or registration of transfer of any Debenture by the Trustee or by any agent of the Company appointed pursuant to Section 3.2, and delivery of such Debenture, shall be deemed to complete the registration or registration of transfer of such Debenture.
 
All Debentures presented for registration of transfer or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) be duly endorsed by, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent duly executed by the holder or his attorney duly authorized in writing.
 
No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Debentures, but the Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith.
 
The Company or the Trustee shall not be required to exchange or register a transfer of any Debenture for a period of 15 days next preceding the date of selection of Debentures for redemption.
 
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Debentures may not be transferred except in compliance with the restricted securities legend set forth below, unless otherwise determined by the Company, upon the advice of counsel expert in securities law, in accordance with applicable law:
 
THIS SECURITY IS NOT A SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR DEPOSIT AND IT IS NOT INSURED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ANY AGENCY OR FUND OF THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION.
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE COMPANY, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE COMPANY’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDENTURE, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE COMPANY.
 
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THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN A BLOCK HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
Section 2.6. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Debentures.  In case any Debenture shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company shall execute, and upon its written request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, a new Debenture bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Debenture, or in lieu of and in substitution for the Debenture so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Debenture shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of such Debenture and of the ownership thereof.
 
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The Trustee may authenticate any such substituted Debenture and deliver the same upon the written request or authorization of any officer of the Company. Upon the issuance of any substituted Debenture, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses connected therewith. In case any Debenture which has matured or is about to mature or has been called for redemption in full shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Debenture, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Debenture) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless and, in case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence satisfactory to the Company and to the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Debenture and of the ownership thereof.
 
Every substituted Debenture issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 2.6 by virtue of the fact that any such Debenture is destroyed, lost or stolen shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Debenture shall be found at any time, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Debentures duly issued hereunder. All Debentures shall be held and owned upon the express condition that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Debentures and shall preclude any and all other rights or remedies notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.
 
Section 2.7. Temporary Debentures.  Pending the preparation of definitive Debentures, the Company may execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery temporary Debentures that are typed, printed or lithographed. Temporary Debentures shall be issuable in any authorized denomination, and substantially in the form of the definitive Debentures in lieu of which they are issued but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be appropriate for temporary Debentures, all as may be determined by the Company. Every such temporary Debenture shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with the same effect, as the definitive Debentures. Without unreasonable delay the Company will execute and deliver to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent definitive Debentures and thereupon any or all temporary Debentures may be surrendered in exchange therefor, at the principal corporate trust office of the Trustee or at any office or agency maintained by the Company for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2, and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in exchange for such temporary Debentures a like aggregate principal amount of such definitive Debentures. Such exchange shall be made by the Company at its own expense and without any charge therefor except that in case of any such exchange involving a registration of transfer the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto. Until so exchanged, the temporary Debentures shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Debentures authenticated and delivered hereunder.
 
Section 2.8. Payment of Interest and Additional Interest.  Interest at the Interest Rate and any Additional Interest on any Debenture that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Debentures shall be paid to the Person in whose name said Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment except that interest and any Additional Interest payable on the Maturity Date shall be paid to the Person to whom principal is paid.
 
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Each Debenture shall bear interest for the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in June 2005 at a rate per annum of 4.76%, and shall bear interest for each successive Distribution Period beginning on or after the Interest Payment Date in June 2005 at a rate per annum equal to the 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described in Section 2.10, plus 1.79% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the principal amount thereof, until the principal thereof becomes due and payable, and on any overdue principal and to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law (without duplication) on any overdue installment of interest (including Additional Interest) at the Interest Rate in effect for each applicable period compounded quarterly. Interest shall be payable (subject to any relevant Extension Period) quarterly in arrears on each Interest Payment Date with the first installment of interest to be paid on the Interest Payment Date in June 2005.
 
Any interest on any Debenture, including Additional Interest, that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder; and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the Company to the Persons in whose names such Debentures (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the Trustee in writing at least 25 days prior to the date of the proposed payment of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Debenture and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not be more than 15 nor less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such special record date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be mailed, first class postage prepaid, to each Securityholder at its address as it appears in the Debenture Register, not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Debentures (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date and shall be no longer payable.
 
The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Debentures in any other lawful manner after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment method; provided, however, the Trustee in its sole discretion deems such payment method to be practical.
 
Any interest (including Additional Interest) scheduled to become payable on an Interest Payment Date occurring during an Extension Period shall not be Defaulted Interest and shall be payable on such other date as may be specified in the terms of such Debentures.
 
The term “regular record date” as used in this Section shall mean the close of business on the 15th Business Day preceding the applicable Interest Payment Date.
 
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Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Debenture delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Debenture shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Debenture.
 
Section 2.9. Cancellation of Debentures Paid, etc.  All Debentures surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer, shall, if surrendered to the Company or any paying agent, be surrendered to the Trustee and promptly canceled by it, or, if surrendered to the Trustee or any Authenticating Agent, shall be promptly canceled by it, and no Debentures shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. All Debentures canceled by any Authenticating Agent shall be delivered to the Trustee. The Trustee shall destroy all canceled Debentures unless the Company otherwise directs the Trustee in writing. If the Company shall acquire any of the Debentures, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Debentures unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation.
 
Section 2.10. Computation of Interest.  The amount of interest payable for each Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Interest Rate to the principal amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period on the basis of the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Debentures will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
(a) 3-Month LIBOR” means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month, U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Trustee in the following order of priority:
 
(1) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (as defined below). “Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits;
 
(2) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations;
 
(3) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (2) above, the Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and
 
(4) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (3) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period.
 
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If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
(b) The Interest Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
(c) Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the particular Distribution Period for which a Coupon Rate is being determined.
 
(d) The Trustee shall notify the Company, the Institutional Trustee and any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system on which the Capital Securities are listed, of the Coupon Rate and the Determination Date for each Distribution Period, in each case as soon as practicable after the determination thereof but in no event later than the thirtieth (30th) day of the relevant Distribution Period. Failure to notify the Company, the Institutional Trustee or any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system, or any defect in said notice, shall not affect the obligation of the Company to make payment on the Debentures at the applicable Coupon Rate. Any error in the calculation of the Coupon Rate by the Trustee may be corrected at any time by notice delivered as above provided. Upon the request of a holder of a Debenture, the Trustee shall provide the Coupon Rate then in effect and, if determined, the Coupon Rate for the next Distribution Period.
 
(e) Subject to the corrective rights set forth above, all certificates, communications, opinions, determinations, calculations, quotations and decisions given, expressed, made or obtained for the purposes of the provisions relating to the payment and calculation of interest on the Debentures and distributions on the Capital Securities by the Trustee or the Institutional Trustee will (in the absence of willful default, bad faith and manifest error) be final, conclusive and binding on the Trust, the Company and all of the holders of the Debentures and the Capital Securities, and no liability shall (in the absence of willful default, bad faith or manifest error) attach to the Trustee or the Institutional Trustee in connection with the exercise or non-exercise by either of them or their respective powers, duties and discretion.
 
Section 2.11. Extension of Interest Payment Period.  So long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall have the right, from time to time, and without causing an Event of Default, to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures at any time and from time to time during the term of the Debentures, for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each such extended interest payment period, an “Extension Period”), during which Extension Period no interest (including Additional Interest) shall be due and payable (except any Additional Sums that may be due and payable). No Extension Period may end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date. During an Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Interest Rate in effect for such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). At the end of any such Extension Period the Company shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date; provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Company shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s or such Affiliate’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (ii) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (i) or (ii) above, (a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, (b) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (e) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (f) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Company (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (g) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee). Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Company may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest to the extent permitted by applicable law. The Company must give the Trustee notice of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period by the close of business at least 15 Business Days prior to the Interest Payment Date with respect to which interest on the Debentures would have been payable except for the election to begin or extend such Extension Period. The Trustee shall give notice of the Company’s election to begin a new Extension Period to the Securityholders.
 
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Section 2.12. CUSIP Numbers.  The Company in issuing the Debentures may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Securityholders; provided, however, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Debentures or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Debentures, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP numbers.
 
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ARTICLE III.
PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
 
Section 3.1. Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest; Agreed Treatment of the Debentures.
 
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of and premium, if any, and interest and any Additional Interest and other payments on the Debentures at the place, at the respective times and in the manner provided in this Indenture and the Debentures. Each installment of interest on the Debentures may be paid (i) by mailing checks for such interest payable to the order of the holders of Debentures entitled thereto as they appear on the registry books of the Company if a request for a wire transfer has not been received by the Company or (ii) by wire transfer to any account with a banking institution located in the United States designated in writing by such Person to the paying agent no later than the related record date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as the holder of this Debenture is the Institutional Trustee, the payment of the principal of and interest on this Debenture will be made in immediately available funds at such place and to such account as may be designated by the Institutional Trustee.
 
(b) The Company will treat the Debentures as indebtedness, and the amounts payable in respect of the principal amount of such Debentures as interest, for all United States federal income tax purposes. All payments in respect of such Debentures will be made free and clear of United States withholding tax to any beneficial owner thereof that has provided an Internal Revenue Service Form W8 BEN (or any substitute or successor form) establishing its non-United States status for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
(c) As of the date of this Indenture, the Company has no present intention to exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by commencing an Extension Period.
 
(d) As of the date of this Indenture, the Company believes that the likelihood that it would exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by commencing an Extension Period at any time during which the Debentures are outstanding is remote because of the restrictions that would be imposed on the Company’s ability to declare or pay dividends or distributions on, or to redeem, purchase or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of its outstanding equity and on the Company’s ability to make any payments of principal of or interest on, or repurchase or redeem, any of its debt securities that rank pari passu in all respects with (or junior in interest to) the Debentures.
 
Section 3.2. Offices for Notices and Payments, etc.  So long as any of the Debentures remain outstanding, the Company will maintain in Wilmington, Delaware, an office or agency where the Debentures may be presented for payment, an office or agency where the Debentures may be presented for registration of transfer and for exchange as in this Indenture provided and an office or agency where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Debentures or of this Indenture may be served. The Company will give to the Trustee written notice of the location of any such office or agency and of any change of location thereof. Until otherwise designated from time to time by the Company in a notice to the Trustee, or specified as contemplated by Section 2.5, such office or agency for all of the above purposes shall be the office or agency of the Trustee. In case the Company shall fail to maintain any such office or agency in Wilmington, Delaware, or shall fail to give such notice of the location or of any change in the location thereof, presentations and demands may be made and notices may be served at the Principal Office of the Trustee.
 
In addition to any such office or agency, the Company may from time to time designate one or more offices or agencies outside Wilmington, Delaware, where the Debentures may be presented for registration of transfer and for exchange in the manner provided in this Indenture, and the Company may from time to time rescind such designation, as the Company may deem desirable or expedient; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain any such office or agency in Wilmington, Delaware, for the purposes above mentioned. The Company will give to the Trustee prompt written notice of any such designation or rescission thereof.
 
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Section 3.3. Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office.  The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 6.9, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder.
 
Section 3.4. Provision as to Paying Agent.
 
(a) If the Company shall appoint a paying agent other than the Trustee, it will cause such paying agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provision of this Section 3.4,
 
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Debentures (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor on the Debentures) in trust for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures;
 
(2) that it will give the Trustee prompt written notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor on the Debentures) to make any payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Debentures when the same shall be due and payable; and
 
(3) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any Event of Default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such paying agent.
 
(b) If the Company shall act as its own paying agent, it will, on or before each due date of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest or other payments, if any, on the Debentures, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures a sum sufficient to pay such principal, premium, interest or other payments so becoming due and will notify the Trustee in writing of any failure to take such action and of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor under the Debentures) to make any payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest or other payments, if any, on the Debentures when the same shall become due and payable.
 
Whenever the Company shall have one or more paying agents for the Debentures, it will, on or prior to each due date of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Debentures, deposit with a paying agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal, premium, interest or other payments so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto and (unless such paying agent is the Trustee) the Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of its action or failure to act.
 
(c) Anything in this Section 3.4 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may, at any time, for the purpose of obtaining a satisfaction and discharge with respect to the Debentures, or for any other reason, pay, or direct any paying agent to pay to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or any such paying agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the trusts herein contained.
 
(d) Anything in this Section 3.4 to the contrary notwithstanding, the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section 3.4 is subject to Sections 12.3 and 12.4.
 
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Section 3.5. Certificate to Trustee.  The Company will deliver to the Trustee on or before 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, so long as Debentures are outstanding hereunder, a Certificate stating that in the course of the performance by the signers of their duties as officers of the Company they would normally have knowledge of any default during such fiscal year by the Company in the performance of any covenants contained herein, stating whether or not they have knowledge of any such default and, if so, specifying each such default of which the signers have knowledge and the nature and status thereof.
 
Section 3.6. Additional Sums.  If and for so long as the Trust is the holder of all Debentures and the Trust is required to pay any additional taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges as a result of a Tax Event, the Company will pay such additional amounts (“Additional Sums”) on the Debentures as shall be required so that the net amounts received and retained by the Trust after paying taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges will be equal to the amounts the Trust would have received if no such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges had been imposed. Whenever in this Indenture or the Debentures there is a reference in any context to the payment of principal of or interest on the Debentures, such mention shall be deemed to include mention of payments of the Additional Sums provided for in this paragraph to the extent that, in such context, Additional Sums are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph and express mention of the payment of Additional Sums (if applicable) in any provisions hereof shall not be construed as excluding Additional Sums in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not made; provided, however, that the deferral of the payment of interest during an Extension Period pursuant to Section 2.11 shall not defer the payment of any Additional Sums that may be due and payable.
 
Section 3.7. Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.  The Company will not, while any of the Debentures remain outstanding, consolidate with, or merge into, or merge into itself, or sell or convey all or substantially all of its property to any other Person unless the provisions of Article XI hereof are complied with.
 
Section 3.8. Limitation on Dividends.  If Debentures are initially issued to the Trust or a trustee of such Trust in connection with the issuance of Trust Securities by the Trust (regardless of whether Debentures continue to be held by such Trust) and (i) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default, (ii) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment of any obligations under the Capital Securities Guarantee, or (iii) the Company shall have given notice of its election to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period as provided herein and such period, or any extension thereof, shall be continuing, then the Company shall not, and shall not allow any Affiliate of the Company to, (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s capital stock or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (1) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, if any, (2) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (3) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (4) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (5) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (6) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Company (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (7) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee).
 
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Section 3.9. Covenants as to the Trust.  For so long as the Trust Securities remain outstanding, the Company shall maintain 100% ownership of the Common Securities; provided, however, that any permitted successor of the Company under this Indenture may succeed to the Company’s ownership of such Common Securities. The Company, as owner of the Common Securities, shall, except in connection with a distribution of Debentures to the holders of Trust Securities in liquidation of the Trust, the redemption of all of the Trust Securities or certain mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as permitted by the Declaration, cause the Trust (a) to remain a statutory trust, (b) to otherwise continue to be classified as a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes, and (c) to cause each holder of Trust Securities to be treated as owning an undivided beneficial interest in the Debentures.
 
Section 3.10. Additional Junior Indebtedness.  The Company shall not, and it shall not cause or permit any Subsidiary of the Company to, incur, issue or be obligated on any Additional Junior Indebtedness, either directly or indirectly, by way of guarantee, suretyship or otherwise, other than Additional Junior Indebtedness (i) that, by its terms, is expressly stated to be either junior and subordinate or pari passu in all respects to the Debentures, and (ii) of which the Company has notified (and, if then required under the applicable guidelines of the regulating entity, has received approval from) the Federal Reserve, if the Company is a bank holding company, or the OTS, if the Company is a savings and loan holding company.
 
ARTICLE IV.
SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS
BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
 
Section 4.1. Securityholders’ Lists.  The Company covenants and agrees that it will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:
 
(a) on each regular record date for the Debentures, a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Securityholders of the Debentures as of such record date; and
 
(b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished;
 
except that no such lists need be furnished under this Section 4.1 so long as the Trustee is in possession thereof by reason of its acting as Debenture registrar.
 
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Section 4.2. Preservation and Disclosure of Lists.
 
(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Debentures (1) contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 4.1 or (2) received by it in the capacity of Debentures registrar (if so acting) hereunder. The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 4.1 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.
 
(b) In case three or more holders of Debentures (hereinafter referred to as “applicants”) apply in writing to the Trustee and furnish to the Trustee reasonable proof that each such applicant has owned a Debenture for a period of at least 6 months preceding the date of such application, and such application states that the applicants desire to communicate with other holders of Debentures with respect to their rights under this Indenture or under such Debentures and is accompanied by a copy of the form of proxy or other communication which such applicants propose to transmit, then the Trustee shall within 5 Business Days after the receipt of such application, at its election, either:
 
(1) afford such applicants access to the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.2, or
 
(2) inform such applicants as to the approximate number of holders of Debentures whose names and addresses appear in the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.2, and as to the approximate cost of mailing to such Securityholders the form of proxy or other communication, if any, specified in such application.
 
If the Trustee shall elect not to afford such applicants access to such information, the Trustee shall, upon the written request of such applicants, mail to each Securityholder whose name and address appear in the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.2 a copy of the form of proxy or other communication which is specified in such request with reasonable promptness after a tender to the Trustee of the material to be mailed and of payment, or provision for the payment, of the reasonable expenses of mailing, unless within five days after such tender, the Trustee shall mail to such applicants and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, if permitted or required by applicable law, together with a copy of the material to be mailed, a written statement to the effect that, in the opinion of the Trustee, such mailing would be contrary to the best interests of the holders of all Debentures, as the case may be, or would be in violation of applicable law. Such written statement shall specify the basis of such opinion. If said Commission, as permitted or required by applicable law, after opportunity for a hearing upon the objections specified in the written statement so filed, shall enter an order refusing to sustain any of such objections or if, after the entry of an order sustaining one or more of such objections, said Commission shall find, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that all the objections so sustained have been met and shall enter an order so declaring, the Trustee shall mail copies of such material to all such Securityholders with reasonable promptness after the entry of such order and the renewal of such tender; otherwise the Trustee shall be relieved of any obligation or duty to such applicants respecting their application.
 
(c) Each and every holder of Debentures, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any paying agent shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Debentures in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section 4.2, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under said subsection (b).
 
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ARTICLE V.
REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS
UPON AN EVENT OF DEFAULT
 
Section 5.1. Events of Default.  “Event of Default,” wherever used herein, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
 
(a) the Company defaults in the payment of any interest upon any Debenture, including any Additional Interest in respect thereof, following the nonpayment of any such interest for twenty or more consecutive Distribution Periods; or
 
(b) the Company defaults in the payment of all or any part of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable either at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration of acceleration or otherwise; or
 
(c) the Company defaults in the performance of, or breaches, any of its covenants or agreements in this Indenture or in the terms of the Debentures established as contemplated in this Indenture (other than a covenant or agreement a default in whose performance or whose breach is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debentures, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or
 
(d) a court of competent jurisdiction shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or
 
(e) the Company shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or of any substantial part of its property, or shall make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due; or
 
(f) the Trust shall have voluntarily or involuntarily liquidated, dissolved, wound-up its business or otherwise terminated its existence except in connection with (i) the distribution of the Debentures to holders of such Trust Securities in liquidation of their interests in the Trust, (ii) the redemption of all of the outstanding Trust Securities or (iii) certain mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as permitted by the Declaration.
 
If an Acceleration Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Debentures, then, and in each and every such case, unless the principal of the Debentures shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Securityholders), may declare the entire principal of the Debentures and the interest accrued thereon, if any, to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default under Section 5.1(b) or (c) occurs and is continuing with respect to the Debentures, then, and in each and every such case, unless the principal of the Debentures shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Securityholders), may proceed to remedy the default or breach thereunder by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee or such holders shall deem most effectual to remedy the defaulted covenant or enforce the provisions of this Indenture so breached, either by suit in equity or by action at law, for damages or otherwise.
 
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The foregoing provisions, however, are subject to the condition that if, at any time after the principal of the Debentures shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, (i) the Company shall pay or shall deposit with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest upon all the Debentures and the principal of and premium, if any, on the Debentures which shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon such principal and premium, if any, and Additional Interest) and such amount as shall be sufficient to cover reasonable compensation to the Trustee and each predecessor Trustee, their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and all other amounts due to the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6, if any, and (ii) all Events of Default under this Indenture, other than the non-payment of the principal of or premium, if any, on Debentures which shall have become due by acceleration, shall have been cured, waived or otherwise remedied as provided herein -- then and in every such case the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding, by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all defaults and rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences, but no such waiver or rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or shall impair any right consequent thereon.
 
In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right under this Indenture and such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored respectively to their several positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall continue as though no such proceeding had been taken.
 
Section 5.2. Payment of Debentures on Default; Suit Therefor.  The Company covenants that upon the occurrence of an Event of Default pursuant to Section 5.1(a) or (b) then, upon demand of the Trustee, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures the whole amount that then shall have become due and payable on all Debentures for principal and premium, if any, or interest, or both, as the case may be, with Additional Interest accrued on the Debentures (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law and, if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such Trust, without duplication of any other amounts paid by the Trust or a trustee in respect thereof); and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including a reasonable compensation to the Trustee, its agents, attorneys and counsel, and any other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6. In case the Company shall fail forthwith to pay such amounts upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any actions or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or any other obligor on such Debentures and collect in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor on such Debentures wherever situated the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable.
 
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In case there shall be pending proceedings for the bankruptcy or for the reorganization of the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures under Bankruptcy Law, or in case a receiver or trustee shall have been appointed for the property of the Company or such other obligor, or in the case of any other similar judicial proceedings relative to the Company or other obligor upon the Debentures, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, the Trustee, irrespective of whether the principal of the Debentures shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration of acceleration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5.2, shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceedings or otherwise,
 
 
(i)
to file and prove a claim or claims for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Debentures,
 
 
(ii)
in case of any judicial proceedings, to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for reasonable compensation to the Trustee and each predecessor Trustee, and their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and for reimbursement of all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6), and of the Securityholders allowed in such judicial proceedings relative to the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, unless prohibited by applicable law and regulations, to vote on behalf of the holders of the Debentures in any election of a trustee or a standby trustee in arrangement, reorganization, liquidation or other bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings or Person performing similar functions in comparable proceedings,
 
 
(iii)
to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims, and
 
 
(iv)
to distribute the same after the deduction of its charges and expenses.
 
Any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the Securityholders to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover reasonable compensation to the Trustee, each predecessor Trustee and their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6.
 
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Debentures or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.
 
All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the Debentures, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Debentures, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the Debentures.
 
In any proceedings brought by the Trustee (and also any proceedings involving the interpretation of any provision of this Indenture to which the Trustee shall be a party), the Trustee shall be held to represent all the holders of the Debentures, and it shall not be necessary to make any holders of the Debentures parties to any such proceedings.
 
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Section 5.3. Application of Moneys Collected by Trustee.  Any moneys collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article V shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee for the distribution of such moneys, upon presentation of the several Debentures in respect of which moneys have been collected, and stamping thereon the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
 
First: To the payment of costs and expenses incurred by, and reasonable fees of, the Trustee, its agents, attorneys and counsel, and of all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6;
 
Second: To the payment of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company if and to the extent required by Article XV;
 
Third: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Debentures for principal (and premium, if any), and interest on the Debentures, in respect of which or for the benefit of which money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due on such Debentures (including Additional Interest); and
 
Fourth: The balance, if any, to the Company.
 
Section 5.4. Proceedings by Securityholders.  No holder of any Debenture shall have any right to institute any suit, action or proceeding for any remedy hereunder, unless such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures and unless the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding shall have given the Trustee a written request to institute such action, suit or proceeding and shall have offered to the Trustee such reasonable indemnity as it may require against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred thereby, and the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding.
 
Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Indenture, however, the right of any holder of any Debenture to receive payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, on such Debenture when due, or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder and by accepting a Debenture hereunder it is expressly understood, intended and covenanted by the taker and holder of every Debenture with every other such taker and holder and the Trustee, that no one or more holders of Debentures shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue or by availing itself of any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of the holders of any other Debentures, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such holder, or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Debentures. For the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.
 
Section 5.5. Proceedings by Trustee.  In case of an Event of Default hereunder the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either by suit in equity or by action at law or by proceeding in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.
 
Section 5.6. Remedies Cumulative and Continuing; Delay or Omission Not a Waiver.  Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.6, all powers and remedies given by this Article V to the Trustee or to the Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Debentures, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to the Debentures, and no delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Debentures to exercise any right, remedy or power accruing upon any Event of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right, remedy or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 5.4, every power and remedy given by this Article V or by law to the Trustee or to the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee (in accordance with its duties under Section 6.1) or by the Securityholders.
 
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Section 5.7. Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Securityholders.  The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures affected (voting as one class) at the time outstanding shall have the right to direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such Debentures; provided, however, that (subject to the provisions of Section 6.1) the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee shall determine that the action so directed would be unjustly prejudicial to the holders not taking part in such direction or if the Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action or proceeding so directed may not lawfully be taken or if a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall determine that the action or proceedings so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability.
 
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding may on behalf of the holders of all of the Debentures waive (or modify any previously granted waiver of) any past default or Event of Default, and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, (b) in respect of covenants or provisions hereof which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each Debenture affected, or (c) in respect of the covenants contained in Section 3.9; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such trust, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver, provided, further, that if the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such waiver shall not be effective until each holder of the Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver. Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by this Section, said default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Debentures and this Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing.
 
Section 5.8. Notice of Defaults.  The Trustee shall, within 90 days after the actual knowledge by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee of the occurrence of a default with respect to the Debentures, mail to all Securityholders, as the names and addresses of such holders appear upon the Debenture Register, notice of all defaults with respect to the Debentures known to the Trustee, unless such defaults shall have been cured before the giving of such notice (the term “defaults” for the purpose of this Section 5.8 being hereby defined to be the events specified in clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of Section 5.1, not including periods of grace, if any, provided for therein); provided, however, that, except in the case of default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Securityholders.
 
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Section 5.9. Undertaking to Pay Costs.  All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Debenture by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; provided, however, that the provisions of this Section 5.9 shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the Debentures outstanding, or to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Debenture against the Company on or after the same shall have become due and payable.
 
ARTICLE VI.
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
 
Section 6.1. Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.  With respect to the holders of Debentures issued hereunder, the Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default which may have occurred, with respect to the Debentures, undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures has occurred (which has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.
 
No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(a) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to Debentures and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default which may have occurred
 
(1) the duties and obligations of the Trustee with respect to Debentures shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations with respect to the Debentures as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee, and
 
(2) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but, in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture;
 
(b) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and
 
(c) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, in accordance with the direction of the Securityholders pursuant to Section 5.7, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture.
 
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None of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if there is ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or indemnity satisfactory to the Trustee against such risk is not reasonably assured to it.
 
Section 6.2. Reliance on Documents, Opinions, etc.  Except as otherwise provided in Section 6.1:
 
(a) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, note, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
 
(b) any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed); and any Board Resolution may be evidenced to the Trustee by a copy thereof certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company;
 
(c) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and any advice or Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or Opinion of Counsel;
 
(d) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Securityholders, pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein or thereby;
 
(e) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture; nothing contained herein shall, however, relieve the Trustee of the obligation, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures (that has not been cured or waived) to exercise with respect to Debentures such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and to use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs;
 
(f) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture, coupon or other paper or document, unless requested in writing to do so by the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debentures affected thereby; provided, however, that if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such expense or liability as a condition to so proceeding;
 
(g) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents (including any Authenticating Agent) or attorneys, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent or attorney appointed by it with due care; and
 
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(h) with the exceptions of defaults under Sections 5.1(a) or (b), the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any Default or Event of Default with respect to the Debentures unless a written notice of such Default or Event of Default shall have been given to the Trustee by the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures or by any holder of the Debentures.
 
Section 6.3. No Responsibility for Recitals, etc.  The recitals contained herein and in the Debentures (except in the certificate of authentication of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee and the Authenticating Agent assume no responsibility for the correctness of the same. The Trustee and the Authenticating Agent make no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Debentures. The Trustee and the Authenticating Agent shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any Debentures or the proceeds of any Debentures authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.
 
Section 6.4. Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agents, Transfer Agents or Registrar May Own Debentures.  The Trustee or any Authenticating Agent or any paying agent or any transfer agent or any Debenture registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Debentures with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Authenticating Agent, paying agent, transfer agent or Debenture registrar.
 
Section 6.5. Moneys to be Held in Trust.  Subject to the provisions of Section 12.4, all moneys received by the Trustee or any paying agent shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purpose for which they were received, but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee and any paying agent shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed in writing with the Company. So long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, all interest allowed on any such moneys shall be paid from time to time upon the written order of the Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, a Managing Director, a Vice President, the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer of the Company.
 
Section 6.6. Compensation and Expenses of Trustee.  The Company covenants and agrees to pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all Persons not regularly in its employ) except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may arise from its negligence or willful misconduct. For purposes of clarification, this Section 6.6 does not contemplate the payment by the Company of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustee pursuant to the services to be provided by the Trustee under this Indenture or the fees and expenses of the Trustee’s counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Indenture. The Company also covenants to indemnify each of the Trustee or any predecessor Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and employees) for, and to hold it harmless against, any and all loss, damage, claim, liability or expense including taxes (other than taxes based on the income of the Trustee) incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee and arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability. The obligations of the Company under this Section 6.6 to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute additional indebtedness hereunder. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Debentures upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Debentures.
 
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Without prejudice to any other rights available to the Trustee under applicable law, when the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified in Section 5.1(d), (e) or (f), the expenses (including the reasonable charges and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any applicable federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law.
 
The provisions of this Section shall survive the resignation or removal of the Trustee and the defeasance or other termination of this Indenture.
 
Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture or any Debenture to the contrary, the Trustee shall have no obligation whatsoever to advance funds to pay any principal of or interest on or other amounts with respect to the Debentures or otherwise advance funds to or on behalf of the Company.
 
Section 6.7. Officers’ Certificate as Evidence.  Except as otherwise provided in Sections 6.1 and 6.2, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or omitting any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee, and such certificate, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
 
Section 6.8. Eligibility of Trustee.  The Trustee hereunder shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia or a corporation or other Person authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having (or whose obligations under this Indenture are guaranteed by an affiliate having) a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000.00) and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial, or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section 6.8 the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent records of condition so published.
 
The Company may not, nor may any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee.
 
In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.8, the Trustee shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 6.9.
 
If the Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of § 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner described by this Indenture.
 
Section 6.9. Resignation or Removal of Trustee
 
(a) The Trustee, or any trustee or trustees hereafter appointed, may at any time resign by giving written notice of such resignation to the Company and by mailing notice thereof, at the Company’s expense, to the holders of the Debentures at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debenture Register. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee or trustees by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of its Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor Trustee. If no successor Trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of resignation to the affected Securityholders, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least six months may, subject to the provisions of Section 5.9, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor Trustee.
 
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(b) In case at any time any of the following shall occur 
 
(1) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 6.8 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least 6 months, or
 
(2) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.8 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder, or
 
(3) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged as bankrupt or insolvent, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,
 
then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor Trustee, or, subject to the provisions of Section 5.9, any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the Trustee and appoint successor Trustee.
 
(c) Upon prior written notice to the Company and the Trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding may at any time remove the Trustee and nominate a successor Trustee, which shall be deemed appointed as successor Trustee unless within 10 Business Days after such nomination the Company objects thereto, in which case, or in the case of a failure by such holders to nominate a successor Trustee, the Trustee so removed or any Securityholder, upon the terms and conditions and otherwise as in subsection (a) of this Section 6.9 provided, may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for an appointment of a successor.
 
(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee as provided in Section 6.10.
 
Section 6.10. Acceptance by Successor Trustee.  Any successor Trustee appointed as provided in Section 6.9 shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to its predecessor Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment hereunder, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations with respect to the Debentures of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Trustee herein; but, nevertheless, on the written request of the Company or of the successor Trustee, the Trustee ceasing to act shall, upon payment of any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.6, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights and powers of the Trustee so ceasing to act and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee thereunder. Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments in writing for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights and powers. Any Trustee ceasing to act shall, nevertheless, retain a lien upon all property or funds held or collected by such Trustee to secure any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.6.
 
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If a successor Trustee is appointed, the Company, the retiring Trustee and the successor Trustee shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto which shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Debentures as to which the predecessor Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the predecessor Trustee, and shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the Trust hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust and that each such Trustee shall be Trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee.
 
No successor Trustee shall accept appointment as provided in this Section unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be eligible under the provisions of Section 6.8.
 
In no event shall a retiring Trustee be liable for the acts or omissions of any successor Trustee hereunder.
 
Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor Trustee as provided in this Section 6.10, the Company shall mail notice of the succession of such Trustee hereunder to the holders of Debentures at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debenture Register. If the Company fails to mail such notice within 10 Business Days after the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee, the successor Trustee shall cause such notice to be mailed at the expense of the Company.
 
Section 6.11. Succession by Merger, etc.  Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided such corporation shall be otherwise eligible and qualified under this Article.
 
In case at the time such successor to the Trustee shall succeed to the trusts created by this Indenture any of the Debentures shall have been authenticated but not delivered, any such successor to the Trustee may adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee, and deliver such Debentures so authenticated; and in case at that time any of the Debentures shall not have been authenticated, any successor to the Trustee may authenticate such Debentures either in the name of any predecessor hereunder or in the name of the successor Trustee; and in all such cases such certificates shall have the full force which it is anywhere in the Debentures or in this Indenture provided that the certificate of the Trustee shall have; provided, however, that the right to adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee or authenticate Debentures in the name of any predecessor Trustee shall apply only to its successor or successors by merger, conversion or consolidation.
 
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Section 6.12. Authenticating Agents.  There may be one or more Authenticating Agents appointed by the Trustee upon the request of the Company with power to act on its behalf and subject to its direction in the authentication and delivery of Debentures issued upon exchange or registration of transfer thereof as fully to all intents and purposes as though any such Authenticating Agent had been expressly authorized to authenticate and deliver Debentures; provided, however, that the Trustee shall have no liability to the Company for any acts or omissions of the Authenticating Agent with respect to the authentication and delivery of Debentures. Any such Authenticating Agent shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.00 and being subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually pursuant to law or the requirements of such authority, then for the purposes of this Section 6.12 the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect herein specified in this Section.
 
Any corporation into which any Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, consolidation or conversion to which any Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of any Authenticating Agent, shall be the successor of such Authenticating Agent hereunder, if such successor corporation is otherwise eligible under this Section 6.12 without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the parties hereto or such Authenticating Agent.
 
Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of any Authenticating Agent with respect to the Debentures by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible under this Section 6.12, the Trustee may, and upon the request of the Company shall, promptly appoint a successor Authenticating Agent eligible under this Section 6.12, shall give written notice of such appointment to the Company and shall mail notice of such appointment to all holders of Debentures as the names and addresses of such holders appear on the Debenture Register. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder shall become vested with all rights, powers, duties and responsibilities with respect to the Debentures of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Authenticating Agent herein.
 
The Company agrees to pay to any Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services. Any Authenticating Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any action taken by it as such in accordance with the directions of the Trustee.
 
ARTICLE VII.
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
 
Section 7.1. Action by Securityholders.  Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action) the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such specified percentage have joined therein may be evidenced (a) by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such Securityholders in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing, or (b) by the record of such holders of Debentures voting in favor thereof at any meeting of such Securityholders duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article VIII, or (c) by a combination of such instrument or instruments and any such record of such a meeting of such Securityholders or (d) by any other method the Trustee deems satisfactory.
 
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If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, the Company may, at its option, as evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such Debentures for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of outstanding Debentures have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, and for that purpose the outstanding Debentures shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than 6 months after the record date.
 
Section 7.2. Proof of Execution by Securityholders.  Subject to the provisions of Section 6.1, 6.2 and 8.5, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder or his agent or proxy shall be sufficient if made in accordance with such reasonable rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Trustee or in such manner as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee. The ownership of Debentures shall be proved by the Debenture Register or by a certificate of the Debenture registrar. The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.
 
The record of any Securityholders’ meeting shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 8.6.
 
Section 7.3. Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners.  Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture, the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any paying agent, any transfer agent and any Debenture registrar may deem the Person in whose name such Debenture shall be registered upon the Debenture Register to be, and may treat him as, the absolute owner of such Debenture (whether or not such Debenture shall be overdue) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any paying agent nor any transfer agent nor any Debenture registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any holder for the time being or upon his order shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon any such Debenture.
 
Section 7.4. Debentures Owned by Company Deemed Not Outstanding.  In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Debentures have concurred in any direction, consent or waiver under this Indenture, Debentures which are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures shall be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding for the purpose of any such determination; provided, however, that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, consent or waiver, only Debentures which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Debentures so owned which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as outstanding for the purposes of this Section 7.4 if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right to vote such Debentures and that the pledgee is not the Company or any such other obligor or Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In the case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.
 
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Section 7.5. Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound.  At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 7.1, of the taking of any action by the holders of the percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder (in cases where no record date has been set pursuant to Section 7.1) or any holder as of an applicable record date (in cases where a record date has been set pursuant to Section 7.1) of a Debenture (or any Debenture issued in whole or in part in exchange or substitution therefor) the serial number of which is shown by the evidence to be included in the Debentures the holders of which have consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 7.2, revoke such action so far as concerns such Debenture (or so far as concerns the principal amount represented by any exchanged or substituted Debenture). Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of any Debenture shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Debenture, and of any Debenture issued in exchange or substitution therefor or on registration of transfer thereof, irrespective of whether or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Debenture or any Debenture issued in exchange or substitution therefor.
 
ARTICLE VIII.
SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
 
Section 8.1. Purposes of Meetings.  A meeting of Securityholders may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to the provisions of this Article VIII for any of the following purposes:
 
(a) to give any notice to the Company or to the Trustee, or to give any directions to the Trustee, or to consent to the waiving of any default hereunder and its consequences, or to take any other action authorized to be taken by Securityholders pursuant to any of the provisions of Article V;
 
(b) to remove the Trustee and nominate a successor trustee pursuant to the provisions of Article VI;
 
(c) to consent to the execution of an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto pursuant to the provisions of Section 9.2; or
 
(d) to take any other action authorized to be taken by or on behalf of the holders of any specified aggregate principal amount of such Debentures under any other provision of this Indenture or under applicable law.
 
Section 8.2. Call of Meetings by Trustee.  The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Securityholders to take any action specified in Section 8.1, to be held at such time and at such place as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of the Securityholders, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be mailed to holders of Debentures affected at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debentures Register and, if the Company is not a holder of Debentures, to the Company. Such notice shall be mailed not less than 20 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
 
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Section 8.3. Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders.  In case at any time the Company pursuant to a Board Resolution, or the holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures, as the case may be, then outstanding, shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of Securityholders, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have mailed the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request, then the Company or such Securityholders may determine the time and the place for such meeting and may call such meeting to take any action authorized in Section 8.1, by mailing notice thereof as provided in Section 8.2.
 
Section 8.4. Qualifications for Voting.  To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Securityholders a Person shall (a) be a holder of one or more Debentures with respect to which the meeting is being held or (b) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy by a holder of one or more such Debentures. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Securityholders shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel and any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.
 
Section 8.5. Regulations.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Securityholders, in regard to proof of the holding of Debentures and of the appointment of proxies, and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall think fit.
 
The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Securityholders as provided in Section 8.3, in which case the Company or the Securityholders calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by majority vote of the meeting.
 
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.4, at any meeting each holder of Debentures with respect to which such meeting is being held or proxy therefor shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000.00 principal amount of Debentures held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Debenture challenged as not outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote other than by virtue of Debentures held by him or instruments in writing as aforesaid duly designating him as the Person to vote on behalf of other Securityholders. Any meeting of Securityholders duly called pursuant to the provisions of Section 8.2 or 8.3 may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of those present, whether or not constituting a quorum, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.
 
Section 8.6. Voting.  The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of holders of Debentures with respect to which such meeting is being held shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of such holders or of their representatives by proxy and the serial number or numbers of the Debentures held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in triplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record in duplicate of the proceedings of each meeting of Securityholders shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more Persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was mailed as provided in Section 8.2. The record shall show the serial numbers of the Debentures voting in favor of or against any resolution. The record shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one of the duplicates shall be delivered to the Company and the other to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting.
 
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Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.
 
Section 8.7. Quorum; Actions.  The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Securityholders; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at such meeting with respect to a consent, waiver, request, demand, notice, authorization, direction or other action which may be given by the holders of not less than a specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding, the Persons holding or representing such specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding will constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes of the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Securityholders, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the permanent chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at any such adjourned meeting, such adjourned meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the permanent chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such adjourned meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 8.2, except that such notice need be given only once not less than 5 days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened. Notice of the reconvening of an adjourned meeting shall state expressly the percentage, as provided above, of the principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding which shall constitute a quorum.
 
Except as limited by the provisos in the first paragraph of Section 9.2, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding; provided, however, that, except as limited by the provisos in the first paragraph of Section 9.2, any resolution with respect to any consent, waiver, request, demand, notice, authorization, direction or other action which this Indenture expressly provides may be given by the holders of not less than a specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid only by the affirmative vote of the holders of a not less than such specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding.
 
Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of holders of Debentures duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Securityholders, whether or not present or represented at the meeting.
 
ARTICLE IX.
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
 
Section 9.1. Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Securityholders.  The Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto, without the consent of the Securityholders, for one or more of the following purposes:
 
(a) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, or successive successions, and the assumption by the successor Person of the covenants, agreements and obligations of the Company, pursuant to Article XI hereof;
 
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(b) to add to the covenants of the Company such further covenants, restrictions or conditions for the protection of the holders of Debentures as the Board of Directors shall consider to be for the protection of the holders of such Debentures, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and continuance, of a default in any of such additional covenants, restrictions or conditions a default or an Event of Default permitting the enforcement of all or any of the several remedies provided in this Indenture as herein set forth; provided, however, that in respect of any such additional covenant restriction or condition such supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which period may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults) or may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such default or may limit the remedies available to the Trustee upon such default;
 
(c) to cure any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture, or to make such other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising under this Indenture; provided that any such action shall not materially adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Debentures;
 
(d) to add to, delete from, or revise the terms of Debentures, including, without limitation, any terms relating to the issuance, exchange, registration or transfer of Debentures, including to provide for transfer procedures and restrictions substantially similar to those applicable to the Capital Securities as required by Section 2.5 (for purposes of assuring that no registration of Debentures is required under the Securities Act); provided, however, that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Debentures then outstanding (it being understood, for purposes of this proviso, that transfer restrictions on Debentures substantially similar to those that were applicable to Capital Securities shall not be deemed to materially adversely affect the holders of the Debentures);
 
(e) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Debentures and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee;
 
(f) to make any change (other than as elsewhere provided in this paragraph) that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect; or
 
(g) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Debentures, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or the Debentures, or to add to the rights of the holders of Debentures.
 
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations which may be therein contained and to accept the conveyance, transfer and assignment of any property thereunder, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to, but may in its discretion, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
 
Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section 9.1 may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Debentures at the time outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.2.
 
Section 9.2. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders.  With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 7.1) of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding affected by such supplemental indenture (voting as a class), the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the Debentures; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall without the consent of the holders of each Debenture then outstanding and affected thereby (i) change the fixed maturity of any Debenture, or reduce the principal amount thereof or any premium thereon, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any amount payable on redemption thereof or make the principal thereof or any interest or premium thereon payable in any coin or currency other than that provided in the Debentures, or impair or affect the right of any Securityholder to institute suit for payment thereof or impair the right of repayment, if any, at the option of the holder, or (ii) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Debentures the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture; provided further, however, that if the Debentures are held by a trust or a trustee of such trust, such supplemental indenture shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities shall have consented to such supplemental indenture; provided further, however, that if the consent of the Securityholder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such supplemental indenture shall not be effective until each holder of the Trust Securities shall have consented to such supplemental indenture.
 
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Upon the request of the Company accompanied by a Board Resolution authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of Securityholders as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such supplemental indenture.
 
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, a notice, prepared by the Company, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders as their names and addresses appear upon the Debenture Register. Any failure of the Trustee to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
 
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof.
 
Section 9.3. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.  Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX, this Indenture shall be and be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Debentures shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.
 
Section 9.4. Notation on Debentures.  Debentures authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX may bear a notation as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company or the Trustee shall so determine, new Debentures so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Company, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company, authenticated by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent and delivered in exchange for the Debentures then outstanding.
 
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Section 9.5. Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture to be Furnished to Trustee.  The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections 6.1 and 6.2, shall, in addition to the documents required by Section 14.6, receive an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant hereto complies with the requirements of this Article IX. The Trustee shall receive an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article IX is authorized or permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Article IX and that it is proper for the Trustee under the provisions of this Article IX to join in the execution thereof.
 
ARTICLE X.
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
 
Section 10.1. Optional Redemption.  The Company shall have the right (subject to the receipt by the Company of prior approval (i) if the Company is a bank holding company, from the Federal Reserve, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or (ii) if the Company is a savings and loan holding company, from the OTS, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the OTS) to redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, but in all cases in a principal amount with integral multiples of $1,000.00, on any Interest Payment Date on or after the Interest Payment Date in March 2010 (the “Redemption Date”), at the Redemption Price.
 
Section 10.2. Special Event Redemption.  If a Special Event shall occur and be continuing, the Company shall have the right (subject to the receipt by the Company of prior approval (i) if the Company is a bank holding company, from the Federal Reserve, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or (ii) if the Company is a savings and loan holding company, from the OTS, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the OTS) to redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any Interest Payment Date, within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event (the “Special Redemption Date”) at the Special Redemption Price.
 
Section 10.3. Notice of Redemption; Selection of Debentures.  In case the Company shall desire to exercise the right to redeem all, or, as the case may be, any part of the Debentures, it shall cause to be mailed a notice of such redemption at least 30 and not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date to the holders of Debentures so to be redeemed as a whole or in part at their last addresses as the same appear on the Debenture Register. Such mailing shall be by first class mail. The notice if mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the holder receives such notice. In any case, failure to give such notice by mail or any defect in the notice to the holder of any Debenture designated for redemption as a whole or in part shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Debenture.
 
Each such notice of redemption shall specify the CUSIP number, if any, of the Debentures to be redeemed, the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Redemption Price or the Special Redemption Price, as applicable, at which Debentures are to be redeemed, the place or places of payment, that payment will be made upon presentation and surrender of such Debentures, that interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, and that on and after said date interest thereon or on the portions thereof to be redeemed will cease to accrue. If less than all the Debentures are to be redeemed the notice of redemption shall specify the numbers of the Debentures to be redeemed. In case the Debentures are to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed and shall state that on and after the date fixed for redemption, upon surrender of such Debenture, a new Debenture or Debentures in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.
 
Prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Company will deposit with the Trustee or with one or more paying agents an amount of money sufficient to redeem on the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, all the Debentures so called for redemption at the appropriate Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.
 
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If all, or less than all, the Debentures are to be redeemed, the Company will give the Trustee notice not less than 45 nor more than 60 days, respectively, prior to the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, as to the aggregate principal amount of Debentures to be redeemed and the Trustee shall select, in such manner as in its sole discretion it shall deem appropriate and fair, the Debentures or portions thereof (in integral multiples of $1,000.00) to be redeemed.
 
Section 10.4. Payment of Debentures Called for Redemption.  If notice of redemption has been given as provided in Section 10.3, the Debentures or portions of Debentures with respect to which such notice has been given shall become due and payable on the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, and at the place or places stated in such notice at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price and on and after said date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Debentures at the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable) interest on the Debentures or portions of Debentures so called for redemption shall cease to accrue. On presentation and surrender of such Debentures at a place of payment specified in said notice, such Debentures or the specified portions thereof shall be paid and redeemed by the Company at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.
 
Upon presentation of any Debenture redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Debenture or Debentures of authorized denominations, in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the Debenture so presented.
 
ARTICLE XI.
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, CONVEYANCE AND LEASE
 
Section 11.1. Company May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms.  Nothing contained in this Indenture or in the Debentures shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations or mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company, or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, that the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation, merger (where the Company is not the surviving corporation), sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all of the Debentures in accordance with their terms, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be kept or performed by the Company, shall be expressly assumed by supplemental indenture satisfactory in form to the Trustee executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by the entity which shall have acquired such property.
 
Section 11.2. Successor Entity to be Substituted.  In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and upon the assumption by the successor entity, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the due and punctual payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all of the Debentures and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed or observed by the Company, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the Company, and thereupon the predecessor entity shall be relieved of any further liability or obligation hereunder or upon the Debentures. Such successor entity thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue in its own name, any or all of the Debentures issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent; and, upon the order of such successor entity instead of the Company and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and deliver any Debentures which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company, to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent for authentication, and any Debentures which such successor entity thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent for that purpose. All the Debentures so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Debentures theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Debentures had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.
 
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Section 11.3. Opinion of Counsel to be Given to Trustee.  The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections 6.1 and 6.2, shall receive, in addition to the Opinion of Counsel required by Section 9.5, an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, and any assumption, permitted or required by the terms of this Article XI complies with the provisions of this Article XI.
 
ARTICLE XII.
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
 
Section 12.1. Discharge of Indenture.  When
 
 
(a)
the Company shall deliver to the Trustee for cancellation all Debentures theretofore authenticated (other than any Debentures which shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.6) and not theretofore canceled, or
 
 
(b)
all the Debentures not theretofore canceled or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within 1 year or are to be called for redemption within 1 year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption, and the Company shall deposit with the Trustee, in trust, funds, which shall be immediately due and payable, sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all of the Debentures (other than any Debentures which shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.6) not theretofore canceled or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal and premium, if any, and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, but excluding, however, the amount of any moneys for the payment of principal of, and premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures (1) theretofore repaid to the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.4, or (2) paid to any state or to the District of Columbia pursuant to its unclaimed property or similar laws,
 
and if in the case of either clause (a) or clause (b) the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company, then this Indenture shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9 and 12.4 hereof shall survive until such Debentures shall mature and be paid. Thereafter, Sections 6.6 and 12.4 shall survive, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company accompanied by an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture have been complied with, and at the cost and expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture. The Company agrees to reimburse the Trustee for any costs or expenses thereafter reasonably and properly incurred by the Trustee in connection with this Indenture or the Debentures.
 
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Section 12.2. Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust by Trustee.  Subject to the provisions of Section 12.4, all moneys deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 12.1 shall be held in trust in a non-interest bearing account and applied by it to the payment, either directly or through any paying agent (including the Company if acting as its own paying agent), to the holders of the particular Debentures for the payment of which such moneys have been deposited with the Trustee, of all sums due and to become due thereon for principal, and premium, if any, and interest.
 
Section 12.3. Paying Agent to Repay Moneys Held.  Upon the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture all moneys then held by any paying agent of the Debentures (other than the Trustee) shall, upon demand of the Company, be repaid to it or paid to the Trustee, and thereupon such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys.
 
Section 12.4. Return of Unclaimed Moneys.  Any moneys deposited with or paid to the Trustee or any paying agent for payment of the principal of, and premium, if any, or interest on Debentures and not applied but remaining unclaimed by the holders of Debentures for 2 years after the date upon which the principal of, and premium, if any, or interest on such Debentures, as the case may be, shall have become due and payable, shall, subject to applicable escheatment laws, be repaid to the Company by the Trustee or such paying agent on written demand; and the holder of any of the Debentures shall thereafter look only to the Company for any payment which such holder may be entitled to collect, and all liability of the Trustee or such paying agent with respect to such moneys shall thereupon cease.
 
ARTICLE XIII.
IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS,
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
 
Section 13.1. Indenture and Debentures Solely Corporate Obligations.  No recourse for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or in any supplemental indenture, or in any such Debenture, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, employee, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor Person of the Company, either directly or through the Company or any successor Person of the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise, it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Debentures.
 
ARTICLE XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
 
Section 14.1. Successors.  All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements of the Company in this Indenture shall bind its successors and assigns whether so expressed or not.
 
Section 14.2. Official Acts by Successor Entity.  Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like force and effect by the like board, committee, officer or other authorized Person of any entity that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.
 
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Section 14.3. Surrender of Company Powers.  The Company by instrument in writing executed by authority of at least 2/3 (two-thirds) of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company and thereupon such power so surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company, and as to any permitted successor.
 
Section 14.4. Addresses for Notices, etc.  Any notice, consent, direction, request, authorization, waiver or demand which by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given, made, furnished or served by the Trustee or by the Securityholders on or to the Company may be given or served in writing by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box addressed (until another address is filed by the Company, with the Trustee for the purpose) to the Company, 3200 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90010, Attention: Brian E. Cho. Any notice, consent, direction, request, authorization, waiver or demand by any Securityholder or the Company to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the office of the Trustee, addressed to the Trustee, Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attention: Corporate Trust Administration. Any notice, consent, direction, request, authorization, waiver or demand on or to any Securityholder shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the address set forth in the Debenture Register.
 
Section 14.5. Governing Law.  This Indenture and each Debenture shall be deemed to be a contract made under the law of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of said State, without regard to conflict of laws principles thereof.
 
Section 14.6. Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent.  Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that in the opinion of the signers all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.
 
Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture shall include (1) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (3) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (4) a statement as to whether or not in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
Section 14.7. Table of Contents, Headings, etc.  The table of contents and the titles and headings of the articles and sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.
 
Section 14.8. Execution in Counterparts.  This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
 
Section 14.9. Separability.  In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Debentures shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Debentures, but this Indenture and such Debentures shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein or therein.
 
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Section 14.10. Assignment.  The Company will have the right at all times to assign any of its rights or obligations under this Indenture to a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, provided that, in the event of any such assignment, the Company will remain liable for all such obligations. Subject to the foregoing, this Indenture is binding upon and inures to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Indenture may not otherwise be assigned by the parties hereto.
 
Section 14.11. Acknowledgment of Rights.  The Company agrees that, with respect to any Debentures held by the Trust or the Institutional Trustee of the Trust, if the Institutional Trustee of the Trust fails to enforce its rights under this Indenture as the holder of Debentures held as the assets of such Trust after the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of the Capital Securities of such Trust have so directed such Institutional Trustee, a holder of record of such Capital Securities may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, institute legal proceedings directly against the Company to enforce such Institutional Trustee’s rights under this Indenture without first instituting any legal proceedings against such trustee or any other Person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Company to pay interest (or premium, if any) or principal on the Debentures on the date such interest (or premium, if any) or principal is otherwise payable (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), the Company agrees that a holder of record of Capital Securities of the Trust may directly institute a proceeding against the Company for enforcement of payment to such holder directly of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on the Debentures having an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Capital Securities of such holder on or after the respective due date specified in the Debentures.
 
ARTICLE XV.
SUBORDINATION OF DEBENTURES
 
Section 15.1. Agreement to Subordinate.  The Company covenants and agrees, and each holder of Debentures by such Securityholder’s acceptance thereof likewise covenants and agrees, that all Debentures shall be issued subject to the provisions of this Article XV; and each holder of a Debenture, whether upon original issue or upon transfer or assignment thereof, accepts and agrees to be bound by such provisions.
 
The payment by the Company of the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on all Debentures shall, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding at the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred; provided, however, that the Debentures shall rank pari passu in right of payment with Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Debentures due December 9, 2033 issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of December 9, 2003 by and between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association.
 
No provision of this Article XV shall prevent the occurrence of any default or Event of Default hereunder.
 
Section 15.2. Default on Senior Indebtedness.  In the event and during the continuation of any default by the Company in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other payment due on any Senior Indebtedness of the Company following any grace period, or in the event that the maturity of any Senior Indebtedness of the Company has been accelerated because of a default and such acceleration has not been rescinded or canceled and such Senior Indebtedness has not been paid in full, then, in either case, no payment shall be made by the Company with respect to the principal (including redemption) of, or premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures.
 
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In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment shall be received by the Trustee when such payment is prohibited by the preceding paragraph of this Section 15.2, such payment shall, subject to Section 15.7, be held in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over or delivered to, the holders of Senior Indebtedness or their respective representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, but only to the extent that the holders of the Senior Indebtedness (or their representative or representatives or a trustee) notify the Trustee in writing within 90 days of such payment of the amounts then due and owing on the Senior Indebtedness and only the amounts specified in such notice to the Trustee shall be paid to the holders of Senior Indebtedness.
 
Section 15.3. Liquidation, Dissolution, Bankruptcy.  Upon any payment by the Company or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to creditors upon any dissolution or winding-up or liquidation or reorganization of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceedings, all amounts due upon all Senior Indebtedness of the Company shall first be paid in full, or payment thereof provided for in money in accordance with its terms, before any payment is made by the Company, on account of the principal (and premium, if any) or interest on the Debentures. Upon any such dissolution or winding-up or liquidation or reorganization, any payment by the Company, or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which the Securityholders or the Trustee would be entitled to receive from the Company, except for the provisions of this Article XV, shall be paid by the Company, or by any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, or by the Securityholders or by the Trustee under this Indenture if received by them or it, directly to the holders of Senior Indebtedness (pro rata to such holders on the basis of the respective amounts of Senior Indebtedness held by such holders, as calculated by the Company) or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full, in money or money’s worth, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, before any payment or distribution is made to the Securityholders or to the Trustee.
 
In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, prohibited by the foregoing, shall be received by the Trustee before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full, or provision is made for such payment in money in accordance with its terms, such payment or distribution shall be held in trust for the benefit of and shall be paid over or delivered to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, as calculated by the Company, for application to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness, remaining unpaid to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full in money in accordance with its terms, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.
 
For purposes of this Article XV, the words “cash, property or securities” shall not be deemed to include shares of stock of the Company as reorganized or readjusted, or securities of the Company or any other corporation provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment, the payment of which is subordinated at least to the extent provided in this Article XV with respect to the Debentures to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness, that may at the time be outstanding, provided that (i) such Senior Indebtedness is assumed by the new corporation, if any, resulting from any such reorganization or readjustment, and (ii) the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness are not, without the consent of such holders, altered by such reorganization or readjustment. The consolidation of the Company with, or the merger of the Company into, another corporation or the liquidation or dissolution of the Company following the conveyance or transfer of its property as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to another corporation upon the terms and conditions provided for in Article XI of this Indenture shall not be deemed a dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization for the purposes of this Section if such other corporation shall, as a part of such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer, comply with the conditions stated in Article XI of this Indenture. Nothing in Section 15.2 or in this Section shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.6 of this Indenture.
 
46

 
Section 15.4. Subrogation.  Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, the Securityholders shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company, applicable to such Senior Indebtedness until the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Debentures shall be paid in full. For the purposes of such subrogation, no payments or distributions to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness of any cash, property or securities to which the Securityholders or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article XV, and no payment over pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness by Securityholders or the Trustee, shall, as between the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company, and the holders of the Debentures be deemed to be a payment or distribution by the Company to or on account of such Senior Indebtedness. It is understood that the provisions of this Article XV are and are intended solely for the purposes of defining the relative rights of the holders of the Securities, on the one hand, and the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand.
 
Nothing contained in this Article XV or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Debentures is intended to or shall impair, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, and the holders of the Debentures, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay to the holders of the Debentures the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms, or is intended to or shall affect the relative rights of the holders of the Debentures and creditors of the Company, other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, nor shall anything herein or therein prevent the Trustee or the holder of any Debenture from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article XV of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness in respect of cash, property or securities of the Company, received upon the exercise of any such remedy.
 
Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article XV, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, and the Securityholders shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree made by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization proceedings are pending, or a certificate of the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidation trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Securityholders, for the purposes of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article XV.
 
Section 15.5. Trustee to Effectuate Subordination.  Each Securityholder by such Securityholder’s acceptance thereof authorizes and directs the Trustee on such Securityholder’s behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Article XV and appoints the Trustee such Securityholder’s attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.
 
47

 
Section 15.6. Notice by the Company.  The Company shall give prompt written notice to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee of any fact known to the Company that would prohibit the making of any payment of monies to or by the Trustee in respect of the Debentures pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XV or any other provision of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts that would prohibit the making of any payment of monies to or by the Trustee in respect of the Debentures pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV, unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or a holder or holders of Senior Indebtedness or from any trustee therefor; and before the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, shall be entitled in all respects to assume that no such facts exist; provided, however, that if the Trustee shall not have received the notice provided for in this Section at least 2 Business Days prior to the date upon which by the terms hereof any money may become payable for any purpose (including, without limitation, the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Debenture), then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to receive such money and to apply the same to the purposes for which they were received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary that may be received by it within 2 Business Days prior to such date.
 
The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the delivery to it of a written notice by a Person representing himself to be a holder of Senior Indebtedness (or a trustee or representative on behalf of such holder), to establish that such notice has been given by a holder of such Senior Indebtedness or a trustee or representative on behalf of any such holder or holders. In the event that the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with respect to the right of any Person as a holder of such Senior Indebtedness to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article XV, the Trustee may request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of such Senior Indebtedness held by such Person, the extent to which such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article XV, and, if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive such payment.
 
Section 15.7. Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness.  The Trustee in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article XV in respect of any Senior Indebtedness at any time held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Indebtedness, and nothing in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder.
 
With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness, the Trustee undertakes to perform or to observe only such of its covenants and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Article XV, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness and, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be liable to any holder of such Senior Indebtedness if it shall pay over or deliver to Securityholders, the Company or any other Person money or assets to which any holder of such Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article XV or otherwise.
 
Nothing in this Article XV shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.6.
 
Section 15.8. Subordination May Not Be Impaired.  No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Indebtedness to enforce subordination as herein provided shall at any time in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company, or by any act or failure to act, in good faith, by any such holder, or by any noncompliance by the Company, with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof that any such holder may have or otherwise be charged with.
 
48

 
Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing paragraph, the holders of Senior Indebtedness may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of or notice to the Trustee or the Securityholders, without incurring responsibility to the Securityholders and without impairing or releasing the subordination provided in this Article XV or the obligations hereunder of the holders of the Debentures to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, do any one or more of the following: (i) change the manner, place or terms of payment or extend the time of payment of, or renew or alter, such Senior Indebtedness, or otherwise amend or supplement in any manner such Senior Indebtedness or any instrument evidencing the same or any agreement under which such Senior Indebtedness is outstanding; (ii) sell, exchange, release or otherwise deal with any property pledged, mortgaged or otherwise securing such Senior Indebtedness; (iii) release any Person liable in any manner for the collection of such Senior Indebtedness; and (iv) exercise or refrain from exercising any rights against the Company, and any other Person.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
49


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, as of the day and year first above written.
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
  WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
 
50


EXHIBIT A
 
FORM OF FLOATING RATE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEFERRABLE INTEREST
DEBENTURE
 
[FORM OF FACE OF SECURITY]
 
THIS SECURITY IS NOT A SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR DEPOSIT AND IT IS NOT INSURED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ANY AGENCY OR FUND OF THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION.
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE COMPANY, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE COMPANY’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDENTURE, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE COMPANY.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
A-1

 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN A BLOCK HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER, THE HOLDER WILL DELIVER TO THE REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT SUCH CERTIFICATES AND OTHER INFORMATION AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE INDENTURE TO CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSFER COMPLIES WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debenture
 
of
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
March 17, 2005
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company” which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received promises to pay to Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity but solely as Institutional Trustee for Wilshire Statutory Trust II (the “Holder”) or registered assigns, the principal sum of twenty million six hundred nineteen thousand dollars ($20,619,000.00) on March 17, 2035, and to pay interest on said principal sum from March 17, 2005, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date (as defined below) to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, quarterly (subject to deferral as set forth herein) in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such date, an “Interest Payment Date”) (it being understood that interest accrues for any such non-Business Day), commencing on the Interest Payment Date in June 2005, at an annual rate equal to 4.76% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in June 2005 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Interest Payment Date in June 2005, and each succeeding Interest Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Interest Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.79% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the principal amount hereof, until the principal hereof is paid or duly provided for or made available for payment, and on any overdue principal and (without duplication and to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) on any overdue installment of interest (including Additional Interest) at the Interest Rate in effect for each applicable period, compounded quarterly, from the dates such amounts are due until they are paid or made available for payment. The amount of interest payable for any period will be computed on the basis of the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. The interest installment so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment, which shall be fifteen Business Days prior to the day on which the relevant Interest Payment Date occurs. Any such interest installment not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such regular record date and may be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a special record date.
 
A-2

 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period.
 
The Interest Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Debentures will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
The principal of and interest on this Debenture shall be payable at the office or agency of the Trustee (or other paying agent appointed by the Company) maintained for that purpose in any coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the registered holder at such address as shall appear in the Debenture Register if a request for a wire transfer by such holder has not been received by the Company or by wire transfer to an account appropriately designated by the holder hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as the holder of this Debenture is the Institutional Trustee, the payment of the principal of and interest on this Debenture will be made in immediately available funds at such place and to such account as may be designated by the Trustee.
 
A-3

 
So long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall have the right, from time to time, and without causing an Event of Default, to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures at any time and from time to time during the term of the Debentures, for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each such extended interest payment period, an “Extension Period”), during which Extension Period no interest (including Additional Interest) shall be due and payable (except any Additional Sums that may be due and payable). No Extension Period may end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date. During an Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Interest Rate in effect for such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). At the end of any such Extension Period the Company shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date; provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Company shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to engage in any of the activities or transactions described on the reverse side hereof and in the Indenture. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Company may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. The Company must give the Trustee notice of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period by the close of business at least 15 Business Days prior to the Interest Payment Date with respect to which interest on the Debentures would have been payable except for the election to begin or extend such Extension Period.
 
The indebtedness evidenced by this Debenture is, to the extent provided in the Indenture, subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, and this Debenture is issued subject to the provisions of the Indenture with respect thereto. Each holder of this Debenture, by accepting the same, (a) agrees to and shall be bound by such provisions, (b) authorizes and directs the Trustee on his or her behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to acknowledge or effectuate the subordination so provided and (c) appoints the Trustee his or her attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes. Each holder hereof, by his or her acceptance hereof, hereby waives all notice of the acceptance of the subordination provisions contained herein and in the Indenture by each holder of Senior Indebtedness, whether now outstanding or hereafter incurred, and waives reliance by each such holder upon said provisions.
 
This Debenture shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture hereinafter referred to, be valid or become obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication hereon shall have been signed by or on behalf of the Trustee.
 
A-4

 
The provisions of this Debenture are continued on the reverse side hereof and such provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
 
A-5


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has duly executed this certificate.
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
 
This is one of the Debentures referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
     
  WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Authorized Officer
 
 
A-6

 
[FORM OF REVERSE OF DEBENTURE]

This Debenture is one of the floating rate junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures of the Company, all issued or to be issued under and pursuant to the Indenture dated as of March 17, 2005 (the “Indenture”), duly executed and delivered between the Company and the Trustee, to which Indenture reference is hereby made for a description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of the Debentures. The Debentures are limited in aggregate principal amount as specified in the Indenture.
 
Upon the occurrence and continuation of a Special Event prior to the Interest Payment Date in March 2010, the Company shall have the right to redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any Interest Payment Date, within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event, at the Special Redemption Price.
 
In addition, the Company shall have the right to redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, but in all cases in a principal amount with integral multiples of $1,000.00, on any Interest Payment Date on or after the Interest Payment Date in March 2010, at the Redemption Price.
 
Prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Company will deposit with the Trustee or with one or more paying agents an amount of money sufficient to redeem on the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, all the Debentures so called for redemption at the appropriate Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.
 
If all, or less than all, the Debentures are to be redeemed, the Company will give the Trustee notice not less than 45 nor more than 60 days, respectively, prior to the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, as to the aggregate principal amount of Debentures to be redeemed and the Trustee shall select, in such manner as in its sole discretion it shall deem appropriate and fair, the Debentures or portions thereof (in integral multiples of $1,000.00) to be redeemed.
 
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any redemption of Debentures by the Company shall be subject to the receipt of any and all required regulatory approvals.
 
In case an Acceleration Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, upon demand of the Trustee, the principal of all of the Debentures shall become due and payable in the manner, with the effect and subject to the conditions provided in the Indenture.
 
The Indenture contains provisions permitting the Company and the Trustee, with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding, to execute supplemental indentures for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the Debentures; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall without the consent of the holders of each Debenture then outstanding and affected thereby (i) change the fixed maturity of any Debenture, or reduce the principal amount thereof or any premium thereon, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any amount payable on redemption thereof or make the principal thereof or any interest or premium thereon payable in any coin or currency other than that provided in the Debentures, or impair or affect the right of any Securityholder to institute suit for payment thereof or impair the right of repayment, if any, at the option of the holder, or (ii) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Debentures the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.
 
A-7

 
The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding on behalf of the holders of all of the Debentures to waive (or modify any previously granted waiver of) any past default or Event of Default, and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, (b) in respect of covenants or provisions hereof or of the Indenture which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each Debenture affected, or (c) in respect of the covenants contained in Section 3.9 of the Indenture; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such trust, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver, provided, further, that if the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such waiver shall not be effective until each holder of the Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver. Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of the Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by the Indenture, said default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Debentures and the Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing.
 
No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Debenture or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, including Additional Interest, on this Debenture at the time and place and at the rate and in the money herein prescribed.
 
The Company has agreed that if Debentures are initially issued to the Trust or a trustee of such Trust in connection with the issuance of Trust Securities by the Trust (regardless of whether Debentures continue to be held by such Trust) and (i) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default, (ii) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment of any obligations under the Capital Securities Guarantee, or (iii) the Company shall have given notice of its election to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period as provided herein and such Extension Period, or any extension thereof, shall be continuing, then the Company shall not, and shall not allow any Affiliate of the Company to, (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s capital stock or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (1) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, if any, (2) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (3) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (4) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (5) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (6) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Company (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (7) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee).
 
A-8

 
The Debentures are issuable only in registered, certificated form without coupons and in minimum denominations of $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to the transfer restrictions and limitations as may be contained herein and therein from time to time, this Debenture is transferable by the holder hereof on the Debenture Register of the Company. Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2 of the Indenture, the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Debenture for a like aggregate principal amount. All Debentures presented for registration of transfer or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) be duly endorsed by, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to, the Company and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent duly executed by the holder or his attorney duly authorized in writing. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Debentures, but the Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith.
 
Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture, the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any paying agent, any transfer agent and any Debenture registrar may deem the Person in whose name such Debenture shall be registered upon the Debenture Register to be, and may treat him as, the absolute owner of such Debenture (whether or not such Debenture shall be overdue) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any paying agent nor any transfer agent nor any Debenture registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any holder for the time being or upon his order shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon any such Debenture.
 
No recourse for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in the Indenture or in any supplemental indenture, or in any such Debenture, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, employee, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor Person of the Company, either directly or through the Company or any successor Person of the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise, it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of the Indenture and the issue of the Debentures.
 
Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Debenture shall have the meanings assigned in the Indenture dated as of the date of original issuance of this Debenture between the Trustee and the Company.
 
A-9

 
THE INDENTURE AND THE DEBENTURES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF.
 
A-10

EX-4.7 5 v068251_ex4-7.htm
 
Exhibit 4.7
 



AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION
OF TRUST

by and among

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Delaware Trustee,

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Institutional Trustee,

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.,
as Sponsor,

and

SOO BONG MIN, BRIAN E. CHO and
ELAINE JEON,
as Administrators,

Dated as of March 17, 2005
 





TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
       
 Page
ARTICLE I INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
 
1
Section 1.1.
 
Definitions
 
1
         
ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION
 
7
Section 2.1.
 
Name
 
7
Section 2.2.
 
Office
 
7
Section 2.3.
 
Purpose
 
7
Section 2.4.
 
Authority
 
8
Section 2.5.
 
Title to Property of the Trust
 
8
Section 2.6.
 
Powers and Duties of the Trustees and the Administrators
 
8
Section 2.7.
 
Prohibition of Actions by the Trust and the Institutional Trustee
 
11
Section 2.8.
 
Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee
 
12
Section 2.9.
 
Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustees and Administrators
 
13
Section 2.10.
 
Certain Rights of Institutional Trustee
 
15
Section 2.11.
 
Delaware Trustee
 
16
Section 2.12.
 
Execution of Documents
 
17
Section 2.13.
 
Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities
 
17
Section 2.14.
 
Duration of Trust
 
17
Section 2.15.
 
Mergers
 
17
         
ARTICLE III SPONSOR
 
18
Section 3.1.
 
Sponsor’s Purchase of Common Securities
 
18
Section 3.2.
 
Responsibilities of the Sponsor
 
18
Section 3.3.
 
Expenses
 
19
Section 3.4.
 
Right to Proceed
 
19
         
ARTICLE IV INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS
 
19
Section 4.1.
 
Number of Trustees
 
19
Section 4.2.
 
Delaware Trustee; Eligibility
 
20
Section 4.3.
 
Institutional Trustee; Eligibility
 
20
Section 4.4.
 
Administrators
 
20
Section 4.5.
 
Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Trustees and Administrators
 
21
Section 4.6.
 
Vacancies Among Trustees
 
22
Section 4.7.
 
Effect of Vacancies
 
22
Section 4.8.
 
Meetings of the Trustees and the Administrators
 
22
Section 4.9.
 
Delegation of Power
 
23
Section 4.10.
 
Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business
 
23
         
ARTICLE V DISTRIBUTIONS
 
23
Section 5.1.
 
Distributions
 
23
         
ARTICLE VI ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES
 
24
Section 6.1.
 
General Provisions Regarding Securities
 
24
Section 6.2.
 
Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar
 
24
Section 6.3.
 
Form and Dating
 
25
Section 6.4.
 
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates
 
25
Section 6.5.
 
Temporary Securities
 
25
 
i

 
Section 6.6.
 
Cancellation
 
26
Section 6.7.
 
Rights of Holders; Waivers of Past Defaults
 
26
     
ARTICLE VII DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST
 
27
Section 7.1.
 
Dissolution and Termination of Trust
 
27
         
ARTICLE VIII TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
 
28
Section 8.1.
 
General
 
28
Section 8.2.
 
Transfer Procedures and Restrictions
 
29
Section 8.3.
 
Deemed Security Holders
 
31
         
ARTICLE IX LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES, INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE OR OTHERS
 
31
Section 9.1.
 
Liability
 
31
Section 9.2.
 
Exculpation
 
32
Section 9.3.
 
Fiduciary Duty
 
32
Section 9.4.
 
Indemnification
 
32
Section 9.5.
 
Outside Businesses
 
34
Section 9.6.
 
Compensation; Fee
 
35
         
ARTICLE X ACCOUNTING
 
35
Section 10.1.
 
Fiscal Year
 
35
Section 10.2.
 
Certain Accounting Matters
 
35
Section 10.3.
 
Banking
 
36
Section 10.4.
 
Withholding
 
36
       
 
ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS AND MEETINGS
 
36
Section 11.1.
 
Amendments
 
36
Section 11.2.
 
Meetings of the Holders of Securities; Action by Written Consent
 
38
       
 
ARTICLE XII REPRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND THE DELAWARE TRUSTEE
 
39
Section 12.1.
 
Representations and Warranties of Institutional Trustee
 
39
Section 12.2.
 
Representations of the Delaware Trustee
 
39
         
ARTICLE XIII MISCELLANEOUS
 
40
Section 13.1.
 
Notices
 
40
Section 13.2.
 
Governing Law
 
41
Section 13.3.
 
Intention of the Parties
 
41
Section 13.4.
 
Headings
 
41
Section 13.5.
 
Successors and Assigns
 
41
Section 13.6.
 
Partial Enforceability
 
41
Section 13.7.
 
Counterparts
 
42
 
Annex I
 
Terms of Securities
Exhibit A-1
 
Form of Capital Security Certificate
Exhibit A-2
 
Form of Capital Security Certificate
Exhibit A-3
 
Form of Common Security Certificate
Exhibit B
 
Specimen of Initial Debenture
Exhibit C
 
Placement Agreement
 
 
ii


AMENDED AND RESTATED
 
DECLARATION OF TRUST
 
OF
 
WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST II
 
March 17, 2005
 
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST (“Declaration”) dated and effective as of March 17, 2005, by the Trustees (as defined herein), the Administrators (as defined herein), the Sponsor (as defined herein) and by the holders, from time to time, of undivided beneficial interests in the Trust (as defined herein) to be issued pursuant to this Declaration;
 
WHEREAS, the Trustees, the Administrators and the Sponsor established Wilshire Statutory Trust II (the “Trust”), a statutory trust under the Statutory Trust Act (as defined herein) pursuant to a Declaration of Trust dated as of March 3, 2005 (the “Original Declaration”), and a Certificate of Trust filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 3, 2005, for the sole purpose of issuing and selling certain securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust and investing the proceeds thereof in certain debentures of the Debenture Issuer (as defined herein);
 
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, no interests in the Trust have been issued; and
 
WHEREAS, the Trustees, the Administrators and the Sponsor, by this Declaration, amend and restate each and every term and provision of the Original Declaration;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, it being the intention of the parties hereto to continue the Trust as a statutory trust under the Statutory Trust Act and that this Declaration constitutes the governing instrument of such statutory trust, the Trustees declare that all assets contributed to the Trust will be held in trust for the benefit of the holders, from time to time, of the securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust issued hereunder, subject to the provisions of this Declaration. The parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
 
ARTICLE I
 
INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
 
Section 1.1. Definitions. Unless the context otherwise requires:
 
(a)  Capitalized terms used in this Declaration but not defined in the preamble above have the respective meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1;
 
(b)  a term defined anywhere in this Declaration has the same meaning throughout;
 
(c)  all references to “the Declaration” or “this Declaration” are to this Declaration as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
(d)  all references in this Declaration to Articles and Sections and Annexes and Exhibits are to Articles and Sections of and Annexes and Exhibits to this Declaration unless otherwise specified; and
 
(e)  a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
 
1

 
Additional Interest” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Administrative Action” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Administrators” means each of Soo Bong Min, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon, solely in such Person’s capacity as Administrator of the Trust created and continued hereunder and not in such Person’s individual capacity, or such Administrator’s successor in interest in such capacity, or any successor appointed as herein provided.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Authorized Officer” of a Person means any Person that is authorized to bind such Person.
 
Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person:
 
(a) a court having jurisdiction in the premises shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of such Person in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of such Person or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or
 
(b) such Person shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of such Person of any substantial part of its property, or shall make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due.
 
Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in New York City or Wilmington, Delaware are permitted or required by any applicable law or executive order to close.
 
Capital Securities” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(a) of Annex I.
 
Capital Security Certificate” means a definitive Certificate in fully registered form representing a Capital Security substantially in the form of Exhibits A-1 and A-2.
 
Capital Treatment Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Certificate” means any certificate evidencing Securities.
 
Closing Date” has the meaning set forth in the Placement Agreement.
 
Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Common Securities” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(b) of Annex I.
 
Common Security Certificate” means a definitive Certificate in fully registered form representing a Common Security substantially in the form of Exhibit A-3.
 
2

 
Company Indemnified Person” means (a) any Administrator; (b) any Affiliate of any Administrator; (c) any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives or agents of any Administrator; or (d) any officer, employee or agent of the Trust or its Affiliates.
 
Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Institutional Trustee at which the corporate trust business of the Institutional Trustee shall, at any particular time, be principally administered, which office at the date of execution of this Declaration is located at Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attn: Corporate Trust Administration.
 
Coupon Rate” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(a) of Annex I.
 
Covered Person” means: (a) any Administrator, officer, director, shareholder, partner, member, representative, employee or agent of (i) the Trust or (ii) any of the Trust’s Affiliates; and (b) any Holder of Securities.
 
Creditor” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3.
 
Debenture Issuer” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, in its capacity as issuer of the Debentures under the Indenture.
 
Debenture Trustee” means Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee under the Indenture until a successor is appointed thereunder, and thereafter means such successor trustee.
 
Debentures” means the Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2035 to be issued by the Debenture Issuer under the Indenture.
 
Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Delaware Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2.
 
Determination Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Direct Action” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8(d).
 
Distribution” means a distribution payable to Holders of Securities in accordance with Section 5.1.
 
Distribution Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(b) of Annex I.
 
Distribution Period” means (i) with respect to the Distribution paid on the first Distribution Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005 and (ii) thereafter, with respect to a Distribution paid on each successive Distribution Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the preceding Distribution Payment Date and ending on (but excluding) such current Distribution Payment Date.
 
Distribution Rate” means, for the Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005, the rate per annum of 4.76%, and for each Distribution Period beginning on or after the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005, the Coupon Rate for such Distribution Period.
 
Event of Default” means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such event and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
 
3

 
(a) the occurrence of an Indenture Event of Default; or
 
(b) default by the Trust in the payment of any Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price of any Security when it becomes due and payable; or
 
(c) default in the performance, or breach, in any material respect, of any covenant or warranty of the Institutional Trustee in this Declaration (other than those specified in clause (a) or (b) above) and continuation of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail to the Institutional Trustee and to the Sponsor by the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Capital Securities, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or
 
(d) the occurrence of a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Institutional Trustee if a successor Institutional Trustee has not been appointed within 90 days thereof.
 
Extension Event of Default” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture for “Acceleration Event of Default.”
 
Extension Period” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(b) of Annex I.
 
Federal Reserve” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Fiduciary Indemnified Person” shall mean each of the Institutional Trustee (including in its individual capacity), the Delaware Trustee (including in its individual capacity), any Affiliate of the Institutional Trustee or Delaware Trustee and any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, custodians, nominees or agents of the Institutional Trustee or Delaware Trustee.
 
Fiscal Year” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.
 
Guarantee” means the guarantee agreement to be dated as of the Closing Date, of the Sponsor in respect of the Capital Securities.
 
Holder” means a Person in whose name a Certificate representing a Security is registered, such Person being a beneficial owner within the meaning of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
Indemnified Person” means a Company Indemnified Person or a Fiduciary Indemnified Person.
 
Indenture” means the Indenture dated as of the Closing Date, between the Debenture Issuer and the Debenture Trustee, and any indenture supplemental thereto pursuant to which the Debentures are to be issued, as such Indenture and any supplemental indenture may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
 
Indenture Event of Default” means an “Event of Default” as defined in the Indenture.
 
Institutional Trustee” means the Trustee meeting the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 4.3.
 
4

 
Interest” means any interest due on the Debentures including any Additional Interest and Defaulted Interest.
 
Investment Company” means an investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act.
 
Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Investment Company Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Liquidation” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Liquidation Distribution” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Securities voting together as a single class or, as the context may require, Holders of outstanding Capital Securities or Holders of outstanding Common Securities voting separately as a class, who are the record owners of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all outstanding Securities of the relevant class.
 
Maturity Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Officers’ Certificates” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by two Authorized Officers of such Person. Any Officers’ Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant providing for it in this Declaration shall include:
 
(a) a statement that each officer signing the Certificate has read the covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto;
 
(b) a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination or investigation undertaken by each officer in rendering the Certificate;
 
(c) a statement that each such officer has made such examination or investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
 
(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such officer, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
OTS” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Paying Agent” has the meaning specified in Section 6.2.
 
Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.
 
Placement Agreement” means the Placement Agreement relating to the offering and sale of Capital Securities in the form of Exhibit C.
 
Property Account” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8(c).
 
5

 
Pro Rata” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 8 of Annex I.
 
Quorum” means a majority of the Administrators or, if there are only two Administrators, both of them.
 
Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Redemption/Distribution Notice” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(e) of Annex I.
 
Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Registrar” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2.
 
Relevant Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5(a).
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Institutional Trustee, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Institutional Trustee, including any vice-president, any assistant vice-president, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or other officer of the Corporate Trust Office of the Institutional Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Restricted Securities Legend” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.2(b).
 
Rule 3a-5” means Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act.
 
Rule 3a-7” means Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act.
 
Securities” means the Common Securities and the Capital Securities.
 
Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Special Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Special Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Special Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Sponsor” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, or any successor entity in a merger, consolidation or amalgamation, in its capacity as sponsor of the Trust.
 
Statutory Trust Act” means Chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware Code, 12 Del. C. §§ 3801, et seq. as may be amended from time to time.
 
Successor Entity” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.15(b).
 
Successor Delaware Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5(e).
 
Successor Institutional Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5(b).
 
Successor Securities” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.15(b).
 
6

 
Super Majority” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 5(b) of Annex I.
 
Tax Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
10% in liquidation amount of the Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Securities voting together as a single class or, as the context may require, Holders of outstanding Capital Securities or Holders of outstanding Common Securities voting separately as a class, who are the record owners of 10% or more of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all outstanding Securities of the relevant class.
 
3-Month LIBOR” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Transfer Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2.
 
Treasury Regulations” means the income tax regulations, including temporary and proposed regulations, promulgated under the Code by the United States Treasury, as such regulations may be amended from time to time (including corresponding provisions of succeeding regulations).
 
Trust Property” means (a) the Debentures, (b) any cash on deposit in, or owing to, the Property Account and (c) all proceeds and rights in respect of the foregoing and any other property and assets for the time being held or deemed to be held by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to the trusts of this Declaration.
 
Trustee” or “Trustees” means each Person who has signed this Declaration as a trustee, so long as such Person shall continue in office in accordance with the terms hereof, and all other Persons who may from time to time be duly appointed, qualified and serving as Trustees in accordance with the provisions hereof, and references herein to a Trustee or the Trustees shall refer to such Person or Persons solely in their capacity as trustees hereunder.
 
U.S. Person” means a United States Person as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
 
ARTICLE II
 
ORGANIZATION
 
Section 2.1. Name. The Trust is named “Wilshire Statutory Trust II,” as such name may be modified from time to time by the Administrators following written notice to the Holders of the Securities. The Trust’s activities may be conducted under the name of the Trust or any other name deemed advisable by the Administrators.
 
Section 2.2. Office. The address of the principal office of the Trust is c/o Wilmington Trust Company, Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600. On at least 10 Business Days written notice to the Holders of the Securities, the Administrators may designate another principal office, which shall be in a state of the United States or in the District of Columbia.
 
Section 2.3. Purpose. The exclusive purposes and functions of the Trust are (a) to issue and sell the Securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (b) to invest the gross proceeds from such sale to acquire the Debentures, (c) to facilitate direct investment in the assets of the Trust through issuance of the Common Securities and the Capital Securities and (d) except as otherwise limited herein, to engage in only those other activities necessary or incidental thereto. The Trust shall not borrow money, issue debt or reinvest proceeds derived from investments, pledge any of its assets, or otherwise undertake (or permit to be undertaken) any activity that would cause the Trust not to be classified for United States federal income tax purposes as a grantor trust.
 
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Section 2.4. Authority. Except as specifically provided in this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall have exclusive and complete authority to carry out the purposes of the Trust. An action taken by a Trustee in accordance with its powers shall constitute the act of and serve to bind the Trust. In dealing with the Trustees acting on behalf of the Trust, no Person shall be required to inquire into the authority of the Trustees to bind the Trust. Persons dealing with the Trust are entitled to rely conclusively on the power and authority of the Trustees as set forth in this Declaration. The Administrators shall have only those ministerial duties set forth herein with respect to accomplishing the purposes of the Trust and are not intended to be trustees or fiduciaries with respect to the Trust or the Holders. The Institutional Trustee shall have the right, but shall not be obligated except as provided in Section 2.6, to perform those duties assigned to the Administrators.
 
Section 2.5. Title to Property of the Trust. Except as provided in Section 2.8 with respect to the Debentures and the Property Account or as otherwise provided in this Declaration, legal title to all assets of the Trust shall be vested in the Trust. The Holders shall not have legal title to any part of the assets of the Trust, but shall have an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust.
 
Section 2.6. Powers and Duties of the Trustees and the Administrators.
 
(a)  The Trustees and the Administrators shall conduct the affairs of the Trust in accordance with the terms of this Declaration. Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph (b) of this Section, and in accordance with the following provisions (i) and (ii), the Trustees and the Administrators shall have the authority to enter into all transactions and agreements determined by the Institutional Trustee to be appropriate in exercising the authority, express or implied, otherwise granted to the Trustees or the Administrators, as the case may be, under this Declaration, and to perform all acts in furtherance thereof, including without limitation, the following:
 
(i)  Each Administrator shall have the power and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters:
 
(A) the issuance and sale of the Securities;
 
(B) to cause the Trust to enter into, and to execute and deliver on behalf of the Trust, such agreements as may be necessary or desirable in connection with the purposes and function of the Trust, including agreements with the Paying Agent;
 
(C) ensuring compliance with the Securities Act, applicable state securities or blue sky laws;
 
(D) the sending of notices (other than notices of default), and other information regarding the Securities and the Debentures to the Holders in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(E) the consent to the appointment of a Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar in accordance with this Declaration, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed;
 
(F) execution and delivery of the Securities in accordance with this Declaration;
 
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(G) execution and delivery of closing certificates pursuant to the Placement Agreement and the application for a taxpayer identification number;
 
(H) unless otherwise determined by the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities or as otherwise required by the Statutory Trust Act, to execute on behalf of the Trust (either acting alone or together with any or all of the Administrators) any documents that the Administrators have the power to execute pursuant to this Declaration;
 
(I) the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Institutional Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to give effect to the terms of this Declaration for the benefit of the Holders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Holder);
 
(J) to establish a record date with respect to all actions to be taken hereunder that require a record date be established, including Distributions, voting rights, redemptions and exchanges, and to issue relevant notices to the Holders of Capital Securities and Holders of Common Securities as to such actions and applicable record dates; and
 
(K) to duly prepare and file all applicable tax returns and tax information reports that are required to be filed with respect to the Trust on behalf of the Trust.
 
(ii)  As among the Trustees and the Administrators, the Institutional Trustee shall have the power, duty and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters:
 
(A) the establishment of the Property Account;
 
(B) the receipt of the Debentures;
 
(C) the collection of interest, principal and any other payments made in respect of the Debentures in the Property Account;
 
(D) the distribution through the Paying Agent of amounts owed to the Holders in respect of the Securities;
 
(E) the exercise of all of the rights, powers and privileges of a holder of the Debentures;
 
(F) the sending of notices of default and other information regarding the Securities and the Debentures to the Holders in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(G) the distribution of the Trust Property in accordance with the terms of this Declaration;
 
(H) to the extent provided in this Declaration, the winding up of the affairs of and liquidation of the Trust and the preparation, execution and filing of the certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware;
 
(I) after any Event of Default (provided that such Event of Default is not by or with respect to the Institutional Trustee) the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Institutional Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to give effect to the terms of this Declaration and protect and conserve the Trust Property for the benefit of the Holders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Holder); and
 
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(J) to take all action that may be necessary for the preservation and the continuation of the Trust’s valid existence, rights, franchises and privileges as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware.
 
(iii)  The Institutional Trustee shall have the power and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to any of the duties, liabilities, powers or the authority of the Administrators set forth in Section 2.6(a)(i)(D), (E) and (F) herein but shall not have a duty to do any such act unless specifically requested to do so in writing by the Sponsor, and shall then be fully protected in acting pursuant to such written request; and in the event of a conflict between the action of the Administrators and the action of the Institutional Trustee, the action of the Institutional Trustee shall prevail.
 
(b)  So long as this Declaration remains in effect, the Trust (or the Trustees or Administrators acting on behalf of the Trust) shall not undertake any business, activities or transaction except as expressly provided herein or contemplated hereby. In particular, neither the Trustees nor the Administrators may cause the Trust to (i) acquire any investments or engage in any activities not authorized by this Declaration, (ii) sell, assign, transfer, exchange, mortgage, pledge, set-off or otherwise dispose of any of the Trust Property or interests therein, including to Holders, except as expressly provided herein, (iii) take any action that would reasonably be expected (x) to cause the Trust to fail or cease to qualify as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes or (y) to require the trust to register as an Investment Company under the Investment Company Act, (iv) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any other debt or (v) take or consent to any action that would result in the placement of a lien on any of the Trust Property. The Institutional Trustee shall, at the sole cost and expense of the Trust, defend all claims and demands of all Persons at any time claiming any lien on any of the Trust Property adverse to the interest of the Trust or the Holders in their capacity as Holders.
 
(c)  In connection with the issuance and sale of the Capital Securities, the Sponsor shall have the right and responsibility to assist the Trust with respect to, or effect on behalf of the Trust, the following (and any actions taken by the Sponsor in furtherance of the following prior to the date of this Declaration are hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects):
 
(i)  the taking of any action necessary to obtain an exemption from the Securities Act;
 
(ii)  the determination of the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Capital Securities and the determination of any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by or on behalf of the Trust, and the advice to the Administrators of actions they must take on behalf of the Trust, and the preparation for execution and filing of any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust or on behalf of the Trust, as the Sponsor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States in connection with the sale of the Capital Securities;
 
(iii)  the negotiation of the terms of, and the execution and delivery of, the Placement Agreement providing for the sale of the Capital Securities; and
 
(iv)  the taking of any other actions necessary or desirable to carry out any of the foregoing activities.
 
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(d)  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities are authorized and directed to conduct the affairs of the Trust and to operate the Trust so that the Trust will not (i) be deemed to be an Investment Company required to be registered under the Investment Company Act, and (ii) fail to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes. The Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities shall not take any action inconsistent with the treatment of the Debentures as indebtedness of the Debenture Issuer for United States federal income tax purposes. In this connection, the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities are authorized to take any action, not inconsistent with applicable laws, the Certificate of Trust or this Declaration, as amended from time to time, that each of the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities determines in their discretion to be necessary or desirable for such purposes.
 
(e)  All expenses incurred by the Administrators or the Trustees pursuant to this Section 2.6 shall be reimbursed by the Sponsor, and the Trustees and the Administrators shall have no obligations with respect to such expenses (for purposes of clarification, this Section 2.6(e) does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustees under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Trustees’ counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration).
 
(f)  The assets of the Trust shall consist of the Trust Property.
 
(g)  Legal title to all Trust Property shall be vested at all times in the Institutional Trustee (in its capacity as such) and shall be held and administered by the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators for the benefit of the Trust in accordance with this Declaration.
 
(h)  If the Institutional Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Declaration and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Institutional Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case the Sponsor, the Institutional Trustee and the Holders shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder, and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Institutional Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
 
Section 2.7. Prohibition of Actions by the Trust and the Institutional Trustee.
 
(a)  The Trust shall not, and the Institutional Trustee shall cause the Trust not to, engage in any activity other than as required or authorized by this Declaration. In particular, the Trust shall not and the Institutional Trustee shall cause the Trust not to:
 
(i)  invest any proceeds received by the Trust from holding the Debentures, but shall distribute all such proceeds to Holders of the Securities pursuant to the terms of this Declaration and of the Securities;
 
(ii)  acquire any assets other than as expressly provided herein;
 
(iii)  possess Trust Property for other than a Trust purpose;
 
(iv)  make any loans or incur any indebtedness other than loans represented by the Debentures;
 
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(v)  possess any power or otherwise act in such a way as to vary the Trust assets or the terms of the Securities in any way whatsoever other than as expressly provided herein;
 
(vi)  issue any securities or other evidences of beneficial ownership of, or beneficial interest in, the Trust other than the Securities;
 
(vii)  carry on any “trade or business” as that phrase is used in the Code; or
 
(viii)  other than as provided in this Declaration (including Annex I), (A) direct the time, method and place of exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures, (B) waive any past default that is waivable under the Indenture, (C) exercise any right to rescind or annul any declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable, or (D) consent to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures where such consent shall be required unless the Trust shall have received a written opinion of counsel to the effect that such modification will not cause the Trust to cease to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
Section 2.8. Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee.
 
(a)  The legal title to the Debentures shall be owned by and held of record in the name of the Institutional Trustee in trust for the benefit of the Trust and the Holders of the Securities. The right, title and interest of the Institutional Trustee to the Debentures shall vest automatically in each Person who may hereafter be appointed as Institutional Trustee in accordance with Section 4.5. Such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents with regard to the Debentures have been executed and delivered.
 
(b)  The Institutional Trustee shall not transfer its right, title and interest in the Debentures to the Administrators or to the Delaware Trustee.
 
(c)  The Institutional Trustee shall:
 
(i)  establish and maintain a segregated non-interest bearing trust account (the “Property Account”) in the name of and under the exclusive control of the Institutional Trustee, and maintained in the Institutional Trustee’s trust department, on behalf of the Holders of the Securities and, upon the receipt of payments of funds made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee, deposit such funds into the Property Account and make payments, or cause the Paying Agent to make payments, to the Holders of the Capital Securities and Holders of the Common Securities from the Property Account in accordance with Section 5.1. Funds in the Property Account shall be held uninvested until disbursed in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(ii)  engage in such ministerial activities as shall be necessary or appropriate to effect the redemption of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities to the extent the Debentures are redeemed or mature; and
 
(iii)  upon written notice of distribution issued by the Administrators in accordance with the terms of the Securities, engage in such ministerial activities as shall be necessary or appropriate to effect the distribution of the Debentures to Holders of Securities upon the occurrence of certain circumstances pursuant to the terms of the Securities.
 
(d)  The Institutional Trustee may bring or defend, pay, collect, compromise, arbitrate, resort to legal action with respect to, or otherwise adjust claims or demands of or against, the Trust which arises out of or in connection with an Event of Default of which a Responsible Officer of the Institutional Trustee has actual knowledge or arises out of the Institutional Trustee’s duties and obligations under this Declaration; provided, however, that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Debenture Issuer to pay interest or principal on the Debentures on the date such interest or principal is otherwise payable (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), then a Holder of the Capital Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment to such Holder of the principal of or interest on the Debentures having a principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities of such Holder (a “Direct Action”) on or after the respective due date specified in the Debentures. In connection with such Direct Action, the rights of the Holders of the Common Securities will be subrogated to the rights of such Holder of the Capital Securities to the extent of any payment made by the Debenture Issuer to such Holder of the Capital Securities in such Direct Action; provided, however, that no Holder of the Common Securities may exercise such right of subrogation so long as an Event of Default with respect to the Capital Securities has occurred and is continuing.
 
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(e)  The Institutional Trustee shall continue to serve as a Trustee until either:
 
(i)  the Trust has been completely liquidated and the proceeds of the liquidation distributed to the Holders of the Securities pursuant to the terms of the Securities and this Declaration; or
 
(ii)  a Successor Institutional Trustee has been appointed and has accepted that appointment in accordance with Section 4.5.
 
(f)  The Institutional Trustee shall have the legal power to exercise all of the rights, powers and privileges of a Holder of the Debentures under the Indenture and, if an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Institutional Trustee may, for the benefit of Holders of the Securities, enforce its rights as holder of the Debentures subject to the rights of the Holders pursuant to this Declaration (including Annex I) and the terms of the Securities.
 
The Institutional Trustee must exercise the powers set forth in this Section 2.8 in a manner that is consistent with the purposes and functions of the Trust set out in Section 2.3, and the Institutional Trustee shall not take any action that is inconsistent with the purposes and functions of the Trust set out in Section 2.3.
 
Section 2.9. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustees and Administrators.
 
(a)  The Institutional Trustee, before the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Declaration and no implied covenants shall be read into this Declaration against the Institutional Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 6.7), the Institutional Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Declaration, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
 
(b)  The duties and responsibilities of the Trustees and the Administrators shall be as provided by this Declaration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no provision of this Declaration shall require any Trustee or Administrator to expend or risk their own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of their duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of their rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds to believe that repayment of such funds or adequate protection against such risk of liability is not reasonably assured to it. Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Declaration relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustees or Administrators shall be subject to the provisions of this Article. Nothing in this Declaration shall be construed to relieve an Administrator or a Trustee from liability for its own negligent act, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct. To the extent that, at law or in equity, a Trustee or an Administrator has duties and liabilities relating to the Trust or to the Holders, such Trustee or such Administrator shall not be liable to the Trust or to any Holder for such Trustee’s or such Administrator’s good faith reliance on the provisions of this Declaration. The provisions of this Declaration, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of the Administrators or the Trustee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Sponsor and the Holders to replace such other duties and liabilities of the Administrators or the Trustees.
 
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(c)  All payments made by the Institutional Trustee or a Paying Agent in respect of the Securities shall be made only from the revenue and proceeds from the Trust Property and only to the extent that there shall be sufficient revenue or proceeds from the Trust Property to enable the Institutional Trustee or a Paying Agent to make payments in accordance with the terms hereof. Each Holder, by its acceptance of a Security, agrees that it will look solely to the revenue and proceeds from the Trust Property to the extent legally available for distribution to it as herein provided and that the Trustees and the Administrators are not personally liable to it for any amount distributable in respect of any Security or for any other liability in respect of any Security. This Section 2.9(c) does not limit the liability of the Trustees expressly set forth elsewhere in this Declaration.
 
(d)  The Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for its own acts or omissions hereunder except as a result of its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(i)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by an Authorized Officer of the Institutional Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Institutional Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
 
(ii)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities or the Common Securities, as applicable, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration;
 
(iii)  the Institutional Trustee’s sole duty with respect to the custody, safekeeping and physical preservation of the Debentures and the Property Account shall be to deal with such property in a similar manner as the Institutional Trustee deals with similar property for its fiduciary accounts generally, subject to the protections and limitations on liability afforded to the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration;
 
(iv)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for any interest on any money received by it except as it may otherwise agree in writing with the Sponsor; and money held by the Institutional Trustee need not be segregated from other funds held by it except in relation to the Property Account maintained by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to Section 2.8(c)(i) and except to the extent otherwise required by law; and
 
(v)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be responsible for monitoring the compliance by the Administrators or the Sponsor with their respective duties under this Declaration, nor shall the Institutional Trustee be liable for any default or misconduct of the Administrators or the Sponsor.
 
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Section 2.10. Certain Rights of Institutional Trustee. Subject to the provisions of Section 2.9:
 
(a)  the Institutional Trustee may conclusively rely and shall fully be protected in acting or refraining from acting in good faith upon any resolution, opinion of counsel, certificate, written representation of a Holder or transferee, certificate of auditors or any other certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, appraisal, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or presented by the proper party or parties;
 
(b)  if (i) in performing its duties under this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee is required to decide between alternative courses of action, (ii) in construing any of the provisions of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee finds the same ambiguous or inconsistent with any other provisions contained herein, or (iii) the Institutional Trustee is unsure of the application of any provision of this Declaration, then, except as to any matter as to which the Holders of Capital Securities are entitled to vote under the terms of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee may deliver a notice to the Sponsor requesting the Sponsor’s written instructions as to the course of action to be taken and the Institutional Trustee shall take such action, or refrain from taking such action, as the Institutional Trustee shall be instructed in writing, in which event the Institutional Trustee shall have no liability except for its own negligence or willful misconduct;
 
(c)  any direction or act of the Sponsor or the Administrators contemplated by this Declaration shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate;
 
(d)  whenever in the administration of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established before undertaking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Institutional Trustee (unless other evidence is herein specifically prescribed) may request and conclusively rely upon an Officers’ Certificate as to factual matters which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Sponsor or the Administrators;
 
(e)  the Institutional Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (including any financing or continuation statement or any filing under tax or securities laws) or any rerecording, refiling or reregistration thereof;
 
(f)  the Institutional Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection (which counsel may be counsel to the Sponsor or any of its Affiliates) and the advice of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon and in accordance with such advice; the Institutional Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Declaration from any court of competent jurisdiction;
 
(g)  the Institutional Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Declaration at the request or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to this Declaration, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Institutional Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction; provided, that nothing contained in this Section 2.10(g) shall be taken to relieve the Institutional Trustee, subject to Section 2.9(b), upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 6.7), to exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Declaration, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs;
 
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(h)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, unless requested in writing to do so by one or more Holders, but the Institutional Trustee may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit;
 
(i)  the Institutional Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through its agents or attorneys and the Institutional Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of or for the supervision of, any such agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
 
(j)  whenever in the administration of this Declaration the Institutional Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder the Institutional Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of the Capital Securities which instructions may only be given by the Holders of the same proportion in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as would be entitled to direct the Institutional Trustee under the terms of the Capital Securities in respect of such remedy, right or action, (ii) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (iii) shall be fully protected in acting in accordance with such instructions;
 
(k)  except as otherwise expressly provided in this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall not be under any obligation to take any action that is discretionary under the provisions of this Declaration;
 
(l)  when the Institutional Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with a Bankruptcy Event, such expenses (including the fees and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for such services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any bankruptcy law or law relating to creditors rights generally;
 
(m)  the Institutional Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of an Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Institutional Trustee obtains actual knowledge of such event or the Institutional Trustee receives written notice of such event from any Holder, the Sponsor or the Debenture Trustee;
 
(n)  any action taken by the Institutional Trustee or its agents hereunder shall bind the Trust and the Holders of the Securities, and the signature of the Institutional Trustee or its agents alone shall be sufficient and effective to perform any such action and no third party shall be required to inquire as to the authority of the Institutional Trustee to so act or as to its compliance with any of the terms and provisions of this Declaration, both of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the Institutional Trustee’s or its agent’s taking such action; and
 
(o)  no provision of this Declaration shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Institutional Trustee to perform any act or acts or exercise any right, power, duty or obligation conferred or imposed on it, in any jurisdiction in which it shall be illegal, or in which the Institutional Trustee shall be unqualified or incompetent in accordance with applicable law, to perform any such act or acts, or to exercise any such right, power, duty or obligation. No permissive power or authority available to the Institutional Trustee shall be construed to be a duty.
 
Section 2.11. Delaware Trustee. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration other than Section 4.1, the Delaware Trustee shall not be entitled to exercise any powers, nor shall the Delaware Trustee have any of the duties and responsibilities of any of the Trustees or the Administrators described in this Declaration (except as may be required under the Statutory Trust Act). Except as set forth in Section 4.1, the Delaware Trustee shall be a Trustee for the sole and limited purpose of fulfilling the requirements of § 3807 of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
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Section 2.12. Execution of Documents. Unless otherwise determined in writing by the Institutional Trustee, and except as otherwise required by the Statutory Trust Act, the Institutional Trustee, or any one or more of the Administrators, as the case may be, is authorized to execute on behalf of the Trust any documents that the Trustees or the Administrators, as the case may be, have the power and authority to execute pursuant to Section 2.6.
 
Section 2.13. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities. The recitals contained in this Declaration and the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Sponsor, and the Trustees do not assume any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustees make no representations as to the value or condition of the property of the Trust or any part thereof. The Trustees make no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Declaration, the Debentures or the Securities.
 
Section 2.14. Duration of Trust. The Trust, unless earlier dissolved pursuant to the provisions of Article VII hereof, shall be in existence for 35 years from the Closing Date.
 
Section 2.15. Mergers.
 
(a)  The Trust may not consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any corporation or other body, except as described in Section 2.15(b) and (c) and except in connection with the liquidation of the Trust and the distribution of the Debentures to Holders of Securities pursuant to Section 7.1(a)(iv) of the Declaration or Section 4 of Annex I.
 
(b)  The Trust may, with the consent of the Institutional Trustee and without the consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by a trust organized as such under the laws of any state; provided that:
 
(i)  if the Trust is not the surviving entity, such successor entity (the “Successor Entity”) either:
 
(A) expressly assumes all of the obligations of the Trust under the Securities; or
 
(B) substitutes for the Securities other securities having substantially the same terms as the Securities (the “Successor Securities”) so that the Successor Securities rank the same as the Securities rank with respect to Distributions and payments upon Liquidation, redemption and otherwise;
 
(ii)  the Sponsor expressly appoints a trustee of the Successor Entity that possesses substantially the same powers and duties as the Institutional Trustee as the Holder of the Debentures;
 
(iii)  such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the Holders of the Securities (including any Successor Securities) in any material respect;
 
(iv)  the Institutional Trustee receives written confirmation from Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization that rates securities issued by the initial purchaser of the Capital Securities that it will not reduce or withdraw the rating of any such securities because of such merger, conversion, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement;
 
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(v)  such Successor Entity has a purpose substantially identical to that of the Trust;
 
(vi)  prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Trust has received an opinion of a nationally recognized independent counsel to the Trust experienced in such matters to the effect that:
 
(A) such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the Holders of the Securities (including any Successor Securities) in any material respect;
 
(B) following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, neither the Trust nor the Successor Entity will be required to register as an Investment Company; and
 
(C) following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Trust (or the Successor Entity) will continue to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes;
 
(vii)  the Sponsor guarantees the obligations of such Successor Entity under the Successor Securities at least to the extent provided by the Guarantee;
 
(viii)  the Sponsor owns 100% of the common securities of any Successor Entity; and
 
(ix)  prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Institutional Trustee shall have received an Officers’ Certificate of the Administrators and an opinion of counsel, each to the effect that all conditions precedent under this Section 2.15(b) to such transaction have been satisfied.
 
(c)  Notwithstanding Section 2.15(b), the Trust shall not, except with the consent of Holders of 100% in aggregate liquidation amount of the Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by any other entity or permit any other entity to consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or replace it if such consolidation, amalgamation, merger or replacement would cause the Trust or Successor Entity to be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
ARTICLE III
 
SPONSOR
 
Section 3.1. Sponsor’s Purchase of Common Securities. On the Closing Date, the Sponsor will purchase all of the Common Securities issued by the Trust in an amount at least equal to 3% of the capital of the Trust, at the same time as the Capital Securities are sold.
 
Section 3.2. Responsibilities of the Sponsor. In connection with the issue and sale of the Capital Securities, the Sponsor shall have the exclusive right and responsibility to engage in, or direct the Administrators to engage in, the following activities:
 
(a)  to determine the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify the Trust or to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Capital Securities and to do any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by the Trust, and advise the Trust of actions it must take, and prepare for execution and filing any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust, as the Sponsor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States, to protect the limited liability of the Holders of the Capital Securities or to enable the Trust to effect the purposes for which it was created; and
 
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(b)  to negotiate the terms of and/or execute on behalf of the Trust, the Placement Agreement and other related agreements providing for the sale of the Capital Securities.
 
Section 3.3. Expenses. In connection with the offering, sale and issuance of the Debentures to the Trust and in connection with the sale of the Securities by the Trust, the Sponsor, in its capacity as Debenture Issuer, shall:
 
(a)   pay all reasonable costs and expenses owing to the Debenture Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6 of the Indenture;
 
(b)   be responsible for and shall pay all debts and obligations (other than with respect to the Securities) and all costs and expenses of the Trust, the offering, sale and issuance of the Securities (including fees to the placement agents in connection therewith), the costs and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators, the costs and expenses relating to the operation of the Trust, including, without limitation, costs and expenses of accountants, attorneys, statistical or bookkeeping services, expenses for printing and engraving and computing or accounting equipment, Paying Agents, Registrars, Transfer Agents, duplicating, travel and telephone and other telecommunications expenses and costs and expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition, financing, and disposition of Trust assets and the enforcement by the Institutional Trustee of the rights of the Holders (for purposes of clarification, this Section 3.3(b) does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustees pursuant to the services to be provided by the Trustees under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Trustees’ counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration); and
 
(c)  pay any and all taxes (other than United States withholding taxes attributable to the Trust or its assets) and all liabilities, costs and expenses with respect to such taxes of the Trust.
 
The Sponsor’s obligations under this Section 3.3 shall be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, any Person to whom such debts, obligations, costs, expenses and taxes are owed (a “Creditor”) whether or not such Creditor has received notice hereof. Any such Creditor may enforce the Sponsor’s obligations under this Section 3.3 directly against the Sponsor and the Sponsor irrevocably waives any right or remedy to require that any such Creditor take any action against the Trust or any other Person before proceeding against the Sponsor. The Sponsor agrees to execute such additional agreements as may be necessary or desirable in order to give full effect to the provisions of this Section 3.3.
 
Section 3.4. Right to Proceed. The Sponsor acknowledges the rights of Holders to institute a Direct Action as set forth in Section 2.8(d) hereto.
 
ARTICLE IV
 
INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS
 
Section 4.1. Number of Trustees. The number of Trustees shall initially be two, and;
 
(a) at any time before the issuance of any Securities, the Sponsor may, by written instrument, increase or decrease the number of Trustees; and
 
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(b) after the issuance of any Securities, the number of Trustees may be increased or decreased by vote of the Holder of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities voting as a class at a meeting of the Holder of the Common Securities; provided, however, that there shall be a Delaware Trustee if required by Section 4.2; and there shall always be one Trustee who shall be the Institutional Trustee, and such Trustee may also serve as Delaware Trustee if it meets the applicable requirements, in which case Section 2.11 shall have no application to such entity in its capacity as Institutional Trustee.
 
Section 4.2. Delaware Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a)  If required by the Statutory Trust Act, one Trustee (the “Delaware Trustee”) shall be:
 
(i)  a natural person at least 21 years of age who is a resident of the State of Delaware; or
 
(ii)  if not a natural person, an entity which is organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, has its principal place of business in the State of Delaware, and otherwise meets the requirements of applicable law, including § 3807 of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
(b)  the initial Delaware Trustee shall be Wilmington Trust Company.
 
Section 4.3. Institutional Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a)  There shall at all times be one Trustee which shall:
 
(i)  not be an Affiliate of the Sponsor;
 
(ii)  not offer or provide credit or credit enhancement to the Trust; and
 
(iii)  be a banking corporation or trust company organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000.00), and subject to supervision or examination by Federal, state, or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the supervising or examining authority referred to above, then for the purposes of this Section 4.3(a)(iii), the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published.
 
(b)  If at any time the Institutional Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 4.3(a), the Institutional Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set forth in Section 4.5.
 
(c)  If the Institutional Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Institutional Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to this Declaration.
 
(d)  The initial Institutional Trustee shall be Wilmington Trust Company.
 
Section 4.4. Administrators. Each Administrator shall be a U.S. Person, 21 years of age or older and authorized to bind the Sponsor. The initial Administrators shall be Soo Bong Min, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon. There shall at all times be at least one Administrator. Except where a requirement for action by a specific number of Administrators is expressly set forth in this Declaration and except with respect to any action the taking of which is the subject of a meeting of the Administrators, any action required or permitted to be taken by the Administrators may be taken by, and any power of the Administrators may be exercised by, or with the consent of, any one such Administrator.
 
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Section 4.5. Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Trustees and Administrators. (a)  No resignation or removal of any Trustee (the “Relevant Trustee”) and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.5.
 
(b)  Subject to Section 4.5(a), a Relevant Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Holders of the Securities and by appointing a successor Relevant Trustee. Upon the resignation of the Institutional Trustee, the Institutional Trustee shall appoint a successor by requesting from at least three Persons meeting the eligibility requirements their expenses and charges to serve as the successor Institutional Trustee on a form provided by the Administrators, and selecting the Person who agrees to the lowest expense and charges (the “Successor Institutional Trustee”). If the instrument of acceptance by the successor Relevant Trustee required by this Section 4.5 shall not have been delivered to the Relevant Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation or delivery of the instrument of removal, the Relevant Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Trust, any federal, state or District of Columbia court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Relevant Trustee. The Institutional Trustee shall have no liability for the selection of such successor pursuant to this Section 4.5.
 
(c)  Unless an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, any Trustee may be removed at any time by an act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities. If any Trustee shall be so removed, the Holders of the Common Securities, by act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities delivered to the Relevant Trustee, shall promptly appoint a successor Relevant Trustee, and such successor Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.5. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee, or both of them, may be removed by the act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, delivered to the Relevant Trustee (in its individual capacity and on behalf of the Trust). If any Trustee shall be so removed, the Holders of Capital Securities, by act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities then outstanding delivered to the Relevant Trustee, shall promptly appoint a successor Relevant Trustee or Trustees, and such successor Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.5. If no successor Relevant Trustee shall have been so appointed by the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities and accepted appointment in the manner required by this Section 4.5 within 30 days after delivery of an instrument of removal, the Relevant Trustee or any Holder who has been a Holder of the Securities for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any federal, state or District of Columbia court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a successor Relevant Trustee or Trustees.
 
(d)  The Institutional Trustee shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of a Trustee and each appointment of a successor Trustee to all Holders and to the Sponsor. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Relevant Trustee and the address of its Corporate Trust Office if it is the Institutional Trustee.
 
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(e)  Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Declaration, in the event a Delaware Trustee who is a natural person dies or is adjudged by a court to have become incompetent or incapacitated, the vacancy created by such death, incompetence or incapacity may be filled by the Institutional Trustee following the procedures in this Section 4.5 (with the successor being a Person who satisfies the eligibility requirement for a Delaware Trustee set forth in this Declaration) (the “Successor Delaware Trustee”).
 
(f)  In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Relevant Trustee, the retiring Relevant Trustee and each successor Relevant Trustee with respect to the Securities shall execute and deliver an amendment hereto wherein each successor Relevant Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (a) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor Relevant Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Relevant Trustee with respect to the Securities and the Trust and (b) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Declaration as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the Trust by more than one Relevant Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such amendment shall constitute such Relevant Trustees co-trustees and upon the execution and delivery of such amendment the resignation or removal of the retiring Relevant Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each such successor Relevant Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Relevant Trustee; but, on request of the Trust or any successor Relevant Trustee, such retiring Relevant Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Relevant Trustee all Trust Property, all proceeds thereof and money held by such retiring Relevant Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities and the Trust subject to the payment of all unpaid fees, expenses and indemnities of such retiring Relevant Trustee.
 
(g)  No Institutional Trustee or Delaware Trustee shall be liable for the acts or omissions to act of any Successor Institutional Trustee or Successor Delaware Trustee, as the case may be.
 
(h)  The Holders of the Capital Securities will have no right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Administrators, which voting rights are vested exclusively in the Holders of the Common Securities.
 
(i)  Any successor Delaware Trustee shall file an amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware identifying the name and principal place of business of such Delaware Trustee in the State of Delaware.
 
Section 4.6. Vacancies Among Trustees. If a Trustee ceases to hold office for any reason and the number of Trustees is not reduced pursuant to Section 4.1, a vacancy shall occur. A resolution certifying the existence of such vacancy by the Trustees or, if there are more than two, a majority of the Trustees, shall be conclusive evidence of the existence of such vacancy. The vacancy shall be filled with a Trustee appointed in accordance with Section 4.5.
 
Section 4.7. Effect of Vacancies. The death, resignation, retirement, removal, bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation, incompetence or incapacity to perform the duties of a Trustee shall not operate to dissolve, terminate or annul the Trust or terminate this Declaration. Whenever a vacancy in the number of Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled by the appointment of a Trustee in accordance with Section 4.5, the Institutional Trustee shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees and shall discharge all the duties imposed upon the Trustees by this Declaration.
 
Section 4.8. Meetings of the Trustees and the Administrators. Meetings of the Administrators shall be held from time to time upon the call of an Administrator. Regular meetings of the Administrators may be held in person in the United States or by telephone, at a place (if applicable) and time fixed by resolution of the Administrators. Notice of any in-person meetings of the Trustees with the Administrators or meetings of the Administrators shall be hand delivered or otherwise delivered in writing (including by facsimile, with a hard copy by overnight courier) not less than 48 hours before such meeting. Notice of any telephonic meetings of the Trustees with the Administrators or meetings of the Administrators or any committee thereof shall be hand delivered or otherwise delivered in writing (including by facsimile, with a hard copy by overnight courier) not less than 24 hours before a meeting. Notices shall contain a brief statement of the time, place and anticipated purposes of the meeting. The presence (whether in person or by telephone) of a Trustee or an Administrator, as the case may be, at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting except where the Trustee or an Administrator, as the case may be, attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any activity on the grounds that the meeting has not been lawfully called or convened. Unless provided otherwise in this Declaration, any action of the Trustees or the Administrators, as the case may be, may be taken at a meeting by vote of a majority of the Trustees or the Administrators present (whether in person or by telephone) and eligible to vote with respect to such matter, provided that a Quorum is present, or without a meeting by the unanimous written consent of the Trustees or the Administrators. Meetings of the Trustees and the Administrators together shall be held from time to time upon the call of any Trustee or an Administrator.
 
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Section 4.9. Delegation of Power.
 
(a)  Any Administrator may, by power of attorney consistent with applicable law, delegate to any other natural person over the age of 21 that is a U.S. Person his or her power for the purpose of executing any documents contemplated in Section 2.6; and
 
(b)  the Administrators shall have power to delegate from time to time to such of their number the doing of such things and the execution of such instruments either in the name of the Trust or the names of the Administrators or otherwise as the Administrators may deem expedient, to the extent such delegation is not prohibited by applicable law or contrary to the provisions of the Trust, as set forth herein.
 
Section 4.10. Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business. Any Person into which the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate trust business of the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee shall be the successor of the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee hereunder, provided such Person shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article and, provided, further, that such Person shall file an amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as contemplated in Section 4.5(i).
 
ARTICLE V
 
DISTRIBUTIONS
 
Section 5.1. Distributions. Holders shall receive Distributions in accordance with the applicable terms of the relevant Holder’s Securities. Distributions shall be made on the Capital Securities and the Common Securities in accordance with the preferences set forth in their respective terms. If and to the extent that the Debenture Issuer makes a payment of Interest or any principal on the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee, the Institutional Trustee shall and is directed, to the extent funds are available for that purpose, to make a distribution (a “Distribution”) of such amounts to Holders.
 
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ARTICLE VI
 
ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES
 
Section 6.1. General Provisions Regarding Securities.
 
(a)  The Administrators shall, on behalf of the Trust, issue one series of capital securities substantially in the form of Exhibits A-1 and A-2 representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust having such terms as are set forth in Annex I and one series of common securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust having such terms as are set forth in Annex I. The Trust shall issue no securities or other interests in the assets of the Trust other than the Capital Securities and the Common Securities. The Capital Securities rank pari passu to, and payment thereon shall be made Pro Rata with, the Common Securities except that, where an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of the Common Securities to payment in respect of Distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights to payment of the Holders of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I.
 
(b)  The Certificates shall be signed on behalf of the Trust by one or more Administrators. Such signature shall be the facsimile or manual signature of any Administrator. In case any Administrator of the Trust who shall have signed any of the Securities shall cease to be such Administrator before the Certificates so signed shall be delivered by the Trust, such Certificates nevertheless may be delivered as though the person who signed such Certificates had not ceased to be such Administrator, and any Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Trust by such persons who, at the actual date of execution of such Security, shall be an Administrator of the Trust, although at the date of the execution and delivery of the Declaration any such person was not such an Administrator. A Capital Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the facsimile or manual signature of an Authorized Officer of the Institutional Trustee. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Capital Security has been authenticated under this Declaration. Upon written order of the Trust signed by one Administrator, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate the Capital Securities for original issue. The Institutional Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent that is a U.S. Person acceptable to the Trust to authenticate the Capital Securities. A Common Security need not be so authenticated.
 
(c)  The consideration received by the Trust for the issuance of the Securities shall constitute a contribution to the capital of the Trust and shall not constitute a loan to the Trust.
 
(d)  Upon issuance of the Securities as provided in this Declaration, the Securities so issued shall be deemed to be validly issued, fully paid and, except as provided in Section 9.1(b) with respect to the Common Securities, non-assessable.
 
(e)  Every Person, by virtue of having become a Holder in accordance with the terms of this Declaration, shall be deemed to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of, and shall be bound by, this Declaration and the Guarantee.
 
Section 6.2. Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar. The Trust shall maintain in Wilmington, Delaware, an office or agency where the Capital Securities may be presented for payment (“Paying Agent”), and an office or agency where Securities may be presented for registration of transfer or exchange (the “Transfer Agent”). The Trust shall keep or cause to be kept at such office or agency a register for the purpose of registering Securities, transfers and exchanges of Securities, such register to be held by a registrar (the “Registrar”). The Administrators may appoint the Paying Agent, the Registrar and the Transfer Agent and may appoint one or more additional Paying Agents or one or more co-Registrars, or one or more co Transfer Agents in such other locations as it shall determine. The term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent, the term “Registrar” includes any additional registrar or co Registrar and the term “Transfer Agent” includes any additional transfer agent. The Administrators may change any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar at any time without prior notice to any Holder. The Administrators shall notify the Institutional Trustee of the name and address of any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar not a party to this Declaration. The Administrators hereby initially appoint the Institutional Trustee to act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar for the Capital Securities and the Common Securities. The Institutional Trustee or any of its Affiliates in the United States may act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar.
 
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Section 6.3. Form and Dating. The Capital Securities and the Institutional Trustee’s certificate of authentication thereon shall be substantially in the form of Exhibits A-1 and A-2, and the Common Securities shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-3, each of which is hereby incorporated in and expressly made a part of this Declaration. Certificates may be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved or may be produced in any other manner as is reasonably acceptable to the Administrators, as conclusively evidenced by their execution thereof. The Securities may have letters, numbers, notations or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule, agreements to which the Trust is subject if any, or usage (provided that any such notation, legend or endorsement is in a form acceptable to the Sponsor). The Trust at the direction of the Sponsor shall furnish any such legend not contained in Exhibits A-1 and A-2 to the Institutional Trustee in writing. Each Capital Security shall be dated on or before the date of its authentication. The terms and provisions of the Securities set forth in Annex I and the forms of Securities set forth in Exhibits A-1, A-2 and A-3 are part of the terms of this Declaration and to the extent applicable, the Institutional Trustee, the Delaware Trustee, the Administrators and the Sponsor, by their execution and delivery of this Declaration, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. Capital Securities will be issued only in blocks having a stated liquidation amount of not less than $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof.
 
The Capital Securities are being offered and sold by the Trust pursuant to the Placement Agreement in definitive, registered form without coupons and with the Restricted Securities Legend.
 
Section 6.4. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.
 
If:
 
(a)  any mutilated Certificates should be surrendered to the Registrar, or if the Registrar shall receive evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Certificate; and
 
(b)  there shall be delivered to the Registrar, the Administrators and the Institutional Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to keep each of them harmless;
 
then, in the absence of notice that such Certificate shall have been acquired by a protected purchaser, an Administrator on behalf of the Trust shall execute (and in the case of a Capital Security Certificate, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate) and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Certificate, a new Certificate of like denomination. In connection with the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 6.4, the Registrar or the Administrators may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith. Any duplicate Certificate issued pursuant to this Section shall constitute conclusive evidence of an ownership interest in the relevant Securities, as if originally issued, whether or not the lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate shall be found at any time.
 
Section 6.5. Temporary Securities. Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Administrators may prepare and, in the case of the Capital Securities, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate, temporary Securities. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Administrators consider appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Administrators shall prepare and, in the case of the Capital Securities, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate, definitive Securities in exchange for temporary Securities.
 
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Section 6.6. Cancellation. The Administrators at any time may deliver Securities to the Institutional Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar shall forward to the Institutional Trustee any Securities surrendered to it for registration of transfer, redemption or payment. The Institutional Trustee shall promptly cancel all Securities surrendered for registration of transfer, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall dispose of such canceled Securities as the Administrators direct. The Administrators may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that have been paid or that have been delivered to the Institutional Trustee for cancellation.
 
Section 6.7. Rights of Holders; Waivers of Past Defaults.
 
(a)  The legal title to the Trust Property is vested exclusively in the Institutional Trustee (in its capacity as such) in accordance with Section 2.5, and the Holders shall not have any right or title therein other than the undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust conferred by their Securities and they shall have no right to call for any partition or division of property, profits or rights of the Trust except as described below. The Securities shall be personal property giving only the rights specifically set forth therein and in this Declaration. The Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights.
 
(b)  For so long as any Capital Securities remain outstanding, if upon an Indenture Event of Default, the Debenture Trustee fails or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Debentures fail to declare the principal of all of the Debentures to be immediately due and payable, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities then outstanding shall have the right to make such declaration by a notice in writing to the Institutional Trustee, the Sponsor and the Debenture Trustee.
 
At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Debentures has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Debenture Trustee as provided in the Indenture, if the Institutional Trustee, subject to the provisions hereof, fails to annul any such declaration and waive such default, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, by written notice to the Institutional Trustee, the Sponsor and the Debenture Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:
 
(i)  the Debenture Issuer has paid or deposited with the Debenture Trustee a sum sufficient to pay
 
(A) all overdue installments of interest on all of the Debentures,
 
(B) any accrued Additional Interest on all of the Debentures,
 
(C) the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any Debentures that have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest and Additional Interest thereon at the rate borne by the Debentures, and
 
(D) all sums paid or advanced by the Debenture Trustee under the Indenture and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Debenture Trustee and the Institutional Trustee, their agents and counsel; and
 
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(ii)  all Events of Default with respect to the Debentures, other than the non-payment of the principal of the Debentures that has become due solely by such acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.7 of the Indenture.
 
The Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Capital Securities, waive any past default under the Indenture or any Indenture Event of Default, except a default or Indenture Event of Default in the payment of principal or interest on the Debentures (unless such default or Indenture Event of Default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest and principal due otherwise than by acceleration has been deposited with the Debenture Trustee) or a default under the Indenture or an Indenture Event of Default in respect of a covenant or provision that under the Indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture. No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
Upon receipt by the Institutional Trustee of written notice declaring such an acceleration, or rescission and annulment thereof, by Holders of any part of the Capital Securities, a record date shall be established for determining Holders of outstanding Capital Securities entitled to join in such notice, which record date shall be at the close of business on the day the Institutional Trustee receives such notice. The Holders on such record date, or their duly designated proxies, and only such Persons, shall be entitled to join in such notice, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date; provided, that unless such declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment, as the case may be, shall have become effective by virtue of the requisite percentage having joined in such notice prior to the day that is 90 days after such record date, such notice of declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment, as the case may be, shall automatically and without further action by any Holder be canceled and of no further effect. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a Holder, or a proxy of a Holder, from giving, after expiration of such 90-day period, a new written notice of declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment thereof, as the case may be, that is identical to a written notice that has been canceled pursuant to the proviso to the preceding sentence, in which event a new record date shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this Section 6.7.
 
(c)  Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 6.7, the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Capital Securities, waive any past default or Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such default or Event of Default shall cease to exist, and any default or Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Declaration, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
ARTICLE VII
 
DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST
 
Section 7.1. Dissolution and Termination of Trust.
 
(a)  The Trust shall dissolve on the first to occur of:
 
(i)  unless earlier dissolved, on March 17, 2040, the expiration of the term of the Trust;
 
(ii)  upon a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Sponsor, the Trust or the Debenture Issuer;
 
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(iii)  upon the filing of a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent with respect to the Sponsor (other than in connection with a merger, consolidation or similar transaction not prohibited by the Indenture, this Declaration or the Guarantee, as the case may be) or upon the revocation of the charter of the Sponsor and the expiration of 90 days after the date of revocation without a reinstatement thereof;
 
(iv)  upon the distribution of the Debentures to the Holders of the Securities, upon exercise of the right of the Holder of all of the outstanding Common Securities to dissolve the Trust as provided in Annex I hereto;
 
(v)  upon the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Holder of the Common Securities, the Sponsor, the Trust or the Debenture Issuer;
 
(vi)  when all of the Securities shall have been called for redemption and the amounts necessary for redemption thereof shall have been paid to the Holders in accordance with the terms of the Securities; or
 
(vii)  before the issuance of any Securities, with the consent of all of the Trustees and the Sponsor.
 
(b)  As soon as is practicable after the occurrence of an event referred to in Section 7.1(a), and after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust as required by applicable law, including of the Statutory Trust Act, and subject to the terms set forth in Annex I, the Institutional Trustee shall terminate the Trust by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
 
(c)  The provisions of Section 2.9 and Article IX shall survive the termination of the Trust.
 
ARTICLE VIII
 
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
 
Section 8.1. General.
 
(a)  Subject to Section 8.1(c), where Capital Securities are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal number of Capital Securities represented by different certificates, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfer and exchanges, the Trust shall issue and the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate Capital Securities at the Registrar’s request.
 
(b)  Upon issuance of the Common Securities, the Sponsor shall acquire and retain beneficial and record ownership of the Common Securities and for so long as the Securities remain outstanding, and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Sponsor shall maintain 100% ownership of the Common Securities; provided, however, that any permitted successor of the Sponsor, in its capacity as Debenture Issuer, under the Indenture that is a U.S. Person may succeed to the Sponsor’s ownership of the Common Securities.
 
(c)  Capital Securities may only be transferred, in whole or in part, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Declaration and in the terms of the Securities. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any transfer or purported transfer of any Security not made in accordance with this Declaration shall be null and void and will be deemed to be of no legal effect whatsoever and any such transferee shall be deemed not to be the holder of such Capital Securities for any purpose, including but not limited to the receipt of Distributions on such Capital Securities, and such transferee shall be deemed to have no interest whatsoever in such Capital Securities.
 
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(d)  The Registrar shall provide for the registration of Securities and of transfers of Securities, which will be effected without charge but only upon payment (with such indemnity as the Registrar may require) in respect of any tax or other governmental charges that may be imposed in relation to it. Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Securities, the Registrar shall cause one or more new Securities of the same tenor to be issued in the name of the designated transferee or transferees. Every Security surrendered for registration of transfer shall be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by the Holder or such Holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing. Each Security surrendered for registration of transfer shall be canceled by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6. A transferee of a Security shall be entitled to the rights and subject to the obligations of a Holder hereunder upon the receipt by such transferee of a Security. By acceptance of a Security, each transferee shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by this Declaration.
 
(e)  The Trust shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days before the day of any selection of Securities for redemption and ending at the close of business on the earliest date on which the relevant notice of redemption is deemed to have been given to all Holders of the Securities to be redeemed, or (ii) to register the transfer or exchange of any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part.
 
Section 8.2. Transfer Procedures and Restrictions.
 
(a)  The Capital Securities shall bear the Restricted Securities Legend, which shall not be removed unless there is delivered to the Trust such satisfactory evidence, which may include an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Institutional Trustee, as may be reasonably required by the Trust, that neither the legend nor the restrictions on transfer set forth therein are required to ensure that transfers thereof comply with the provisions of the Securities Act. Upon provision of such satisfactory evidence, the Institutional Trustee, at the written direction of the Trust, shall authenticate and deliver Capital Securities that do not bear the legend.
 
(b)  Except as permitted by Section 8.2(a), each Capital Security shall bear a legend (the “Restricted Securities Legend”) in substantially the following form and a Capital Security shall not be transferred except in compliance with such legend, unless otherwise determined by the Sponsor, upon the advice of counsel expert in securities law, in accordance with applicable law:
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
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THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
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THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
(c)  To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trust shall execute and the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate Capital Securities at the Registrar’s request.
 
(d)  Registrations of transfers or exchanges will be effected without charge, but only upon payment (with such indemnity as the Registrar or the Sponsor may require) in respect of any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation to it.
 
(e)  All Capital Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange pursuant to the terms of this Declaration shall evidence the same security and shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Declaration as the Capital Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
 
Section 8.3. Deemed Security Holders. The Trust, the Administrators, the Trustees, the Paying Agent, the Transfer Agent or the Registrar may treat the Person in whose name any Certificate shall be registered on the books and records of the Trust as the sole holder of such Certificate and of the Securities represented by such Certificate for purposes of receiving Distributions and for all other purposes whatsoever and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Certificate or in the Securities represented by such Certificate on the part of any Person, whether or not the Trust, the Administrators, the Trustees, the Paying Agent, the Transfer Agent or the Registrar shall have actual or other notice thereof.
 
ARTICLE IX
 
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF
HOLDERS OF SECURITIES, INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE OR OTHERS
 
Section 9.1. Liability.
 
(a)  Except as expressly set forth in this Declaration, the Guarantee and the terms of the Securities, the Sponsor shall not be:
 
(i)  personally liable for the return of any portion of the capital contributions (or any return thereon) of the Holders of the Securities which shall be made solely from assets of the Trust; or
 
(ii)  required to pay to the Trust or to any Holder of the Securities any deficit upon dissolution of the Trust or otherwise.
 
(b)  The Holder of the Common Securities shall be liable for all of the debts and obligations of the Trust (other than with respect to the Securities) to the extent not satisfied out of the Trust’s assets.
 
(c)  Pursuant to the Statutory Trust Act, the Holders of the Capital Securities shall be entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
 
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Section 9.2. Exculpation.
 
(a)  No Indemnified Person shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Trust or any Covered Person for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnified Person in good faith on behalf of the Trust and in a manner such Indemnified Person reasonably believed to be within the scope of the authority conferred on such Indemnified Person by this Declaration or by law, except that an Indemnified Person shall be liable for any such loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Indemnified Person’s negligence or willful misconduct with respect to such acts or omissions.
 
(b)  An Indemnified Person shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Trust and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Trust by any Person as to matters the Indemnified Person reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and, if selected by such Indemnified Person, has been selected by such Indemnified Person with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Trust, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits, losses, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which Distributions to Holders of Securities might properly be paid.
 
Section 9.3. Fiduciary Duty.
 
(a)  To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnified Person has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust or to any other Covered Person, an Indemnified Person acting under this Declaration shall not be liable to the Trust or to any other Covered Person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Declaration. The provisions of this Declaration, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of an Indemnified Person otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the parties hereto to replace such other duties and liabilities of the Indemnified Person.
 
(b)  Whenever in this Declaration an Indemnified Person is permitted or required to make a decision:
 
(i)  in its “discretion” or under a grant of similar authority, the Indemnified Person shall be entitled to consider such interests and factors as it desires, including its own interests, and shall have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting the Trust or any other Person; or
 
(ii)  in its “good faith” or under another express standard, the Indemnified Person shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard imposed by this Declaration or by applicable law.
 
Section 9.4. Indemnification.
 
(a)  The Sponsor shall indemnify, to the full extent permitted by law, any Indemnified Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Trust) arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Declaration by reason of the fact that he is or was an Indemnified Person against expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the Indemnified Person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
 
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(b)  The Sponsor shall indemnify, to the full extent permitted by law, any Indemnified Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Trust to procure a judgment in its favor arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Declaration by reason of the fact that he is or was an Indemnified Person against expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust; provided, however, that no such indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such Indemnified Person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Trust unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
 
(c)  To the extent that an Indemnified Person shall be successful on the merits or otherwise (including dismissal of an action without prejudice or the settlement of an action without admission of liability) in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified, to the full extent permitted by law, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.
 
(d)  Any indemnification of an Administrator under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4 (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Sponsor only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Indemnified Person is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b). Such determination shall be made (i) by the Administrators by a majority vote of a Quorum consisting of such Administrators who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, (ii) if such a Quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, if a Quorum of disinterested Administrators so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (iii) by the Common Security Holder of the Trust.
 
(e)  To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnified Person in defending a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4 shall be paid by the Sponsor in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Sponsor as authorized in this Section 9.4. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no advance shall be made by the Sponsor if a determination is reasonably and promptly made (i) by the Administrators by a majority vote of a Quorum of disinterested Administrators, (ii) if such a Quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, if a quorum of disinterested Administrators so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iii) by the Common Security Holder of the Trust, that, based upon the facts known to the Administrators, counsel or the Common Security Holder at the time such determination is made, such Indemnified Person acted in bad faith or in a manner that such Indemnified Person did not believe to be in the best interests of the Trust, or, with respect to any criminal proceeding, that such Indemnified Person believed or had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. In no event shall any advance be made in instances where the Administrators, independent legal counsel or the Common Security Holder reasonably determine that such Indemnified Person deliberately breached his duty to the Trust or its Common or Capital Security Holders.
 
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(f)  The Trustees, at the sole cost and expense of the Sponsor, retain the right to representation by counsel of their own choosing in any action, suit or any other proceeding for which they are indemnified under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4, without affecting their right to indemnification hereunder or waiving any rights afforded to it under this Declaration or applicable law.
 
(g)  The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other paragraphs of this Section 9.4 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification and advancement of expenses may be entitled under any agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors of the Sponsor or Capital Security Holders of the Trust or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. All rights to indemnification under this Section 9.4 shall be deemed to be provided by a contract between the Sponsor and each Indemnified Person who serves in such capacity at any time while this Section 9.4 is in effect. Any repeal or modification of this Section 9.4 shall not affect any rights or obligations then existing.
 
(h)  The Sponsor or the Trust may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any Person who is or was an Indemnified Person against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Sponsor would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Section 9.4.
 
(i)  For purposes of this Section 9.4, references to “the Trust” shall include, in addition to the resulting or surviving entity, any constituent entity (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger, so that any Person who is or was a director, trustee, officer or employee of such constituent entity, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent entity as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent of another entity, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Section 9.4 with respect to the resulting or surviving entity as he would have with respect to such constituent entity if its separate existence had continued.
 
(j)  The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Section 9.4 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, (i) continue as to a Person who has ceased to be an Indemnified Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a Person; and (ii) survive the termination or expiration of this Declaration or the earlier removal or resignation of an Indemnified Person.
 
Section 9.5. Outside Businesses. Any Covered Person, the Sponsor, the Delaware Trustee and the Institutional Trustee may engage in or possess an interest in other business ventures of any nature or description, independently or with others, similar or dissimilar to the business of the Trust, and the Trust and the Holders of Securities shall have no rights by virtue of this Declaration in and to such independent ventures or the income or profits derived therefrom, and the pursuit of any such venture, even if competitive with the business of the Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper. None of any Covered Person, the Sponsor, the Delaware Trustee or the Institutional Trustee shall be obligated to present any particular investment or other opportunity to the Trust even if such opportunity is of a character that, if presented to the Trust, could be taken by the Trust, and any Covered Person, the Sponsor, the Delaware Trustee and the Institutional Trustee shall have the right to take for its own account (individually or as a partner or fiduciary) or to recommend to others any such particular investment or other opportunity. Any Covered Person, the Delaware Trustee and the Institutional Trustee may engage or be interested in any financial or other transaction with the Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor, or may act as depositary for, trustee or agent for, or act on any committee or body of holders of, securities or other obligations of the Sponsor or its Affiliates.
 
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Section 9.6. Compensation; Fee. The Sponsor agrees:
 
(a)  to pay to the Trustees from time to time such compensation for all services rendered by them hereunder as the parties shall agree from time to time (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); and
 
(b)  except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Trustees upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustees in accordance with any provision of this Declaration (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of their respective agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
 
For purposes of clarification, this Section 9.6 does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustees under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Trustees’ counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration.
 
The provisions of this Section 9.6 shall survive the dissolution of the Trust and the termination of this Declaration and the removal or resignation of any Trustee.
 
No Trustee may claim any lien or charge on any property of the Trust as a result of any amount due pursuant to this Section 9.6.
 
ARTICLE X
 
ACCOUNTING
 
Section 10.1. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year (“Fiscal Year”) of the Trust shall be the calendar year, or such other year as is required by the Code.
 
Section 10.2. Certain Accounting Matters. 
 
(a)  At all times during the existence of the Trust, the Administrators shall keep, or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Trust in the United States, as defined for purposes of Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7, full books of account, records and supporting documents, which shall reflect in reasonable detail each transaction of the Trust. The books of account shall be maintained, at the Sponsor’s expense, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied. The books of account and the records of the Trust shall be examined by and reported upon (either separately or as part of the Sponsor’s regularly prepared consolidated financial report) as of the end of each Fiscal Year of the Trust by a firm of independent certified public accountants selected by the Administrators.
 
(b)  The Administrators shall cause to be duly prepared and delivered to each of the Holders of Securities Form 1099 or such other annual United States federal income tax information statement required by the Code, containing such information with regard to the Securities held by each Holder as is required by the Code and the Treasury Regulations. Notwithstanding any right under the Code to deliver any such statement at a later date, the Administrators shall endeavor to deliver all such statements within 30 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Trust.
 
(c)  The Administrators, at the Sponsor’s expense, shall cause to be duly prepared at the principal office of the Sponsor in the United States, as ‘United States’ is defined in Section 7701(a)(9) of the Code (or at the principal office of the Trust if the Sponsor has no such principal office in the United States), and filed an annual United States federal income tax return on a Form 1041 or such other form required by United States federal income tax law, and any other annual income tax returns required to be filed by the Administrators on behalf of the Trust with any state or local taxing authority.
 
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Section 10.3. Banking. The Trust shall maintain in the United States, as defined for purposes of Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7, one or more bank accounts in the name and for the sole benefit of the Trust; provided, however, that all payments of funds in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee shall be made directly to the Property Account and no other funds of the Trust shall be deposited in the Property Account. The sole signatories for such accounts (including the Property Account) shall be designated by the Institutional Trustee.
 
Section 10.4. Withholding. The Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent and the Administrators shall comply with all withholding requirements under United States federal, state and local law. The Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent shall request, and each Holder shall provide to the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent, such forms or certificates as are necessary to establish an exemption from withholding with respect to the Holder, and any representations and forms as shall reasonably be requested by the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent to assist it in determining the extent of, and in fulfilling, its withholding obligations. The Administrators shall file required forms with applicable jurisdictions and, unless an exemption from withholding is properly established by a Holder, shall remit amounts withheld with respect to the Holder to applicable jurisdictions. To the extent that the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent is required to withhold and pay over any amounts to any authority with respect to distributions or allocations to any Holder, the amount withheld shall be deemed to be a Distribution in the amount of the withholding to the Holder. In the event of any claimed overwithholding, Holders shall be limited to an action against the applicable jurisdiction. If the amount required to be withheld was not withheld from actual Distributions made, the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent may reduce subsequent Distributions by the amount of such withholding.
 
ARTICLE XI
 
AMENDMENTS AND MEETINGS
 
Section 11.1. Amendments.
 
(a)  Except as otherwise provided in this Declaration or by any applicable terms of the Securities, this Declaration may only be amended by a written instrument approved and executed (i) by the Institutional Trustee, or (ii) if the amendment affects the rights, powers, duties, obligations or immunities of the Delaware Trustee, by the Delaware Trustee.
 
(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XI, an amendment may be made, and any such purported amendment shall be valid and effective only if:
 
(i)  the Institutional Trustee shall have first received
 
(A) an Officers’ Certificate from each of the Trust and the Sponsor that such amendment is permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Declaration (including the terms of the Securities); and
 
(B) an opinion of counsel (who may be counsel to the Sponsor or the Trust) that such amendment is permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Declaration (including the terms of the Securities); and
 
(ii)  the result of such amendment would not be to
 
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(A) cause the Trust to cease to be classified for purposes of United States federal income taxation as a grantor trust; or
 
(B) cause the Trust to be deemed to be an Investment Company required to be registered under the Investment Company Act.
 
(c)  Except as provided in Section 11.1(d), (e) or (h), no amendment shall be made, and any such purported amendment shall be void and ineffective, unless the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities shall have consented to such amendment.
 
(d)  In addition to and notwithstanding any other provision in this Declaration, without the consent of each affected Holder, this Declaration may not be amended to (i) change the amount or timing of any Distribution on the Securities or otherwise adversely affect the amount of any Distribution required to be made in respect of the Securities as of a specified date or change any conversion or exchange provisions or (ii) restrict the right of a Holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such date.
 
(e)  Sections 9.1(b) and 9.1(c) and this Section 11.1 shall not be amended without the consent of all of the Holders of the Securities.
 
(f)  Article III shall not be amended without the consent of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities.
 
(g)  The rights of the Holders of the Capital Securities under Article IV to appoint and remove Trustees shall not be amended without the consent of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
(h)  This Declaration may be amended by the Institutional Trustee and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities without the consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities to:
 
(i)  cure any ambiguity;
 
(ii)  correct or supplement any provision in this Declaration that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision of this Declaration;
 
(iii)  add to the covenants, restrictions or obligations of the Sponsor; or
 
(iv)  modify, eliminate or add to any provision of this Declaration to such extent as may be necessary to ensure that the Trust will be classified for United States federal income tax purposes at all times as a grantor trust and will not be required to register as an Investment Company (including without limitation to conform to any change in Rule 3a-5, Rule 3a-7 or any other applicable rule under the Investment Company Act or written change in interpretation or application thereof by any legislative body, court, government agency or regulatory authority) which amendment does not have a material adverse effect on the rights, preferences or privileges of the Holders of Securities;
 
provided, however, that no such modification, elimination or addition referred to in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) shall adversely affect in any material respect the powers, preferences or special rights of Holders of Capital Securities.
 
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Section 11.2. Meetings of the Holders of Securities; Action by Written Consent.
 
(a)  Meetings of the Holders of any class of Securities may be called at any time by the Administrators (or as provided in the terms of the Securities) to consider and act on any matter on which Holders of such class of Securities are entitled to act under the terms of this Declaration or the terms of the Securities. The Administrators shall call a meeting of the Holders of such class if directed to do so by the Holders of at least 10% in liquidation amount of such class of Securities. Such direction shall be given by delivering to the Administrators one or more calls in a writing stating that the signing Holders of the Securities wish to call a meeting and indicating the general or specific purpose for which the meeting is to be called. Any Holders of the Securities calling a meeting shall specify in writing the Certificates held by the Holders of the Securities exercising the right to call a meeting and only those Securities represented by such Certificates shall be counted for purposes of determining whether the required percentage set forth in the second sentence of this paragraph has been met.
 
(b)  Except to the extent otherwise provided in the terms of the Securities, the following provisions shall apply to meetings of Holders of the Securities:
 
(i)  notice of any such meeting shall be given to all the Holders of the Securities having a right to vote thereat at least 7 days and not more than 60 days before the date of such meeting. Whenever a vote, consent or approval of the Holders of the Securities is permitted or required under this Declaration, such vote, consent or approval may be given at a meeting of the Holders of the Securities. Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Holders of the Securities may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Holders of the Securities owning not less than the minimum amount of Securities in liquidation amount that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all Holders of the Securities having a right to vote thereon were present and voting. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Holders of the Securities entitled to vote who have not consented in writing. The Administrators may specify that any written ballot submitted to the Holders of the Securities for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Trust within the time specified by the Administrators;
 
(ii)  each Holder of a Security may authorize any Person to act for it by proxy on all matters in which a Holder of Securities is entitled to participate, including waiving notice of any meeting, or voting or participating at a meeting. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of 11 months from the date thereof unless otherwise provided in the proxy. Every proxy shall be revocable at the pleasure of the Holder of the Securities executing it. Except as otherwise provided herein, all matters relating to the giving, voting or validity of proxies shall be governed by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware relating to proxies, and judicial interpretations thereunder, as if the Trust were a Delaware corporation and the Holders of the Securities were stockholders of a Delaware corporation; each meeting of the Holders of the Securities shall be conducted by the Administrators or by such other Person that the Administrators may designate; and
 
(iii)  unless the Statutory Trust Act, this Declaration, or the terms of the Securities otherwise provides, the Administrators, in their sole discretion, shall establish all other provisions relating to meetings of Holders of Securities, including notice of the time, place or purpose of any meeting at which any matter is to be voted on by any Holders of the Securities, waiver of any such notice, action by consent without a meeting, the establishment of a record date, quorum requirements, voting in person or by proxy or any other matter with respect to the exercise of any such right to vote; provided, however, that each meeting shall be conducted in the United States (as that term is defined in Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7).
 
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ARTICLE XII
 
REPRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND THE DELAWARE TRUSTEE
 
Section 12.1. Representations and Warranties of Institutional Trustee. The initial Institutional Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and to the Sponsor at the date of this Declaration, and each Successor Institutional Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and the Sponsor at the time of the Successor Institutional Trustee’s acceptance of its appointment as Institutional Trustee, that:
 
(a)  the Institutional Trustee is a Delaware banking corporation with trust powers, duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with trust power and authority to execute and deliver, and to carry out and perform its obligations under the terms of, this Declaration;
 
(b)  the execution, delivery and performance by the Institutional Trustee of this Declaration has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Institutional Trustee. This Declaration has been duly executed and delivered by the Institutional Trustee, and it constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Institutional Trustee, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, moratorium, insolvency, and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law);
 
(c)  the execution, delivery and performance of this Declaration by the Institutional Trustee does not conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or by-laws of the Institutional Trustee; and
 
(d)  no consent, approval or authorization of, or registration with or notice to, any state or federal banking authority is required for the execution, delivery or performance by the Institutional Trustee of this Declaration.
 
Section 12.2. Representations of the Delaware Trustee. The Trustee that acts as initial Delaware Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and to the Sponsor at the date of this Declaration, and each Successor Delaware Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and the Sponsor at the time of the Successor Delaware Trustee’s acceptance of its appointment as Delaware Trustee that:
 
(a)  if it is not a natural person, the Delaware Trustee is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware;
 
(b)  if it is not a natural person, the execution, delivery and performance by the Delaware Trustee of this Declaration has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Delaware Trustee. This Declaration has been duly executed and delivered by the Delaware Trustee, and under Delaware law (excluding any securities laws) constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Delaware Trustee, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, moratorium, insolvency and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity and the discretion of the court (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law);
 
(c)  if it is not a natural person, the execution, delivery and performance of this Declaration by the Delaware Trustee does not conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or by-laws of the Delaware Trustee;
 
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(d)  it has trust power and authority to execute and deliver, and to carry out and perform its obligations under the terms of, this Declaration;
 
(e)  no consent, approval or authorization of, or registration with or notice to, any state or federal banking authority governing the trust powers of the Delaware Trustee is required for the execution, delivery or performance by the Delaware Trustee of this Declaration; and
 
(f)  the Delaware Trustee is a natural person who is a resident of the State of Delaware or, if not a natural person, it is an entity which has its principal place of business in the State of Delaware and, in either case, a Person that satisfies for the Trust the requirements of Section 3807 of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
ARTICLE XIII
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
Section 13.1. Notices. All notices provided for in this Declaration shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and shall be delivered, telecopied (which telecopy shall be followed by notice delivered or mailed by first class mail) or mailed by first class mail, as follows:
 
(a)  if given to the Trust, in care of the Administrators at the Trust’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Trust may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II
c/o Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(b)  if given to the Delaware Trustee, at the Delaware Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Delaware Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilmington Trust Company
Rodney Square North
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Telecopy: 302-636-4140
 
(c)  if given to the Institutional Trustee, at the Institutional Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Institutional Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilmington Trust Company
Rodney Square North
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Telecopy: 302-636-4140
 
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(d)  if given to the Holder of the Common Securities, at the mailing address of the Sponsor set forth below (or such other address as the Holder of the Common Securities may give notice of to the Trust):
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(e)  if given to any other Holder, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Trust.
 
All such notices shall be deemed to have been given when received in person, telecopied with receipt confirmed, or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid except that if a notice or other document is refused delivery or cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given, such notice or other document shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date of such refusal or inability to deliver.
 
Section 13.2. Governing Law. This Declaration and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the law of the State of Delaware and all rights and remedies shall be governed by such laws without regard to the principles of conflict of laws of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction that would call for the application of the law of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware; provided, however, that there shall not be applicable to the Trust, the Trustees or this Declaration any provision of the laws (statutory or common) of the State of Delaware pertaining to trusts that relate to or regulate, in a manner inconsistent with the terms hereof (a) the filing with any court or governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and charges, (b) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust, (c) the necessity for obtaining court or other governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding or disposition of real or personal property, (d) fees or other sums payable to trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust, (e) the allocation of receipts and expenditures to income or principal, or (f) restrictions or limitations on the permissible nature, amount or concentration of trust investments or requirements relating to the titling, storage or other manner of holding or investing trust assets.
 
Section 13.3. Intention of the Parties. It is the intention of the parties hereto that the Trust be classified for United States federal income tax purposes as a grantor trust. The provisions of this Declaration shall be interpreted to further this intention of the parties.
 
Section 13.4. Headings. Headings contained in this Declaration are inserted for convenience of reference only and do not affect the interpretation of this Declaration or any provision hereof.
 
Section 13.5. Successors and Assigns. Whenever in this Declaration any of the parties hereto is named or referred to, the successors and assigns of such party shall be deemed to be included, and all covenants and agreements in this Declaration by the Sponsor and the Trustees shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns, whether or not so expressed.
 
Section 13.6. Partial Enforceability. If any provision of this Declaration, or the application of such provision to any Person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, the remainder of this Declaration, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.
 
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Section 13.7. Counterparts. This Declaration may contain more than one counterpart of the signature page and this Declaration may be executed by the affixing of the signature of each of the Trustees and Administrators to any of such counterpart signature pages. All of such counterpart signature pages shall be read as though one, and they shall have the same force and effect as though all of the signers had signed a single signature page.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused these presents to be executed as of the day and year first above written.
 
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Delaware Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Institutional Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC., as Sponsor
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
 
ADMINISTRATORS OF WILSHIRE STATUTORY
TRUST II
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 

Administrator
 
     
By:  
 

Administrator
 
     
By:  
 

Administrator
 
 
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ANNEX I

TERMS OF SECURITIES

Pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated as of March 17, 2005 (as amended from time to time, the “Declaration”), the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities are set out below (each capitalized term used but not defined herein has the meaning set forth in the Declaration):
 
1. Designation and Number.
 
(a) 20,000 Floating Rate Capital Securities of Wilshire Statutory Trust II (the “Trust”), with an aggregate stated liquidation amount with respect to the assets of the Trust of twenty millions dollars ($20,000,000.00) and a stated liquidation amount with respect to the assets of the Trust of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, are hereby designated for the purposes of identification only as the “Capital Securities”. The Capital Security Certificates evidencing the Capital Securities shall be substantially in the form of Exhibits A-1 and A-2 to the Declaration, with such changes and additions thereto or deletions therefrom as may be required by ordinary usage, custom or practice.
 
(b) 619 Floating Rate Common Securities of the Trust (the “Common Securities”) will be evidenced by Common Security Certificates substantially in the form of Exhibit A-3 to the Declaration, with such changes and additions thereto or deletions therefrom as may be required by ordinary usage, custom or practice.
 
2. Distributions.
 
(a) Distributions will be payable on each Security for the Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005 at a rate per annum of 4.76% and shall bear interest for each successive Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date at a rate per annum equal to the 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.79% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount thereof, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the applicable Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by law). Distributions, as used herein, include cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
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(b) Distributions on the Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance, and will be payable, subject to extension of distribution payment periods as described herein, quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year, or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005 when, as and if available for payment. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Extension Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date and provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer and its Affiliates shall not (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Debenture Issuer’s or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Debenture Issuer or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Debenture Issuer to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Debenture Issuer) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing, or (ii) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Debenture Issuer or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (i) and (ii) above, (a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Debenture Issuer in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Debenture Issuer (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, (b) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Debenture Issuer) for any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (e) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (f) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Debenture Issuer (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (g) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee). Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
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(c) Distributions on the Securities will be payable to the Holders thereof as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the relevant record dates. The relevant record dates shall be fifteen days before the relevant Distribution Payment Date. Distributions payable on any Securities that are not punctually paid on any Distribution Payment Date, as a result of the Debenture Issuer having failed to make a payment under the Debentures, as the case may be, when due (taking into account any Extension Period), will cease to be payable to the Person in whose name such Securities are registered on the relevant record date, and such defaulted Distribution will instead be payable to the Person in whose name such Securities are registered on the special record date or other specified date determined in accordance with the Indenture.
 
(d) In the event that there is any money or other property held by or for the Trust that is not accounted for hereunder, such property shall be distributed Pro Rata (as defined herein) among the Holders of the Securities.
 
3. Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution. In the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust (each a “Liquidation”) other than in connection with a redemption of the Debentures, the Holders of the Securities will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to Holders of the Securities, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust (to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer), distributions equal to the aggregate of the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Security plus accrued and unpaid Distributions thereon to the date of payment (such amount being the “Liquidation Distribution”), unless in connection with such Liquidation, the Debentures in an aggregate stated principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount of such Securities, with an interest rate equal to the Distribution Rate of, and bearing accrued and unpaid interest in an amount equal to the accrued and unpaid Distributions on, and having the same record date as, such Securities, after paying or making reasonable provision to pay all claims and obligations of the Trust in accordance with the Statutory Trust Act, shall be distributed on a Pro Rata basis to the Holders of the Securities in exchange for such Securities.
 
The Sponsor, as the Holder of all of the Common Securities, has the right at any time to dissolve the Trust (including, without limitation, upon the occurrence of a Special Event), subject to the receipt by the Debenture Issuer of prior approval from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or its designated district bank, as applicable, and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of the Sponsor (the “Federal Reserve”), if the Sponsor is a bank holding company, or from the Office of Thrift Supervision and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of Sponsor, (the “OTS”) if the Sponsor is a savings and loan holding company, in either case if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, and, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, cause the Debentures to be distributed to the Holders of the Securities on a Pro Rata basis in accordance with the aggregate stated liquidation amount thereof.
 
If a Liquidation of the Trust occurs as described in clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (v) in Section 7.1(a) of the Declaration, the Trust shall be liquidated by the Institutional Trustee as expeditiously as it determines to be possible by distributing, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, to the Holders of the Securities, the Debentures on a Pro Rata basis to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer, unless such distribution is determined by the Institutional Trustee not to be practical, in which event such Holders will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to the Holders, after satisfaction of liabilities of creditors of the Trust to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer, an amount equal to the Liquidation Distribution. An early Liquidation of the Trust pursuant to clause (iv) of Section 7.1(a) of the Declaration shall occur if the Institutional Trustee determines that such Liquidation is possible by distributing, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, to the Holders of the Securities on a Pro Rata basis, the Debentures, and such distribution occurs.
 
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If, upon any such Liquidation the Liquidation Distribution can be paid only in part because the Trust has insufficient assets available to pay in full the aggregate Liquidation Distribution, then the amounts payable directly by the Trust on such Capital Securities shall be paid to the Holders of the Trust Securities on a Pro Rata basis, except that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Capital Securities shall have a preference over the Common Securities with regard to such distributions.
 
After the date for any distribution of the Debentures upon dissolution of the Trust (i) the Securities of the Trust will be deemed to be no longer outstanding, (ii) upon surrender of a Holder’s Securities certificate, such Holder of the Securities will receive a certificate representing the Debentures to be delivered upon such distribution, (iii) any certificates representing the Securities still outstanding will be deemed to represent undivided beneficial interests in such of the Debentures as have an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount with an interest rate identical to the Distribution Rate of, and bearing accrued and unpaid interest equal to accrued and unpaid distributions on, the Securities until such certificates are presented to the Debenture Issuer or its agent for transfer or reissuance (and until such certificates are so surrendered, no payments of interest or principal shall be made to Holders of Securities in respect of any payments due and payable under the Debentures; provided, however that such failure to pay shall not be deemed to be an Event of Default and shall not entitle the Holder to the benefits of the Guarantee), and (iv) all rights of Holders of Securities under the Declaration shall cease, except the right of such Holders to receive Debentures upon surrender of certificates representing such Securities.
 
4. Redemption and Distribution.
 
(a) The Debentures will mature on March 17, 2035. The Debentures may be redeemed by the Debenture Issuer, in whole or in part, at any Distribution Payment Date on or after the Distribution Payment Date in March 2010, at the Redemption Price. In addition, the Debentures may be redeemed by the Debenture Issuer at the Special Redemption Price, in whole but not in part, at any Distribution Payment Date, upon the occurrence and continuation of a Special Event within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event at the Special Redemption Price, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice to holders of such Debentures so long as such Special Event is continuing. In each case, the right of the Debenture Issuer to redeem the Debentures is subject to the Debenture Issuer having received prior approval from the Federal Reserve (if the Debenture Issuer is a bank holding company) or prior approval from the OTS (if the Debenture Issuer is a savings and loan holding company), in each case if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the applicable federal agency.
 
3-Month LIBOR” means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month, U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority:
 
(1) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (as defined below). “Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits;
 
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(2) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations;
 
(3) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (2) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and
 
(4) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (3) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period.
 
If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
Capital Treatment Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective change) in, the laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein, or as the result of any official or administrative pronouncement or action or decision interpreting or applying such laws, rules or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Sponsor will not, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, be entitled to treat an amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Sponsor (or if the Sponsor is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Sponsor as if the Sponsor were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Sponsor to treat all or any portion of the liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as Tier l Capital shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event, if such inability results from the Sponsor having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, may now or hereafter accord Tier 1 Capital treatment in excess of the amount which may now or hereafter qualify for treatment as Tier 1 Capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines; provided further, however, that the distribution of Debentures in connection with the Liquidation of the Trust shall not in and of itself constitute a Capital Treatment Event unless such Liquidation shall have occurred in connection with a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event. For purposes of this definition, the rule designated “Risk-Based Capital Standards: Trust Preferred Securities and the Definition of Capital” issued by the Federal Reserve on March 1, 2005 shall be deemed to have been issued and effective prior to the date of this Indenture and shall not be deemed to constitute a Capital Treatment Event.
 
I-5

 
Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the particular Distribution Period for which a Coupon Rate is being determined.
 
Investment Company Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of a change in law or regulation or written change (including any announced prospective change) in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will be considered an Investment Company that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act which change or prospective change becomes effective or would become effective, as the case may be, on or after the date of the issuance of the Debentures.
 
Maturity Date” means March 17, 2035.
 
Redemption Date” shall mean the date fixed for the redemption of Capital Securities, which shall be any Distribution Payment Date on or after the Distribution Payment Date in March 2010.
 
Redemption Price” means 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid Interest on such Debentures to the Redemption Date.
 
Special Event” means a Tax Event, an Investment Company Event or a Capital Treatment Event.
 
Special Redemption Date” means a date on which a Special Event redemption occurs, which shall be a Distribution Payment Date.
 
Special Redemption Price” means the price set forth in the following table for any Special Redemption Date that occurs on the date indicated below (or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day), expressed as the percentage of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed:
 
Month in which Special Redemption Date Occurs
 
Special Redemption Price
June 2005
 
104.625%
September 2005
 
104.300%
December 2005
 
104.000%
March 2006
 
103.650%
June 2006
 
103.350%
September 2006
 
103.000%
December 2006
 
102.700%
March 2007
 
102.350%
June 2007
 
102.050%
September 2007
 
101.700%
December 2007
 
101.400%
March 2008
 
101.050%
June 2008
 
100.750%
September 2008
 
100.450%
December 2008
 
100.200%
March 2009 and thereafter
 
100.000%
 
 
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plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid Interest on such Debentures to the Special Redemption Date.
 
Tax Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, or as a result of any official administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum, field service advice, regulatory procedure, notice or announcement including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt such procedures or regulations) (an “Administrative Action”) or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, regardless of whether such Administrative Action or judicial decision is issued to or in connection with a proceeding involving the Debenture Issuer or the Trust and whether or not subject to review or appeal, which amendment, clarification, change, Administrative Action or decision is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that: (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures; (ii) interest payable by the Debenture Issuer on the Debentures is not, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Debenture Issuer, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes; or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges.
 
(b) Upon the repayment in full at maturity or redemption in whole or in part of the Debentures (other than following the distribution of the Debentures to the Holders of the Securities), the proceeds from such repayment or payment shall concurrently be applied to redeem Pro Rata at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, Securities having an aggregate liquidation amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures so repaid or redeemed; provided, however, that holders of such Securities shall be given not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice of such redemption (other than at the scheduled maturity of the Debentures).
 
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(c) If fewer than all the outstanding Securities are to be so redeemed, the Common Securities and the Capital Securities will be redeemed Pro Rata and the Capital Securities to be redeemed will be redeemed Pro Rata from each Holder of Capital Securities.
 
(d) The Trust may not redeem fewer than all the outstanding Capital Securities unless all accrued and unpaid Distributions have been paid on all Capital Securities for all quarterly Distribution periods terminating on or before the date of redemption.
 
(e) Redemption or Distribution Procedures.
 
(i) Notice of any redemption of, or notice of distribution of the Debentures in exchange for, the Securities (a “Redemption/Distribution Notice”) will be given by the Trust by mail to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed or exchanged not fewer than 30 nor more than 60 days before the date fixed for redemption or exchange thereof which, in the case of a redemption, will be the date fixed for redemption of the Debentures. For purposes of the calculation of the date of redemption or exchange and the dates on which notices are given pursuant to this paragraph 4(e)(i), a Redemption/Distribution Notice shall be deemed to be given on the day such notice is first mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to Holders of such Securities. Each Redemption/Distribution Notice shall be addressed to the Holders of such Securities at the address of each such Holder appearing on the books and records of the Trust. No defect in the Redemption/Distribution Notice or in the mailing thereof with respect to any Holder shall affect the validity of the redemption or exchange proceedings with respect to any other Holder.
 
(ii) If the Securities are to be redeemed and the Trust gives a Redemption/ Distribution Notice, which notice may only be issued if the Debentures are redeemed as set out in this paragraph 4 (which notice will be irrevocable), then, provided that the Institutional Trustee has a sufficient amount of cash in connection with the related redemption or maturity of the Debentures, the Institutional Trustee will pay the relevant Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, to the Holders of such Securities by check mailed to the address of each such Holder appearing on the books and records of the Trust on the Redemption Date. If a Redemption/Distribution Notice shall have been given and funds deposited as required then immediately prior to the close of business on the date of such deposit Distributions will cease to accrue on the Securities so called for redemption and all rights of Holders of such Securities so called for redemption will cease, except the right of the Holders of such Securities to receive the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price specified in paragraph 4(a), but without interest on such Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price. If payment of the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price in respect of any Securities is improperly withheld or refused and not paid either by the Trust or by the Debenture Issuer as guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee, Distributions on such Securities will continue to accrue at the Distribution Rate from the original Redemption Date to the actual date of payment, in which case the actual payment date will be considered the date fixed for redemption for purposes of calculating the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price. In the event of any redemption of the Capital Securities issued by the Trust in part, the Trust shall not be required to (i) issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security during a period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days before any selection for redemption of the Capital Securities and ending at the close of business on the earliest date on which the relevant notice of redemption is deemed to have been given to all Holders of the Capital Securities to be so redeemed or (ii) register the transfer of or exchange any Capital Securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except for the unredeemed portion of any Capital Securities being redeemed in part.
 
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(iii) Redemption/Distribution Notices shall be sent by the Administrators on behalf of the Trust to (A) in respect of the Capital Securities, the Holders thereof and (B) in respect of the Common Securities, the Holder thereof.
 
(iv) Subject to the foregoing and applicable law (including, without limitation, United States federal securities laws), and provided that the acquiror is not the Holder of the Common Securities or the obligor under the Indenture, the Sponsor or any of its subsidiaries may at any time and from time to time purchase outstanding Capital Securities by tender, in the open market or by private agreement.
 
5. Voting Rights - Capital Securities.
 
(a) Except as provided under paragraphs 5(b) and 7 and as otherwise required by law and the Declaration, the Holders of the Capital Securities will have no voting rights. The Administrators are required to call a meeting of the Holders of the Capital Securities if directed to do so by Holders of at least 10% in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
(b) Subject to the requirements of obtaining a tax opinion by the Institutional Trustee in certain circumstances set forth in the last sentence of this paragraph, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, voting separately as a class, have the right to direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under the Declaration, including the right to direct the Institutional Trustee, as holder of the Debentures, to (i) exercise the remedies available under the Indenture as the holder of the Debentures, (ii) waive any past default that is waivable under the Indenture, (iii) exercise any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable or (iv) consent on behalf of all the Holders of the Capital Securities to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures where such consent shall be required; provided, however, that, where a consent or action under the Indenture would require the consent or act of the holders of greater than a simple majority in aggregate principal amount of Debentures (a “Super Majority”) affected thereby, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent or take such action at the written direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities outstanding which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. If the Institutional Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the Debentures after the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of such Capital Securities have so directed the Institutional Trustee, to the fullest extent permitted by law, a Holder of the Capital Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Debenture Issuer to enforce the Institutional Trustee’s rights under the Debentures without first instituting any legal proceeding against the Institutional Trustee or any other person or entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Debenture Issuer to pay interest or principal on the Debentures on the date the interest or principal is payable (or in the case of redemption, the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable), then a Holder of record of the Capital Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment, on or after the respective due dates specified in the Debentures, to such Holder directly of the principal of or interest on the Debentures having an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities of such Holder. The Institutional Trustee shall notify all Holders of the Capital Securities of any default actually known to the Institutional Trustee with respect to the Debentures unless (x) such default has been cured prior to the giving of such notice or (y) the Institutional Trustee determines in good faith that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Holders of such Capital Securities, except where the default relates to the payment of principal of or interest on any of the Debentures. Such notice shall state that such Indenture Event of Default also constitutes an Event of Default hereunder. Except with respect to directing the time, method and place of conducting a proceeding for a remedy, the Institutional Trustee shall not take any of the actions described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that, as a result of such action, the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
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In the event the consent of the Institutional Trustee, as the holder of the Debentures, is required under the Indenture with respect to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture, the Institutional Trustee shall request the direction of the Holders of the Securities with respect to such amendment, modification or termination and shall vote with respect to such amendment, modification or termination as directed by a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities voting together as a single class; provided, however, that where a consent under the Indenture would require the consent of a Super-Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent at the direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Securities outstanding which the relevant Super-Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. The Institutional Trustee shall not take any such action in accordance with the directions of the Holders of the Securities unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that, as a result of such action, the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
A waiver of an Indenture Event of Default will constitute a waiver of the corresponding Event of Default hereunder. Any required approval or direction of Holders of the Capital Securities may be given at a separate meeting of Holders of the Capital Securities convened for such purpose, at a meeting of all of the Holders of the Securities in the Trust or pursuant to written consent. The Institutional Trustee will cause a notice of any meeting at which Holders of the Capital Securities are entitled to vote, or of any matter upon which action by written consent of such Holders is to be taken, to be mailed to each Holder of record of the Capital Securities. Each such notice will include a statement setting forth the following information (i) the date of such meeting or the date by which such action is to be taken, (ii) a description of any resolution proposed for adoption at such meeting on which such Holders are entitled to vote or of such matter upon which written consent is sought and (iii) instructions for the delivery of proxies or consents. No vote or consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel Capital Securities or to distribute the Debentures in accordance with the Declaration and the terms of the Securities.
 
Notwithstanding that Holders of the Capital Securities are entitled to vote or consent under any of the circumstances described above, any of the Capital Securities that are owned by the Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor shall not entitle the Holder thereof to vote or consent and shall, for purposes of such vote or consent, be treated as if such Capital Securities were not outstanding.
 
In no event will Holders of the Capital Securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Administrators, which voting rights are vested exclusively in the Sponsor as the Holder of all of the Common Securities of the Trust. Under certain circumstances as more fully described in the Declaration, Holders of Capital Securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Institutional Trustee and the Delaware Trustee.
 
6. Voting Rights - Common Securities.
 
(a) Except as provided under paragraphs 6(b), 6(c) and 7 and as otherwise required by law and the Declaration, the Common Securities will have no voting rights.
 
(b) The Holders of the Common Securities are entitled, in accordance with Article IV of the Declaration, to vote to appoint, remove or replace any Administrators.
 
(c) Subject to Section 6.7 of the Declaration and only after each Event of Default (if any) with respect to the Capital Securities has been cured, waived, or otherwise eliminated and subject to the requirements of the second to last sentence of this paragraph, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities, voting separately as a class, may direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under the Declaration, including (i) directing the time, method, place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Debenture Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures, (ii) waiving any past default and its consequences that is waivable under the Indenture, or (iii) exercising any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable; provided, however, that, where a consent or action under the Indenture would require a Super Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent or take such action at the written direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Common Securities which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. Notwithstanding this paragraph 6(c), the Institutional Trustee shall not revoke any action previously authorized or approved by a vote or consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities. Other than with respect to directing the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee or the Debenture Trustee as set forth above, the Institutional Trustee shall not take any action described in (i), (ii) or (iii) above, unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that for the purposes of United States federal income tax the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust on account of such action. If the Institutional Trustee fails to enforce its rights, to the fullest extent permitted by law, under the Declaration, any Holder of the Common Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against any Person to enforce the Institutional Trustee’s rights under the Declaration, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Institutional Trustee or any other Person.
 
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Any approval or direction of Holders of the Common Securities may be given at a separate meeting of Holders of the Common Securities convened for such purpose, at a meeting of all of the Holders of the Securities in the Trust or pursuant to written consent. The Administrators will cause a notice of any meeting at which Holders of the Common Securities are entitled to vote, or of any matter upon which action by written consent of such Holders is to be taken, to be mailed to each Holder of the Common Securities. Each such notice will include a statement setting forth (i) the date of such meeting or the date by which such action is to be taken, (ii) a description of any resolution proposed for adoption at such meeting on which such Holders are entitled to vote or of such matter upon which written consent is sought and (iii) instructions for the delivery of proxies or consents.
 
No vote or consent of the Holders of the Common Securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel Common Securities or to distribute the Debentures in accordance with the Declaration and the terms of the Securities.
 
7. Amendments to Declaration and Indenture.
 
(a) In addition to any requirements under Section 11.1 of the Declaration, if any proposed amendment to the Declaration provides for, or the Trustees, Sponsor or Administrators otherwise propose to effect, (i) any action that would adversely affect the powers, preferences or special rights of the Securities, whether by way of amendment to the Declaration or otherwise, or (ii) the Liquidation of the Trust, other than as described in Section 7.1 of the Declaration, then the Holders of outstanding Securities, voting together as a single class, will be entitled to vote on such amendment or proposal and such amendment or proposal shall not be effective except with the approval of the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities, affected thereby; provided, however, if any amendment or proposal referred to in clause (i) above would adversely affect only the Capital Securities or only the Common Securities, then only the affected class will be entitled to vote on such amendment or proposal and such amendment or proposal shall not be effective except with the approval of a Majority in liquidation amount of such class of Securities.
 
I-11

 
(b) In the event the consent of the Institutional Trustee as the holder of the Debentures is required under the Indenture with respect to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures, the Institutional Trustee shall request the written direction of the Holders of the Securities with respect to such amendment, modification or termination and shall vote with respect to such amendment, modification, or termination as directed by a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities voting together as a single class; provided, however, that where a consent under the Indenture would require a Super Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent at the direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Securities which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding.
 
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment or modification may be made to the Declaration if such amendment or modification would (i) cause the Trust to be classified for purposes of United States federal income taxation as other than a grantor trust, (ii) reduce or otherwise adversely affect the powers of the Institutional Trustee or (iii) cause the Trust to be deemed an Investment Company which is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act.
 
(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the Declaration, the right of any Holder of the Capital Securities to receive payment of distributions and other payments upon redemption or otherwise, on or after their respective due dates, or to institute a suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder. For the protection and enforcement of the foregoing provision, each and every Holder of the Capital Securities shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or equity.
 
8. Pro Rata. A reference in these terms of the Securities to any payment, distribution or treatment as being “Pro Rata” shall mean pro rata to each Holder of the Securities according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Securities held by the relevant Holder in relation to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Securities then outstanding unless, in relation to a payment, an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, in which case any funds available to make such payment shall be paid first to each Holder of the Capital Securities Pro Rata according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities held by the relevant Holder relative to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Capital Securities outstanding, and only after satisfaction of all amounts owed to the Holders of the Capital Securities, to each Holder of the Common Securities Pro Rata according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Common Securities held by the relevant Holder relative to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Common Securities outstanding.
 
9. Ranking. The Capital Securities rank pari passu with and payment thereon shall be made Pro Rata with the Common Securities except that, where an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of the Common Securities to receive payment of Distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of the Holders of the Capital Securities with the result that no payment of any Distribution on, or Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) of, any Common Security, and no other payment on account of redemption, liquidation or other acquisition of Common Securities, shall be made unless payment in full in cash of all accumulated and unpaid Distributions on all outstanding Capital Securities for all distribution periods terminating on or prior thereto, or in the case of payment of the Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) the full amount of such Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) on all outstanding Capital Securities then called for redemption, shall have been made or provided for, and all funds immediately available to the Institutional Trustee shall first be applied to the payment in full in cash of all Distributions on, or the Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) of, the Capital Securities then due and payable.
 
I-12

 
10. Acceptance of Guarantee and Indenture. Each Holder of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities, by the acceptance of such Securities, agrees to the provisions of the Guarantee, including the subordination provisions therein and to the provisions of the Indenture.
 
11. No Preemptive Rights. The Holders of the Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights to subscribe for any additional securities.
 
12. Miscellaneous. These terms constitute a part of the Declaration. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to a Holder without charge on written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
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EXHIBIT A-1

FORM OF CAPITAL SECURITY CERTIFICATE

[FORM OF FACE OF SECURITY]
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
A-1-1

 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER, THE HOLDER WILL DELIVER TO THE REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT SUCH CERTIFICATES AND OTHER INFORMATION AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE DECLARATION TO CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSFER COMPLIES WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
Certificate Number P-1 15,000 Capital Securities
[CUSIP NO. [_______] **To be inserted at the request of the Holder]  
 
March 17, 2005
 
Certificate Evidencing Floating Rate Capital Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II
 
(liquidation amount $1,000.00 per Capital Security)
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that Hare & Co. (the “Holder”), as the nominee of The Bank of New York, indenture trustee under the Indenture dated as of March 17, 2005 among Preferred Term Securities XVII, Ltd., Preferred Term Securities XVII, Inc. and The Bank of New York, is the registered owner of capital securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (liquidation amount $1,000.00 per capital security) (the “Capital Securities”). Subject to the Declaration (as defined below), the Capital Securities are transferable on the books and records of the Trust in person or by a duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate duly endorsed and in proper form for transfer. The Capital Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of March 17, 2005, among Soo Bong Min, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon, as Administrators, Wilmington Trust Company, as Delaware Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, including the designation of the terms of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
A-1-2

 
Upon receipt of this Security, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Security, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Capital Securities as evidence of beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Capital Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
 
Signatures appear on following page
 
A-1-3


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
 
     
  WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST II
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title: Administrator
 
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Capital Securities referred to in the within-mentioned Declaration.
 
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as the Institutional Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Authorized Officer
 
 
A-1-4


[FORM OF REVERSE OF CAPITAL SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Capital Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 4.76% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.79% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
A-1-5

 
Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Capital Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year or if any such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such day, a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Extension Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Capital Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
The Capital Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.
 
A-1-6


ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Capital Security Certificate to:
 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number)

   

 
 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 

 
agent to transfer this Capital Security Certificate on the books of the Trust. The agent may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date:      

 
Signature:    

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Capital Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee:1 
 

1 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
A-1-7


EXHIBIT A-2

FORM OF CAPITAL SECURITY CERTIFICATE

[FORM OF FACE OF SECURITY]
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
A-2-1

 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER, THE HOLDER WILL DELIVER TO THE REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT SUCH CERTIFICATES AND OTHER INFORMATION AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE DECLARATION TO CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSFER COMPLIES WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
 Certificate Number P-2
 5,000 Capital Securities
  
March 17, 2005
 
Certificate Evidencing Floating Rate Capital Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II
 
(liquidation amount $1,000.00 per Capital Security)
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that First Tennessee Bank National Association is the registered owner of capital securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (liquidation amount $1,000.00 per capital security) (the “Capital Securities”). Subject to the Declaration (as defined below), the Capital Securities are transferable on the books and records of the Trust in person or by a duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate duly endorsed and in proper form for transfer. The Capital Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of March 17, 2005, among Soo Bong Min, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon, as Administrators, Wilmington Trust Company, as Delaware Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, including the designation of the terms of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
A-2-2

 
Upon receipt of this Security, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Security, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Capital Securities as evidence of beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Capital Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
 
Signatures appear on following page
 
A-2-3


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
     
  WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST II
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title: Administrator
 
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Capital Securities referred to in the within-mentioned Declaration.
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as the Institutional Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 

Authorized Officer


A-2-4

 

[FORM OF REVERSE OF CAPITAL SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Capital Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 4.76% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.79% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
A-2-5

 
Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Capital Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year or if any such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such day, a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Extension Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Capital Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
The Capital Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.
 
A-2-6


ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Capital Security Certificate to:
 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number)  

  

 
 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 

 
agent to transfer this Capital Security Certificate on the books of the Trust. The agent may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date:     

 
Signature:    

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Capital Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee:2  
 

2 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
A-2-7


EXHIBIT A-3
 
FORM OF COMMON SECURITY CERTIFICATE
 
THIS COMMON SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION.
 
THIS CERTIFICATE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 8.1 OF THE DECLARATION.
 
 Certificate Number C-1
 619 Common Securities
  
March 17, 2005
 
Certificate Evidencing Floating Rate Common Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust II, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (the “Holder”) is the registered owner of common securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust (the “Common Securities”). The Common Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Common Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of March 17, 2005, among Soo Bong Min, Brian E. Cho and Elaine Jeon, as Administrators, Wilmington Trust Company, as Delaware Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust including the designation of the terms of the Common Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
As set forth in the Declaration, when an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of Common Securities to payment in respect of Distributions and payments upon Liquidation, redemption or otherwise are subordinated to the rights of payment of Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
Upon receipt of this Certificate, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Certificate, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Common Securities as evidence of undivided beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Common Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
 
A-3-1


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
     
  WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST II
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title: Administrator
 

A-3-2


[FORM OF REVERSE OF COMMON SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Common Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 4.76% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.79% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Common Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable for any Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such amount by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Common Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
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Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Common Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 17, June 17, September 17 and December 17 of each year or if any such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such day, a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in June 2005. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Extension Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Common Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer.
 
The Common Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.
 
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ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Common Security Certificate to:
 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number)   

 

 
 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 

 


agent to transfer this Common Security Certificate on the books of the Trust. The agent
may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date:      

Signature:     

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Common Security Certificate)
 
Signature:     

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Common Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee3 
 

3 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union, meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
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EX-4.8 6 v068251_ex4-8.htm
Exhibit 4.8
 


GUARANTEE AGREEMENT

by and between

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.

and

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY

Dated as of March 17, 2005





GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
 
This GUARANTEE AGREEMENT (this “Guarantee”), dated as of March 17, 2005, is executed and delivered by Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Guarantor”), and Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as trustee (the “Guarantee Trustee”), for the benefit of the Holders (as defined herein) from time to time of the Capital Securities (as defined herein) of Wilshire Statutory Trust II, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Issuer”).
 
WHEREAS, pursuant to an Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”), dated as of the date hereof among Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity but solely as institutional trustee, the administrators of the Issuer named therein, the Guarantor, as sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Issuer, the Issuer is issuing on the date hereof those undivided beneficial interests, having an aggregate liquidation amount of $20,000,000.00 (the “Capital Securities”); and
 
WHEREAS, as incentive for the Holders to purchase the Capital Securities, the Guarantor desires irrevocably and unconditionally to agree, to the extent set forth in this Guarantee, to pay to the Holders of Capital Securities the Guarantee Payments (as defined herein) and to make certain other payments on the terms and conditions set forth herein;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the purchase by each Holder of the Capital Securities, which purchase the Guarantor hereby agrees shall benefit the Guarantor, the Guarantor executes and delivers this Guarantee for the benefit of the Holders.
 
ARTICLE I
 
DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
 
Section 1.1.  Definitions and Interpretation.  In this Guarantee, unless the context otherwise requires:
 
(a)  capitalized terms used in this Guarantee but not defined in the preamble above have the respective meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1;
 
(b)  a term defined anywhere in this Guarantee has the same meaning throughout;
 
(c)  all references to “the Guarantee” or “this Guarantee” are to this Guarantee as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
(d)  all references in this Guarantee to “Articles” or “Sections” are to Articles or Sections of this Guarantee, unless otherwise specified;
 
(e)  terms defined in the Declaration as at the date of execution of this Guarantee have the same meanings when used in this Guarantee, unless otherwise defined in this Guarantee or unless the context otherwise requires; and
 
(f)  a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Beneficiaries” means any Person to whom the Issuer is or hereafter becomes indebted or liable.
 

 
Capital Securities” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Guarantee.
 
Common Securities” means the common securities issued by the Issuer to the Guarantor pursuant to the Declaration.
 
Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Guarantee Trustee at which the corporate trust business of the Guarantee Trustee shall, at any particular time, be principally administered, which office at the date of execution of this Guarantee is located at Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attention: Corporate Trust Administration.
 
Covered Person” means any Holder of Capital Securities.
 
Debentures” means the debt securities of the Guarantor designated the Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2035 held by the Institutional Trustee (as defined in the Declaration) of the Issuer.
 
Declaration Event of Default” means an “Event of Default” as defined in the Declaration.
 
Event of Default” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4(a).
 
Guarantee Payments” means the following payments or distributions, without duplication, with respect to the Capital Securities, to the extent not paid or made by the Issuer: (i) any accrued and unpaid Distributions (as defined in the Declaration) which are required to be paid on such Capital Securities to the extent the Issuer shall have funds available therefor, (ii) the Redemption Price to the extent the Issuer has funds available therefor, with respect to any Capital Securities called for redemption by the Issuer, (iii) the Special Redemption Price to the extent the Issuer has funds available therefor, with respect to Capital Securities redeemed upon the occurrence of a Special Event, and (iv) upon a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Issuer (other than in connection with the distribution of Debentures to the Holders of the Capital Securities in exchange therefor as provided in the Declaration), the lesser of (a) the aggregate of the liquidation amount and all accrued and unpaid Distributions on the Capital Securities to the date of payment, to the extent the Issuer shall have funds available therefor, and (b) the amount of assets of the Issuer remaining available for distribution to Holders in liquidation of the Issuer (in either case, the “Liquidation Distribution”).
 
Guarantee Trustee” means Wilmington Trust Company, until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee and thereafter means each such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
Guarantor” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and each of its successors and assigns.
 
Holder” means any holder, as registered on the books and records of the Issuer, of any Capital Securities; provided, however, that, in determining whether the Holders of the requisite percentage of Capital Securities have given any request, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, “Holder” shall not include the Guarantor or any Affiliate of the Guarantor.
 
Indemnified Person” means the Guarantee Trustee, any Affiliate of the Guarantee Trustee, or any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, nominees, custodians or agents of the Guarantee Trustee.
 
Indenture” means the Indenture dated as of the date hereof between the Guarantor and Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity but solely as trustee, and any indenture supplemental thereto pursuant to which the Debentures are to be issued to the institutional trustee of the Issuer.
 
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Issuer” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph to this Guarantee.
 
Liquidation Distribution” has the meaning set forth in the definition of “Guarantee Payments” herein.
 
Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Capital Securities, voting together as a class, but separately from the holders of Common Securities, of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all Capital Securities then outstanding.
 
Obligations” means any costs, expenses or liabilities (but not including liabilities related to taxes) of the Issuer other than obligations of the Issuer to pay to holders of any Trust Securities the amounts due such holders pursuant to the terms of the Trust Securities.
 
Officer’s Certificate” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by one Authorized Officer of such Person. Any Officer’s Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Guarantee shall include:
 
(a)  a statement that the officer signing the Officer’s Certificate has read the covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto;
 
(b)  a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination or investigation undertaken by the officer in rendering the Officer’s Certificate;
 
(c)  a statement that the officer has made such examination or investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
 
(d)  a statement as to whether, in the opinion of the officer, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.
 
Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Guarantee Trustee, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Guarantee Trustee including any Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary or any other officer of the Guarantee Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Special Event” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Special Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
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Successor Guarantee Trustee” means a successor Guarantee Trustee possessing the qualifications to act as Guarantee Trustee under Section 3.1.
 
Trust Securities” means the Common Securities and the Capital Securities.
 
ARTICLE II
 
POWERS, DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF
GUARANTEE TRUSTEE
 
Section 2.1.  Powers and Duties of the Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a)  This Guarantee shall be held by the Guarantee Trustee for the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not transfer this Guarantee to any Person except a Holder of Capital Securities exercising his or her rights pursuant to Section 4.4(b) or to a Successor Guarantee Trustee on acceptance by such Successor Guarantee Trustee of its appointment to act as Successor Guarantee Trustee. The right, title and interest of the Guarantee Trustee shall automatically vest in any Successor Guarantee Trustee, and such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents have been executed and delivered pursuant to the appointment of such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(b)  If an Event of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee has occurred and is continuing, the Guarantee Trustee shall enforce this Guarantee for the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
(c)  The Guarantee Trustee, before the occurrence of any Event of Default and after curing all Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Guarantee against the Guarantee Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been waived pursuant to Section 2.4) and is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise thereof, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
 
(d)  No provision of this Guarantee shall be construed to relieve the Guarantee Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(i)  prior to the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default that may have occurred:
 
(A)  the duties and obligations of the Guarantee Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Guarantee, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Guarantee against the Guarantee Trustee; and
 
(B)  in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Guarantee Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Guarantee; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Guarantee;
 
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(ii)  the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, unless it shall be proved that such Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee or the Guarantee Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts upon which such judgment was made;
 
(iii)  the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the written direction of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee, or relating to the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee; and
 
(iv)  no provision of this Guarantee shall require the Guarantee Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if the Guarantee Trustee shall have reasonable grounds for believing that the repayment of such funds is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Guarantee or security and indemnity, reasonably satisfactory to the Guarantee Trustee, against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
 
Section 2.2.  Certain Rights of Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a)  Subject to the provisions of Section 2.1:
 
(i)  The Guarantee Trustee may conclusively rely, and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon, any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or presented by the proper party or parties.
 
(ii)  Any direction or act of the Guarantor contemplated by this Guarantee shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officer’s Certificate.
 
(iii)  Whenever, in the administration of this Guarantee, the Guarantee Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established before taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Guarantee Trustee (unless other evidence is herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, request and conclusively rely upon an Officer’s Certificate of the Guarantor which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Guarantor.
 
(iv)  The Guarantee Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (or any re-recording, refiling or re-registration thereof).
 
(v)  The Guarantee Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection, and the advice or opinion of such counsel with respect to legal matters shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or opinion. Such counsel may be counsel to the Guarantor or any of its Affiliates and may include any of its employees. The Guarantee Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Guarantee from any court of competent jurisdiction.
 
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(vi)  The Guarantee Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Guarantee at the request or direction of any Holder, unless such Holder shall have provided to the Guarantee Trustee such security and indemnity, reasonably satisfactory to the Guarantee Trustee, against the costs, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses and the expenses of the Guarantee Trustee’s agents, nominees or custodians) and liabilities that might be incurred by it in complying with such request or direction, including such reasonable advances as may be requested by the Guarantee Trustee; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Section 2.2(a)(vi) shall relieve the Guarantee Trustee, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, of its obligation to exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee.
 
(vii)  The Guarantee Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Guarantee Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.
 
(viii)  The Guarantee Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents, nominees, custodians or attorneys, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder.
 
(ix)  Any action taken by the Guarantee Trustee or its agents hereunder shall bind the Holders of the Capital Securities, and the signature of the Guarantee Trustee or its agents alone shall be sufficient and effective to perform any such action. No third party shall be required to inquire as to the authority of the Guarantee Trustee to so act or as to its compliance with any of the terms and provisions of this Guarantee, both of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the Guarantee Trustee’s or its agent’s taking such action.
 
(x)  Whenever in the administration of this Guarantee the Guarantee Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder, the Guarantee Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, (ii) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (iii) shall be protected in conclusively relying on or acting in accordance with such instructions.
 
(xi)  The Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, without negligence, and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Guarantee.
 
(b)  No provision of this Guarantee shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Guarantee Trustee to perform any act or acts or exercise any right, power, duty or obligation conferred or imposed on it, in any jurisdiction in which it shall be illegal or in which the Guarantee Trustee shall be unqualified or incompetent in accordance with applicable law to perform any such act or acts or to exercise any such right, power, duty or obligation. No permissive power or authority available to the Guarantee Trustee shall be construed to be a duty.
 
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Section 2.3.  Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Guarantee.  The recitals contained in this Guarantee shall be taken as the statements of the Guarantor, and the Guarantee Trustee does not assume any responsibility for their correctness. The Guarantee Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or sufficiency of this Guarantee.
 
Section 2.4.  Events of Default; Waiver.
 
(a)  An Event of Default under this Guarantee will occur upon the failure of the Guarantor to perform any of its payment or other obligations hereunder.
 
(b)  The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, voting or consenting as a class, on behalf of the Holders of all of the Capital Securities, waive any past Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such Event of Default shall cease to exist, and shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Guarantee, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
Section 2.5.  Events of Default; Notice.
 
(a)  The Guarantee Trustee shall, within 90 days after the occurrence of an Event of Default, transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Holders of the Capital Securities and the Guarantor, notices of all Events of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, unless such defaults have been cured before the giving of such notice, provided, however, that the Guarantee Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
(b)  The Guarantee Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Event of Default unless the Guarantee Trustee shall have received written notice from the Guarantor or a Holder of the Capital Securities (except in the case of a payment default), or a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee charged with the administration of this Guarantee shall have obtained actual knowledge thereof.
 
ARTICLE III
 
GUARANTEE TRUSTEE
 
Section 3.1.  Guarantee Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a)  There shall at all times be a Guarantee Trustee which shall:
 
(i)  not be an Affiliate of the Guarantor, and
 
(ii)  be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any State or Territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or Person authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by Federal, State, Territorial or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the supervising or examining authority referred to above, then, for the purposes of this Section 3.1(a)(ii), the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published.
 
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(b)  If at any time the Guarantee Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 3.1(a), the Guarantee Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set out in Section 3.2(c).
 
(c)  If the Guarantee Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Guarantee Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to this Guarantee.
 
Section 3.2.  Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a)  Subject to Section 3.2(b), the Guarantee Trustee may be appointed or removed without cause at any time by the Guarantor except during an Event of Default.
 
(b)  The Guarantee Trustee shall not be removed in accordance with Section 3.2(a) until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment by written instrument executed by such Successor Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor.
 
(c)  The Guarantee Trustee appointed to office shall hold office until a Successor Guarantee Trustee shall have been appointed or until its removal or resignation. The Guarantee Trustee may resign from office (without need for prior or subsequent accounting) by an instrument in writing executed by the Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor, which resignation shall not take effect until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment by an instrument in writing executed by such Successor Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor and the resigning Guarantee Trustee.
 
(d)  If no Successor Guarantee Trustee shall have been appointed and accepted appointment as provided in this Section 3.2 within 60 days after delivery of an instrument of removal or resignation, the Guarantee Trustee resigning or being removed may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for appointment of a Successor Guarantee Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(e)  No Guarantee Trustee shall be liable for the acts or omissions to act of any Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(f)  Upon termination of this Guarantee or removal or resignation of the Guarantee Trustee pursuant to this Section 3.2, the Guarantor shall pay to the Guarantee Trustee all amounts owing to the Guarantee Trustee under Sections 7.2 and 7.3 accrued to the date of such termination, removal or resignation.
 
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ARTICLE IV
 
GUARANTEE
 
Section 4.1.  Guarantee.
 
(a)  The Guarantor irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to pay in full to the Holders the Guarantee Payments (without duplication of amounts theretofore paid by the Issuer), as and when due, regardless of any defense (except the defense of payment by the Issuer), right of set-off or counterclaim that the Issuer may have or assert. The Guarantor’s obligation to make a Guarantee Payment may be satisfied by direct payment of the required amounts by the Guarantor to the Holders or by causing the Issuer to pay such amounts to the Holders.
 
(b)  The Guarantor hereby also agrees to assume any and all Obligations of the Issuer and in the event any such Obligation is not so assumed, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees to each Beneficiary the full payment, when and as due, of any and all Obligations to such Beneficiaries. This Guarantee is intended to be for the benefit of, and to be enforceable by, all such Beneficiaries, whether or not such Beneficiaries have received notice hereof.
 
Section 4.2.  Waiver of Notice and Demand.  The Guarantor hereby waives notice of acceptance of this Guarantee and of any liability to which it applies or may apply, presentment, demand for payment, any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuer or any other Person before proceeding against the Guarantor, protest, notice of nonpayment, notice of dishonor, notice of redemption and all other notices and demands.
 
Section 4.3.  Obligations Not Affected.  The obligations, covenants, agreements and duties of the Guarantor under this Guarantee shall in no way be affected or impaired by reason of the happening from time to time of any of the following:
 
(a)  the release or waiver, by operation of law or otherwise, of the performance or observance by the Issuer of any express or implied agreement, covenant, term or condition relating to the Capital Securities to be performed or observed by the Issuer;
 
(b)  the extension of time for the payment by the Issuer of all or any portion of the Distributions, Redemption Price, Special Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or any other sums payable under the terms of the Capital Securities or the extension of time for the performance of any other obligation under, arising out of or in connection with, the Capital Securities (other than an extension of time for payment of Distributions, Redemption Price, Special Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or other sum payable that results from the extension of any interest payment period on the Debentures or any extension of the maturity date of the Debentures permitted by the Indenture);
 
(c)  any failure, omission, delay or lack of diligence on the part of the Holders to enforce, assert or exercise any right, privilege, power or remedy conferred on the Holders pursuant to the terms of the Capital Securities, or any action on the part of the Issuer granting indulgence or extension of any kind;
 
(d)  the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, sale of any collateral, receivership, insolvency, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, reorganization, arrangement, composition or readjustment of debt of, or other similar proceedings affecting, the Issuer or any of the assets of the Issuer;
 
9

 
(e)  any invalidity of, or defect or deficiency in, the Capital Securities;
 
(f)  the settlement or compromise of any obligation guaranteed hereby or hereby incurred; or
 
(g)  any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 4.3 that the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances.
 
There shall be no obligation of the Holders to give notice to, or obtain consent of, the Guarantor with respect to the happening of any of the foregoing.
 
Section 4.4.  Rights of Holders.
 
(a)  The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee in respect of this Guarantee or to direct the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee; provided, however, that (subject to Section 2.1) the Guarantee Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Guarantee Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action or proceeding so directed may not lawfully be taken or if the Guarantee Trustee in good faith by its board of directors or trustees, executive committees or a trust committee of directors or trustees and/or Responsible Officers shall determine that the action or proceedings so directed would involve the Guarantee Trustee in personal liability.
 
(b)  Any Holder of Capital Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Guarantor to enforce the Guarantee Trustee’s rights under this Guarantee, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Issuer, the Guarantee Trustee or any other Person. The Guarantor waives any right or remedy to require that any such action be brought first against the Issuer, the Guarantee Trustee or any other Person before so proceeding directly against the Guarantor.
 
Section 4.5.  Guarantee of Payment.  This Guarantee creates a guarantee of payment and not of collection.
 
Section 4.6.  Subrogation.  The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all (if any) rights of the Holders of Capital Securities against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to such Holders by the Guarantor under this Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not (except to the extent required by mandatory provisions of law) be entitled to enforce or exercise any right that it may acquire by way of subrogation or any indemnity, reimbursement or other agreement, in all cases as a result of payment under this Guarantee, if, after giving effect to any such payment, any amounts are due and unpaid under this Guarantee. If any amount shall be paid to the Guarantor in violation of the preceding sentence, the Guarantor agrees to hold such amount in trust for the Holders and to pay over such amount to the Holders.
 
Section 4.7.  Independent Obligations.  The Guarantor acknowledges that its obligations hereunder are independent of the obligations of the Issuer with respect to the Capital Securities and that the Guarantor shall be liable as principal and as debtor hereunder to make Guarantee Payments pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee notwithstanding the occurrence of any event referred to in subsections (a) through (g), inclusive, of Section 4.3 hereof.
 
Section 4.8.  Enforcement by a Beneficiary.  A Beneficiary may enforce the obligations of the Guarantor contained in Section 4.1(b) directly against the Guarantor and the Guarantor waives any right or remedy to require that any action be brought against the Issuer or any other person or entity before proceeding against the Guarantor. The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights (if any) of any Beneficiary against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to the Beneficiaries by the Guarantor under this Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not (except to the extent required by mandatory provisions of law) be entitled to enforce or exercise any rights that it may acquire by way of subrogation or any indemnity, reimbursement or other agreement, in all cases as a result of payment under this Guarantee, if at the time of any such payment, and after giving effect to such payment, any amounts are due and unpaid under this Guarantee.
 
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ARTICLE V
 
LIMITATION OF TRANSACTIONS; SUBORDINATION
 
Section 5.1.  Limitation of Transactions.  So long as any Capital Securities remain outstanding, if (a) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default or a Declaration Event of Default or (b) the Guarantor shall have selected an Extension Period as provided in the Declaration and such period, or any extension thereof, shall have commenced and be continuing, then the Guarantor shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Guarantor’s or such Affiliate’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Guarantor or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Guarantor to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Guarantor) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Guarantor or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (i) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Guarantor in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Guarantor (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the occurrence of the Event of Default, Declaration Event of Default or Extension Period, as applicable, (ii) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Guarantor) for any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Guarantor’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock, (iii) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Guarantor’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (iv) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (v) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (vi) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Guarantor (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (vii) payments under this Guarantee).
 
Section 5.2.  Ranking.  This Guarantee will constitute an unsecured obligation of the Guarantor and will rank subordinate and junior in right of payment to all present and future Senior Indebtedness (as defined in the Indenture) of the Guarantor. By their acceptance thereof, each Holder of Capital Securities agrees to the foregoing provisions of this Guarantee and the other terms set forth herein.
 
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The right of the Guarantor to participate in any distribution of assets of any of its subsidiaries upon any such subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization or otherwise is subject to the prior claims of creditors of that subsidiary, except to the extent the Guarantor may itself be recognized as a creditor of that subsidiary. Accordingly, the Guarantor’s obligations under this Guarantee will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of the Guarantor’s subsidiaries, and claimants should look only to the assets of the Guarantor for payments hereunder. This Guarantee does not limit the incurrence or issuance of other secured or unsecured debt of the Guarantor, including Senior Indebtedness of the Guarantor, under any indenture that the Guarantor may enter into in the future or otherwise.
 
ARTICLE VI
 
TERMINATION
 
Section 6.1.  Termination.  This Guarantee shall terminate as to the Capital Securities (i) upon full payment of the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price of all Capital Securities then outstanding, (ii) upon the distribution of all of the Debentures to the Holders of all of the Capital Securities or (iii) upon full payment of the amounts payable in accordance with the Declaration upon dissolution of the Issuer. This Guarantee will continue to be effective or will be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any Holder of Capital Securities must restore payment of any sums paid under the Capital Securities or under this Guarantee.
 
ARTICLE VII
 
INDEMNIFICATION
 
Section 7.1.  Exculpation.
 
(a)  No Indemnified Person shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Guarantor or any Covered Person for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnified Person in good faith in accordance with this Guarantee and in a manner that such Indemnified Person reasonably believed to be within the scope of the authority conferred on such Indemnified Person by this Guarantee or by law, except that an Indemnified Person shall be liable for any such loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Indemnified Person’s negligence or willful misconduct with respect to such acts or omissions.
 
(b)  An Indemnified Person shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Issuer or the Guarantor and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Issuer or the Guarantor by any Person as to matters the Indemnified Person reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who, if selected by such Indemnified Person, has been selected with reasonable care by such Indemnified Person, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits, losses, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which Distributions to Holders of Capital Securities might properly be paid.
 
Section 7.2.  Indemnification.
 
(a)  The Guarantor agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person for, and to hold each Indemnified Person harmless against, any and all loss, liability, damage, claim or expense incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Indemnified Person, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including, but not limited to, the costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) of the Indemnified Person defending itself against, or investigating, any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of the Indemnified Person’s powers or duties hereunder. The obligation to indemnify as set forth in this Section 7.2 shall survive the resignation or removal of the Guarantee Trustee and the termination of this Guarantee.
 
12

 
(b)  Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Person under this Section 7.2 of notice of the commencement of any action, such Indemnified Person will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Guarantor under this Section 7.2, notify the Guarantor in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the Guarantor (i) will not relieve the Guarantor from liability under paragraph (a) above unless and to the extent that the Guarantor did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the Guarantor of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the Guarantor from any obligations to any Indemnified Person other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) above. The Guarantor shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the Guarantor’s choice at the Guarantor’s expense to represent the Indemnified Person in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the Guarantor shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the Indemnified Person or Persons except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person. Notwithstanding the Guarantor’s election to appoint counsel to represent the Guarantor in an action, the Indemnified Person shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the Guarantor shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the Guarantor to represent the Indemnified Person would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the Indemnified Person and the Guarantor and the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other Indemnified Person(s) which are different from or additional to those available to the Guarantor, (iii) the Guarantor shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the Guarantor shall authorize the Indemnified Person to employ separate counsel at the expense of the Guarantor. The Guarantor will not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Persons, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the Indemnified Persons are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each Indemnified Person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.
 
Section 7.3.  Compensation; Reimbursement of Expenses.  The Guarantor agrees:
 
(a)  to pay to the Guarantee Trustee from time to time such compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder as the parties shall agree to from time to time (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); and
 
(b)  except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Guarantee Trustee upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by it in accordance with any provision of this Guarantee (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence or willful misconduct.
 
For purposes of clarification, this Section 7.3 does not contemplate the payment by the Guarantor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Guarantee Trustee for services to be provided by the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee or the fees and expenses of the Guarantee Trustee’s counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Guarantee. The provisions of this Section 7.3 shall survive the resignation or removal of the Guarantee Trustee and the termination of this Guarantee.
 
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ARTICLE VIII
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
Section 8.1.  Successors and Assigns.  All guarantees and agreements contained in this Guarantee shall bind the successors, assigns, receivers, trustees and representatives of the Guarantor and shall inure to the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities then outstanding. Except in connection with any merger or consolidation of the Guarantor with or into another entity or any sale, transfer or lease of the Guarantor’s assets to another entity, in each case, to the extent permitted under the Indenture, the Guarantor may not assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Guarantee without the prior approval of the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
Section 8.2.  Amendments.  Except with respect to any changes that do not adversely affect the rights of Holders of the Capital Securities in any material respect (in which case no consent of Holders will be required), this Guarantee may be amended only with the prior approval of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities. The provisions of the Declaration with respect to amendments thereof apply to the giving of such approval.
 
Section 8.3.  Notices.  All notices provided for in this Guarantee shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and shall be delivered, telecopied or mailed by first class mail, as follows:
 
(a)  If given to the Guarantee Trustee, at the Guarantee Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Guarantee Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Capital Securities and the Guarantor):
 
Wilmington Trust Company
Rodney Square North
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Telecopy: 302-636-4140
 
(b)  If given to the Guarantor, at the Guarantor’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Guarantor may give notice of to the Holders of the Capital Securities and to the Guarantee Trustee):
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(c)  If given to any Holder of the Capital Securities, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Issuer.
 
All such notices shall be deemed to have been given when received in person, telecopied with receipt confirmed, or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, except that if a notice or other document is refused delivery or cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given, such notice or other document shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date of such refusal or inability to deliver.
 
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Section 8.4.  Benefit.  This Guarantee is solely for the benefit of the Beneficiaries and, subject to Section 2.1(a), is not separately transferable from the Capital Securities.
 
Section 8.5.  Governing Law.  THIS GUARANTEE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES THEREOF (OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).
 
Section 8.6.  Counterparts.  This Guarantee may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
 
Section 8.7      Separability.  In case one or more of the provisions contained in this Guarantee shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Guarantee, but this Guarantee shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
 
 
Signatures appear on the following page

15

 

THIS GUARANTEE is executed as of the day and year first above written.
 
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC., as Guarantor
 
 
 
 
 
 
  By:  
 
Name:
Title:

     
  WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Guarantee Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
  By:  
 
Name:
Title:

16

EX-4.9 7 v068251_ex4-9.htm
 
Exhibit 4.9
 


 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.,
as Issuer

INDENTURE
 
Dated as of September 15, 2005

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Trustee
 
FIXED/FLOATING RATE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEFERRABLE INTEREST
DEBENTURES
 
DUE 2035
 




 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

   
Page
ARTICLE I. DEFINITIONS
1
Section 1.1.
Definitions
1
   
ARTICLE II. DEBENTURES
8
Section 2.1.
Authentication and Dating
8
Section 2.2.
Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication
9
Section 2.3.
Form and Denomination of Debentures
9
Section 2.4.
Execution of Debentures
9
Section 2.5.
Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Debentures
10
Section 2.6.
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Debentures
12
Section 2.7.
Temporary Debentures
12
Section 2.8.
Payment of Interest and Additional Interest
13
Section 2.9.
Cancellation of Debentures Paid, etc
14
Section 2.10.
Computation of Interest
14
Section 2.11.
Extension of Interest Payment Period
16
Section 2.12.
CUSIP Numbers
17
   
ARTICLE III. PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
17
Section 3.1.
Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest; Agreed Treatment of the Debentures
17
Section 3.2.
Offices for Notices and Payments, etc
17
Section 3.3.
Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office
18
Section 3.4.
Provision as to Paying Agent
18
Section 3.5.
Certificate to Trustee
19
Section 3.6.
Additional Sums
19
Section 3.7.
Compliance with Consolidation Provisions
19
Section 3.8.
Limitation on Dividends
19
Section 3.9.
Covenants as to the Trust
20
Section 3.10.
Additional Junior Indebtedness
20
   
ARTICLE IV. SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
20
Section 4.1.
Securityholders’ Lists
20
Section 4.2.
Preservation and Disclosure of Lists
21
   
ARTICLE V. REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS UPON AN EVENT OF DEFAULT
22
Section 5.1.
Events of Default
22
Section 5.2.
Payment of Debentures on Default; Suit Therefor
23
Section 5.3.
Application of Moneys Collected by Trustee
25
Section 5.4.
Proceedings by Securityholders
25
Section 5.5.
Proceedings by Trustee
26
Section 5.6.
Remedies Cumulative and Continuing; Delay or Omission Not a Waiver
26
 
 
i

 
 
Section 5.7.
Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Securityholders
26
Section 5.8.
Notice of Defaults
27
Section 5.9.
Undertaking to Pay Costs
27
   
ARTICLE VI. CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
27
Section 6.1.
Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee
27
Section 6.2.
Reliance on Documents, Opinions, etc
28
Section 6.3.
No Responsibility for Recitals, etc
29
Section 6.4.
Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agents, Transfer Agents or Registrar May Own Debentures
29
Section 6.5.
Moneys to be Held in Trust
29
Section 6.6.
Compensation and Expenses of Trustee
29
Section 6.7.
Officers’ Certificate as Evidence
30
Section 6.8.
Eligibility of Trustee
30
Section 6.9.
Resignation or Removal of Trustee
31
Section 6.10.
Acceptance by Successor Trustee
32
Section 6.11.
Succession by Merger, etc
32
Section 6.12.
Authenticating Agents
33
   
ARTICLE VII. CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
34
Section 7.1.
Action by Securityholders
34
Section 7.2.
Proof of Execution by Securityholders
34
Section 7.3.
Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners
34
Section 7.4.
Debentures Owned by Company Deemed Not Outstanding
35
Section 7.5.
Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound
35
   
ARTICLE VIII. SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
35
Section 8.1.
Purposes of Meetings
35
Section 8.2.
Call of Meetings by Trustee
36
Section 8.3.
Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders
36
Section 8.4.
Qualifications for Voting
36
Section 8.5.
Regulations
36
Section 8.6.
Voting
36
Section 8.7.
Quorum; Actions
37
   
ARTICLE IX. SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
37
Section 9.1.
Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Securityholders
37
Section 9.2.
Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders
39
Section 9.3.
Effect of Supplemental Indentures
39
Section 9.4.
Notation on Debentures
40
Section 9.5.
Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture to be Furnished to Trustee
40
   
ARTICLE X. REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
40
Section 10.1.
Optional Redemption
40
Section 10.2.
Special Event Redemption
40
Section 10.3.
Notice of Redemption; Selection of Debentures
40
Section 10.4.
Payment of Debentures Called for Redemption
41
 
 
ii

 
 
ARTICLE XI. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, CONVEYANCE AND LEASE
41
Section 11.1.
Company May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms
42
Section 11.2.
Successor Entity to be Substituted
42
Section 11.3.
Opinion of Counsel to be Given to Trustee
42
   
ARTICLE XII. SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
42
Section 12.1.
Discharge of Indenture
42
Section 12.2.
Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust by Trustee
43
Section 12.3.
Paying Agent to Repay Moneys Held
43
Section 12.4.
Return of Unclaimed Moneys
43
   
ARTICLE XIII. IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS, OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
44
Section 13.1.
Indenture and Debentures Solely Corporate Obligations
44
   
ARTICLE XIV. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
44
Section 14.1.
Successors
44
Section 14.2.
Official Acts by Successor Entity
44
Section 14.3.
Surrender of Company Powers
44
Section 14.4.
Addresses for Notices, etc
44
Section 14.5.
Governing Law
44
Section 14.6.
Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent
45
Section 14.7.
Table of Contents, Headings, etc
45
Section 14.8.
Execution in Counterparts
45
Section 14.9.
Separability
45
Section 14.10.
Assignment
45
Section 14.11.
Acknowledgment of Rights
45
   
ARTICLE XV. SUBORDINATION OF DEBENTURES
46
Section 15.1.
Agreement to Subordinate
46
Section 15.2.
Default on Senior Indebtedness
46
Section 15.3.
Liquidation, Dissolution, Bankruptcy
46
Section 15.4.
Subrogation
47
Section 15.5.
Trustee to Effectuate Subordination
48
Section 15.6.
Notice by the Company
48
Section 15.7.
Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness
49
Section 15.8.
Subordination May Not Be Impaired
49

Exhibit A
Form of Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debenture
Exhibit B
Form of Certificate to Trustee
 
iii


THIS INDENTURE, dated as of September 15, 2005, between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company”), and Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as debenture trustee (the “Trustee”).
 
WITNESSETH:
 
WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the issuance of its Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2035 (the “Debentures”) under this Indenture to provide, among other things, for the execution and authentication, delivery and administration thereof, and the Company has duly authorized the execution of this Indenture; and
 
WHEREAS, all acts and things necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement according to its terms, have been done and performed;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, This Indenture Witnesseth:
 
In consideration of the premises, and the purchase of the Debentures by the holders thereof, the Company covenants and agrees with the Trustee for the equal and proportionate benefit of the respective holders from time to time of the Debentures as follows:
 
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS
 
Section 1.1. Definitions.  The terms defined in this Section 1.1 (except as herein otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this Section 1.1. All accounting terms used herein and not expressly defined shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and the term “generally accepted accounting principles” means such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States at the time of any computation. The words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.
 
Acceleration Event of Default” means an Event of Default under Section 5.1(a), (d), (e) or (f), whatever the reason for such Acceleration Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body.
 
Additional Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11.
 
Additional Junior Indebtedness” means, without duplication and other than the Debentures, any indebtedness, liabilities or obligations of the Company, or any Subsidiary of the Company, under debt securities (or guarantees in respect of debt securities) initially issued after the date of this Indenture to any trust, or a trustee of a trust, partnership or other entity affiliated with the Company that is, directly or indirectly, a finance subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940) or other financing vehicle of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in connection with the issuance by that entity of preferred securities or other securities that are eligible to qualify for Tier 1 capital treatment (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Company (or, if the Company is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Company as if the Company were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the Additional Junior Indebtedness as Tier 1 capital shall not disqualify it as Additional Junior Indebtedness if such inability results from the Company having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve now or may hereafter accord Tier 1 capital treatment (including the Debentures) in excess of the amount which may qualify for treatment as Tier 1 capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines.
 
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Additional Sums” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Authenticating Agent” means any agent or agents of the Trustee which at the time shall be appointed and acting pursuant to Section 6.12.
 
Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.
 
Board of Directors” means the board of directors or the executive committee or any other duly authorized designated officers of the Company.
 
Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification and delivered to the Trustee.
 
Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in New York City or Wilmington, Delaware are permitted or required by any applicable law or executive order to close.
 
Capital Securities” means undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust which rank pari passu with Common Securities issued by the Trust; provided, however, that upon the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default (as defined in the Declaration), the rights of holders of such Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of holders of such Capital Securities.
 
Capital Securities Guarantee” means the guarantee agreement that the Company enters into with Wilmington Trust Company, as guarantee trustee, or other Persons that operates directly or indirectly for the benefit of holders of Capital Securities of the Trust.
 
Capital Treatment Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective change) in, the laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein, or as the result of any official or administrative pronouncement or action or decision interpreting or applying such laws, rules or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Company will not, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, be entitled to treat an amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Company (or if the Company is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Company as if the Company were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Company to treat all or any portion of the liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as Tier l Capital shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event, if such inability results from the Company having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, may now or hereafter accord Tier 1 Capital treatment in excess of the amount which may now or hereafter qualify for treatment as Tier 1 Capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines; provided further, however, that the distribution of Debentures in connection with the liquidation of the Trust shall not in and of itself constitute a Capital Treatment Event unless such liquidation shall have occurred in connection with a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event.
 
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Certificate” means a certificate signed by any one of the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the Company.
 
Common Securities” means undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust which rank pari passu with Capital Securities issued by the Trust; provided, however, that upon the occurrence and continuance of an Event of Default (as defined in the Declaration), the rights of holders of such Common Securities to payment in respect of distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of holders of such Capital Securities.
 
Company” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, and, subject to the provisions of Article XI, shall include its successors and assigns.
 
Comparable Treasury Issue” means with respect to any Special Redemption Date the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life. If no United States Treasury security has a maturity which is within a period from three months before to three months after the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, the two most closely corresponding fixed, non-callable United States Treasury securities, as selected by the Quotation Agent, shall be used as the Comparable Treasury Issue, and the Treasury Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated on a straight-line basis, rounding to the nearest month using such securities.
 
Comparable Treasury Price” means (a) the average of five Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Special Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (b) if the Quotation Agent obtains fewer than five such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such Quotations.
 
Coupon Rate” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8.
 
Debenture” or “Debentures” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture.
 
Debenture Register” has the meaning specified in Section 2.5.
 
Declaration” means the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as amended or supplemented from time to time.
 
Default” means any event, act or condition that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default.
 
Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8.
 
Distribution Period” means (i) with respect to interest paid on the first Interest Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in December 2005 and (ii) thereafter, with respect to interest paid on each successive Interest Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the preceding Interest Payment Date and ending on (but excluding) such current Interest Payment Date.
 
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Determination Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10.
 
Event of Default” means any event specified in Section 5.1, continued for the period of time, if any, and after the giving of the notice, if any, therein designated.
 
Extension Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.11.
 
Federal Reserve” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or its designated district bank, as applicable, and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of bank holding companies.
 
Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life” means, with respect to any Debenture, the period from the Special Redemption Date for such Debenture to the Interest Payment Date in September 2010.
 
Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or, if amended or supplemented as herein provided, as so amended or supplemented, or both.
 
Institutional Trustee” has the meaning set forth in the Declaration.
 
Interest Payment Date” means March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year during the term of this Indenture, or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day, commencing in December 2005.
 
Interest Rate” means for the Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 the rate per annum of 6.07%, and for each Distribution Period beginning on or after the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, the Coupon Rate for such Distribution Period.
 
Investment Company Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of a change in law or regulation or written change (including any announced prospective change) in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion will be considered an “investment company” that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended which change or prospective change becomes effective or would become effective, as the case may be, on or after the date of the issuance of the Debentures.
 
Liquidation Amount” means the stated amount of $1,000.00 per Trust Security.
 
Maturity Date” means September 15, 2035.
 
Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice Chairman, the President, any Managing Director or any Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Comptroller, an Assistant Comptroller, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, and delivered to the Trustee. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in Section 14.6 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.
 
Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing signed by legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel to the Company, or may be other counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in Section 14.6 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section.
 
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OTS” means the Office of Thrift Supervision and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of savings and loan holding companies.
 
The term “outstanding,” when used with reference to Debentures, means, subject to the provisions of Section 7.4, as of any particular time, all Debentures authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent under this Indenture, except:
 
(a) Debentures theretofore canceled by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;
 
(b) Debentures, or portions thereof, for the payment or redemption of which moneys in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any paying agent (other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own paying agent); provided, however, that, if such Debentures, or portions thereof, are to be redeemed prior to maturity thereof, notice of such redemption shall have been given as provided in Section 10.3 or provision satisfactory to the Trustee shall have been made for giving such notice; and
 
(c) Debentures paid pursuant to Section 2.6 or in lieu of or in substitution for which other Debentures shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of Section 2.6 unless proof satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee is presented that any such Debentures are held by bona fide holders in due course.
 
Person” means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.
 
Predecessor Security” of any particular Debenture means every previous Debenture evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Debenture; and, for purposes of this definition, any Debenture authenticated and delivered under Section 2.6 in lieu of a lost, destroyed or stolen Debenture shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the lost, destroyed or stolen Debenture.
 
Primary Treasury Dealer” means either a nationally recognized primary United States Government securities dealer or an entity of recognized standing in matters pertaining to the quotation of treasury securities that is reasonably acceptable to the Company and the Trustee.
 
Principal Office of the Trustee,” or other similar term, means the office of the Trustee, at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which at the time of the execution of this Indenture shall be Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attention: Corporate Trust Administration.
 
Quotation Agent” means a designee of the Institutional Trustee who shall be a Primary Treasury Dealer.
 
Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.
 
Redemption Price” means 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest (including any Additional Interest) on such Debentures to the Redemption Date.
 
Reference Treasury Dealer” means (i) the Quotation Agent and (ii) any other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by the Trustee after consultation with the Company.
 
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Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Quotation Agent by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third Business Day preceding such Redemption Date.
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Trustee, any officer within the Principal Office of the Trustee, including any vice-president, any assistant vice-president, any secretary, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or other officer of the Principal Trust Office of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time or any successor legislation.
 
Securityholder,” “holder of Debentures,” or other similar terms, means any Person in whose name at the time a particular Debenture is registered on the register kept by the Company or the Trustee for that purpose in accordance with the terms hereof.
 
Senior Indebtedness” means, with respect to the Company, (i) the principal, premium, if any, and interest in respect of (A) indebtedness of the Company for all borrowed and purchased money and (B) indebtedness evidenced by securities, debentures, notes, bonds or other similar instruments issued by the Company; (ii) all capital lease obligations of the Company; (iii) all obligations of the Company issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property, all conditional sale obligations of the Company and all obligations of the Company under any title retention agreement; (iv) all obligations of the Company for the reimbursement of any letter of credit, any banker’s acceptance, any security purchase facility, any repurchase agreement or similar arrangement, any interest rate swap, any other hedging arrangement, any obligation under options or any similar credit or other transaction; (v) all obligations of the Company associated with derivative products such as interest and foreign exchange rate contracts, commodity contracts, and similar arrangements; (vi) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (v) above of other Persons for the payment of which the Company is responsible or liable as obligor, guarantor or otherwise including, without limitation, similar obligations arising from off-balance sheet guarantees and direct credit substitutes; and (vii) all obligations of the type referred to in clauses (i) through (vi) above of other Persons secured by any lien on any property or asset of the Company (whether or not such obligation is assumed by the Company), whether incurred on or prior to the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Senior Indebtedness” shall not include (1) any Additional Junior Indebtedness, (2) Debentures issued pursuant to this Indenture and guarantees in respect of such Debentures, (3) trade accounts payable of the Company arising in the ordinary course of business (such trade accounts payable being pari passu in right of payment to the Debentures), or (4) obligations with respect to which (a) in the instrument creating or evidencing the same or pursuant to which the same is outstanding, it is provided that such obligations are pari passu, junior or otherwise not superior in right of payment to the Debentures and (b) the Company, prior to the issuance thereof, has notified (and, if then required under the applicable guidelines of the regulating entity, has received approval from) the Federal Reserve (if the Company is a bank holding company) or the OTS (if the Company is a savings and loan holding company). Senior Indebtedness shall continue to be Senior Indebtedness and be entitled to the subordination provisions irrespective of any amendment, modification or waiver of any term of such Senior Indebtedness.
 
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Special Event” means any of a Capital Treatment Event, an Investment Company Event or a Tax Event.
 
Special Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2.
 
Special Redemption Price” means (a) if the Special Redemption Date occurs before the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, the greater of (i) 107.5% of the principal amount of the Debentures, plus accrued and unpaid interest (including Additional Interest) on the Debentures to the Special Redemption Date, or (ii) as determined by the Quotation Agent, (A) the sum of the present values of the scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Debentures during the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life of the Debentures (assuming the Debentures matured on the Interest Payment Date in September 2010) discounted to the Special Redemption Date on a quarterly basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate, plus (B) accrued and unpaid interest (including Additional Interest) on the Debentures to such Special Redemption Date, or (b) if the Special Redemption Date occurs on or after the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest (including any Additional Interest) on such Debentures to the Special Redemption Date.
 
Subsidiary” means with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation at least a majority of the outstanding voting stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries, (ii) any general partnership, joint venture or similar entity, at least a majority of the outstanding partnership or similar interests of which shall at the time be owned by such Person, or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, or by such Person and one or more of its Subsidiaries and (iii) any limited partnership of which such Person or any of its Subsidiaries is a general partner. For the purposes of this definition, “voting stock” means shares, interests, participations or other equivalents in the equity interest (however designated) in such Person having ordinary voting power for the election of a majority of the directors (or the equivalent) of such Person, other than shares, interests, participations or other equivalents having such power only by reason of the occurrence of a contingency.
 
Tax Event” means the receipt by the Company and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, or as a result of any official administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum, field service advice, regulatory procedure, notice or announcement, including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt such procedures or regulations) (an “Administrative Action”) or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, regardless of whether such Administrative Action or judicial decision is issued to or in connection with a proceeding involving the Company or the Trust and whether or not subject to review or appeal, which amendment, clarification, change, Administrative Action or decision is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that: (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures; (ii) interest payable by the Company on the Debentures is not, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Company, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes; or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges.
 
3-Month LIBOR” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10.
 
Telerate Page 3750” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.10.
 
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Treasury Rate” means (i) the yield, under the heading which represents the average for the week immediately prior to the date of calculation, appearing in the most recently published statistical release designated H.15 (519) or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Federal Reserve and which establishes yields on actively traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to constant maturity under the caption “Treasury Constant Maturities,” for the maturity corresponding to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life (if no maturity is within three months before or after the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life, yields for the two published maturities most closely corresponding to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life shall be determined and the Treasury Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated from such yields on a straight-line basis, rounding to the nearest month) or (ii) if such release (or any successor release) is not published during the week preceding the calculation date or does not contain such yields, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, calculated using a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Special Redemption Date. The Treasury Rate shall be calculated by the Quotation Agent on the third Business Day preceding the Special Redemption Date.
 
Trust” shall mean Wilshire Statutory Trust III, a Delaware statutory trust, or any other similar trust created for the purpose of issuing Capital Securities in connection with the issuance of Debentures under this Indenture, of which the Company is the sponsor.
 
Trust Securities” means Common Securities and Capital Securities of the Trust.
 
Trustee” means Wilmington Trust Company, and, subject to the provisions of Article VI hereof, shall also include its successors and assigns as Trustee hereunder.
 
ARTICLE II.
DEBENTURES
 
Section 2.1. Authentication and Dating.  Upon the execution and delivery of this Indenture, or from time to time thereafter, Debentures in an aggregate principal amount not in excess of $15,464,000.00 may be executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a written authentication order from the Company, shall thereupon authenticate and make available for delivery said Debentures to or upon the written order of the Company, signed by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, Vice Chairman, the President, one of its Managing Directors or one of its Vice Presidents without any further action by the Company hereunder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Trustee shall be fully protected in relying upon the aforementioned authentication order and written order in authenticating and delivering said Debentures. In authenticating such Debentures, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Debentures, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 6.1) shall be fully protected in relying upon:
 
(a) a copy of any Board Resolution or Board Resolutions relating thereto and, if applicable, an appropriate record of any action taken pursuant to such resolution, in each case certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, as the case may be; and
 
(b) an Opinion of Counsel prepared in accordance with Section 14.6 which shall also state:
 
(1) that such Debentures, when authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued by the Company in each case in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, subject to or limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, conservatorship, receivership, moratorium and other statutory or decisional laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or the reorganization of financial institutions (including, without limitation, preference and fraudulent conveyance or transfer laws), heretofore or hereafter enacted or in effect, affecting the rights of creditors generally; and
 
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(2) that all laws and requirements in respect of the execution and delivery by the Company of the Debentures have been complied with and that authentication and delivery of the Debentures by the Trustee will not violate the terms of this Indenture.
 
The Trustee shall have the right to decline to authenticate and deliver any Debentures under this Section if the Trustee, being advised in writing by counsel, determines that such action may not lawfully be taken or if a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith shall determine that such action would expose the Trustee to personal liability to existing holders.
 
The definitive Debentures shall be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved on steel engraved borders or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers executing such Debentures, as evidenced by their execution of such Debentures.
 
Section 2.2. Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.  The Trustee’s certificate of authentication on all Debentures shall be in substantially the following form:
 
This is one of the Debentures referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 
By

Authorized Signer
 
Section 2.3. Form and Denomination of Debentures.  The Debentures shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto. The Debentures shall be in registered, certificated form without coupons and in minimum denominations of $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof. Any attempted transfer of the Debentures in a block having an aggregate principal amount of less than $100,000.00 shall be deemed to be void and of no legal effect whatsoever. Any such purported transferee shall be deemed not to be a holder of such Debentures for any purpose, including, but not limited to the receipt of payments on such Debentures, and such purported transferee shall be deemed to have no interest whatsoever in such Debentures. The Debentures shall be numbered, lettered, or otherwise distinguished in such manner or in accordance with such plans as the officers executing the same may determine with the approval of the Trustee as evidenced by the execution and authentication thereof.
 
Section 2.4. Execution of Debentures.  The Debentures shall be signed in the name and on behalf of the Company by the manual or facsimile signature of its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, Vice Chairman, President, one of its Managing Directors or one of its Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents or Vice Presidents. Only such Debentures as shall bear thereon a certificate of authentication substantially in the form herein before recited, executed by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent by the manual signature of an authorized signer, shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose. Such certificate by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent upon any Debenture executed by the Company shall be conclusive evidence that the Debenture so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.
 
In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Debentures shall cease to be such officer before the Debentures so signed shall have been authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent, or disposed of by the Company, such Debentures nevertheless may be authenticated and delivered or disposed of as though the Person who signed such Debentures had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Debenture may be signed on behalf of the Company by such Persons as, at the actual date of the execution of such Debenture, shall be the proper officers of the Company, although at the date of the execution of this Indenture any such person was not such an officer.
 
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Every Debenture shall be dated the date of its authentication.
 
Section 2.5. Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Debentures.  The Company shall cause to be kept, at the office or agency maintained for the purpose of registration of transfer and for exchange as provided in Section 3.2, a register (the “Debenture Register”) for the Debentures issued hereunder in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration and transfer of all Debentures as in this Article II provided. The Debenture Register shall be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time.
 
Debentures to be exchanged may be surrendered at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency to be maintained by the Company for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2, and the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in exchange therefor the Debenture or Debentures which the Securityholder making the exchange shall be entitled to receive. Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2, the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Debenture for a like aggregate principal amount. Registration or registration of transfer of any Debenture by the Trustee or by any agent of the Company appointed pursuant to Section 3.2, and delivery of such Debenture, shall be deemed to complete the registration or registration of transfer of such Debenture.
 
All Debentures presented for registration of transfer or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) be duly endorsed by, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent duly executed by the holder or his attorney duly authorized in writing.
 
No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Debentures, but the Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith.
 
The Company or the Trustee shall not be required to exchange or register a transfer of any Debenture for a period of 15 days next preceding the date of selection of Debentures for redemption.
 
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Debentures may not be transferred except in compliance with the restricted securities legend set forth below, unless otherwise determined by the Company, upon the advice of counsel expert in securities law, in accordance with applicable law:
 
THIS SECURITY IS NOT A SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR DEPOSIT AND IT IS NOT INSURED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ANY AGENCY OR FUND OF THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION.
 
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THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE COMPANY, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE COMPANY’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDENTURE, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE COMPANY.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
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THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN A BLOCK HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
Section 2.6. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Debentures.  In case any Debenture shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company shall execute, and upon its written request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, a new Debenture bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Debenture, or in lieu of and in substitution for the Debenture so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Debenture shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company and the Trustee evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of such Debenture and of the ownership thereof.
 
The Trustee may authenticate any such substituted Debenture and deliver the same upon the written request or authorization of any officer of the Company. Upon the issuance of any substituted Debenture, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses connected therewith. In case any Debenture which has matured or is about to mature or has been called for redemption in full shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company may, instead of issuing a substitute Debenture, pay or authorize the payment of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Debenture) if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless and, in case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence satisfactory to the Company and to the Trustee of the destruction, loss or theft of such Debenture and of the ownership thereof.
 
Every substituted Debenture issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 2.6 by virtue of the fact that any such Debenture is destroyed, lost or stolen shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Debenture shall be found at any time, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Debentures duly issued hereunder. All Debentures shall be held and owned upon the express condition that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Debentures and shall preclude any and all other rights or remedies notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement or payment of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.
 
Section 2.7. Temporary Debentures.  Pending the preparation of definitive Debentures, the Company may execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery temporary Debentures that are typed, printed or lithographed. Temporary Debentures shall be issuable in any authorized denomination, and substantially in the form of the definitive Debentures in lieu of which they are issued but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be appropriate for temporary Debentures, all as may be determined by the Company. Every such temporary Debenture shall be executed by the Company and be authenticated by the Trustee upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with the same effect, as the definitive Debentures. Without unreasonable delay the Company will execute and deliver to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent definitive Debentures and thereupon any or all temporary Debentures may be surrendered in exchange therefor, at the principal corporate trust office of the Trustee or at any office or agency maintained by the Company for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2, and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in exchange for such temporary Debentures a like aggregate principal amount of such definitive Debentures. Such exchange shall be made by the Company at its own expense and without any charge therefor except that in case of any such exchange involving a registration of transfer the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto. Until so exchanged, the temporary Debentures shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Debentures authenticated and delivered hereunder.
 
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Section 2.8. Payment of Interest and Additional Interest.  Interest at the Interest Rate and any Additional Interest on any Debenture that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date for Debentures shall be paid to the Person in whose name said Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment except that interest and any Additional Interest payable on the Maturity Date shall be paid to the Person to whom principal is paid.
 
Each Debenture shall bear interest for the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 at a rate per annum of 6.07%, and shall bear interest for each successive Distribution Period beginning on or after the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 at a rate per annum equal to the 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described in Section 2.10, plus 1.40% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the principal amount thereof, until the principal thereof becomes due and payable, and on any overdue principal and to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law (without duplication) on any overdue installment of interest (including Additional Interest) at the Interest Rate in effect for each applicable period compounded quarterly. Interest shall be payable (subject to any relevant Extension Period) quarterly in arrears on each Interest Payment Date with the first installment of interest to be paid on the Interest Payment Date in December 2005.
 
Any interest on any Debenture, including Additional Interest, that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered holder on the relevant regular record date by virtue of having been such holder; and such Defaulted Interest shall be paid by the Company to the Persons in whose names such Debentures (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner: the Company shall notify the Trustee in writing at least 25 days prior to the date of the proposed payment of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each such Debenture and the date of the proposed payment, and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall not be more than 15 nor less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such special record date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor to be mailed, first class postage prepaid, to each Securityholder at its address as it appears in the Debenture Register, not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the special record date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names such Debentures (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered on such special record date and shall be no longer payable.
 
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The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on any Debentures in any other lawful manner after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment method; provided, however, the Trustee in its sole discretion deems such payment method to be practical.
 
Any interest (including Additional Interest) scheduled to become payable on an Interest Payment Date occurring during an Extension Period shall not be Defaulted Interest and shall be payable on such other date as may be specified in the terms of such Debentures.
 
The term “regular record date” as used in this Section shall mean the close of business on the 15th Business Day preceding the applicable Interest Payment Date.
 
Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Debenture delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Debenture shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, that were carried by such other Debenture.
 
Section 2.9. Cancellation of Debentures Paid, etc.  All Debentures surrendered for the purpose of payment, redemption, exchange or registration of transfer, shall, if surrendered to the Company or any paying agent, be surrendered to the Trustee and promptly canceled by it, or, if surrendered to the Trustee or any Authenticating Agent, shall be promptly canceled by it, and no Debentures shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture. All Debentures canceled by any Authenticating Agent shall be delivered to the Trustee. The Trustee shall destroy all canceled Debentures unless the Company otherwise directs the Trustee in writing. If the Company shall acquire any of the Debentures, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Debentures unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation.
 
Section 2.10. Computation of Interest.  The amount of interest payable (i) for any Distribution Period commencing on or after the date of original issuance but before the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months, and (ii) for the Distribution Period commencing on the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 and each succeeding Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Interest Rate to the principal amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period on the basis of the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Debentures will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
(a) 3-Month LIBOR” means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month, U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Trustee in the following order of priority:
 
(1) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (as defined below). “Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits;
 
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(2) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations;
 
(3) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (2) above, the Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and
 
(4) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (3) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period.
 
If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
(b) The Interest Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
(c) Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the particular Distribution Period for which a Coupon Rate is being determined.
 
(d) The Trustee shall notify the Company, the Institutional Trustee and any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system on which the Capital Securities are listed, of the Coupon Rate and the Determination Date for each Distribution Period, in each case as soon as practicable after the determination thereof but in no event later than the thirtieth (30th) day of the relevant Distribution Period. Failure to notify the Company, the Institutional Trustee or any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system, or any defect in said notice, shall not affect the obligation of the Company to make payment on the Debentures at the applicable Coupon Rate. Any error in the calculation of the Coupon Rate by the Trustee may be corrected at any time by notice delivered as above provided. Upon the request of a holder of a Debenture, the Trustee shall provide the Coupon Rate then in effect and, if determined, the Coupon Rate for the next Distribution Period.
 
(e) Subject to the corrective rights set forth above, all certificates, communications, opinions, determinations, calculations, quotations and decisions given, expressed, made or obtained for the purposes of the provisions relating to the payment and calculation of interest on the Debentures and distributions on the Capital Securities by the Trustee or the Institutional Trustee will (in the absence of willful default, bad faith and manifest error) be final, conclusive and binding on the Trust, the Company and all of the holders of the Debentures and the Capital Securities, and no liability shall (in the absence of willful default, bad faith or manifest error) attach to the Trustee or the Institutional Trustee in connection with the exercise or non-exercise by either of them or their respective powers, duties and discretion.
 
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Section 2.11. Extension of Interest Payment Period.  So long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall have the right, from time to time, and without causing an Event of Default, to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures at any time and from time to time during the term of the Debentures, for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each such extended interest payment period, an “Extension Period”), during which Extension Period no interest (including Additional Interest) shall be due and payable (except any Additional Sums that may be due and payable). No Extension Period may end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date. During an Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Interest Rate in effect for such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). At the end of any such Extension Period the Company shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date; provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Company shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s or such Affiliate’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (ii) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (i) or (ii) above, (a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, (b) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (e) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (f) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Company (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (g) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee). Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Company may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest to the extent permitted by applicable law. The Company must give the Trustee notice of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period by the close of business at least 15 Business Days prior to the Interest Payment Date with respect to which interest on the Debentures would have been payable except for the election to begin or extend such Extension Period. The Trustee shall give notice of the Company’s election to begin a new Extension Period to the Securityholders.
 
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Section 2.12. CUSIP Numbers.  The Company in issuing the Debentures may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use CUSIP numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Securityholders; provided, however, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Debentures or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Debentures, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the CUSIP numbers.
 
ARTICLE III.
PARTICULAR COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
 
Section 3.1. Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest; Agreed Treatment of the Debentures.
 
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will duly and punctually pay or cause to be paid the principal of and premium, if any, and interest and any Additional Interest and other payments on the Debentures at the place, at the respective times and in the manner provided in this Indenture and the Debentures. Each installment of interest on the Debentures may be paid (i) by mailing checks for such interest payable to the order of the holders of Debentures entitled thereto as they appear on the registry books of the Company if a request for a wire transfer has not been received by the Company or (ii) by wire transfer to any account with a banking institution located in the United States designated in writing by such Person to the paying agent no later than the related record date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as the holder of this Debenture is the Institutional Trustee, the payment of the principal of and interest on this Debenture will be made in immediately available funds at such place and to such account as may be designated by the Institutional Trustee.
 
(b) The Company will treat the Debentures as indebtedness, and the amounts payable in respect of the principal amount of such Debentures as interest, for all United States federal income tax purposes. All payments in respect of such Debentures will be made free and clear of United States withholding tax to any beneficial owner thereof that has provided an Internal Revenue Service Form W8 BEN (or any substitute or successor form) establishing its non-United States status for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
(c) As of the date of this Indenture, the Company has no present intention to exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by commencing an Extension Period.
 
(d) As of the date of this Indenture, the Company believes that the likelihood that it would exercise its right under Section 2.11 to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by commencing an Extension Period at any time during which the Debentures are outstanding is remote because of the restrictions that would be imposed on the Company’s ability to declare or pay dividends or distributions on, or to redeem, purchase or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of its outstanding equity and on the Company’s ability to make any payments of principal of or interest on, or repurchase or redeem, any of its debt securities that rank pari passu in all respects with (or junior in interest to) the Debentures.
 
Section 3.2. Offices for Notices and Payments, etc.  So long as any of the Debentures remain outstanding, the Company will maintain in Wilmington, Delaware, an office or agency where the Debentures may be presented for payment, an office or agency where the Debentures may be presented for registration of transfer and for exchange as in this Indenture provided and an office or agency where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Debentures or of this Indenture may be served. The Company will give to the Trustee written notice of the location of any such office or agency and of any change of location thereof. Until otherwise designated from time to time by the Company in a notice to the Trustee, or specified as contemplated by Section 2.5, such office or agency for all of the above purposes shall be the office or agency of the Trustee. In case the Company shall fail to maintain any such office or agency in Wilmington, Delaware, or shall fail to give such notice of the location or of any change in the location thereof, presentations and demands may be made and notices may be served at the Principal Office of the Trustee.
 
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In addition to any such office or agency, the Company may from time to time designate one or more offices or agencies outside Wilmington, Delaware, where the Debentures may be presented for registration of transfer and for exchange in the manner provided in this Indenture, and the Company may from time to time rescind such designation, as the Company may deem desirable or expedient; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain any such office or agency in Wilmington, Delaware, for the purposes above mentioned. The Company will give to the Trustee prompt written notice of any such designation or rescission thereof.
 
Section 3.3. Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office.  The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in Section 6.9, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder.
 
Section 3.4. Provision as to Paying Agent.
 
(a) If the Company shall appoint a paying agent other than the Trustee, it will cause such paying agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provision of this Section 3.4,
 
(1) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Debentures (whether such sums have been paid to it by the Company or by any other obligor on the Debentures) in trust for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures;
 
(2) that it will give the Trustee prompt written notice of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor on the Debentures) to make any payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Debentures when the same shall be due and payable; and
 
(3) that it will, at any time during the continuance of any Event of Default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such paying agent.
 
(b) If the Company shall act as its own paying agent, it will, on or before each due date of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest or other payments, if any, on the Debentures, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures a sum sufficient to pay such principal, premium, interest or other payments so becoming due and will notify the Trustee in writing of any failure to take such action and of any failure by the Company (or by any other obligor under the Debentures) to make any payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest or other payments, if any, on the Debentures when the same shall become due and payable.
 
Whenever the Company shall have one or more paying agents for the Debentures, it will, on or prior to each due date of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Debentures, deposit with a paying agent a sum sufficient to pay the principal, premium, interest or other payments so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto and (unless such paying agent is the Trustee) the Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of its action or failure to act.
 
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(c) Anything in this Section 3.4 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may, at any time, for the purpose of obtaining a satisfaction and discharge with respect to the Debentures, or for any other reason, pay, or direct any paying agent to pay to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or any such paying agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the trusts herein contained.
 
(d) Anything in this Section 3.4 to the contrary notwithstanding, the agreement to hold sums in trust as provided in this Section 3.4 is subject to Sections 12.3 and 12.4.
 
Section 3.5. Certificate to Trustee.  The Company will deliver to the Trustee on or before 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, so long as Debentures are outstanding hereunder, a Certificate stating that in the course of the performance by the signers of their duties as officers of the Company they would normally have knowledge of any default during such fiscal year by the Company in the performance of any covenants contained herein, stating whether or not they have knowledge of any such default and, if so, specifying each such default of which the signers have knowledge and the nature and status thereof. A form of this Certificate is attached hereto as Exhibit B.
 
Section 3.6. Additional Sums.  If and for so long as the Trust is the holder of all Debentures and the Trust is required to pay any additional taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges as a result of a Tax Event, the Company will pay such additional amounts (“Additional Sums”) on the Debentures as shall be required so that the net amounts received and retained by the Trust after paying taxes (including withholding taxes), duties, assessments or other governmental charges will be equal to the amounts the Trust would have received if no such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges had been imposed. Whenever in this Indenture or the Debentures there is a reference in any context to the payment of principal of or interest on the Debentures, such mention shall be deemed to include mention of payments of the Additional Sums provided for in this paragraph to the extent that, in such context, Additional Sums are, were or would be payable in respect thereof pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph and express mention of the payment of Additional Sums (if applicable) in any provisions hereof shall not be construed as excluding Additional Sums in those provisions hereof where such express mention is not made; provided, however, that the deferral of the payment of interest during an Extension Period pursuant to Section 2.11 shall not defer the payment of any Additional Sums that may be due and payable.
 
Section 3.7. Compliance with Consolidation Provisions.  The Company will not, while any of the Debentures remain outstanding, consolidate with, or merge into, or merge into itself, or sell or convey all or substantially all of its property to any other Person unless the provisions of Article XI hereof are complied with.
 
Section 3.8. Limitation on Dividends.  If Debentures are initially issued to the Trust or a trustee of such Trust in connection with the issuance of Trust Securities by the Trust (regardless of whether Debentures continue to be held by such Trust) and (i) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default, (ii) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment of any obligations under the Capital Securities Guarantee, or (iii) the Company shall have given notice of its election to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period as provided herein and such period, or any extension thereof, shall be continuing, then the Company shall not, and shall not allow any Affiliate of the Company to, (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s capital stock or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (1) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, if any, (2) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (3) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (4) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (5) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (6) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Company (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (7) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee).
 
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Section 3.9. Covenants as to the Trust.  For so long as the Trust Securities remain outstanding, the Company shall maintain 100% ownership of the Common Securities; provided, however, that any permitted successor of the Company under this Indenture may succeed to the Company’s ownership of such Common Securities. The Company, as owner of the Common Securities, shall, except in connection with a distribution of Debentures to the holders of Trust Securities in liquidation of the Trust, the redemption of all of the Trust Securities or certain mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as permitted by the Declaration, cause the Trust (a) to remain a statutory trust, (b) to otherwise continue to be classified as a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes, and (c) to cause each holder of Trust Securities to be treated as owning an undivided beneficial interest in the Debentures.
 
Section 3.10. Additional Junior Indebtedness.  The Company shall not, and it shall not cause or permit any Subsidiary of the Company to, incur, issue or be obligated on any Additional Junior Indebtedness, either directly or indirectly, by way of guarantee, suretyship or otherwise, other than Additional Junior Indebtedness (i) that, by its terms, is expressly stated to be either junior and subordinate or pari passu in all respects to the Debentures, and (ii) of which the Company has notified (and, if then required under the applicable guidelines of the regulating entity, has received approval from) the Federal Reserve, if the Company is a bank holding company, or the OTS, if the Company is a savings and loan holding company.
 
ARTICLE IV.
SECURITYHOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS
BY THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE
 
Section 4.1. Securityholders’ Lists.  The Company covenants and agrees that it will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:
 
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(a) on each regular record date for the Debentures, a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Securityholders of the Debentures as of such record date; and
 
(b) at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished;
 
except that no such lists need be furnished under this Section 4.1 so long as the Trustee is in possession thereof by reason of its acting as Debenture registrar.
 
Section 4.2. Preservation and Disclosure of Lists.
 
(a) The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Debentures (1) contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in Section 4.1 or (2) received by it in the capacity of Debentures registrar (if so acting) hereunder. The Trustee may destroy any list furnished to it as provided in Section 4.1 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.
 
(b) In case three or more holders of Debentures (hereinafter referred to as “applicants”) apply in writing to the Trustee and furnish to the Trustee reasonable proof that each such applicant has owned a Debenture for a period of at least 6 months preceding the date of such application, and such application states that the applicants desire to communicate with other holders of Debentures with respect to their rights under this Indenture or under such Debentures and is accompanied by a copy of the form of proxy or other communication which such applicants propose to transmit, then the Trustee shall within 5 Business Days after the receipt of such application, at its election, either:
 
(1) afford such applicants access to the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.2, or
 
(2) inform such applicants as to the approximate number of holders of Debentures whose names and addresses appear in the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.2, and as to the approximate cost of mailing to such Securityholders the form of proxy or other communication, if any, specified in such application.
 
If the Trustee shall elect not to afford such applicants access to such information, the Trustee shall, upon the written request of such applicants, mail to each Securityholder whose name and address appear in the information preserved at the time by the Trustee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 4.2 a copy of the form of proxy or other communication which is specified in such request with reasonable promptness after a tender to the Trustee of the material to be mailed and of payment, or provision for the payment, of the reasonable expenses of mailing, unless within five days after such tender, the Trustee shall mail to such applicants and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, if permitted or required by applicable law, together with a copy of the material to be mailed, a written statement to the effect that, in the opinion of the Trustee, such mailing would be contrary to the best interests of the holders of all Debentures, as the case may be, or would be in violation of applicable law. Such written statement shall specify the basis of such opinion. If said Commission, as permitted or required by applicable law, after opportunity for a hearing upon the objections specified in the written statement so filed, shall enter an order refusing to sustain any of such objections or if, after the entry of an order sustaining one or more of such objections, said Commission shall find, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that all the objections so sustained have been met and shall enter an order so declaring, the Trustee shall mail copies of such material to all such Securityholders with reasonable promptness after the entry of such order and the renewal of such tender; otherwise the Trustee shall be relieved of any obligation or duty to such applicants respecting their application.
 
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(c) Each and every holder of Debentures, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any paying agent shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any such information as to the names and addresses of the holders of Debentures in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section 4.2, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under said subsection (b).
 
ARTICLE V.
REMEDIES OF THE TRUSTEE AND SECURITYHOLDERS
UPON AN EVENT OF DEFAULT
 
Section 5.1. Events of Default.  “Event of Default,” wherever used herein, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
 
(a) the Company defaults in the payment of any interest upon any Debenture, including any Additional Interest in respect thereof, following the nonpayment of any such interest for twenty or more consecutive Distribution Periods; or
 
(b) the Company defaults in the payment of all or any part of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable either at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration of acceleration or otherwise; or
 
(c) the Company defaults in the performance of, or breaches, any of its covenants or agreements in this Indenture or in the terms of the Debentures established as contemplated in this Indenture (other than a covenant or agreement a default in whose performance or whose breach is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debentures, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or
 
(d) a court of competent jurisdiction shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or
 
(e) the Company shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of the Company or of any substantial part of its property, or shall make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due; or
 
(f) the Trust shall have voluntarily or involuntarily liquidated, dissolved, wound-up its business or otherwise terminated its existence except in connection with (i) the distribution of the Debentures to holders of such Trust Securities in liquidation of their interests in the Trust, (ii) the redemption of all of the outstanding Trust Securities or (iii) certain mergers, consolidations or amalgamations, each as permitted by the Declaration.
 
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If an Acceleration Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the Debentures, then, and in each and every such case, unless the principal of the Debentures shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Securityholders), may declare the entire principal of the Debentures and the interest accrued thereon, if any, to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become immediately due and payable. If an Event of Default under Section 5.1(b) or (c) occurs and is continuing with respect to the Debentures, then, and in each and every such case, unless the principal of the Debentures shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding hereunder, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Securityholders), may proceed to remedy the default or breach thereunder by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee or such holders shall deem most effectual to remedy the defaulted covenant or enforce the provisions of this Indenture so breached, either by suit in equity or by action at law, for damages or otherwise.
 
The foregoing provisions, however, are subject to the condition that if, at any time after the principal of the Debentures shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the moneys due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, (i) the Company shall pay or shall deposit with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest upon all the Debentures and the principal of and premium, if any, on the Debentures which shall have become due otherwise than by acceleration (with interest upon such principal and premium, if any, and Additional Interest) and such amount as shall be sufficient to cover reasonable compensation to the Trustee and each predecessor Trustee, their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and all other amounts due to the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6, if any, and (ii) all Events of Default under this Indenture, other than the non-payment of the principal of or premium, if any, on Debentures which shall have become due by acceleration, shall have been cured, waived or otherwise remedied as provided herein -- then and in every such case the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding, by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all defaults and rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences, but no such waiver or rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent default or shall impair any right consequent thereon.
 
In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right under this Indenture and such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of such rescission or annulment or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored respectively to their several positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall continue as though no such proceeding had been taken.
 
Section 5.2. Payment of Debentures on Default; Suit Therefor.  The Company covenants that upon the occurrence of an Event of Default pursuant to Section 5.1(a) or (b) then, upon demand of the Trustee, the Company will pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the holders of the Debentures the whole amount that then shall have become due and payable on all Debentures for principal and premium, if any, or interest, or both, as the case may be, with Additional Interest accrued on the Debentures (to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law and, if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such Trust, without duplication of any other amounts paid by the Trust or a trustee in respect thereof); and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including a reasonable compensation to the Trustee, its agents, attorneys and counsel, and any other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6. In case the Company shall fail forthwith to pay such amounts upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, shall be entitled and empowered to institute any actions or proceedings at law or in equity for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute any such action or proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce any such judgment or final decree against the Company or any other obligor on such Debentures and collect in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor on such Debentures wherever situated the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable.
 
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In case there shall be pending proceedings for the bankruptcy or for the reorganization of the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures under Bankruptcy Law, or in case a receiver or trustee shall have been appointed for the property of the Company or such other obligor, or in the case of any other similar judicial proceedings relative to the Company or other obligor upon the Debentures, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, the Trustee, irrespective of whether the principal of the Debentures shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration of acceleration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5.2, shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceedings or otherwise,
 
 
(i)
to file and prove a claim or claims for the whole amount of principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Debentures,
 
 
(ii)
in case of any judicial proceedings, to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for reasonable compensation to the Trustee and each predecessor Trustee, and their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and for reimbursement of all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6), and of the Securityholders allowed in such judicial proceedings relative to the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, unless prohibited by applicable law and regulations, to vote on behalf of the holders of the Debentures in any election of a trustee or a standby trustee in arrangement, reorganization, liquidation or other bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings or Person performing similar functions in comparable proceedings,
 
 
(iii)
to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims, and
 
 
(iv)
to distribute the same after the deduction of its charges and expenses.
 
Any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization is hereby authorized by each of the Securityholders to make such payments to the Trustee, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Securityholders, to pay to the Trustee such amounts as shall be sufficient to cover reasonable compensation to the Trustee, each predecessor Trustee and their respective agents, attorneys and counsel, and all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6.
 
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Securityholder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Debentures or the rights of any holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Securityholder in any such proceeding.
 
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All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the Debentures, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Debentures, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall be for the ratable benefit of the holders of the Debentures.
 
In any proceedings brought by the Trustee (and also any proceedings involving the interpretation of any provision of this Indenture to which the Trustee shall be a party), the Trustee shall be held to represent all the holders of the Debentures, and it shall not be necessary to make any holders of the Debentures parties to any such proceedings.
 
Section 5.3. Application of Moneys Collected by Trustee.  Any moneys collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article V shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee for the distribution of such moneys, upon presentation of the several Debentures in respect of which moneys have been collected, and stamping thereon the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:
 
First: To the payment of costs and expenses incurred by, and reasonable fees of, the Trustee, its agents, attorneys and counsel, and of all other amounts due to the Trustee under Section 6.6;
 
Second: To the payment of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company if and to the extent required by Article XV;
 
Third: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon Debentures for principal (and premium, if any), and interest on the Debentures, in respect of which or for the benefit of which money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due on such Debentures (including Additional Interest); and
 
Fourth: The balance, if any, to the Company.
 
Section 5.4. Proceedings by Securityholders.  No holder of any Debenture shall have any right to institute any suit, action or proceeding for any remedy hereunder, unless such holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures and unless the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding shall have given the Trustee a written request to institute such action, suit or proceeding and shall have offered to the Trustee such reasonable indemnity as it may require against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred thereby, and the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity shall have failed to institute any such action, suit or proceeding.
 
Notwithstanding any other provisions in this Indenture, however, the right of any holder of any Debenture to receive payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, on such Debenture when due, or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such holder and by accepting a Debenture hereunder it is expressly understood, intended and covenanted by the taker and holder of every Debenture with every other such taker and holder and the Trustee, that no one or more holders of Debentures shall have any right in any manner whatsoever by virtue or by availing itself of any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of the holders of any other Debentures, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such holder, or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all holders of Debentures. For the protection and enforcement of the provisions of this Section, each and every Securityholder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.
 
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Section 5.5. Proceedings by Trustee.  In case of an Event of Default hereunder the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any of such rights, either by suit in equity or by action at law or by proceeding in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.
 
Section 5.6. Remedies Cumulative and Continuing; Delay or Omission Not a Waiver.  Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.6, all powers and remedies given by this Article V to the Trustee or to the Securityholders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the holders of the Debentures, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture or otherwise established with respect to the Debentures, and no delay or omission of the Trustee or of any holder of any of the Debentures to exercise any right, remedy or power accruing upon any Event of Default occurring and continuing as aforesaid shall impair any such right, remedy or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such default or an acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of Section 5.4, every power and remedy given by this Article V or by law to the Trustee or to the Securityholders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee (in accordance with its duties under Section 6.1) or by the Securityholders.
 
Section 5.7. Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Securityholders.  The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures affected (voting as one class) at the time outstanding shall have the right to direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to such Debentures; provided, however, that (subject to the provisions of Section 6.1) the Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Trustee shall determine that the action so directed would be unjustly prejudicial to the holders not taking part in such direction or if the Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action or proceeding so directed may not lawfully be taken or if a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall determine that the action or proceedings so directed would involve the Trustee in personal liability.
 
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding may on behalf of the holders of all of the Debentures waive (or modify any previously granted waiver of) any past default or Event of Default, and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, (b) in respect of covenants or provisions hereof which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each Debenture affected, or (c) in respect of the covenants contained in Section 3.9; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such trust, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver, provided, further, that if the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such waiver shall not be effective until each holder of the Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver. Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of this Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by this Section, said default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Debentures and this Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing.
 
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Section 5.8. Notice of Defaults.  The Trustee shall, within 90 days after the actual knowledge by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee of the occurrence of a default with respect to the Debentures, mail to all Securityholders, as the names and addresses of such holders appear upon the Debenture Register, notice of all defaults with respect to the Debentures known to the Trustee, unless such defaults shall have been cured before the giving of such notice (the term “defaults” for the purpose of this Section 5.8 being hereby defined to be the events specified in clauses (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of Section 5.1, not including periods of grace, if any, provided for therein); provided, however, that, except in the case of default in the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Securityholders.
 
Section 5.9. Undertaking to Pay Costs.  All parties to this Indenture agree, and each holder of any Debenture by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; provided, however, that the provisions of this Section 5.9 shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Securityholder, or group of Securityholders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the Debentures outstanding, or to any suit instituted by any Securityholder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Debenture against the Company on or after the same shall have become due and payable.
 
ARTICLE VI.
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
 
Section 6.1. Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee.  With respect to the holders of Debentures issued hereunder, the Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default which may have occurred, with respect to the Debentures, undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. In case an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures has occurred (which has not been cured or waived), the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.
 
No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(a) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to Debentures and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default which may have occurred
 
(1) the duties and obligations of the Trustee with respect to Debentures shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations with respect to the Debentures as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee, and
 
(2) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but, in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture;
 
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(b) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts; and
 
(c) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, in accordance with the direction of the Securityholders pursuant to Section 5.7, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture.
 
None of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if there is ground for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not assured to it under the terms of this Indenture or indemnity satisfactory to the Trustee against such risk is not reasonably assured to it.
 
Section 6.2. Reliance on Documents, Opinions, etc.  Except as otherwise provided in Section 6.1:
 
(a) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, note, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;
 
(b) any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed); and any Board Resolution may be evidenced to the Trustee by a copy thereof certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company;
 
(c) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and any advice or Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or Opinion of Counsel;
 
(d) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request, order or direction of any of the Securityholders, pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture, unless such Securityholders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which may be incurred therein or thereby;
 
(e) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture; nothing contained herein shall, however, relieve the Trustee of the obligation, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Debentures (that has not been cured or waived) to exercise with respect to Debentures such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and to use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs;
 
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(f) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture, coupon or other paper or document, unless requested in writing to do so by the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debentures affected thereby; provided, however, that if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such expense or liability as a condition to so proceeding;
 
(g) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents (including any Authenticating Agent) or attorneys, and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent or attorney appointed by it with due care; and
 
(h) with the exceptions of defaults under Sections 5.1(a) or (b), the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any Default or Event of Default with respect to the Debentures unless a written notice of such Default or Event of Default shall have been given to the Trustee by the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures or by any holder of the Debentures.
 
Section 6.3. No Responsibility for Recitals, etc.  The recitals contained herein and in the Debentures (except in the certificate of authentication of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee and the Authenticating Agent assume no responsibility for the correctness of the same. The Trustee and the Authenticating Agent make no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Debentures. The Trustee and the Authenticating Agent shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any Debentures or the proceeds of any Debentures authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.
 
Section 6.4. Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agents, Transfer Agents or Registrar May Own Debentures.  The Trustee or any Authenticating Agent or any paying agent or any transfer agent or any Debenture registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Debentures with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Authenticating Agent, paying agent, transfer agent or Debenture registrar.
 
Section 6.5. Moneys to be Held in Trust.  Subject to the provisions of Section 12.4, all moneys received by the Trustee or any paying agent shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purpose for which they were received, but need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee and any paying agent shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed in writing with the Company. So long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, all interest allowed on any such moneys shall be paid from time to time upon the written order of the Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, a Managing Director, a Vice President, the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer of the Company.
 
Section 6.6. Compensation and Expenses of Trustee.  The Company covenants and agrees to pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its counsel and of all Persons not regularly in its employ) except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may arise from its negligence or willful misconduct. For purposes of clarification, this Section 6.6 does not contemplate the payment by the Company of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustee pursuant to the services to be provided by the Trustee under this Indenture or the fees and expenses of the Trustee’s counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Indenture. The Company also covenants to indemnify each of the Trustee or any predecessor Trustee (and its officers, agents, directors and employees) for, and to hold it harmless against, any and all loss, damage, claim, liability or expense including taxes (other than taxes based on the income of the Trustee) incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee and arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this trust, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim of liability. The obligations of the Company under this Section 6.6 to compensate and indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for expenses, disbursements and advances shall constitute additional indebtedness hereunder. Such additional indebtedness shall be secured by a lien prior to that of the Debentures upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the benefit of the holders of particular Debentures.
 
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Without prejudice to any other rights available to the Trustee under applicable law, when the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified in Section 5.1(d), (e) or (f), the expenses (including the reasonable charges and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any applicable federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law.
 
The provisions of this Section shall survive the resignation or removal of the Trustee and the defeasance or other termination of this Indenture.
 
Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture or any Debenture to the contrary, the Trustee shall have no obligation whatsoever to advance funds to pay any principal of or interest on or other amounts with respect to the Debentures or otherwise advance funds to or on behalf of the Company.
 
Section 6.7. Officers’ Certificate as Evidence.  Except as otherwise provided in Sections 6.1 and 6.2, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or omitting any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee, and such certificate, in the absence of negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
 
Section 6.8. Eligibility of Trustee.  The Trustee hereunder shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia or a corporation or other Person authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having (or whose obligations under this Indenture are guaranteed by an affiliate having) a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000.00) and subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial, or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section 6.8 the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent records of condition so published.
 
The Company may not, nor may any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company, serve as Trustee.
 
In case at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.8, the Trustee shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in Section 6.9.
 
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If the Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of § 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner described by this Indenture.
 
Section 6.9. Resignation or Removal of Trustee
 
(a) The Trustee, or any trustee or trustees hereafter appointed, may at any time resign by giving written notice of such resignation to the Company and by mailing notice thereof, at the Company’s expense, to the holders of the Debentures at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debenture Register. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee or trustees by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of its Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor Trustee. If no successor Trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 30 days after the mailing of such notice of resignation to the affected Securityholders, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee, or any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least six months may, subject to the provisions of Section 5.9, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor Trustee.
 
(b) In case at any time any of the following shall occur --
 
(1) the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of Section 6.8 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least 6 months, or
 
(2) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.8 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Securityholder, or
 
(3) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged as bankrupt or insolvent, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,
 
then, in any such case, the Company may remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor Trustee, or, subject to the provisions of Section 5.9, any Securityholder who has been a bona fide holder of a Debenture or Debentures for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the Trustee and appoint successor Trustee.
 
(c) Upon prior written notice to the Company and the Trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding may at any time remove the Trustee and nominate a successor Trustee, which shall be deemed appointed as successor Trustee unless within 10 Business Days after such nomination the Company objects thereto, in which case, or in the case of a failure by such holders to nominate a successor Trustee, the Trustee so removed or any Securityholder, upon the terms and conditions and otherwise as in subsection (a) of this Section 6.9 provided, may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for an appointment of a successor.
 
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(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to any of the provisions of this Section shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee as provided in Section 6.10.
 
Section 6.10. Acceptance by Successor Trustee.  Any successor Trustee appointed as provided in Section 6.9 shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to its predecessor Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment hereunder, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations with respect to the Debentures of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Trustee herein; but, nevertheless, on the written request of the Company or of the successor Trustee, the Trustee ceasing to act shall, upon payment of any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.6, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights and powers of the Trustee so ceasing to act and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee thereunder. Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments in writing for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights and powers. Any Trustee ceasing to act shall, nevertheless, retain a lien upon all property or funds held or collected by such Trustee to secure any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.6.
 
If a successor Trustee is appointed, the Company, the retiring Trustee and the successor Trustee shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto which shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Debentures as to which the predecessor Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the predecessor Trustee, and shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the Trust hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust and that each such Trustee shall be Trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee.
 
No successor Trustee shall accept appointment as provided in this Section unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be eligible under the provisions of Section 6.8.
 
In no event shall a retiring Trustee be liable for the acts or omissions of any successor Trustee hereunder.
 
Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor Trustee as provided in this Section 6.10, the Company shall mail notice of the succession of such Trustee hereunder to the holders of Debentures at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debenture Register. If the Company fails to mail such notice within 10 Business Days after the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee, the successor Trustee shall cause such notice to be mailed at the expense of the Company.
 
Section 6.11. Succession by Merger, etc.  Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided such corporation shall be otherwise eligible and qualified under this Article.
 
In case at the time such successor to the Trustee shall succeed to the trusts created by this Indenture any of the Debentures shall have been authenticated but not delivered, any such successor to the Trustee may adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee, and deliver such Debentures so authenticated; and in case at that time any of the Debentures shall not have been authenticated, any successor to the Trustee may authenticate such Debentures either in the name of any predecessor hereunder or in the name of the successor Trustee; and in all such cases such certificates shall have the full force which it is anywhere in the Debentures or in this Indenture provided that the certificate of the Trustee shall have; provided, however, that the right to adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor Trustee or authenticate Debentures in the name of any predecessor Trustee shall apply only to its successor or successors by merger, conversion or consolidation.
 
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Section 6.12. Authenticating Agents.  There may be one or more Authenticating Agents appointed by the Trustee upon the request of the Company with power to act on its behalf and subject to its direction in the authentication and delivery of Debentures issued upon exchange or registration of transfer thereof as fully to all intents and purposes as though any such Authenticating Agent had been expressly authorized to authenticate and deliver Debentures; provided, however, that the Trustee shall have no liability to the Company for any acts or omissions of the Authenticating Agent with respect to the authentication and delivery of Debentures. Any such Authenticating Agent shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of any state or territory thereof or of the District of Columbia authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.00 and being subject to supervision or examination by federal, state, territorial or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually pursuant to law or the requirements of such authority, then for the purposes of this Section 6.12 the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect herein specified in this Section.
 
Any corporation into which any Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, consolidation or conversion to which any Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of any Authenticating Agent, shall be the successor of such Authenticating Agent hereunder, if such successor corporation is otherwise eligible under this Section 6.12 without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the parties hereto or such Authenticating Agent.
 
Any Authenticating Agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of any Authenticating Agent with respect to the Debentures by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time any Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible under this Section 6.12, the Trustee may, and upon the request of the Company shall, promptly appoint a successor Authenticating Agent eligible under this Section 6.12, shall give written notice of such appointment to the Company and shall mail notice of such appointment to all holders of Debentures as the names and addresses of such holders appear on the Debenture Register. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder shall become vested with all rights, powers, duties and responsibilities with respect to the Debentures of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Authenticating Agent herein.
 
The Company agrees to pay to any Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services. Any Authenticating Agent shall have no responsibility or liability for any action taken by it as such in accordance with the directions of the Trustee.
 
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ARTICLE VII.
CONCERNING THE SECURITYHOLDERS
 
Section 7.1. Action by Securityholders.  Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action) the fact that at the time of taking any such action the holders of such specified percentage have joined therein may be evidenced (a) by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by such Securityholders in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing, or (b) by the record of such holders of Debentures voting in favor thereof at any meeting of such Securityholders duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article VIII, or (c) by a combination of such instrument or instruments and any such record of such a meeting of such Securityholders or (d) by any other method the Trustee deems satisfactory.
 
If the Company shall solicit from the Securityholders any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, the Company may, at its option, as evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate, fix in advance a record date for such Debentures for the determination of Securityholders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same may be given before or after the record date, but only the Securityholders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Securityholders for the purposes of determining whether Securityholders of the requisite proportion of outstanding Debentures have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action or revocation of the same, and for that purpose the outstanding Debentures shall be computed as of the record date; provided, however, that no such authorization, agreement or consent by such Securityholders on the record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than 6 months after the record date.
 
Section 7.2. Proof of Execution by Securityholders.  Subject to the provisions of Section 6.1, 6.2 and 8.5, proof of the execution of any instrument by a Securityholder or his agent or proxy shall be sufficient if made in accordance with such reasonable rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Trustee or in such manner as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee. The ownership of Debentures shall be proved by the Debenture Register or by a certificate of the Debenture registrar. The Trustee may require such additional proof of any matter referred to in this Section as it shall deem necessary.
 
The record of any Securityholders’ meeting shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 8.6.
 
Section 7.3. Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners.  Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture, the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any paying agent, any transfer agent and any Debenture registrar may deem the Person in whose name such Debenture shall be registered upon the Debenture Register to be, and may treat him as, the absolute owner of such Debenture (whether or not such Debenture shall be overdue) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any paying agent nor any transfer agent nor any Debenture registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any holder for the time being or upon his order shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon any such Debenture.
 
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Section 7.4. Debentures Owned by Company Deemed Not Outstanding.  In determining whether the holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Debentures have concurred in any direction, consent or waiver under this Indenture, Debentures which are owned by the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures or by any Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any other obligor on the Debentures shall be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding for the purpose of any such determination; provided, however, that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, consent or waiver, only Debentures which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Debentures so owned which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as outstanding for the purposes of this Section 7.4 if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right to vote such Debentures and that the pledgee is not the Company or any such other obligor or Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with the Company or any such other obligor. In the case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee.
 
Section 7.5. Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound.  At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in Section 7.1, of the taking of any action by the holders of the percentage in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any holder (in cases where no record date has been set pursuant to Section 7.1) or any holder as of an applicable record date (in cases where a record date has been set pursuant to Section 7.1) of a Debenture (or any Debenture issued in whole or in part in exchange or substitution therefor) the serial number of which is shown by the evidence to be included in the Debentures the holders of which have consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee and upon proof of holding as provided in Section 7.2, revoke such action so far as concerns such Debenture (or so far as concerns the principal amount represented by any exchanged or substituted Debenture). Except as aforesaid any such action taken by the holder of any Debenture shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder and upon all future holders and owners of such Debenture, and of any Debenture issued in exchange or substitution therefor or on registration of transfer thereof, irrespective of whether or not any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Debenture or any Debenture issued in exchange or substitution therefor.
 
ARTICLE VIII.
SECURITYHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
 
Section 8.1. Purposes of Meetings.  A meeting of Securityholders may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to the provisions of this Article VIII for any of the following purposes:
 
(a) to give any notice to the Company or to the Trustee, or to give any directions to the Trustee, or to consent to the waiving of any default hereunder and its consequences, or to take any other action authorized to be taken by Securityholders pursuant to any of the provisions of Article V;
 
(b) to remove the Trustee and nominate a successor trustee pursuant to the provisions of Article VI;
 
(c) to consent to the execution of an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto pursuant to the provisions of Section 9.2; or
 
(d) to take any other action authorized to be taken by or on behalf of the holders of any specified aggregate principal amount of such Debentures under any other provision of this Indenture or under applicable law.
 
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Section 8.2. Call of Meetings by Trustee.  The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Securityholders to take any action specified in Section 8.1, to be held at such time and at such place as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of the Securityholders, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be mailed to holders of Debentures affected at their addresses as they shall appear on the Debentures Register and, if the Company is not a holder of Debentures, to the Company. Such notice shall be mailed not less than 20 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.
 
Section 8.3. Call of Meetings by Company or Securityholders.  In case at any time the Company pursuant to a Board Resolution, or the holders of at least 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures, as the case may be, then outstanding, shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of Securityholders, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have mailed the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request, then the Company or such Securityholders may determine the time and the place for such meeting and may call such meeting to take any action authorized in Section 8.1, by mailing notice thereof as provided in Section 8.2.
 
Section 8.4. Qualifications for Voting.  To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Securityholders a Person shall (a) be a holder of one or more Debentures with respect to which the meeting is being held or (b) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy by a holder of one or more such Debentures. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Securityholders shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel and any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.
 
Section 8.5. Regulations.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Securityholders, in regard to proof of the holding of Debentures and of the appointment of proxies, and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall think fit.
 
The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Securityholders as provided in Section 8.3, in which case the Company or the Securityholders calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by majority vote of the meeting.
 
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.4, at any meeting each holder of Debentures with respect to which such meeting is being held or proxy therefor shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000.00 principal amount of Debentures held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Debenture challenged as not outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote other than by virtue of Debentures held by him or instruments in writing as aforesaid duly designating him as the Person to vote on behalf of other Securityholders. Any meeting of Securityholders duly called pursuant to the provisions of Section 8.2 or 8.3 may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of those present, whether or not constituting a quorum, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.
 
Section 8.6. Voting.  The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of holders of Debentures with respect to which such meeting is being held shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of such holders or of their representatives by proxy and the serial number or numbers of the Debentures held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in triplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record in duplicate of the proceedings of each meeting of Securityholders shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more Persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was mailed as provided in Section 8.2. The record shall show the serial numbers of the Debentures voting in favor of or against any resolution. The record shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one of the duplicates shall be delivered to the Company and the other to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting.
 
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Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.
 
Section 8.7. Quorum; Actions.  The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Securityholders; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at such meeting with respect to a consent, waiver, request, demand, notice, authorization, direction or other action which may be given by the holders of not less than a specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding, the Persons holding or representing such specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding will constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes of the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Securityholders, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the permanent chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at any such adjourned meeting, such adjourned meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the permanent chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such adjourned meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 8.2, except that such notice need be given only once not less than 5 days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened. Notice of the reconvening of an adjourned meeting shall state expressly the percentage, as provided above, of the principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding which shall constitute a quorum.
 
Except as limited by the provisos in the first paragraph of Section 9.2, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding; provided, however, that, except as limited by the provisos in the first paragraph of Section 9.2, any resolution with respect to any consent, waiver, request, demand, notice, authorization, direction or other action which this Indenture expressly provides may be given by the holders of not less than a specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid only by the affirmative vote of the holders of a not less than such specified percentage in principal amount of the Debentures then outstanding.
 
Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of holders of Debentures duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Securityholders, whether or not present or represented at the meeting.
 
ARTICLE IX.
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
 
Section 9.1. Supplemental Indentures without Consent of Securityholders.  The Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto, without the consent of the Securityholders, for one or more of the following purposes:
 
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(a) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company, or successive successions, and the assumption by the successor Person of the covenants, agreements and obligations of the Company, pursuant to Article XI hereof;
 
(b) to add to the covenants of the Company such further covenants, restrictions or conditions for the protection of the holders of Debentures as the Board of Directors shall consider to be for the protection of the holders of such Debentures, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and continuance, of a default in any of such additional covenants, restrictions or conditions a default or an Event of Default permitting the enforcement of all or any of the several remedies provided in this Indenture as herein set forth; provided, however, that in respect of any such additional covenant restriction or condition such supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which period may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults) or may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such default or may limit the remedies available to the Trustee upon such default;
 
(c) to cure any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision contained herein or in any supplemental indenture, or to make such other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising under this Indenture; provided that any such action shall not materially adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Debentures;
 
(d) to add to, delete from, or revise the terms of Debentures, including, without limitation, any terms relating to the issuance, exchange, registration or transfer of Debentures, including to provide for transfer procedures and restrictions substantially similar to those applicable to the Capital Securities as required by Section 2.5 (for purposes of assuring that no registration of Debentures is required under the Securities Act); provided, however, that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Debentures then outstanding (it being understood, for purposes of this proviso, that transfer restrictions on Debentures substantially similar to those that were applicable to Capital Securities shall not be deemed to materially adversely affect the holders of the Debentures);
 
(e) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Debentures and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee;
 
(f) to make any change (other than as elsewhere provided in this paragraph) that does not adversely affect the rights of any Securityholder in any material respect; or
 
(g) to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the Debentures, to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of this Indenture or the Debentures, or to add to the rights of the holders of Debentures.
 
The Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture, to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations which may be therein contained and to accept the conveyance, transfer and assignment of any property thereunder, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to, but may in its discretion, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.
 
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Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this Section 9.1 may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the holders of any of the Debentures at the time outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of Section 9.2.
 
Section 9.2. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders.  With the consent (evidenced as provided in Section 7.1) of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding affected by such supplemental indenture (voting as a class), the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the Debentures; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall without the consent of the holders of each Debenture then outstanding and affected thereby (i) change the fixed maturity of any Debenture, or reduce the principal amount thereof or any premium thereon, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any amount payable on redemption thereof or make the principal thereof or any interest or premium thereon payable in any coin or currency other than that provided in the Debentures, or impair or affect the right of any Securityholder to institute suit for payment thereof or impair the right of repayment, if any, at the option of the holder, or (ii) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Debentures the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture; provided further, however, that if the Debentures are held by a trust or a trustee of such trust, such supplemental indenture shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities shall have consented to such supplemental indenture; provided further, however, that if the consent of the Securityholder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such supplemental indenture shall not be effective until each holder of the Trust Securities shall have consented to such supplemental indenture.
 
Upon the request of the Company accompanied by a Board Resolution authorizing the execution of any such supplemental indenture, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of Securityholders as aforesaid, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such supplemental indenture.
 
Promptly after the execution by the Company and the Trustee of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Section, the Trustee shall transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, a notice, prepared by the Company, setting forth in general terms the substance of such supplemental indenture, to the Securityholders as their names and addresses appear upon the Debenture Register. Any failure of the Trustee to mail such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such supplemental indenture.
 
It shall not be necessary for the consent of the Securityholders under this Section 9.2 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such consent shall approve the substance thereof.
 
Section 9.3. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.  Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX, this Indenture shall be and be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of Debentures shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.
 
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Section 9.4. Notation on Debentures.  Debentures authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this Article IX may bear a notation as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company or the Trustee shall so determine, new Debentures so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Company, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company, authenticated by the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent and delivered in exchange for the Debentures then outstanding.
 
Section 9.5. Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture to be Furnished to Trustee.  The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections 6.1 and 6.2, shall, in addition to the documents required by Section 14.6, receive an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant hereto complies with the requirements of this Article IX. The Trustee shall receive an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article IX is authorized or permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Article IX and that it is proper for the Trustee under the provisions of this Article IX to join in the execution thereof.
 
ARTICLE X.
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
 
Section 10.1. Optional Redemption.  The Company shall have the right (subject to the receipt by the Company of prior approval (i) if the Company is a bank holding company, from the Federal Reserve, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or (ii) if the Company is a savings and loan holding company, from the OTS, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the OTS) to redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, but in all cases in a principal amount with integral multiples of $1,000.00, on any Interest Payment Date on or after the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 (the “Redemption Date”), at the Redemption Price.
 
Section 10.2. Special Event Redemption.  If a Special Event shall occur and be continuing, the Company shall have the right (subject to the receipt by the Company of prior approval (i) if the Company is a bank holding company, from the Federal Reserve, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or (ii) if the Company is a savings and loan holding company, from the OTS, if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the OTS) to redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any Interest Payment Date, within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event (the “Special Redemption Date”) at the Special Redemption Price. If the Special Event redemption occurs prior to the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, the Company shall appoint a Quotation Agent, which shall be a designee of the Institutional Trustee, for the purpose of performing the services contemplated in, or by reference in, the definition of Special Redemption Price. Any error in the calculation of the Special Redemption Price by the Quotation Agent or the Trustee may be corrected at any time by notice delivered to the Company and the holders of the Debentures. Subject to the corrective rights set forth above, all certificates, communications, opinions, determinations, calculations, quotations and decisions given, expressed, made or obtained for the purposes of the provisions relating to the payment and calculation of the Special Redemption Price on the Debentures by the Trustee or the Quotation Agent, as the case may be, shall (in the absence of willful default, bad faith or manifest error) be final, conclusive and binding on the holders of the Debentures and the Company, and no liability shall attach (except as provided above) to the Trustee or the Quotation Agent in connection with the exercise or non-exercise by any of them of their respective powers, duties and discretion.
 
Section 10.3. Notice of Redemption; Selection of Debentures.  In case the Company shall desire to exercise the right to redeem all, or, as the case may be, any part of the Debentures, it shall cause to be mailed a notice of such redemption at least 30 and not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date to the holders of Debentures so to be redeemed as a whole or in part at their last addresses as the same appear on the Debenture Register. Such mailing shall be by first class mail. The notice if mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the holder receives such notice. In any case, failure to give such notice by mail or any defect in the notice to the holder of any Debenture designated for redemption as a whole or in part shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Debenture.
 
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Each such notice of redemption shall specify the CUSIP number, if any, of the Debentures to be redeemed, the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Redemption Price or the Special Redemption Price, as applicable, at which Debentures are to be redeemed, the place or places of payment, that payment will be made upon presentation and surrender of such Debentures, that interest accrued to the date fixed for redemption will be paid as specified in said notice, and that on and after said date interest thereon or on the portions thereof to be redeemed will cease to accrue. If less than all the Debentures are to be redeemed the notice of redemption shall specify the numbers of the Debentures to be redeemed. In case the Debentures are to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption shall state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed and shall state that on and after the date fixed for redemption, upon surrender of such Debenture, a new Debenture or Debentures in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued.
 
Prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Company will deposit with the Trustee or with one or more paying agents an amount of money sufficient to redeem on the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, all the Debentures so called for redemption at the appropriate Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.
 
If all, or less than all, the Debentures are to be redeemed, the Company will give the Trustee notice not less than 45 nor more than 60 days, respectively, prior to the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, as to the aggregate principal amount of Debentures to be redeemed and the Trustee shall select, in such manner as in its sole discretion it shall deem appropriate and fair, the Debentures or portions thereof (in integral multiples of $1,000.00) to be redeemed.
 
Section 10.4. Payment of Debentures Called for Redemption.  If notice of redemption has been given as provided in Section 10.3, the Debentures or portions of Debentures with respect to which such notice has been given shall become due and payable on the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, and at the place or places stated in such notice at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price and on and after said date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Debentures at the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable) interest on the Debentures or portions of Debentures so called for redemption shall cease to accrue. On presentation and surrender of such Debentures at a place of payment specified in said notice, such Debentures or the specified portions thereof shall be paid and redeemed by the Company at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.
 
Upon presentation of any Debenture redeemed in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and make available for delivery to the holder thereof, at the expense of the Company, a new Debenture or Debentures of authorized denominations, in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the Debenture so presented.
 
ARTICLE XI.
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, CONVEYANCE AND LEASE
 
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Section 11.1. Company May Consolidate, etc., on Certain Terms.  Nothing contained in this Indenture or in the Debentures shall prevent any consolidation or merger of the Company with or into any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company) or successive consolidations or mergers in which the Company or its successor or successors shall be a party or parties, or shall prevent any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of the property of the Company or its successor or successors as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company, or its successor or successors) authorized to acquire and operate the same; provided, however, that the Company hereby covenants and agrees that, upon any such consolidation, merger (where the Company is not the surviving corporation), sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on all of the Debentures in accordance with their terms, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be kept or performed by the Company, shall be expressly assumed by supplemental indenture satisfactory in form to the Trustee executed and delivered to the Trustee by the entity formed by such consolidation, or into which the Company shall have been merged, or by the entity which shall have acquired such property.
 
Section 11.2. Successor Entity to be Substituted.  In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and upon the assumption by the successor entity, by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the due and punctual payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all of the Debentures and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed or observed by the Company, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the Company, and thereupon the predecessor entity shall be relieved of any further liability or obligation hereunder or upon the Debentures. Such successor entity thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue in its own name, any or all of the Debentures issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent; and, upon the order of such successor entity instead of the Company and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and deliver any Debentures which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company, to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent for authentication, and any Debentures which such successor entity thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent for that purpose. All the Debentures so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Debentures theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Debentures had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.
 
Section 11.3. Opinion of Counsel to be Given to Trustee.  The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections 6.1 and 6.2, shall receive, in addition to the Opinion of Counsel required by Section 9.5, an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any consolidation, merger, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, and any assumption, permitted or required by the terms of this Article XI complies with the provisions of this Article XI.
 
ARTICLE XII.
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE OF INDENTURE
 
Section 12.1. Discharge of Indenture.  When
 
 
(a)
the Company shall deliver to the Trustee for cancellation all Debentures theretofore authenticated (other than any Debentures which shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.6) and not theretofore canceled, or
 
 
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(b)
all the Debentures not theretofore canceled or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation shall have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within 1 year or are to be called for redemption within 1 year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption, and the Company shall deposit with the Trustee, in trust, funds, which shall be immediately due and payable, sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all of the Debentures (other than any Debentures which shall have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which shall have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 2.6) not theretofore canceled or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, including principal and premium, if any, and interest due or to become due to such date of maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, but excluding, however, the amount of any moneys for the payment of principal of, and premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures (1) theretofore repaid to the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.4, or (2) paid to any state or to the District of Columbia pursuant to its unclaimed property or similar laws,
 
and if in the case of either clause (a) or clause (b) the Company shall also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company, then this Indenture shall cease to be of further effect except for the provisions of Sections 2.5, 2.6, 2.8, 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9 and 12.4 hereof shall survive until such Debentures shall mature and be paid. Thereafter, Sections 6.6 and 12.4 shall survive, and the Trustee, on demand of the Company accompanied by an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture have been complied with, and at the cost and expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction of and discharging this Indenture. The Company agrees to reimburse the Trustee for any costs or expenses thereafter reasonably and properly incurred by the Trustee in connection with this Indenture or the Debentures.
 
Section 12.2. Deposited Moneys to be Held in Trust by Trustee.  Subject to the provisions of Section 12.4, all moneys deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 12.1 shall be held in trust in a non-interest bearing account and applied by it to the payment, either directly or through any paying agent (including the Company if acting as its own paying agent), to the holders of the particular Debentures for the payment of which such moneys have been deposited with the Trustee, of all sums due and to become due thereon for principal, and premium, if any, and interest.
 
Section 12.3. Paying Agent to Repay Moneys Held.  Upon the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture all moneys then held by any paying agent of the Debentures (other than the Trustee) shall, upon demand of the Company, be repaid to it or paid to the Trustee, and thereupon such paying agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such moneys.
 
Section 12.4. Return of Unclaimed Moneys.  Any moneys deposited with or paid to the Trustee or any paying agent for payment of the principal of, and premium, if any, or interest on Debentures and not applied but remaining unclaimed by the holders of Debentures for 2 years after the date upon which the principal of, and premium, if any, or interest on such Debentures, as the case may be, shall have become due and payable, shall, subject to applicable escheatment laws, be repaid to the Company by the Trustee or such paying agent on written demand; and the holder of any of the Debentures shall thereafter look only to the Company for any payment which such holder may be entitled to collect, and all liability of the Trustee or such paying agent with respect to such moneys shall thereupon cease.
 
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ARTICLE XIII.
IMMUNITY OF INCORPORATORS, STOCKHOLDERS,
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
 
Section 13.1. Indenture and Debentures Solely Corporate Obligations.  No recourse for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or in any supplemental indenture, or in any such Debenture, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, employee, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor Person of the Company, either directly or through the Company or any successor Person of the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise, it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Debentures.
 
ARTICLE XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
 
Section 14.1. Successors.  All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements of the Company in this Indenture shall bind its successors and assigns whether so expressed or not.
 
Section 14.2. Official Acts by Successor Entity.  Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like force and effect by the like board, committee, officer or other authorized Person of any entity that shall at the time be the lawful successor of the Company.
 
Section 14.3. Surrender of Company Powers.  The Company by instrument in writing executed by authority of at least 2/3 (two-thirds) of its Board of Directors and delivered to the Trustee may surrender any of the powers reserved to the Company and thereupon such power so surrendered shall terminate both as to the Company, and as to any permitted successor.
 
Section 14.4. Addresses for Notices, etc.  Any notice, consent, direction, request, authorization, waiver or demand which by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given, made, furnished or served by the Trustee or by the Securityholders on or to the Company may be given or served in writing by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box addressed (until another address is filed by the Company, with the Trustee for the purpose) to the Company, 3200 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90010, Attention: Brian E. Cho. Any notice, consent, direction, request, authorization, waiver or demand by any Securityholder or the Company to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the office of the Trustee, addressed to the Trustee, Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attention: Corporate Trust Administration. Any notice, consent, direction, request, authorization, waiver or demand on or to any Securityholder shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or made in writing at the address set forth in the Debenture Register.
 
Section 14.5. Governing Law.  This Indenture and each Debenture shall be deemed to be a contract made under the law of the State of New York, and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of said State, without regard to conflict of laws principles thereof.
 
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Section 14.6. Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent.  Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officers’ Certificate stating that in the opinion of the signers all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of such counsel, all such conditions precedent have been complied with.
 
Each certificate or opinion provided for in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture shall include (1) a statement that the person making such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition; (2) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based; (3) a statement that, in the opinion of such person, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and (4) a statement as to whether or not in the opinion of such person, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
Section 14.7. Table of Contents, Headings, etc.  The table of contents and the titles and headings of the articles and sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.
 
Section 14.8. Execution in Counterparts.  This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
 
Section 14.9. Separability.  In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Indenture or in the Debentures shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Indenture or of such Debentures, but this Indenture and such Debentures shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein or therein.
 
Section 14.10. Assignment.  The Company will have the right at all times to assign any of its rights or obligations under this Indenture to a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, provided that, in the event of any such assignment, the Company will remain liable for all such obligations. Subject to the foregoing, this Indenture is binding upon and inures to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Indenture may not otherwise be assigned by the parties hereto.
 
Section 14.11. Acknowledgment of Rights.  The Company agrees that, with respect to any Debentures held by the Trust or the Institutional Trustee of the Trust, if the Institutional Trustee of the Trust fails to enforce its rights under this Indenture as the holder of Debentures held as the assets of such Trust after the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of the Capital Securities of such Trust have so directed such Institutional Trustee, a holder of record of such Capital Securities may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, institute legal proceedings directly against the Company to enforce such Institutional Trustee’s rights under this Indenture without first instituting any legal proceedings against such trustee or any other Person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Company to pay interest (or premium, if any) or principal on the Debentures on the date such interest (or premium, if any) or principal is otherwise payable (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), the Company agrees that a holder of record of Capital Securities of the Trust may directly institute a proceeding against the Company for enforcement of payment to such holder directly of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on the Debentures having an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Capital Securities of such holder on or after the respective due date specified in the Debentures.
 
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ARTICLE XV.
SUBORDINATION OF DEBENTURES
 
Section 15.1. Agreement to Subordinate.  The Company covenants and agrees, and each holder of Debentures by such Securityholder’s acceptance thereof likewise covenants and agrees, that all Debentures shall be issued subject to the provisions of this Article XV; and each holder of a Debenture, whether upon original issue or upon transfer or assignment thereof, accepts and agrees to be bound by such provisions.
 
The payment by the Company of the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on all Debentures shall, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company, whether outstanding at the date of this Indenture or thereafter incurred; provided, however, that the Debentures shall rank pari passu in right of payment with (1) Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due December 17, 2033 issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of December 17, 2003 by and between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association; and (2) Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due March 17, 2035 issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of March 17, 2005 by and between the Company and Wilmington Trust Company.
 
No provision of this Article XV shall prevent the occurrence of any default or Event of Default hereunder.
 
Section 15.2. Default on Senior Indebtedness.  In the event and during the continuation of any default by the Company in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other payment due on any Senior Indebtedness of the Company following any grace period, or in the event that the maturity of any Senior Indebtedness of the Company has been accelerated because of a default and such acceleration has not been rescinded or canceled and such Senior Indebtedness has not been paid in full, then, in either case, no payment shall be made by the Company with respect to the principal (including redemption) of, or premium, if any, or interest on the Debentures.
 
In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment shall be received by the Trustee when such payment is prohibited by the preceding paragraph of this Section 15.2, such payment shall, subject to Section 15.7, be held in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid over or delivered to, the holders of Senior Indebtedness or their respective representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, but only to the extent that the holders of the Senior Indebtedness (or their representative or representatives or a trustee) notify the Trustee in writing within 90 days of such payment of the amounts then due and owing on the Senior Indebtedness and only the amounts specified in such notice to the Trustee shall be paid to the holders of Senior Indebtedness.
 
Section 15.3. Liquidation, Dissolution, Bankruptcy.  Upon any payment by the Company or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to creditors upon any dissolution or winding-up or liquidation or reorganization of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceedings, all amounts due upon all Senior Indebtedness of the Company shall first be paid in full, or payment thereof provided for in money in accordance with its terms, before any payment is made by the Company, on account of the principal (and premium, if any) or interest on the Debentures. Upon any such dissolution or winding-up or liquidation or reorganization, any payment by the Company, or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which the Securityholders or the Trustee would be entitled to receive from the Company, except for the provisions of this Article XV, shall be paid by the Company, or by any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, or by the Securityholders or by the Trustee under this Indenture if received by them or it, directly to the holders of Senior Indebtedness (pro rata to such holders on the basis of the respective amounts of Senior Indebtedness held by such holders, as calculated by the Company) or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full, in money or money’s worth, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, before any payment or distribution is made to the Securityholders or to the Trustee.
 
46

 
In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, prohibited by the foregoing, shall be received by the Trustee before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full, or provision is made for such payment in money in accordance with its terms, such payment or distribution shall be held in trust for the benefit of and shall be paid over or delivered to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives, or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, as their respective interests may appear, as calculated by the Company, for application to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness, remaining unpaid to the extent necessary to pay such Senior Indebtedness in full in money in accordance with its terms, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness.
 
For purposes of this Article XV, the words “cash, property or securities” shall not be deemed to include shares of stock of the Company as reorganized or readjusted, or securities of the Company or any other corporation provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment, the payment of which is subordinated at least to the extent provided in this Article XV with respect to the Debentures to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness, that may at the time be outstanding, provided that (i) such Senior Indebtedness is assumed by the new corporation, if any, resulting from any such reorganization or readjustment, and (ii) the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness are not, without the consent of such holders, altered by such reorganization or readjustment. The consolidation of the Company with, or the merger of the Company into, another corporation or the liquidation or dissolution of the Company following the conveyance or transfer of its property as an entirety, or substantially as an entirety, to another corporation upon the terms and conditions provided for in Article XI of this Indenture shall not be deemed a dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization for the purposes of this Section if such other corporation shall, as a part of such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer, comply with the conditions stated in Article XI of this Indenture. Nothing in Section 15.2 or in this Section shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.6 of this Indenture.
 
Section 15.4. Subrogation.  Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, the Securityholders shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company, applicable to such Senior Indebtedness until the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Debentures shall be paid in full. For the purposes of such subrogation, no payments or distributions to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness of any cash, property or securities to which the Securityholders or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article XV, and no payment over pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness by Securityholders or the Trustee, shall, as between the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Indebtedness of the Company, and the holders of the Debentures be deemed to be a payment or distribution by the Company to or on account of such Senior Indebtedness. It is understood that the provisions of this Article XV are and are intended solely for the purposes of defining the relative rights of the holders of the Securities, on the one hand, and the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand.
 
47

 
Nothing contained in this Article XV or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Debentures is intended to or shall impair, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, and the holders of the Debentures, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay to the holders of the Debentures the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Debentures as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms, or is intended to or shall affect the relative rights of the holders of the Debentures and creditors of the Company, other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, nor shall anything herein or therein prevent the Trustee or the holder of any Debenture from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article XV of the holders of such Senior Indebtedness in respect of cash, property or securities of the Company, received upon the exercise of any such remedy.
 
Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article XV, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, and the Securityholders shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon any order or decree made by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization proceedings are pending, or a certificate of the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidation trustee, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Securityholders, for the purposes of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of Senior Indebtedness and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article XV.
 
Section 15.5. Trustee to Effectuate Subordination.  Each Securityholder by such Securityholder’s acceptance thereof authorizes and directs the Trustee on such Securityholder’s behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Article XV and appoints the Trustee such Securityholder’s attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.
 
Section 15.6. Notice by the Company.  The Company shall give prompt written notice to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee of any fact known to the Company that would prohibit the making of any payment of monies to or by the Trustee in respect of the Debentures pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article XV or any other provision of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts that would prohibit the making of any payment of monies to or by the Trustee in respect of the Debentures pursuant to the provisions of this Article XV, unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee at the Principal Office of the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or a holder or holders of Senior Indebtedness or from any trustee therefor; and before the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, shall be entitled in all respects to assume that no such facts exist; provided, however, that if the Trustee shall not have received the notice provided for in this Section at least 2 Business Days prior to the date upon which by the terms hereof any money may become payable for any purpose (including, without limitation, the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Debenture), then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee shall have full power and authority to receive such money and to apply the same to the purposes for which they were received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary that may be received by it within 2 Business Days prior to such date.
 
The Trustee, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, shall be entitled to conclusively rely on the delivery to it of a written notice by a Person representing himself to be a holder of Senior Indebtedness (or a trustee or representative on behalf of such holder), to establish that such notice has been given by a holder of such Senior Indebtedness or a trustee or representative on behalf of any such holder or holders. In the event that the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with respect to the right of any Person as a holder of such Senior Indebtedness to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article XV, the Trustee may request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of such Senior Indebtedness held by such Person, the extent to which such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article XV, and, if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive such payment.
 
48

 
Section 15.7. Rights of the Trustee; Holders of Senior Indebtedness.  The Trustee in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article XV in respect of any Senior Indebtedness at any time held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Indebtedness, and nothing in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder.
 
With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness, the Trustee undertakes to perform or to observe only such of its covenants and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Article XV, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness and, subject to the provisions of Article VI of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be liable to any holder of such Senior Indebtedness if it shall pay over or deliver to Securityholders, the Company or any other Person money or assets to which any holder of such Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article XV or otherwise.
 
Nothing in this Article XV shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.6.
 
Section 15.8. Subordination May Not Be Impaired.  No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Indebtedness to enforce subordination as herein provided shall at any time in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company, or by any act or failure to act, in good faith, by any such holder, or by any noncompliance by the Company, with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof that any such holder may have or otherwise be charged with.
 
Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing paragraph, the holders of Senior Indebtedness may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of or notice to the Trustee or the Securityholders, without incurring responsibility to the Securityholders and without impairing or releasing the subordination provided in this Article XV or the obligations hereunder of the holders of the Debentures to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, do any one or more of the following: (i) change the manner, place or terms of payment or extend the time of payment of, or renew or alter, such Senior Indebtedness, or otherwise amend or supplement in any manner such Senior Indebtedness or any instrument evidencing the same or any agreement under which such Senior Indebtedness is outstanding; (ii) sell, exchange, release or otherwise deal with any property pledged, mortgaged or otherwise securing such Senior Indebtedness; (iii) release any Person liable in any manner for the collection of such Senior Indebtedness; and (iv) exercise or refrain from exercising any rights against the Company, and any other Person.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
49


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, as of the day and year first above written.
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
  WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
 
50


EXHIBIT A
 
FORM OF FIXED/FLOATING RATE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEFERRABLE INTEREST
DEBENTURE
 
[FORM OF FACE OF SECURITY]
 
THIS SECURITY IS NOT A SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR DEPOSIT AND IT IS NOT INSURED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ANY AGENCY OR FUND OF THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION.
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE COMPANY, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE COMPANY’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDENTURE, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE COMPANY.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
A-1

 
THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IN A BLOCK HAVING AN AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER, THE HOLDER WILL DELIVER TO THE REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT SUCH CERTIFICATES AND OTHER INFORMATION AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE INDENTURE TO CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSFER COMPLIES WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debenture
 
of
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
 
September 15, 2005
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company” which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received promises to pay to Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity but solely as Institutional Trustee for Wilshire Statutory Trust III (the “Holder”) or registered assigns, the principal sum of fifteen million four hundred sixty-four thousand dollars ($15,464,000.00) on September 15, 2035, and to pay interest on said principal sum from September 15, 2005, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date (as defined below) to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, quarterly (subject to deferral as set forth herein) in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such date, an “Interest Payment Date”) (it being understood that interest accrues for any such non-Business Day during the applicable Distribution Period, beginning on or after September 15, 2010), commencing on the Interest Payment Date in December 2005, at an annual rate equal to 6.07% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, and each succeeding Interest Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Interest Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.40% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the principal amount hereof, until the principal hereof is paid or duly provided for or made available for payment, and on any overdue principal and (without duplication and to the extent that payment of such interest is enforceable under applicable law) on any overdue installment of interest (including Additional Interest) at the Interest Rate in effect for each applicable period, compounded quarterly, from the dates such amounts are due until they are paid or made available for payment. The amount of interest payable (i) for any Distribution Period commencing on or after the date of original issuance but before the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months, and (ii) for the Distribution Period commencing on the Interest Payment Date in September 2010 and each succeeding Distribution Period will be computed on the basis of the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. The interest installment so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest installment, which shall be fifteen Business Days prior to the day on which the relevant Interest Payment Date occurs. Any such interest installment not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such regular record date and may be paid to the Person in whose name this Debenture (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a special record date.
 
A-2

 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period.
 
The Interest Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Debentures will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
A-3

 
The principal of and interest on this Debenture shall be payable at the office or agency of the Trustee (or other paying agent appointed by the Company) maintained for that purpose in any coin or currency of the United States of America that at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the registered holder at such address as shall appear in the Debenture Register if a request for a wire transfer by such holder has not been received by the Company or by wire transfer to an account appropriately designated by the holder hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as the holder of this Debenture is the Institutional Trustee, the payment of the principal of and interest on this Debenture will be made in immediately available funds at such place and to such account as may be designated by the Trustee.
 
So long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Company shall have the right, from time to time, and without causing an Event of Default, to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures at any time and from time to time during the term of the Debentures, for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each such extended interest payment period, an “Extension Period”), during which Extension Period no interest (including Additional Interest) shall be due and payable (except any Additional Sums that may be due and payable). No Extension Period may end on a date other than an Interest Payment Date. During an Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Interest Rate in effect for such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). At the end of any such Extension Period the Company shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date; provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Company shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to engage in any of the activities or transactions described on the reverse side hereof and in the Indenture. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Company may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Company may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. The Company must give the Trustee notice of its election to begin or extend an Extension Period by the close of business at least 15 Business Days prior to the Interest Payment Date with respect to which interest on the Debentures would have been payable except for the election to begin or extend such Extension Period.
 
The indebtedness evidenced by this Debenture is, to the extent provided in the Indenture, subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, and this Debenture is issued subject to the provisions of the Indenture with respect thereto. Each holder of this Debenture, by accepting the same, (a) agrees to and shall be bound by such provisions, (b) authorizes and directs the Trustee on his or her behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to acknowledge or effectuate the subordination so provided and (c) appoints the Trustee his or her attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes. Each holder hereof, by his or her acceptance hereof, hereby waives all notice of the acceptance of the subordination provisions contained herein and in the Indenture by each holder of Senior Indebtedness, whether now outstanding or hereafter incurred, and waives reliance by each such holder upon said provisions.
 
A-4

 
This Debenture shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture hereinafter referred to, be valid or become obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication hereon shall have been signed by or on behalf of the Trustee.
 
The provisions of this Debenture are continued on the reverse side hereof and such provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
 
A-5


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has duly executed this certificate.
 
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
By  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
 
This is one of the Debentures referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
 
     
  WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Authorized Officer
 
 
A-6


[FORM OF REVERSE OF DEBENTURE]

This Debenture is one of the fixed/floating rate junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures of the Company, all issued or to be issued under and pursuant to the Indenture dated as of September 15, 2005 (the “Indenture”), duly executed and delivered between the Company and the Trustee, to which Indenture reference is hereby made for a description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Trustee, the Company and the holders of the Debentures. The Debentures are limited in aggregate principal amount as specified in the Indenture.
 
Upon the occurrence and continuation of a Special Event prior to the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, the Company shall have the right to redeem the Debentures in whole, but not in part, at any Interest Payment Date, within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event, at the Special Redemption Price.
 
In addition, the Company shall have the right to redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, but in all cases in a principal amount with integral multiples of $1,000.00, on any Interest Payment Date on or after the Interest Payment Date in September 2010, at the Redemption Price.
 
Prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, the Company will deposit with the Trustee or with one or more paying agents an amount of money sufficient to redeem on the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable, all the Debentures so called for redemption at the appropriate Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price.
 
If all, or less than all, the Debentures are to be redeemed, the Company will give the Trustee notice not less than 45 nor more than 60 days, respectively, prior to the Redemption Date or Special Redemption Date, as applicable, as to the aggregate principal amount of Debentures to be redeemed and the Trustee shall select, in such manner as in its sole discretion it shall deem appropriate and fair, the Debentures or portions thereof (in integral multiples of $1,000.00) to be redeemed.
 
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any redemption of Debentures by the Company shall be subject to the receipt of any and all required regulatory approvals.
 
In case an Acceleration Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, upon demand of the Trustee, the principal of all of the Debentures shall become due and payable in the manner, with the effect and subject to the conditions provided in the Indenture.
 
The Indenture contains provisions permitting the Company and the Trustee, with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding, to execute supplemental indentures for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the holders of the Debentures; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall without the consent of the holders of each Debenture then outstanding and affected thereby (i) change the fixed maturity of any Debenture, or reduce the principal amount thereof or any premium thereon, or reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest thereon, or reduce any amount payable on redemption thereof or make the principal thereof or any interest or premium thereon payable in any coin or currency other than that provided in the Debentures, or impair or affect the right of any Securityholder to institute suit for payment thereof or impair the right of repayment, if any, at the option of the holder, or (ii) reduce the aforesaid percentage of Debentures the holders of which are required to consent to any such supplemental indenture.
 
A-7

 
The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debentures at the time outstanding on behalf of the holders of all of the Debentures to waive (or modify any previously granted waiver of) any past default or Event of Default, and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on any of the Debentures, (b) in respect of covenants or provisions hereof or of the Indenture which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each Debenture affected, or (c) in respect of the covenants contained in Section 3.9 of the Indenture; provided, however, that if the Debentures are held by the Trust or a trustee of such trust, such waiver or modification to such waiver shall not be effective until the holders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver or modification to such waiver, provided, further, that if the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture is required, such waiver shall not be effective until each holder of the Trust Securities of the Trust shall have consented to such waiver. Upon any such waiver, the default covered thereby shall be deemed to be cured for all purposes of the Indenture and the Company, the Trustee and the holders of the Debentures shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder, respectively; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by the Indenture, said default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Debentures and the Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing.
 
No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Debenture or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, including Additional Interest, on this Debenture at the time and place and at the rate and in the money herein prescribed.
 
The Company has agreed that if Debentures are initially issued to the Trust or a trustee of such Trust in connection with the issuance of Trust Securities by the Trust (regardless of whether Debentures continue to be held by such Trust) and (i) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default, (ii) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment of any obligations under the Capital Securities Guarantee, or (iii) the Company shall have given notice of its election to defer payments of interest on the Debentures by extending the interest payment period as provided herein and such Extension Period, or any extension thereof, shall be continuing, then the Company shall not, and shall not allow any Affiliate of the Company to, (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company’s capital stock or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Company or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Company or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (1) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Company (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, if any, (2) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Company’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Company) for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Company’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Company’s capital stock, (3) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (4) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (5) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (6) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Company (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (7) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee).
 
A-8

 
The Debentures are issuable only in registered, certificated form without coupons and in minimum denominations of $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to the transfer restrictions and limitations as may be contained herein and therein from time to time, this Debenture is transferable by the holder hereof on the Debenture Register of the Company. Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture at the Principal Office of the Trustee or at any office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose as provided in Section 3.2 of the Indenture, the Company shall execute, the Company or the Trustee shall register and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent shall authenticate and make available for delivery in the name of the transferee or transferees a new Debenture for a like aggregate principal amount. All Debentures presented for registration of transfer or for exchange or payment shall (if so required by the Company or the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent) be duly endorsed by, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to, the Company and the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent duly executed by the holder or his attorney duly authorized in writing. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Debentures, but the Company or the Trustee may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith.
 
Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Debenture, the Company, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any paying agent, any transfer agent and any Debenture registrar may deem the Person in whose name such Debenture shall be registered upon the Debenture Register to be, and may treat him as, the absolute owner of such Debenture (whether or not such Debenture shall be overdue) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such Debenture and for all other purposes; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any paying agent nor any transfer agent nor any Debenture registrar shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any holder for the time being or upon his order shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for moneys payable upon any such Debenture.
 
No recourse for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any Debenture, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in the Indenture or in any supplemental indenture, or in any such Debenture, or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, employee, officer or director, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor Person of the Company, either directly or through the Company or any successor Person of the Company, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise, it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of the Indenture and the issue of the Debentures.
 
Capitalized terms used and not defined in this Debenture shall have the meanings assigned in the Indenture dated as of the date of original issuance of this Debenture between the Trustee and the Company.
 
A-9

 
THE INDENTURE AND THE DEBENTURES SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF.

A-10


EXHIBIT B

FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO TRUSTEE

Pursuant to Section 3.5 of the Indenture between Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as the Company (the “Company”), and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee, dated as of September 15, 2005 (the “Indenture”), the undersigned hereby certifies as follows:
 
 
1.
In my capacity as an officer of the Company, I would normally have knowledge of any default by the Company during the last fiscal year in the performance of any covenants of the Company contained in the Indenture.
     
 
2.
[To my knowledge, the Company is not in default in the performance of any covenants contained in the Indenture.
 
or, alternatively:
 
I am aware of the default(s) in the performance of covenants in the Indentures, as specified below.]
 
Capitalized terms used herein, and not otherwise defined herein, have the respective meanings ascribed thereto in the Indenture.
 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Certificate.

 
Date:    
     
 
Name:
 
Title:
 
 
B-1

 
EX-4.10 8 v068251_ex4-10.htm
Exhibit 4.10



 
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION
OF TRUST

by and among

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Delaware Trustee,

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Institutional Trustee,

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.,
as Sponsor,

and

ELAINE JEON and BRIAN E. CHO,
as Administrators,

Dated as of September 15, 2005






TABLE OF CONTENTS

   
Page
ARTICLE I INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
1
Section 1.1.
Definitions
1
     
ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION
8
Section 2.1.
Name
8
Section 2.2.
Office
8
Section 2.3.
Purpose
8
Section 2.4.
Authority
8
Section 2.5.
Title to Property of the Trust
8
Section 2.6.
Powers and Duties of the Trustees and the Administrators
8
Section 2.7.
Prohibition of Actions by the Trust and the Institutional Trustee
12
Section 2.8.
Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee
12
Section 2.9.
Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustees and Administrators
14
Section 2.10.
Certain Rights of Institutional Trustee
15
Section 2.11.
Delaware Trustee
17
Section 2.12.
Execution of Documents
17
Section 2.13.
Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities
17
Section 2.14.
Duration of Trust
17
Section 2.15.
Mergers
17
     
ARTICLE III SPONSOR
19
Section 3.1.
Sponsor’s Purchase of Common Securities
19
Section 3.2.
Responsibilities of the Sponsor
19
Section 3.3.
Expenses
19
Section 3.4.
Right to Proceed
20
     
ARTICLE IV INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS
20
Section 4.1.
Number of Trustees
20
Section 4.2.
Delaware Trustee; Eligibility
20
Section 4.3.
Institutional Trustee; Eligibility
20
Section 4.4.
Administrators
21
Section 4.5.
Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Trustees and Administrators
21
Section 4.6.
Vacancies Among Trustees
23
Section 4.7.
Effect of Vacancies
23
Section 4.8.
Meetings of the Trustees and the Administrators
23
Section 4.9.
Delegation of Power
23
Section 4.10.
Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business
23
     
ARTICLE V DISTRIBUTIONS
24
Section 5.1.
Distributions
24
     
ARTICLE VI ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES
24
Section 6.1.
General Provisions Regarding Securities
24
Section 6.2.
Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar
25
Section 6.3.
Form and Dating
25
Section 6.4.
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates
25
Section 6.5.
Temporary Securities
26
 
 
i

 
 
Section 6.6.
Cancellation
26
Section 6.7.
Rights of Holders; Waivers of Past Defaults
26
     
ARTICLE VII DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST
28
Section 7.1.
Dissolution and Termination of Trust
28
     
ARTICLE VIII TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
28
Section 8.1.
General
28
Section 8.2.
Transfer Procedures and Restrictions
29
Section 8.3.
Deemed Security Holders
31
     
ARTICLE IX LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES, INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE OR OTHERS
31
Section 9.1.
Liability
31
Section 9.2.
Exculpation
32
Section 9.3.
Fiduciary Duty
32
Section 9.4.
Indemnification
33
Section 9.5.
Outside Businesses
35
Section 9.6.
Compensation; Fee
35
     
ARTICLE X ACCOUNTING
35
Section 10.1.
Fiscal Year
35
Section 10.2.
Certain Accounting Matters
35
Section 10.3.
Banking
36
Section 10.4.
Withholding
36
     
ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS AND MEETINGS
36
Section 11.1.
Amendments
36
Section 11.2.
Meetings of the Holders of Securities; Action by Written Consent
38
     
ARTICLE XII REPRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND THE DELAWARE TRUSTEE
39
Section 12.1.
Representations and Warranties of Institutional Trustee
39
Section 12.2.
Representations of the Delaware Trustee
39
     
ARTICLE XIII MISCELLANEOUS
40
Section 13.1.
Notices
40
Section 13.2.
Governing Law
41
Section 13.3.
Intention of the Parties
41
Section 13.4.
Headings
42
Section 13.5.
Successors and Assigns
42
Section 13.6.
Partial Enforceability
42
Section 13.7.
Counterparts
42
 

Annex I
Terms of Securities
Exhibit A-1
Form of Capital Security Certificate
Exhibit A-2
Form of Common Security Certificate
Exhibit B
Specimen of Initial Debenture
Exhibit C
Placement Agreement
 
 
ii


AMENDED AND RESTATED
 
DECLARATION OF TRUST
 
OF
 
WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST III
 
September 15, 2005
 
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST (“Declaration”) dated and effective as of September 15, 2005, by the Trustees (as defined herein), the Administrators (as defined herein), the Sponsor (as defined herein) and by the holders, from time to time, of undivided beneficial interests in the Trust (as defined herein) to be issued pursuant to this Declaration;
 
WHEREAS, the Trustees, the Administrators and the Sponsor established Wilshire Statutory Trust III (the “Trust”), a statutory trust under the Statutory Trust Act (as defined herein) pursuant to a Declaration of Trust dated as of September 2, 2005 (the “Original Declaration”), and a Certificate of Trust filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on September 2, 2005, for the sole purpose of issuing and selling certain securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust and investing the proceeds thereof in certain debentures of the Debenture Issuer (as defined herein);
 
WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, no interests in the Trust have been issued; and
 
WHEREAS, the Trustees, the Administrators and the Sponsor, by this Declaration, amend and restate each and every term and provision of the Original Declaration;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, it being the intention of the parties hereto to continue the Trust as a statutory trust under the Statutory Trust Act and that this Declaration constitutes the governing instrument of such statutory trust, the Trustees declare that all assets contributed to the Trust will be held in trust for the benefit of the holders, from time to time, of the securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust issued hereunder, subject to the provisions of this Declaration. The parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
 
ARTICLE I
 
INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS
 
Section 1.1. Definitions.  Unless the context otherwise requires:
 
(a)   Capitalized terms used in this Declaration but not defined in the preamble above have the respective meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1;
 
(b)   a term defined anywhere in this Declaration has the same meaning throughout;
 
(c)   all references to “the Declaration” or “this Declaration” are to this Declaration as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
(d)   all references in this Declaration to Articles and Sections and Annexes and Exhibits are to Articles and Sections of and Annexes and Exhibits to this Declaration unless otherwise specified; and
 
1

 
(e)   a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
 
Acceleration Event of Default” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Additional Interest” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Administrative Action” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Administrators” means each of Elaine Jeon and Brian E. Cho, solely in such Person’s capacity as Administrator of the Trust created and continued hereunder and not in such Person’s individual capacity, or such Administrator’s successor in interest in such capacity, or any successor appointed as herein provided.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Authorized Officer” of a Person means any Person that is authorized to bind such Person.
 
Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person:
 
(a) a court having jurisdiction in the premises shall enter a decree or order for relief in respect of such Person in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of such Person or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or
 
(b) such Person shall commence a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect, shall consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or shall consent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of such Person of any substantial part of its property, or shall make any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due.
 
Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in New York City or Wilmington, Delaware are permitted or required by any applicable law or executive order to close.
 
Capital Securities” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(a) of Annex I.
 
Capital Security Certificate” means a definitive Certificate in fully registered form representing a Capital Security substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1.
 
Capital Treatment Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Certificate” means any certificate evidencing Securities.
 
Closing Date” has the meaning set forth in the Placement Agreement.
 
Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Common Securities” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 1(b) of Annex I.
 
2

 
Common Security Certificate” means a definitive Certificate in fully registered form representing a Common Security substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2.
 
Company Indemnified Person” means (a) any Administrator; (b) any Affiliate of any Administrator; (c) any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives or agents of any Administrator; or (d) any officer, employee or agent of the Trust or its Affiliates.
 
Comparable Treasury Issue” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Comparable Treasury Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Institutional Trustee at which the corporate trust business of the Institutional Trustee shall, at any particular time, be principally administered, which office at the date of execution of this Declaration is located at Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attn: Corporate Trust Administration.
 
Coupon Rate” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(a) of Annex I.
 
Covered Person” means: (a) any Administrator, officer, director, shareholder, partner, member, representative, employee or agent of (i) the Trust or (ii) any of the Trust’s Affiliates; and (b) any Holder of Securities.
 
Creditor” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3.
 
Debenture Issuer” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, in its capacity as issuer of the Debentures under the Indenture.
 
Debenture Trustee” means Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee under the Indenture until a successor is appointed thereunder, and thereafter means such successor trustee.
 
Debentures” means the Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2035 to be issued by the Debenture Issuer under the Indenture.
 
Defaulted Interest” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Delaware Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2.
 
Determination Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Direct Action” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8(d).
 
Distribution” means a distribution payable to Holders of Securities in accordance with Section 5.1.
 
Distribution Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(b) of Annex I.
 
Distribution Period” means (i) with respect to the Distribution paid on the first Distribution Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in December 2005 and (ii) thereafter, with respect to a Distribution paid on each successive Distribution Payment Date, the period beginning on (and including) the preceding Distribution Payment Date and ending on (but excluding) such current Distribution Payment Date.
 
3

 
Distribution Rate” means, for the Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, the rate per annum of 6.07%, and for each Distribution Period beginning on or after the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, the Coupon Rate for such Distribution Period.
 
Event of Default” means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such event and whether it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
 
(a) the occurrence of an Indenture Event of Default; or
 
(b) default by the Trust in the payment of any Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price of any Security when it becomes due and payable; or
 
(c) default in the performance, or breach, in any material respect, of any covenant or warranty of the Institutional Trustee in this Declaration (other than those specified in clause (a) or (b) above) and continuation of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail to the Institutional Trustee and to the Sponsor by the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate liquidation amount of the outstanding Capital Securities, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or
 
(d) the occurrence of a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Institutional Trustee if a successor Institutional Trustee has not been appointed within 90 days thereof.
 
Extension Period” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 2(b) of Annex I.
 
Federal Reserve” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Fiduciary Indemnified Person” shall mean each of the Institutional Trustee (including in its individual capacity), the Delaware Trustee (including in its individual capacity), any Affiliate of the Institutional Trustee or Delaware Trustee and any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, custodians, nominees or agents of the Institutional Trustee or Delaware Trustee.
 
Fiscal Year” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.
 
Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Guarantee” means the guarantee agreement to be dated as of the Closing Date, of the Sponsor in respect of the Capital Securities.
 
Holder” means a Person in whose name a Certificate representing a Security is registered, such Person being a beneficial owner within the meaning of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
Indemnified Person” means a Company Indemnified Person or a Fiduciary Indemnified Person.
 
Indenture” means the Indenture dated as of the Closing Date, between the Debenture Issuer and the Debenture Trustee, and any indenture supplemental thereto pursuant to which the Debentures are to be issued, as such Indenture and any supplemental indenture may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
 
4

 
Indenture Event of Default” means an “Event of Default” as defined in the Indenture.
 
Institutional Trustee” means the Trustee meeting the eligibility requirements set forth in Section 4.3.
 
Interest” means any interest due on the Debentures including any Additional Interest and Defaulted Interest.
 
Investment Company” means an investment company as defined in the Investment Company Act.
 
Investment Company Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Investment Company Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Liquidation” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Liquidation Distribution” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Securities voting together as a single class or, as the context may require, Holders of outstanding Capital Securities or Holders of outstanding Common Securities voting separately as a class, who are the record owners of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all outstanding Securities of the relevant class.
 
Maturity Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Officers’ Certificates” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by two Authorized Officers of such Person. Any Officers’ Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant providing for it in this Declaration shall include:
 
(a) a statement that each officer signing the Certificate has read the covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto;
 
(b) a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination or investigation undertaken by each officer in rendering the Certificate;
 
(c) a statement that each such officer has made such examination or investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
 
(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such officer, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
OTS” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 3 of Annex I.
 
Paying Agent” has the meaning specified in Section 6.2.
 
Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.
 
5

 
Placement Agreement” means the Placement Agreement relating to the offering and sale of Capital Securities in the form of Exhibit C.
 
Primary Treasury Dealer” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Property Account” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.8(c).
 
Pro Rata” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 8 of Annex I.
 
Quorum” means a majority of the Administrators or, if there are only two Administrators, both of them.
 
Quotation Agent” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Redemption/Distribution Notice” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(e) of Annex I.
 
Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Reference Treasury Dealer” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Registrar” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2.
 
Relevant Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5(a).
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Institutional Trustee, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Institutional Trustee, including any vice-president, any assistant vice-president, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or other officer of the Corporate Trust Office of the Institutional Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Restricted Securities Legend” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.2(b).
 
Rule 3a-5” means Rule 3a-5 under the Investment Company Act.
 
Rule 3a-7” means Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act.
 
Securities” means the Common Securities and the Capital Securities.
 
Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, or any successor legislation.
 
Special Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Special Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Special Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
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Sponsor” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation, or any successor entity in a merger, consolidation or amalgamation, in its capacity as sponsor of the Trust.
 
Statutory Trust Act” means Chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware Code, 12 Del. C. §§ 3801, et seq. as may be amended from time to time.
 
Successor Entity” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.15(b).
 
Successor Delaware Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5(e).
 
Successor Institutional Trustee” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5(b).
 
Successor Securities” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.15(b).
 
Super Majority” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 5(b) of Annex I.
 
Tax Event” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
10% in liquidation amount of the Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Securities voting together as a single class or, as the context may require, Holders of outstanding Capital Securities or Holders of outstanding Common Securities voting separately as a class, who are the record owners of 10% or more of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all outstanding Securities of the relevant class.
 
3-Month LIBOR” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Transfer Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2.
 
Treasury Rate” has the meaning set forth in paragraph 4(a) of Annex I.
 
Treasury Regulations” means the income tax regulations, including temporary and proposed regulations, promulgated under the Code by the United States Treasury, as such regulations may be amended from time to time (including corresponding provisions of succeeding regulations).
 
Trust Property” means (a) the Debentures, (b) any cash on deposit in, or owing to, the Property Account and (c) all proceeds and rights in respect of the foregoing and any other property and assets for the time being held or deemed to be held by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to the trusts of this Declaration.
 
Trustee” or “Trustees” means each Person who has signed this Declaration as a trustee, so long as such Person shall continue in office in accordance with the terms hereof, and all other Persons who may from time to time be duly appointed, qualified and serving as Trustees in accordance with the provisions hereof, and references herein to a Trustee or the Trustees shall refer to such Person or Persons solely in their capacity as trustees hereunder.
 
U.S. Person” means a United States Person as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
 
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ARTICLE II
 
ORGANIZATION
 
Section 2.1. Name.  The Trust is named “Wilshire Statutory Trust III,” as such name may be modified from time to time by the Administrators following written notice to the Holders of the Securities. The Trust’s activities may be conducted under the name of the Trust or any other name deemed advisable by the Administrators.
 
Section 2.2. Office.  The address of the principal office of the Trust is c/o Wilmington Trust Company, Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600. On at least 10 Business Days written notice to the Holders of the Securities, the Administrators may designate another principal office, which shall be in a state of the United States or in the District of Columbia.
 
Section 2.3. Purpose.  The exclusive purposes and functions of the Trust are (a) to issue and sell the Securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (b) to invest the gross proceeds from such sale to acquire the Debentures, (c) to facilitate direct investment in the assets of the Trust through issuance of the Common Securities and the Capital Securities and (d) except as otherwise limited herein, to engage in only those other activities necessary or incidental thereto. The Trust shall not borrow money, issue debt or reinvest proceeds derived from investments, pledge any of its assets, or otherwise undertake (or permit to be undertaken) any activity that would cause the Trust not to be classified for United States federal income tax purposes as a grantor trust.
 
Section 2.4. Authority.  Except as specifically provided in this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall have exclusive and complete authority to carry out the purposes of the Trust. An action taken by a Trustee in accordance with its powers shall constitute the act of and serve to bind the Trust. In dealing with the Trustees acting on behalf of the Trust, no Person shall be required to inquire into the authority of the Trustees to bind the Trust. Persons dealing with the Trust are entitled to rely conclusively on the power and authority of the Trustees as set forth in this Declaration. The Administrators shall have only those ministerial duties set forth herein with respect to accomplishing the purposes of the Trust and are not intended to be trustees or fiduciaries with respect to the Trust or the Holders. The Institutional Trustee shall have the right, but shall not be obligated except as provided in Section 2.6, to perform those duties assigned to the Administrators.
 
Section 2.5. Title to Property of the Trust.  Except as provided in Section 2.8 with respect to the Debentures and the Property Account or as otherwise provided in this Declaration, legal title to all assets of the Trust shall be vested in the Trust. The Holders shall not have legal title to any part of the assets of the Trust, but shall have an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust.
 
Section 2.6. Powers and Duties of the Trustees and the Administrators.
 
(a)   The Trustees and the Administrators shall conduct the affairs of the Trust in accordance with the terms of this Declaration. Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph (b) of this Section, and in accordance with the following provisions (i) and (ii), the Trustees and the Administrators shall have the authority to enter into all transactions and agreements determined by the Institutional Trustee to be appropriate in exercising the authority, express or implied, otherwise granted to the Trustees or the Administrators, as the case may be, under this Declaration, and to perform all acts in furtherance thereof, including without limitation, the following:
 
(i)   Each Administrator shall have the power and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters:
 
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(A)  the issuance and sale of the Securities;
 
(B)  to cause the Trust to enter into, and to execute and deliver on behalf of the Trust, such agreements as may be necessary or desirable in connection with the purposes and function of the Trust, including agreements with the Paying Agent;
 
(C)  ensuring compliance with the Securities Act, applicable state securities or blue sky laws;
 
(D)  the sending of notices (other than notices of default), and other information regarding the Securities and the Debentures to the Holders in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(E)  the consent to the appointment of a Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar in accordance with this Declaration, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed;
 
(F)  execution and delivery of the Securities in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(G)  execution and delivery of closing certificates pursuant to the Placement Agreement and the application for a taxpayer identification number;
 
(H)  unless otherwise determined by the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities or as otherwise required by the Statutory Trust Act, to execute on behalf of the Trust (either acting alone or together with any or all of the Administrators) any documents that the Administrators have the power to execute pursuant to this Declaration;
 
(I)  the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Institutional Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to give effect to the terms of this Declaration for the benefit of the Holders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Holder);
 
(J)  to establish a record date with respect to all actions to be taken hereunder that require a record date be established, including Distributions, voting rights, redemptions and exchanges, and to issue relevant notices to the Holders of Capital Securities and Holders of Common Securities as to such actions and applicable record dates; and
 
(K)  to duly prepare and file all applicable tax returns and tax information reports that are required to be filed with respect to the Trust on behalf of the Trust.
 
(ii)   As among the Trustees and the Administrators, the Institutional Trustee shall have the power, duty and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters:
 
(A)  the establishment of the Property Account;
 
(B)  the receipt of the Debentures;
 
(C)  the collection of interest, principal and any other payments made in respect of the Debentures in the Property Account;
 
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(D)  the distribution through the Paying Agent of amounts owed to the Holders in respect of the Securities;
 
(E)  the exercise of all of the rights, powers and privileges of a holder of the Debentures;
 
(F)  the sending of notices of default and other information regarding the Securities and the Debentures to the Holders in accordance with this Declaration;
 
(G)  the distribution of the Trust Property in accordance with the terms of this Declaration;
 
(H)  to the extent provided in this Declaration, the winding up of the affairs of and liquidation of the Trust and the preparation, execution and filing of the certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware;
 
(I)  after any Event of Default (provided that such Event of Default is not by or with respect to the Institutional Trustee) the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Institutional Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to give effect to the terms of this Declaration and protect and conserve the Trust Property for the benefit of the Holders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Holder); and
 
(J)  to take all action that may be necessary for the preservation and the continuation of the Trust’s valid existence, rights, franchises and privileges as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware.
 
(iii)   The Institutional Trustee shall have the power and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to any of the duties, liabilities, powers or the authority of the Administrators set forth in Section 2.6(a)(i)(D), (E) and (F) herein but shall not have a duty to do any such act unless specifically requested to do so in writing by the Sponsor, and shall then be fully protected in acting pursuant to such written request; and in the event of a conflict between the action of the Administrators and the action of the Institutional Trustee, the action of the Institutional Trustee shall prevail.
 
(b)   So long as this Declaration remains in effect, the Trust (or the Trustees or Administrators acting on behalf of the Trust) shall not undertake any business, activities or transaction except as expressly provided herein or contemplated hereby. In particular, neither the Trustees nor the Administrators may cause the Trust to (i) acquire any investments or engage in any activities not authorized by this Declaration, (ii) sell, assign, transfer, exchange, mortgage, pledge, set-off or otherwise dispose of any of the Trust Property or interests therein, including to Holders, except as expressly provided herein, (iii) take any action that would reasonably be expected (x) to cause the Trust to fail or cease to qualify as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes or (y) to require the trust to register as an Investment Company under the Investment Company Act, (iv) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any other debt or (v) take or consent to any action that would result in the placement of a lien on any of the Trust Property. The Institutional Trustee shall, at the sole cost and expense of the Trust, defend all claims and demands of all Persons at any time claiming any lien on any of the Trust Property adverse to the interest of the Trust or the Holders in their capacity as Holders.
 
(c)   In connection with the issuance and sale of the Capital Securities, the Sponsor shall have the right and responsibility to assist the Trust with respect to, or effect on behalf of the Trust, the following (and any actions taken by the Sponsor in furtherance of the following prior to the date of this Declaration are hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects):
 
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(i)   the taking of any action necessary to obtain an exemption from the Securities Act;
 
(ii)   the determination of the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Capital Securities and the determination of any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by or on behalf of the Trust, and the advice to the Administrators of actions they must take on behalf of the Trust, and the preparation for execution and filing of any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust or on behalf of the Trust, as the Sponsor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States in connection with the sale of the Capital Securities;
 
(iii)   the negotiation of the terms of, and the execution and delivery of, the Placement Agreement providing for the sale of the Capital Securities; and
 
(iv)   the taking of any other actions necessary or desirable to carry out any of the foregoing activities.
 
(d)   Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities are authorized and directed to conduct the affairs of the Trust and to operate the Trust so that the Trust will not (i) be deemed to be an Investment Company required to be registered under the Investment Company Act, and (ii) fail to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes. The Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities shall not take any action inconsistent with the treatment of the Debentures as indebtedness of the Debenture Issuer for United States federal income tax purposes. In this connection, the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities are authorized to take any action, not inconsistent with applicable laws, the Certificate of Trust or this Declaration, as amended from time to time, that each of the Administrators and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities determines in their discretion to be necessary or desirable for such purposes.
 
(e)   All expenses incurred by the Administrators or the Trustees pursuant to this Section 2.6 shall be reimbursed by the Sponsor, and the Trustees and the Administrators shall have no obligations with respect to such expenses (for purposes of clarification, this Section 2.6(e) does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustees under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Trustees’ counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration).
 
(f)   The assets of the Trust shall consist of the Trust Property.
 
(g)   Legal title to all Trust Property shall be vested at all times in the Institutional Trustee (in its capacity as such) and shall be held and administered by the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators for the benefit of the Trust in accordance with this Declaration.
 
(h)   If the Institutional Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Declaration and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Institutional Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case the Sponsor, the Institutional Trustee and the Holders shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder, and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Institutional Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.
 
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Section 2.7. Prohibition of Actions by the Trust and the Institutional Trustee.
 
(a)   The Trust shall not, and the Institutional Trustee shall cause the Trust not to, engage in any activity other than as required or authorized by this Declaration. In particular, the Trust shall not and the Institutional Trustee shall cause the Trust not to:
 
(i)   invest any proceeds received by the Trust from holding the Debentures, but shall distribute all such proceeds to Holders of the Securities pursuant to the terms of this Declaration and of the Securities;
 
(ii)   acquire any assets other than as expressly provided herein;
 
(iii)   possess Trust Property for other than a Trust purpose;
 
(iv)   make any loans or incur any indebtedness other than loans represented by the Debentures;
 
(v)   possess any power or otherwise act in such a way as to vary the Trust assets or the terms of the Securities in any way whatsoever other than as expressly provided herein;
 
(vi)   issue any securities or other evidences of beneficial ownership of, or beneficial interest in, the Trust other than the Securities;
 
(vii)   carry on any “trade or business” as that phrase is used in the Code; or
 
(viii)   other than as provided in this Declaration (including Annex I), (A) direct the time, method and place of exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures, (B) waive any past default that is waivable under the Indenture, (C) exercise any right to rescind or annul any declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable, or (D) consent to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures where such consent shall be required unless the Trust shall have received a written opinion of counsel to the effect that such modification will not cause the Trust to cease to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
Section 2.8. Powers and Duties of the Institutional Trustee.
 
(a)   The legal title to the Debentures shall be owned by and held of record in the name of the Institutional Trustee in trust for the benefit of the Trust and the Holders of the Securities. The right, title and interest of the Institutional Trustee to the Debentures shall vest automatically in each Person who may hereafter be appointed as Institutional Trustee in accordance with Section 4.5. Such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents with regard to the Debentures have been executed and delivered.
 
(b)   The Institutional Trustee shall not transfer its right, title and interest in the Debentures to the Administrators or to the Delaware Trustee.
 
(c)   The Institutional Trustee shall:
 
(i)   establish and maintain a segregated non-interest bearing trust account (the “Property Account”) in the name of and under the exclusive control of the Institutional Trustee, and maintained in the Institutional Trustee’s trust department, on behalf of the Holders of the Securities and, upon the receipt of payments of funds made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee, deposit such funds into the Property Account and make payments, or cause the Paying Agent to make payments, to the Holders of the Capital Securities and Holders of the Common Securities from the Property Account in accordance with Section 5.1. Funds in the Property Account shall be held uninvested until disbursed in accordance with this Declaration;
 
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(ii)   engage in such ministerial activities as shall be necessary or appropriate to effect the redemption of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities to the extent the Debentures are redeemed or mature; and
 
(iii)   upon written notice of distribution issued by the Administrators in accordance with the terms of the Securities, engage in such ministerial activities as shall be necessary or appropriate to effect the distribution of the Debentures to Holders of Securities upon the occurrence of certain circumstances pursuant to the terms of the Securities.
 
(d)   The Institutional Trustee may bring or defend, pay, collect, compromise, arbitrate, resort to legal action with respect to, or otherwise adjust claims or demands of or against, the Trust which arises out of or in connection with an Event of Default of which a Responsible Officer of the Institutional Trustee has actual knowledge or arises out of the Institutional Trustee’s duties and obligations under this Declaration; provided, however, that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Debenture Issuer to pay interest or principal on the Debentures on the date such interest or principal is otherwise payable (or in the case of redemption, on the redemption date), then a Holder of the Capital Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment to such Holder of the principal of or interest on the Debentures having a principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities of such Holder (a “Direct Action”) on or after the respective due date specified in the Debentures. In connection with such Direct Action, the rights of the Holders of the Common Securities will be subrogated to the rights of such Holder of the Capital Securities to the extent of any payment made by the Debenture Issuer to such Holder of the Capital Securities in such Direct Action; provided, however, that no Holder of the Common Securities may exercise such right of subrogation so long as an Event of Default with respect to the Capital Securities has occurred and is continuing.
 
(e)   The Institutional Trustee shall continue to serve as a Trustee until either:
 
(i)   the Trust has been completely liquidated and the proceeds of the liquidation distributed to the Holders of the Securities pursuant to the terms of the Securities and this Declaration; or
 
(ii)   a Successor Institutional Trustee has been appointed and has accepted that appointment in accordance with Section 4.5.
 
(f)   The Institutional Trustee shall have the legal power to exercise all of the rights, powers and privileges of a Holder of the Debentures under the Indenture and, if an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Institutional Trustee may, for the benefit of Holders of the Securities, enforce its rights as holder of the Debentures subject to the rights of the Holders pursuant to this Declaration (including Annex I) and the terms of the Securities.
 
The Institutional Trustee must exercise the powers set forth in this Section 2.8 in a manner that is consistent with the purposes and functions of the Trust set out in Section 2.3, and the Institutional Trustee shall not take any action that is inconsistent with the purposes and functions of the Trust set out in Section 2.3.
 
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Section 2.9. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustees and Administrators.
 
(a)   The Institutional Trustee, before the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Declaration and no implied covenants shall be read into this Declaration against the Institutional Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 6.7), the Institutional Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Declaration, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
 
(b)   The duties and responsibilities of the Trustees and the Administrators shall be as provided by this Declaration. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no provision of this Declaration shall require any Trustee or Administrator to expend or risk their own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of their duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of their rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds to believe that repayment of such funds or adequate protection against such risk of liability is not reasonably assured to it. Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Declaration relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustees or Administrators shall be subject to the provisions of this Article. Nothing in this Declaration shall be construed to relieve an Administrator or a Trustee from liability for its own negligent act, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct. To the extent that, at law or in equity, a Trustee or an Administrator has duties and liabilities relating to the Trust or to the Holders, such Trustee or such Administrator shall not be liable to the Trust or to any Holder for such Trustee’s or such Administrator’s good faith reliance on the provisions of this Declaration. The provisions of this Declaration, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of the Administrators or the Trustee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Sponsor and the Holders to replace such other duties and liabilities of the Administrators or the Trustees.
 
(c)   All payments made by the Institutional Trustee or a Paying Agent in respect of the Securities shall be made only from the revenue and proceeds from the Trust Property and only to the extent that there shall be sufficient revenue or proceeds from the Trust Property to enable the Institutional Trustee or a Paying Agent to make payments in accordance with the terms hereof. Each Holder, by its acceptance of a Security, agrees that it will look solely to the revenue and proceeds from the Trust Property to the extent legally available for distribution to it as herein provided and that the Trustees and the Administrators are not personally liable to it for any amount distributable in respect of any Security or for any other liability in respect of any Security. This Section 2.9(c) does not limit the liability of the Trustees expressly set forth elsewhere in this Declaration.
 
(d)   The Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for its own acts or omissions hereunder except as a result of its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(i)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by an Authorized Officer of the Institutional Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Institutional Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;
 
(ii)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities or the Common Securities, as applicable, relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration;
 
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(iii)   the Institutional Trustee’s sole duty with respect to the custody, safekeeping and physical preservation of the Debentures and the Property Account shall be to deal with such property in a similar manner as the Institutional Trustee deals with similar property for its fiduciary accounts generally, subject to the protections and limitations on liability afforded to the Institutional Trustee under this Declaration;
 
(iv)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be liable for any interest on any money received by it except as it may otherwise agree in writing with the Sponsor; and money held by the Institutional Trustee need not be segregated from other funds held by it except in relation to the Property Account maintained by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to Section 2.8(c)(i) and except to the extent otherwise required by law; and
 
(v)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be responsible for monitoring the compliance by the Administrators or the Sponsor with their respective duties under this Declaration, nor shall the Institutional Trustee be liable for any default or misconduct of the Administrators or the Sponsor.
 
Section 2.10. Certain Rights of Institutional Trustee.  Subject to the provisions of Section 2.9:
 
(a)   the Institutional Trustee may conclusively rely and shall fully be protected in acting or refraining from acting in good faith upon any resolution, opinion of counsel, certificate, written representation of a Holder or transferee, certificate of auditors or any other certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, appraisal, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or presented by the proper party or parties;
 
(b)   if (i) in performing its duties under this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee is required to decide between alternative courses of action, (ii) in construing any of the provisions of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee finds the same ambiguous or inconsistent with any other provisions contained herein, or (iii) the Institutional Trustee is unsure of the application of any provision of this Declaration, then, except as to any matter as to which the Holders of Capital Securities are entitled to vote under the terms of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee may deliver a notice to the Sponsor requesting the Sponsor’s written instructions as to the course of action to be taken and the Institutional Trustee shall take such action, or refrain from taking such action, as the Institutional Trustee shall be instructed in writing, in which event the Institutional Trustee shall have no liability except for its own negligence or willful misconduct;
 
(c)   any direction or act of the Sponsor or the Administrators contemplated by this Declaration shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers’ Certificate;
 
(d)   whenever in the administration of this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established before undertaking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Institutional Trustee (unless other evidence is herein specifically prescribed) may request and conclusively rely upon an Officers’ Certificate as to factual matters which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Sponsor or the Administrators;
 
(e)   the Institutional Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (including any financing or continuation statement or any filing under tax or securities laws) or any rerecording, refiling or reregistration thereof;
 
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(f)   the Institutional Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection (which counsel may be counsel to the Sponsor or any of its Affiliates) and the advice of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon and in accordance with such advice; the Institutional Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Declaration from any court of competent jurisdiction;
 
(g)   the Institutional Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Declaration at the request or direction of any of the Holders pursuant to this Declaration, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Institutional Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction; provided, that nothing contained in this Section 2.10(g) shall be taken to relieve the Institutional Trustee, subject to Section 2.9(b), upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 6.7), to exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Declaration, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs;
 
(h)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, approval, bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, unless requested in writing to do so by one or more Holders, but the Institutional Trustee may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit;
 
(i)   the Institutional Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through its agents or attorneys and the Institutional Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of or for the supervision of, any such agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;
 
(j)   whenever in the administration of this Declaration the Institutional Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder the Institutional Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of the Capital Securities which instructions may only be given by the Holders of the same proportion in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as would be entitled to direct the Institutional Trustee under the terms of the Capital Securities in respect of such remedy, right or action, (ii) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (iii) shall be fully protected in acting in accordance with such instructions;
 
(k)   except as otherwise expressly provided in this Declaration, the Institutional Trustee shall not be under any obligation to take any action that is discretionary under the provisions of this Declaration;
 
(l)   when the Institutional Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with a Bankruptcy Event, such expenses (including the fees and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for such services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any bankruptcy law or law relating to creditors rights generally;
 
(m)   the Institutional Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of an Event of Default unless a Responsible Officer of the Institutional Trustee obtains actual knowledge of such event or the Institutional Trustee receives written notice of such event from any Holder, the Sponsor or the Debenture Trustee;
 
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(n)   any action taken by the Institutional Trustee or its agents hereunder shall bind the Trust and the Holders of the Securities, and the signature of the Institutional Trustee or its agents alone shall be sufficient and effective to perform any such action and no third party shall be required to inquire as to the authority of the Institutional Trustee to so act or as to its compliance with any of the terms and provisions of this Declaration, both of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the Institutional Trustee’s or its agent’s taking such action; and
 
(o)   no provision of this Declaration shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Institutional Trustee to perform any act or acts or exercise any right, power, duty or obligation conferred or imposed on it, in any jurisdiction in which it shall be illegal, or in which the Institutional Trustee shall be unqualified or incompetent in accordance with applicable law, to perform any such act or acts, or to exercise any such right, power, duty or obligation. No permissive power or authority available to the Institutional Trustee shall be construed to be a duty.
 
Section 2.11. Delaware Trustee.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration other than Section 4.1, the Delaware Trustee shall not be entitled to exercise any powers, nor shall the Delaware Trustee have any of the duties and responsibilities of any of the Trustees or the Administrators described in this Declaration (except as may be required under the Statutory Trust Act). Except as set forth in Section 4.1, the Delaware Trustee shall be a Trustee for the sole and limited purpose of fulfilling the requirements of § 3807 of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
Section 2.12. Execution of Documents.  Unless otherwise determined in writing by the Institutional Trustee, and except as otherwise required by the Statutory Trust Act, the Institutional Trustee, or any one or more of the Administrators, as the case may be, is authorized to execute on behalf of the Trust any documents that the Trustees or the Administrators, as the case may be, have the power and authority to execute pursuant to Section 2.6.
 
Section 2.13. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.  The recitals contained in this Declaration and the Securities shall be taken as the statements of the Sponsor, and the Trustees do not assume any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustees make no representations as to the value or condition of the property of the Trust or any part thereof. The Trustees make no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Declaration, the Debentures or the Securities.
 
Section 2.14. Duration of Trust.  The Trust, unless earlier dissolved pursuant to the provisions of Article VII hereof, shall be in existence for 35 years from the Closing Date.
 
Section 2.15. Mergers.
 
(a)   The Trust may not consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by, or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any corporation or other body, except as described in Section 2.15(b) and (c) and except in connection with the liquidation of the Trust and the distribution of the Debentures to Holders of Securities pursuant to Section 7.1(a)(iv) of the Declaration or Section 4 of Annex I.
 
(b)   The Trust may, with the consent of the Institutional Trustee and without the consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by a trust organized as such under the laws of any state; provided that:
 
(i)   if the Trust is not the surviving entity, such successor entity (the “Successor Entity”) either:
 
(A)  expressly assumes all of the obligations of the Trust under the Securities; or
 
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(B)  substitutes for the Securities other securities having substantially the same terms as the Securities (the “Successor Securities”) so that the Successor Securities rank the same as the Securities rank with respect to Distributions and payments upon Liquidation, redemption and otherwise;
 
(ii)   the Sponsor expressly appoints a trustee of the Successor Entity that possesses substantially the same powers and duties as the Institutional Trustee as the Holder of the Debentures;
 
(iii)   such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the Holders of the Securities (including any Successor Securities) in any material respect;
 
(iv)   the Institutional Trustee receives written confirmation from Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. and any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization that rates securities issued by the initial purchaser of the Capital Securities that it will not reduce or withdraw the rating of any such securities because of such merger, conversion, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement;
 
(v)   such Successor Entity has a purpose substantially identical to that of the Trust;
 
(vi)   prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Trust has received an opinion of a nationally recognized independent counsel to the Trust experienced in such matters to the effect that:
 
(A)  such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and privileges of the Holders of the Securities (including any Successor Securities) in any material respect;
 
(B)  following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, neither the Trust nor the Successor Entity will be required to register as an Investment Company; and
 
(C)  following such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Trust (or the Successor Entity) will continue to be classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes;
 
(vii)   the Sponsor guarantees the obligations of such Successor Entity under the Successor Securities at least to the extent provided by the Guarantee;
 
(viii)   the Sponsor owns 100% of the common securities of any Successor Entity; and
 
(ix)   prior to such merger, consolidation, amalgamation or replacement, the Institutional Trustee shall have received an Officers’ Certificate of the Administrators and an opinion of counsel, each to the effect that all conditions precedent under this Section 2.15(b) to such transaction have been satisfied.
 
(c)   Notwithstanding Section 2.15(b), the Trust shall not, except with the consent of Holders of 100% in aggregate liquidation amount of the Securities, consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by any other entity or permit any other entity to consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or replace it if such consolidation, amalgamation, merger or replacement would cause the Trust or Successor Entity to be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
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ARTICLE III
 
SPONSOR
 
Section 3.1. Sponsor’s Purchase of Common Securities.  On the Closing Date, the Sponsor will purchase all of the Common Securities issued by the Trust in an amount at least equal to 3% of the capital of the Trust, at the same time as the Capital Securities are sold.
 
Section 3.2. Responsibilities of the Sponsor.  In connection with the issue and sale of the Capital Securities, the Sponsor shall have the exclusive right and responsibility to engage in, or direct the Administrators to engage in, the following activities:
 
(a)   to determine the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify the Trust or to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Capital Securities and to do any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by the Trust, and advise the Trust of actions it must take, and prepare for execution and filing any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust, as the Sponsor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States, to protect the limited liability of the Holders of the Capital Securities or to enable the Trust to effect the purposes for which it was created; and
 
(b)   to negotiate the terms of and/or execute on behalf of the Trust, the Placement Agreement and other related agreements providing for the sale of the Capital Securities.
 
Section 3.3. Expenses.  In connection with the offering, sale and issuance of the Debentures to the Trust and in connection with the sale of the Securities by the Trust, the Sponsor, in its capacity as Debenture Issuer, shall:
 
(a)   pay all reasonable costs and expenses owing to the Debenture Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6 of the Indenture;
 
(b)   be responsible for and shall pay all debts and obligations (other than with respect to the Securities) and all costs and expenses of the Trust, the offering, sale and issuance of the Securities (including fees to the placement agents in connection therewith), the costs and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) of the Institutional Trustee and the Administrators, the costs and expenses relating to the operation of the Trust, including, without limitation, costs and expenses of accountants, attorneys, statistical or bookkeeping services, expenses for printing and engraving and computing or accounting equipment, Paying Agents, Registrars, Transfer Agents, duplicating, travel and telephone and other telecommunications expenses and costs and expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition, financing, and disposition of Trust assets and the enforcement by the Institutional Trustee of the rights of the Holders (for purposes of clarification, this Section 3.3(b) does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustees pursuant to the services to be provided by the Trustees under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Trustees’ counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration); and
 
(c)   pay any and all taxes (other than United States withholding taxes attributable to the Trust or its assets) and all liabilities, costs and expenses with respect to such taxes of the Trust.
 
The Sponsor’s obligations under this Section 3.3 shall be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, any Person to whom such debts, obligations, costs, expenses and taxes are owed (a “Creditor”) whether or not such Creditor has received notice hereof. Any such Creditor may enforce the Sponsor’s obligations under this Section 3.3 directly against the Sponsor and the Sponsor irrevocably waives any right or remedy to require that any such Creditor take any action against the Trust or any other Person before proceeding against the Sponsor. The Sponsor agrees to execute such additional agreements as may be necessary or desirable in order to give full effect to the provisions of this Section 3.3.
 
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Section 3.4. Right to Proceed.  The Sponsor acknowledges the rights of Holders to institute a Direct Action as set forth in Section 2.8(d) hereto.
 
ARTICLE IV
 
INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND ADMINISTRATORS
 
Section 4.1. Number of Trustees.  The number of Trustees shall initially be two, and;
 
(a) at any time before the issuance of any Securities, the Sponsor may, by written instrument, increase or decrease the number of Trustees; and
 
(b) after the issuance of any Securities, the number of Trustees may be increased or decreased by vote of the Holder of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities voting as a class at a meeting of the Holder of the Common Securities; provided, however, that there shall be a Delaware Trustee if required by Section 4.2; and there shall always be one Trustee who shall be the Institutional Trustee, and such Trustee may also serve as Delaware Trustee if it meets the applicable requirements, in which case Section 2.11 shall have no application to such entity in its capacity as Institutional Trustee.
 
Section 4.2. Delaware Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a)   If required by the Statutory Trust Act, one Trustee (the “Delaware Trustee”) shall be:
 
(i)   a natural person at least 21 years of age who is a resident of the State of Delaware; or
 
(ii)   if not a natural person, an entity which is organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, has its principal place of business in the State of Delaware, and otherwise meets the requirements of applicable law, including § 3807 of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
(b)   the initial Delaware Trustee shall be Wilmington Trust Company.
 
Section 4.3. Institutional Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a)   There shall at all times be one Trustee which shall:
 
(i)   not be an Affiliate of the Sponsor;
 
(ii)   not offer or provide credit or credit enhancement to the Trust; and
 
(iii)   be a banking corporation or trust company organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000.00), and subject to supervision or examination by Federal, state, or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the supervising or examining authority referred to above, then for the purposes of this Section 4.3(a)(iii), the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published.
 
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(b)   If at any time the Institutional Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 4.3(a), the Institutional Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set forth in Section 4.5.
 
(c)   If the Institutional Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, the Institutional Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to this Declaration.
 
(d)   The initial Institutional Trustee shall be Wilmington Trust Company.
 
Section 4.4. Administrators.  Each Administrator shall be a U.S. Person, 21 years of age or older and authorized to bind the Sponsor. The initial Administrators shall be Elaine Jeon and Brian E. Cho. There shall at all times be at least one Administrator. Except where a requirement for action by a specific number of Administrators is expressly set forth in this Declaration and except with respect to any action the taking of which is the subject of a meeting of the Administrators, any action required or permitted to be taken by the Administrators may be taken by, and any power of the Administrators may be exercised by, or with the consent of, any one such Administrator.
 
Section 4.5. Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Trustees and Administrators.  
 
(a)   No resignation or removal of any Trustee (the “Relevant Trustee”) and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.5.
 
(b)   Subject to Section 4.5(a), a Relevant Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Holders of the Securities and by appointing a successor Relevant Trustee. Upon the resignation of the Institutional Trustee, the Institutional Trustee shall appoint a successor by requesting from at least three Persons meeting the eligibility requirements their expenses and charges to serve as the successor Institutional Trustee on a form provided by the Administrators, and selecting the Person who agrees to the lowest expense and charges (the “Successor Institutional Trustee”). If the instrument of acceptance by the successor Relevant Trustee required by this Section 4.5 shall not have been delivered to the Relevant Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation or delivery of the instrument of removal, the Relevant Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Trust, any federal, state or District of Columbia court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Relevant Trustee. The Institutional Trustee shall have no liability for the selection of such successor pursuant to this Section 4.5.
 
(c)   Unless an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, any Trustee may be removed at any time by an act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities. If any Trustee shall be so removed, the Holders of the Common Securities, by act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities delivered to the Relevant Trustee, shall promptly appoint a successor Relevant Trustee, and such successor Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.5. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee, or both of them, may be removed by the act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, delivered to the Relevant Trustee (in its individual capacity and on behalf of the Trust). If any Trustee shall be so removed, the Holders of Capital Securities, by act of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities then outstanding delivered to the Relevant Trustee, shall promptly appoint a successor Relevant Trustee or Trustees, and such successor Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of this Section 4.5. If no successor Relevant Trustee shall have been so appointed by the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities and accepted appointment in the manner required by this Section 4.5 within 30 days after delivery of an instrument of removal, the Relevant Trustee or any Holder who has been a Holder of the Securities for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any federal, state or District of Columbia court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a successor Relevant Trustee or Trustees.
 
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(d)   The Institutional Trustee shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of a Trustee and each appointment of a successor Trustee to all Holders and to the Sponsor. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Relevant Trustee and the address of its Corporate Trust Office if it is the Institutional Trustee.
 
(e)   Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Declaration, in the event a Delaware Trustee who is a natural person dies or is adjudged by a court to have become incompetent or incapacitated, the vacancy created by such death, incompetence or incapacity may be filled by the Institutional Trustee following the procedures in this Section 4.5 (with the successor being a Person who satisfies the eligibility requirement for a Delaware Trustee set forth in this Declaration) (the “Successor Delaware Trustee”).
 
(f)   In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Relevant Trustee, the retiring Relevant Trustee and each successor Relevant Trustee with respect to the Securities shall execute and deliver an amendment hereto wherein each successor Relevant Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (a) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor Relevant Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Relevant Trustee with respect to the Securities and the Trust and (b) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Declaration as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the Trust by more than one Relevant Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such amendment shall constitute such Relevant Trustees co-trustees and upon the execution and delivery of such amendment the resignation or removal of the retiring Relevant Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each such successor Relevant Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Relevant Trustee; but, on request of the Trust or any successor Relevant Trustee, such retiring Relevant Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Relevant Trustee all Trust Property, all proceeds thereof and money held by such retiring Relevant Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities and the Trust subject to the payment of all unpaid fees, expenses and indemnities of such retiring Relevant Trustee.
 
(g)   No Institutional Trustee or Delaware Trustee shall be liable for the acts or omissions to act of any Successor Institutional Trustee or Successor Delaware Trustee, as the case may be.
 
(h)   The Holders of the Capital Securities will have no right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Administrators, which voting rights are vested exclusively in the Holders of the Common Securities.
 
(i)   Any successor Delaware Trustee shall file an amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware identifying the name and principal place of business of such Delaware Trustee in the State of Delaware.
 
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Section 4.6. Vacancies Among Trustees.  If a Trustee ceases to hold office for any reason and the number of Trustees is not reduced pursuant to Section 4.1, a vacancy shall occur. A resolution certifying the existence of such vacancy by the Trustees or, if there are more than two, a majority of the Trustees, shall be conclusive evidence of the existence of such vacancy. The vacancy shall be filled with a Trustee appointed in accordance with Section 4.5.
 
Section 4.7. Effect of Vacancies.  The death, resignation, retirement, removal, bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation, incompetence or incapacity to perform the duties of a Trustee shall not operate to dissolve, terminate or annul the Trust or terminate this Declaration. Whenever a vacancy in the number of Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled by the appointment of a Trustee in accordance with Section 4.5, the Institutional Trustee shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees and shall discharge all the duties imposed upon the Trustees by this Declaration.
 
Section 4.8. Meetings of the Trustees and the Administrators.  Meetings of the Administrators shall be held from time to time upon the call of an Administrator. Regular meetings of the Administrators may be held in person in the United States or by telephone, at a place (if applicable) and time fixed by resolution of the Administrators. Notice of any in-person meetings of the Trustees with the Administrators or meetings of the Administrators shall be hand delivered or otherwise delivered in writing (including by facsimile, with a hard copy by overnight courier) not less than 48 hours before such meeting. Notice of any telephonic meetings of the Trustees with the Administrators or meetings of the Administrators or any committee thereof shall be hand delivered or otherwise delivered in writing (including by facsimile, with a hard copy by overnight courier) not less than 24 hours before a meeting. Notices shall contain a brief statement of the time, place and anticipated purposes of the meeting. The presence (whether in person or by telephone) of a Trustee or an Administrator, as the case may be, at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting except where the Trustee or an Administrator, as the case may be, attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any activity on the grounds that the meeting has not been lawfully called or convened. Unless provided otherwise in this Declaration, any action of the Trustees or the Administrators, as the case may be, may be taken at a meeting by vote of a majority of the Trustees or the Administrators present (whether in person or by telephone) and eligible to vote with respect to such matter, provided that a Quorum is present, or without a meeting by the unanimous written consent of the Trustees or the Administrators. Meetings of the Trustees and the Administrators together shall be held from time to time upon the call of any Trustee or an Administrator.
 
Section 4.9. Delegation of Power.
 
(a)   Any Administrator may, by power of attorney consistent with applicable law, delegate to any other natural person over the age of 21 that is a U.S. Person his or her power for the purpose of executing any documents contemplated in Section 2.6; and
 
(b)   the Administrators shall have power to delegate from time to time to such of their number the doing of such things and the execution of such instruments either in the name of the Trust or the names of the Administrators or otherwise as the Administrators may deem expedient, to the extent such delegation is not prohibited by applicable law or contrary to the provisions of the Trust, as set forth herein.
 
Section 4.10. Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.  Any Person into which the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate trust business of the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee shall be the successor of the Institutional Trustee or the Delaware Trustee hereunder, provided such Person shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article and, provided, further, that such Person shall file an amendment to the Certificate of Trust with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as contemplated in Section 4.5(i).
 
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ARTICLE V
 
DISTRIBUTIONS
 
Section 5.1. Distributions.  Holders shall receive Distributions in accordance with the applicable terms of the relevant Holder’s Securities. Distributions shall be made on the Capital Securities and the Common Securities in accordance with the preferences set forth in their respective terms. If and to the extent that the Debenture Issuer makes a payment of Interest or any principal on the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee, the Institutional Trustee shall and is directed, to the extent funds are available for that purpose, to make a distribution (a “Distribution”) of such amounts to Holders.
 
ARTICLE VI
 
ISSUANCE OF SECURITIES
 
Section 6.1. General Provisions Regarding Securities.
 
(a)   The Administrators shall, on behalf of the Trust, issue one series of capital securities substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1 representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust having such terms as are set forth in Annex I and one series of common securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust having such terms as are set forth in Annex I. The Trust shall issue no securities or other interests in the assets of the Trust other than the Capital Securities and the Common Securities. The Capital Securities rank pari passu to, and payment thereon shall be made Pro Rata with, the Common Securities except that, where an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of the Common Securities to payment in respect of Distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights to payment of the Holders of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I.
 
(b)   The Certificates shall be signed on behalf of the Trust by one or more Administrators. Such signature shall be the facsimile or manual signature of any Administrator. In case any Administrator of the Trust who shall have signed any of the Securities shall cease to be such Administrator before the Certificates so signed shall be delivered by the Trust, such Certificates nevertheless may be delivered as though the person who signed such Certificates had not ceased to be such Administrator, and any Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Trust by such persons who, at the actual date of execution of such Security, shall be an Administrator of the Trust, although at the date of the execution and delivery of the Declaration any such person was not such an Administrator. A Capital Security shall not be valid until authenticated by the facsimile or manual signature of an Authorized Officer of the Institutional Trustee. Such signature shall be conclusive evidence that the Capital Security has been authenticated under this Declaration. Upon written order of the Trust signed by one Administrator, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate the Capital Securities for original issue. The Institutional Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent that is a U.S. Person acceptable to the Trust to authenticate the Capital Securities. A Common Security need not be so authenticated.
 
(c)   The consideration received by the Trust for the issuance of the Securities shall constitute a contribution to the capital of the Trust and shall not constitute a loan to the Trust.
 
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(d)   Upon issuance of the Securities as provided in this Declaration, the Securities so issued shall be deemed to be validly issued, fully paid and, except as provided in Section 9.1(b) with respect to the Common Securities, non-assessable.
 
(e)   Every Person, by virtue of having become a Holder in accordance with the terms of this Declaration, shall be deemed to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of, and shall be bound by, this Declaration and the Guarantee.
 
Section 6.2. Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar.  The Trust shall maintain in Wilmington, Delaware, an office or agency where the Capital Securities may be presented for payment (“Paying Agent”), and an office or agency where Securities may be presented for registration of transfer or exchange (the “Transfer Agent”). The Trust shall keep or cause to be kept at such office or agency a register for the purpose of registering Securities, transfers and exchanges of Securities, such register to be held by a registrar (the “Registrar”). The Administrators may appoint the Paying Agent, the Registrar and the Transfer Agent and may appoint one or more additional Paying Agents or one or more co-Registrars, or one or more co Transfer Agents in such other locations as it shall determine. The term “Paying Agent” includes any additional paying agent, the term “Registrar” includes any additional registrar or co Registrar and the term “Transfer Agent” includes any additional transfer agent. The Administrators may change any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar at any time without prior notice to any Holder. The Administrators shall notify the Institutional Trustee of the name and address of any Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar not a party to this Declaration. The Administrators hereby initially appoint the Institutional Trustee to act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent and Registrar for the Capital Securities and the Common Securities. The Institutional Trustee or any of its Affiliates in the United States may act as Paying Agent, Transfer Agent or Registrar.
 
Section 6.3. Form and Dating.  The Capital Securities and the Institutional Trustee’s certificate of authentication thereon shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1, and the Common Securities shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2, each of which is hereby incorporated in and expressly made a part of this Declaration. Certificates may be typed, printed, lithographed or engraved or may be produced in any other manner as is reasonably acceptable to the Administrators, as conclusively evidenced by their execution thereof. The Securities may have letters, numbers, notations or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements required by law, stock exchange rule, agreements to which the Trust is subject if any, or usage (provided that any such notation, legend or endorsement is in a form acceptable to the Sponsor). The Trust at the direction of the Sponsor shall furnish any such legend not contained in Exhibit A-1 to the Institutional Trustee in writing. Each Capital Security shall be dated on or before the date of its authentication. The terms and provisions of the Securities set forth in Annex I and the forms of Securities set forth in Exhibits A-1 and A-2 are part of the terms of this Declaration and to the extent applicable, the Institutional Trustee, the Delaware Trustee, the Administrators and the Sponsor, by their execution and delivery of this Declaration, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. Capital Securities will be issued only in blocks having a stated liquidation amount of not less than $100,000.00 and any multiple of $1,000.00 in excess thereof.
 
The Capital Securities are being offered and sold by the Trust pursuant to the Placement Agreement in definitive, registered form without coupons and with the Restricted Securities Legend.
 
Section 6.4. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.
 
If:
 
(a)   any mutilated Certificates should be surrendered to the Registrar, or if the Registrar shall receive evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Certificate; and
 
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(b)   there shall be delivered to the Registrar, the Administrators and the Institutional Trustee such security or indemnity as may be required by them to keep each of them harmless;
 
then, in the absence of notice that such Certificate shall have been acquired by a protected purchaser, an Administrator on behalf of the Trust shall execute (and in the case of a Capital Security Certificate, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate) and deliver, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Certificate, a new Certificate of like denomination. In connection with the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 6.4, the Registrar or the Administrators may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith. Any duplicate Certificate issued pursuant to this Section shall constitute conclusive evidence of an ownership interest in the relevant Securities, as if originally issued, whether or not the lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate shall be found at any time.
 
Section 6.5. Temporary Securities.  Until definitive Securities are ready for delivery, the Administrators may prepare and, in the case of the Capital Securities, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate, temporary Securities. Temporary Securities shall be substantially in the form of definitive Securities but may have variations that the Administrators consider appropriate for temporary Securities. Without unreasonable delay, the Administrators shall prepare and, in the case of the Capital Securities, the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate, definitive Securities in exchange for temporary Securities.
 
Section 6.6. Cancellation.  The Administrators at any time may deliver Securities to the Institutional Trustee for cancellation. The Registrar shall forward to the Institutional Trustee any Securities surrendered to it for registration of transfer, redemption or payment. The Institutional Trustee shall promptly cancel all Securities surrendered for registration of transfer, payment, replacement or cancellation and shall dispose of such canceled Securities as the Administrators direct. The Administrators may not issue new Securities to replace Securities that have been paid or that have been delivered to the Institutional Trustee for cancellation.
 
Section 6.7. Rights of Holders; Waivers of Past Defaults.
 
(a)   The legal title to the Trust Property is vested exclusively in the Institutional Trustee (in its capacity as such) in accordance with Section 2.5, and the Holders shall not have any right or title therein other than the undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust conferred by their Securities and they shall have no right to call for any partition or division of property, profits or rights of the Trust except as described below. The Securities shall be personal property giving only the rights specifically set forth therein and in this Declaration. The Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights.
 
(b)   For so long as any Capital Securities remain outstanding, if upon an Indenture Event of Default, the Debenture Trustee fails or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Debentures fail to declare the principal of all of the Debentures to be immediately due and payable, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities then outstanding shall have the right to make such declaration by a notice in writing to the Institutional Trustee, the Sponsor and the Debenture Trustee.
 
At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to the Debentures has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Debenture Trustee as provided in the Indenture, if the Institutional Trustee, subject to the provisions hereof, fails to annul any such declaration and waive such default, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, by written notice to the Institutional Trustee, the Sponsor and the Debenture Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:
 
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(i)   the Debenture Issuer has paid or deposited with the Debenture Trustee a sum sufficient to pay
 
(A)  all overdue installments of interest on all of the Debentures,
 
(B)  any accrued Additional Interest on all of the Debentures,
 
(C)  the principal of (and premium, if any, on) any Debentures that have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest and Additional Interest thereon at the rate borne by the Debentures, and
 
(D)  all sums paid or advanced by the Debenture Trustee under the Indenture and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Debenture Trustee and the Institutional Trustee, their agents and counsel; and
 
(ii)   all Events of Default with respect to the Debentures, other than the non-payment of the principal of the Debentures that has become due solely by such acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.7 of the Indenture.
 
The Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Capital Securities, waive any past default under the Indenture or any Indenture Event of Default, except a default or Indenture Event of Default in the payment of principal or interest on the Debentures (unless such default or Indenture Event of Default has been cured and a sum sufficient to pay all matured installments of interest and principal due otherwise than by acceleration has been deposited with the Debenture Trustee) or a default under the Indenture or an Indenture Event of Default in respect of a covenant or provision that under the Indenture cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding Debenture. No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
Upon receipt by the Institutional Trustee of written notice declaring such an acceleration, or rescission and annulment thereof, by Holders of any part of the Capital Securities, a record date shall be established for determining Holders of outstanding Capital Securities entitled to join in such notice, which record date shall be at the close of business on the day the Institutional Trustee receives such notice. The Holders on such record date, or their duly designated proxies, and only such Persons, shall be entitled to join in such notice, whether or not such Holders remain Holders after such record date; provided, that unless such declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment, as the case may be, shall have become effective by virtue of the requisite percentage having joined in such notice prior to the day that is 90 days after such record date, such notice of declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment, as the case may be, shall automatically and without further action by any Holder be canceled and of no further effect. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a Holder, or a proxy of a Holder, from giving, after expiration of such 90-day period, a new written notice of declaration of acceleration, or rescission and annulment thereof, as the case may be, that is identical to a written notice that has been canceled pursuant to the proviso to the preceding sentence, in which event a new record date shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this Section 6.7.
 
(c)   Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 6.7, the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, on behalf of the Holders of all the Capital Securities, waive any past default or Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such default or Event of Default shall cease to exist, and any default or Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Declaration, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
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ARTICLE VII
 
DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION OF TRUST
 
Section 7.1. Dissolution and Termination of Trust.
 
(a)   The Trust shall dissolve on the first to occur of:
 
(i)   unless earlier dissolved, on September 15, 2040, the expiration of the term of the Trust;
 
(ii)   upon a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Sponsor, the Trust or the Debenture Issuer;
 
(iii)   upon the filing of a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent with respect to the Sponsor (other than in connection with a merger, consolidation or similar transaction not prohibited by the Indenture, this Declaration or the Guarantee, as the case may be) or upon the revocation of the charter of the Sponsor and the expiration of 90 days after the date of revocation without a reinstatement thereof;
 
(iv)   upon the distribution of the Debentures to the Holders of the Securities, upon exercise of the right of the Holder of all of the outstanding Common Securities to dissolve the Trust as provided in Annex I hereto;
 
(v)   upon the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Holder of the Common Securities, the Sponsor, the Trust or the Debenture Issuer;
 
(vi)   when all of the Securities shall have been called for redemption and the amounts necessary for redemption thereof shall have been paid to the Holders in accordance with the terms of the Securities; or
 
(vii)   before the issuance of any Securities, with the consent of all of the Trustees and the Sponsor.
 
(b)   As soon as is practicable after the occurrence of an event referred to in Section 7.1(a), and after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust as required by applicable law, including of the Statutory Trust Act, and subject to the terms set forth in Annex I, the Institutional Trustee shall terminate the Trust by filing a certificate of cancellation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
 
(c)   The provisions of Section 2.9 and Article IX shall survive the termination of the Trust.
 
ARTICLE VIII
 
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
 
Section 8.1. General.
 
(a)   Subject to Section 8.1(c), where Capital Securities are presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to register a transfer or to exchange them for an equal number of Capital Securities represented by different certificates, the Registrar shall register the transfer or make the exchange if its requirements for such transactions are met. To permit registrations of transfer and exchanges, the Trust shall issue and the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate Capital Securities at the Registrar’s request.
 
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(b)   Upon issuance of the Common Securities, the Sponsor shall acquire and retain beneficial and record ownership of the Common Securities and for so long as the Securities remain outstanding, and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Sponsor shall maintain 100% ownership of the Common Securities; provided, however, that any permitted successor of the Sponsor, in its capacity as Debenture Issuer, under the Indenture that is a U.S. Person may succeed to the Sponsor’s ownership of the Common Securities.
 
(c)   Capital Securities may only be transferred, in whole or in part, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Declaration and in the terms of the Securities. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any transfer or purported transfer of any Security not made in accordance with this Declaration shall be null and void and will be deemed to be of no legal effect whatsoever and any such transferee shall be deemed not to be the holder of such Capital Securities for any purpose, including but not limited to the receipt of Distributions on such Capital Securities, and such transferee shall be deemed to have no interest whatsoever in such Capital Securities.
 
(d)   The Registrar shall provide for the registration of Securities and of transfers of Securities, which will be effected without charge but only upon payment (with such indemnity as the Registrar may require) in respect of any tax or other governmental charges that may be imposed in relation to it. Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Securities, the Registrar shall cause one or more new Securities of the same tenor to be issued in the name of the designated transferee or transferees. Every Security surrendered for registration of transfer shall be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly executed by the Holder or such Holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing. Each Security surrendered for registration of transfer shall be canceled by the Institutional Trustee pursuant to Section 6.6. A transferee of a Security shall be entitled to the rights and subject to the obligations of a Holder hereunder upon the receipt by such transferee of a Security. By acceptance of a Security, each transferee shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by this Declaration.
 
(e)   The Trust shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days before the day of any selection of Securities for redemption and ending at the close of business on the earliest date on which the relevant notice of redemption is deemed to have been given to all Holders of the Securities to be redeemed, or (ii) to register the transfer or exchange of any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part.
 
Section 8.2. Transfer Procedures and Restrictions.
 
(a)   The Capital Securities shall bear the Restricted Securities Legend, which shall not be removed unless there is delivered to the Trust such satisfactory evidence, which may include an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Institutional Trustee, as may be reasonably required by the Trust, that neither the legend nor the restrictions on transfer set forth therein are required to ensure that transfers thereof comply with the provisions of the Securities Act. Upon provision of such satisfactory evidence, the Institutional Trustee, at the written direction of the Trust, shall authenticate and deliver Capital Securities that do not bear the legend.
 
(b)   Except as permitted by Section 8.2(a), each Capital Security shall bear a legend (the “Restricted Securities Legend”) in substantially the following form and a Capital Security shall not be transferred except in compliance with such legend, unless otherwise determined by the Sponsor, upon the advice of counsel expert in securities law, in accordance with applicable law:
 
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THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
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THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
(c)   To permit registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Trust shall execute and the Institutional Trustee shall authenticate Capital Securities at the Registrar’s request.
 
(d)   Registrations of transfers or exchanges will be effected without charge, but only upon payment (with such indemnity as the Registrar or the Sponsor may require) in respect of any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation to it.
 
(e)   All Capital Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange pursuant to the terms of this Declaration shall evidence the same security and shall be entitled to the same benefits under this Declaration as the Capital Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.
 
Section 8.3. Deemed Security Holders.  The Trust, the Administrators, the Trustees, the Paying Agent, the Transfer Agent or the Registrar may treat the Person in whose name any Certificate shall be registered on the books and records of the Trust as the sole holder of such Certificate and of the Securities represented by such Certificate for purposes of receiving Distributions and for all other purposes whatsoever and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Certificate or in the Securities represented by such Certificate on the part of any Person, whether or not the Trust, the Administrators, the Trustees, the Paying Agent, the Transfer Agent or the Registrar shall have actual or other notice thereof.
 
ARTICLE IX
 
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF
HOLDERS OF SECURITIES, INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE OR OTHERS
 
Section 9.1. Liability.
 
(a)   Except as expressly set forth in this Declaration, the Guarantee and the terms of the Securities, the Sponsor shall not be:
 
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(i)   personally liable for the return of any portion of the capital contributions (or any return thereon) of the Holders of the Securities which shall be made solely from assets of the Trust; or
 
(ii)   required to pay to the Trust or to any Holder of the Securities any deficit upon dissolution of the Trust or otherwise.
 
(b)   The Holder of the Common Securities shall be liable for all of the debts and obligations of the Trust (other than with respect to the Securities) to the extent not satisfied out of the Trust’s assets.
 
(c)   Pursuant to the Statutory Trust Act, the Holders of the Capital Securities shall be entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
 
Section 9.2. Exculpation.
 
(a)   No Indemnified Person shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Trust or any Covered Person for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnified Person in good faith on behalf of the Trust and in a manner such Indemnified Person reasonably believed to be within the scope of the authority conferred on such Indemnified Person by this Declaration or by law, except that an Indemnified Person shall be liable for any such loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Indemnified Person’s negligence or willful misconduct with respect to such acts or omissions.
 
(b)   An Indemnified Person shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Trust and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Trust by any Person as to matters the Indemnified Person reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and, if selected by such Indemnified Person, has been selected by such Indemnified Person with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Trust, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits, losses, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which Distributions to Holders of Securities might properly be paid.
 
Section 9.3. Fiduciary Duty.
 
(a)   To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnified Person has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Trust or to any other Covered Person, an Indemnified Person acting under this Declaration shall not be liable to the Trust or to any other Covered Person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Declaration. The provisions of this Declaration, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of an Indemnified Person otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the parties hereto to replace such other duties and liabilities of the Indemnified Person.
 
(b)   Whenever in this Declaration an Indemnified Person is permitted or required to make a decision:
 
(i)   in its “discretion” or under a grant of similar authority, the Indemnified Person shall be entitled to consider such interests and factors as it desires, including its own interests, and shall have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting the Trust or any other Person; or
 
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(ii)   in its “good faith” or under another express standard, the Indemnified Person shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard imposed by this Declaration or by applicable law.
 
Section 9.4. Indemnification.
 
(a)   The Sponsor shall indemnify, to the full extent permitted by law, any Indemnified Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Trust) arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Declaration by reason of the fact that he is or was an Indemnified Person against expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the Indemnified Person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
 
(b)   The Sponsor shall indemnify, to the full extent permitted by law, any Indemnified Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Trust to procure a judgment in its favor arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Declaration by reason of the fact that he is or was an Indemnified Person against expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust; provided, however, that no such indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such Indemnified Person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Trust unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
 
(c)   To the extent that an Indemnified Person shall be successful on the merits or otherwise (including dismissal of an action without prejudice or the settlement of an action without admission of liability) in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified, to the full extent permitted by law, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.
 
(d)   Any indemnification of an Administrator under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4 (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Sponsor only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Indemnified Person is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b). Such determination shall be made (i) by the Administrators by a majority vote of a Quorum consisting of such Administrators who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, (ii) if such a Quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, if a Quorum of disinterested Administrators so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (iii) by the Common Security Holder of the Trust.
 
(e)   To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnified Person in defending a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4 shall be paid by the Sponsor in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Sponsor as authorized in this Section 9.4. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no advance shall be made by the Sponsor if a determination is reasonably and promptly made (i) by the Administrators by a majority vote of a Quorum of disinterested Administrators, (ii) if such a Quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable, if a quorum of disinterested Administrators so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iii) by the Common Security Holder of the Trust, that, based upon the facts known to the Administrators, counsel or the Common Security Holder at the time such determination is made, such Indemnified Person acted in bad faith or in a manner that such Indemnified Person did not believe to be in the best interests of the Trust, or, with respect to any criminal proceeding, that such Indemnified Person believed or had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. In no event shall any advance be made in instances where the Administrators, independent legal counsel or the Common Security Holder reasonably determine that such Indemnified Person deliberately breached his duty to the Trust or its Common or Capital Security Holders.
 
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(f)   The Trustees, at the sole cost and expense of the Sponsor, retain the right to representation by counsel of their own choosing in any action, suit or any other proceeding for which they are indemnified under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 9.4, without affecting their right to indemnification hereunder or waiving any rights afforded to it under this Declaration or applicable law.
 
(g)   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other paragraphs of this Section 9.4 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification and advancement of expenses may be entitled under any agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors of the Sponsor or Capital Security Holders of the Trust or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. All rights to indemnification under this Section 9.4 shall be deemed to be provided by a contract between the Sponsor and each Indemnified Person who serves in such capacity at any time while this Section 9.4 is in effect. Any repeal or modification of this Section 9.4 shall not affect any rights or obligations then existing.
 
(h)   The Sponsor or the Trust may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any Person who is or was an Indemnified Person against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Sponsor would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Section 9.4.
 
(i)   For purposes of this Section 9.4, references to “the Trust” shall include, in addition to the resulting or surviving entity, any constituent entity (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger, so that any Person who is or was a director, trustee, officer or employee of such constituent entity, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent entity as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent of another entity, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Section 9.4 with respect to the resulting or surviving entity as he would have with respect to such constituent entity if its separate existence had continued.
 
(j)   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Section 9.4 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, (i) continue as to a Person who has ceased to be an Indemnified Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a Person; and (ii) survive the termination or expiration of this Declaration or the earlier removal or resignation of an Indemnified Person.
 
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Section 9.5. Outside Businesses.  Any Covered Person, the Sponsor, the Delaware Trustee and the Institutional Trustee may engage in or possess an interest in other business ventures of any nature or description, independently or with others, similar or dissimilar to the business of the Trust, and the Trust and the Holders of Securities shall have no rights by virtue of this Declaration in and to such independent ventures or the income or profits derived therefrom, and the pursuit of any such venture, even if competitive with the business of the Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper. None of any Covered Person, the Sponsor, the Delaware Trustee or the Institutional Trustee shall be obligated to present any particular investment or other opportunity to the Trust even if such opportunity is of a character that, if presented to the Trust, could be taken by the Trust, and any Covered Person, the Sponsor, the Delaware Trustee and the Institutional Trustee shall have the right to take for its own account (individually or as a partner or fiduciary) or to recommend to others any such particular investment or other opportunity. Any Covered Person, the Delaware Trustee and the Institutional Trustee may engage or be interested in any financial or other transaction with the Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor, or may act as depositary for, trustee or agent for, or act on any committee or body of holders of, securities or other obligations of the Sponsor or its Affiliates.
 
Section 9.6. Compensation; Fee.  The Sponsor agrees:
 
(a)   to pay to the Trustees from time to time such compensation for all services rendered by them hereunder as the parties shall agree from time to time (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); and
 
(b)   except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Trustees upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Trustees in accordance with any provision of this Declaration (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of their respective agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
 
For purposes of clarification, this Section 9.6 does not contemplate the payment by the Sponsor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Trustees under this Declaration or the fees and expenses of the Trustees’ counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Declaration.
 
The provisions of this Section 9.6 shall survive the dissolution of the Trust and the termination of this Declaration and the removal or resignation of any Trustee.
 
No Trustee may claim any lien or charge on any property of the Trust as a result of any amount due pursuant to this Section 9.6.
 
ARTICLE X
 
ACCOUNTING
 
Section 10.1. Fiscal Year.  The fiscal year (“Fiscal Year”) of the Trust shall be the calendar year, or such other year as is required by the Code.
 
Section 10.2. Certain Accounting Matters.  
 
(a)   At all times during the existence of the Trust, the Administrators shall keep, or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Trust in the United States, as defined for purposes of Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7, full books of account, records and supporting documents, which shall reflect in reasonable detail each transaction of the Trust. The books of account shall be maintained, at the Sponsor’s expense, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, consistently applied. The books of account and the records of the Trust shall be examined by and reported upon (either separately or as part of the Sponsor’s regularly prepared consolidated financial report) as of the end of each Fiscal Year of the Trust by a firm of independent certified public accountants selected by the Administrators.
 
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(b)   The Administrators shall cause to be duly prepared and delivered to each of the Holders of Securities Form 1099 or such other annual United States federal income tax information statement required by the Code, containing such information with regard to the Securities held by each Holder as is required by the Code and the Treasury Regulations. Notwithstanding any right under the Code to deliver any such statement at a later date, the Administrators shall endeavor to deliver all such statements within 30 days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Trust.
 
(c)   The Administrators, at the Sponsor’s expense, shall cause to be duly prepared at the principal office of the Sponsor in the United States, as ‘United States’ is defined in Section 7701(a)(9) of the Code (or at the principal office of the Trust if the Sponsor has no such principal office in the United States), and filed an annual United States federal income tax return on a Form 1041 or such other form required by United States federal income tax law, and any other annual income tax returns required to be filed by the Administrators on behalf of the Trust with any state or local taxing authority.
 
Section 10.3. Banking.  The Trust shall maintain in the United States, as defined for purposes of Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7, one or more bank accounts in the name and for the sole benefit of the Trust; provided, however, that all payments of funds in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee shall be made directly to the Property Account and no other funds of the Trust shall be deposited in the Property Account. The sole signatories for such accounts (including the Property Account) shall be designated by the Institutional Trustee.
 
Section 10.4. Withholding.  The Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent and the Administrators shall comply with all withholding requirements under United States federal, state and local law. The Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent shall request, and each Holder shall provide to the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent, such forms or certificates as are necessary to establish an exemption from withholding with respect to the Holder, and any representations and forms as shall reasonably be requested by the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent to assist it in determining the extent of, and in fulfilling, its withholding obligations. The Administrators shall file required forms with applicable jurisdictions and, unless an exemption from withholding is properly established by a Holder, shall remit amounts withheld with respect to the Holder to applicable jurisdictions. To the extent that the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent is required to withhold and pay over any amounts to any authority with respect to distributions or allocations to any Holder, the amount withheld shall be deemed to be a Distribution in the amount of the withholding to the Holder. In the event of any claimed overwithholding, Holders shall be limited to an action against the applicable jurisdiction. If the amount required to be withheld was not withheld from actual Distributions made, the Institutional Trustee or any Paying Agent may reduce subsequent Distributions by the amount of such withholding.
 
ARTICLE XI
 
AMENDMENTS AND MEETINGS
 
Section 11.1. Amendments.
 
(a)   Except as otherwise provided in this Declaration or by any applicable terms of the Securities, this Declaration may only be amended by a written instrument approved and executed (i) by the Institutional Trustee, or (ii) if the amendment affects the rights, powers, duties, obligations or immunities of the Delaware Trustee, by the Delaware Trustee.
 
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(b)   Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XI, an amendment may be made, and any such purported amendment shall be valid and effective only if:
 
(i)   the Institutional Trustee shall have first received
 
(A)  an Officers’ Certificate from each of the Trust and the Sponsor that such amendment is permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Declaration (including the terms of the Securities); and
 
(B)  an opinion of counsel (who may be counsel to the Sponsor or the Trust) that such amendment is permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Declaration (including the terms of the Securities); and
 
(ii)   the result of such amendment would not be to
 
(A)  cause the Trust to cease to be classified for purposes of United States federal income taxation as a grantor trust; or
 
(B)  cause the Trust to be deemed to be an Investment Company required to be registered under the Investment Company Act.
 
(c)   Except as provided in Section 11.1(d), (e) or (h), no amendment shall be made, and any such purported amendment shall be void and ineffective, unless the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities shall have consented to such amendment.
 
(d)   In addition to and notwithstanding any other provision in this Declaration, without the consent of each affected Holder, this Declaration may not be amended to (i) change the amount or timing of any Distribution on the Securities or otherwise adversely affect the amount of any Distribution required to be made in respect of the Securities as of a specified date or change any conversion or exchange provisions or (ii) restrict the right of a Holder to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such date.
 
(e)   Sections 9.1(b) and 9.1(c) and this Section 11.1 shall not be amended without the consent of all of the Holders of the Securities.
 
(f)   Article III shall not be amended without the consent of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities.
 
(g)   The rights of the Holders of the Capital Securities under Article IV to appoint and remove Trustees shall not be amended without the consent of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
(h)   This Declaration may be amended by the Institutional Trustee and the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities without the consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities to:
 
(i)   cure any ambiguity;
 
(ii)   correct or supplement any provision in this Declaration that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision of this Declaration;
 
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(iii)   add to the covenants, restrictions or obligations of the Sponsor; or
 
(iv)   modify, eliminate or add to any provision of this Declaration to such extent as may be necessary to ensure that the Trust will be classified for United States federal income tax purposes at all times as a grantor trust and will not be required to register as an Investment Company (including without limitation to conform to any change in Rule 3a-5, Rule 3a-7 or any other applicable rule under the Investment Company Act or written change in interpretation or application thereof by any legislative body, court, government agency or regulatory authority) which amendment does not have a material adverse effect on the rights, preferences or privileges of the Holders of Securities;
 
provided, however, that no such modification, elimination or addition referred to in clauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) shall adversely affect in any material respect the powers, preferences or special rights of Holders of Capital Securities.
 
Section 11.2. Meetings of the Holders of Securities; Action by Written Consent.
 
(a)   Meetings of the Holders of any class of Securities may be called at any time by the Administrators (or as provided in the terms of the Securities) to consider and act on any matter on which Holders of such class of Securities are entitled to act under the terms of this Declaration or the terms of the Securities. The Administrators shall call a meeting of the Holders of such class if directed to do so by the Holders of at least 10% in liquidation amount of such class of Securities. Such direction shall be given by delivering to the Administrators one or more calls in a writing stating that the signing Holders of the Securities wish to call a meeting and indicating the general or specific purpose for which the meeting is to be called. Any Holders of the Securities calling a meeting shall specify in writing the Certificates held by the Holders of the Securities exercising the right to call a meeting and only those Securities represented by such Certificates shall be counted for purposes of determining whether the required percentage set forth in the second sentence of this paragraph has been met.
 
(b)   Except to the extent otherwise provided in the terms of the Securities, the following provisions shall apply to meetings of Holders of the Securities:
 
(i)   notice of any such meeting shall be given to all the Holders of the Securities having a right to vote thereat at least 7 days and not more than 60 days before the date of such meeting. Whenever a vote, consent or approval of the Holders of the Securities is permitted or required under this Declaration, such vote, consent or approval may be given at a meeting of the Holders of the Securities. Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Holders of the Securities may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Holders of the Securities owning not less than the minimum amount of Securities in liquidation amount that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all Holders of the Securities having a right to vote thereon were present and voting. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Holders of the Securities entitled to vote who have not consented in writing. The Administrators may specify that any written ballot submitted to the Holders of the Securities for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Trust within the time specified by the Administrators;
 
(ii)   each Holder of a Security may authorize any Person to act for it by proxy on all matters in which a Holder of Securities is entitled to participate, including waiving notice of any meeting, or voting or participating at a meeting. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of 11 months from the date thereof unless otherwise provided in the proxy. Every proxy shall be revocable at the pleasure of the Holder of the Securities executing it. Except as otherwise provided herein, all matters relating to the giving, voting or validity of proxies shall be governed by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware relating to proxies, and judicial interpretations thereunder, as if the Trust were a Delaware corporation and the Holders of the Securities were stockholders of a Delaware corporation; each meeting of the Holders of the Securities shall be conducted by the Administrators or by such other Person that the Administrators may designate; and
 
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(iii)   unless the Statutory Trust Act, this Declaration, or the terms of the Securities otherwise provides, the Administrators, in their sole discretion, shall establish all other provisions relating to meetings of Holders of Securities, including notice of the time, place or purpose of any meeting at which any matter is to be voted on by any Holders of the Securities, waiver of any such notice, action by consent without a meeting, the establishment of a record date, quorum requirements, voting in person or by proxy or any other matter with respect to the exercise of any such right to vote; provided, however, that each meeting shall be conducted in the United States (as that term is defined in Treasury Regulations section 301.7701-7).
 
ARTICLE XII
 
REPRESENTATIONS OF INSTITUTIONAL TRUSTEE AND THE DELAWARE TRUSTEE
 
Section 12.1. Representations and Warranties of Institutional Trustee.  The initial Institutional Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and to the Sponsor at the date of this Declaration, and each Successor Institutional Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and the Sponsor at the time of the Successor Institutional Trustee’s acceptance of its appointment as Institutional Trustee, that:
 
(a)   the Institutional Trustee is a Delaware banking corporation with trust powers, duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with trust power and authority to execute and deliver, and to carry out and perform its obligations under the terms of, this Declaration;
 
(b)   the execution, delivery and performance by the Institutional Trustee of this Declaration has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Institutional Trustee. This Declaration has been duly executed and delivered by the Institutional Trustee, and it constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Institutional Trustee, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, moratorium, insolvency, and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law);
 
(c)   the execution, delivery and performance of this Declaration by the Institutional Trustee does not conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or by-laws of the Institutional Trustee; and
 
(d)   no consent, approval or authorization of, or registration with or notice to, any state or federal banking authority is required for the execution, delivery or performance by the Institutional Trustee of this Declaration.
 
Section 12.2. Representations of the Delaware Trustee.  The Trustee that acts as initial Delaware Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and to the Sponsor at the date of this Declaration, and each Successor Delaware Trustee represents and warrants to the Trust and the Sponsor at the time of the Successor Delaware Trustee’s acceptance of its appointment as Delaware Trustee that:
 
(a)   if it is not a natural person, the Delaware Trustee is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware;
 
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(b)   if it is not a natural person, the execution, delivery and performance by the Delaware Trustee of this Declaration has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Delaware Trustee. This Declaration has been duly executed and delivered by the Delaware Trustee, and under Delaware law (excluding any securities laws) constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Delaware Trustee, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, moratorium, insolvency and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity and the discretion of the court (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law);
 
(c)   if it is not a natural person, the execution, delivery and performance of this Declaration by the Delaware Trustee does not conflict with or constitute a breach of the charter or by-laws of the Delaware Trustee;
 
(d)   it has trust power and authority to execute and deliver, and to carry out and perform its obligations under the terms of, this Declaration;
 
(e)   no consent, approval or authorization of, or registration with or notice to, any state or federal banking authority governing the trust powers of the Delaware Trustee is required for the execution, delivery or performance by the Delaware Trustee of this Declaration; and
 
(f)   the Delaware Trustee is a natural person who is a resident of the State of Delaware or, if not a natural person, it is an entity which has its principal place of business in the State of Delaware and, in either case, a Person that satisfies for the Trust the requirements of Section 3807 of the Statutory Trust Act.
 
ARTICLE XIII
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
Section 13.1. Notices.  All notices provided for in this Declaration shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and shall be delivered, telecopied (which telecopy shall be followed by notice delivered or mailed by first class mail) or mailed by first class mail, as follows:
 
(a)   if given to the Trust, in care of the Administrators at the Trust’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Trust may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust III
c/o Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(b)   if given to the Delaware Trustee, at the Delaware Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Delaware Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilmington Trust Company
Rodney Square North
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Telecopy: 302-636-4140
 
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(c)   if given to the Institutional Trustee, at the Institutional Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Institutional Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Securities):
 
Wilmington Trust Company
Rodney Square North
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Telecopy: 302-636-4140
 
(d)   if given to the Holder of the Common Securities, at the mailing address of the Sponsor set forth below (or such other address as the Holder of the Common Securities may give notice of to the Trust):
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(e)   if given to any other Holder, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Trust.
 
All such notices shall be deemed to have been given when received in person, telecopied with receipt confirmed, or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid except that if a notice or other document is refused delivery or cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given, such notice or other document shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date of such refusal or inability to deliver.
 
Section 13.2. Governing Law.  This Declaration and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the law of the State of Delaware and all rights and remedies shall be governed by such laws without regard to the principles of conflict of laws of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction that would call for the application of the law of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware; provided, however, that there shall not be applicable to the Trust, the Trustees or this Declaration any provision of the laws (statutory or common) of the State of Delaware pertaining to trusts that relate to or regulate, in a manner inconsistent with the terms hereof (a) the filing with any court or governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and charges, (b) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust, (c) the necessity for obtaining court or other governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding or disposition of real or personal property, (d) fees or other sums payable to trustees, officers, agents or employees of a trust, (e) the allocation of receipts and expenditures to income or principal, or (f) restrictions or limitations on the permissible nature, amount or concentration of trust investments or requirements relating to the titling, storage or other manner of holding or investing trust assets.
 
Section 13.3. Intention of the Parties.  It is the intention of the parties hereto that the Trust be classified for United States federal income tax purposes as a grantor trust. The provisions of this Declaration shall be interpreted to further this intention of the parties.
 
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Section 13.4. Headings.  Headings contained in this Declaration are inserted for convenience of reference only and do not affect the interpretation of this Declaration or any provision hereof.
 
Section 13.5. Successors and Assigns.  Whenever in this Declaration any of the parties hereto is named or referred to, the successors and assigns of such party shall be deemed to be included, and all covenants and agreements in this Declaration by the Sponsor and the Trustees shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns, whether or not so expressed.
 
Section 13.6. Partial Enforceability.  If any provision of this Declaration, or the application of such provision to any Person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, the remainder of this Declaration, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby.
 
Section 13.7. Counterparts.  This Declaration may contain more than one counterpart of the signature page and this Declaration may be executed by the affixing of the signature of each of the Trustees and Administrators to any of such counterpart signature pages. All of such counterpart signature pages shall be read as though one, and they shall have the same force and effect as though all of the signers had signed a single signature page.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused these presents to be executed as of the day and year first above written.
 
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Delaware Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as Institutional Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC., as Sponsor
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 
     
  ADMINISTRATORS OF WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST III
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 

Administrator
 
     
By:  
 

Administrator
 
 
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ANNEX I

TERMS OF SECURITIES

Pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated as of September 15, 2005 (as amended from time to time, the “Declaration”), the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities are set out below (each capitalized term used but not defined herein has the meaning set forth in the Declaration):
 
1. Designation and Number.
 
(a) 15,000 Fixed/Floating Rate Capital Securities of Wilshire Statutory Trust III (the “Trust”), with an aggregate stated liquidation amount with respect to the assets of the Trust of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000.00) and a stated liquidation amount with respect to the assets of the Trust of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, are hereby designated for the purposes of identification only as the “Capital Securities”. The Capital Security Certificates evidencing the Capital Securities shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1 to the Declaration, with such changes and additions thereto or deletions therefrom as may be required by ordinary usage, custom or practice.
 
(b) 464 Fixed/Floating Rate Common Securities of the Trust (the “Common Securities”) will be evidenced by Common Security Certificates substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2 to the Declaration, with such changes and additions thereto or deletions therefrom as may be required by ordinary usage, custom or practice.
 
2. Distributions.
 
(a) Distributions will be payable on each Security for the Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 at a rate per annum of 6.07% and shall bear interest for each successive Distribution Period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date at a rate per annum equal to the 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.40% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount thereof, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the applicable Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by law). Distributions, as used herein, include cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. The amount of the Distribution payable (i) for any Distribution Period commencing on or after the date of original issuance but before the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months, and (ii) for the Distribution Period commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 and each succeeding Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such number by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360. All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
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(b) Distributions on the Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance, and will be payable, subject to extension of distribution payment periods as described herein, quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, or if such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in December 2005 when, as and if available for payment. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date and provided further, however, that during any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer and its Affiliates shall not (i) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Debenture Issuer’s or its Affiliates’ capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Debenture Issuer or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Debenture Issuer to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Debenture Issuer) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing, or (ii) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Debenture Issuer or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (i) and (ii) above, (a) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Debenture Issuer in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Debenture Issuer (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the applicable Extension Period, (b) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Debenture Issuer) for any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock, (c) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Debenture Issuer’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (d) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (e) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (f) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Debenture Issuer (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (g) payments under the Capital Securities Guarantee). Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
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(c) Distributions on the Securities will be payable to the Holders thereof as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the relevant record dates. The relevant record dates shall be fifteen days before the relevant Distribution Payment Date. Distributions payable on any Securities that are not punctually paid on any Distribution Payment Date, as a result of the Debenture Issuer having failed to make a payment under the Debentures, as the case may be, when due (taking into account any Extension Period), will cease to be payable to the Person in whose name such Securities are registered on the relevant record date, and such defaulted Distribution will instead be payable to the Person in whose name such Securities are registered on the special record date or other specified date determined in accordance with the Indenture.
 
(d) In the event that there is any money or other property held by or for the Trust that is not accounted for hereunder, such property shall be distributed Pro Rata (as defined herein) among the Holders of the Securities.
 
3. Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution. In the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust (each a “Liquidation”) other than in connection with a redemption of the Debentures, the Holders of the Securities will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to Holders of the Securities, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust (to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer), distributions equal to the aggregate of the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Security plus accrued and unpaid Distributions thereon to the date of payment (such amount being the “Liquidation Distribution”), unless in connection with such Liquidation, the Debentures in an aggregate stated principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount of such Securities, with an interest rate equal to the Distribution Rate of, and bearing accrued and unpaid interest in an amount equal to the accrued and unpaid Distributions on, and having the same record date as, such Securities, after paying or making reasonable provision to pay all claims and obligations of the Trust in accordance with the Statutory Trust Act, shall be distributed on a Pro Rata basis to the Holders of the Securities in exchange for such Securities.
 
The Sponsor, as the Holder of all of the Common Securities, has the right at any time to dissolve the Trust (including, without limitation, upon the occurrence of a Special Event), subject to the receipt by the Debenture Issuer of prior approval from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or its designated district bank, as applicable, and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of the Sponsor (the “Federal Reserve”), if the Sponsor is a bank holding company, or from the Office of Thrift Supervision and any successor federal agency that is primarily responsible for regulating the activities of Sponsor, (the “OTS”) if the Sponsor is a savings and loan holding company, in either case if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, and, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, cause the Debentures to be distributed to the Holders of the Securities on a Pro Rata basis in accordance with the aggregate stated liquidation amount thereof.
 
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If a Liquidation of the Trust occurs as described in clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (v) in Section 7.1(a) of the Declaration, the Trust shall be liquidated by the Institutional Trustee as expeditiously as it determines to be possible by distributing, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, to the Holders of the Securities, the Debentures on a Pro Rata basis to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer, unless such distribution is determined by the Institutional Trustee not to be practical, in which event such Holders will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to the Holders, after satisfaction of liabilities of creditors of the Trust to the extent not satisfied by the Debenture Issuer, an amount equal to the Liquidation Distribution. An early Liquidation of the Trust pursuant to clause (iv) of Section 7.1(a) of the Declaration shall occur if the Institutional Trustee determines that such Liquidation is possible by distributing, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, to the Holders of the Securities on a Pro Rata basis, the Debentures, and such distribution occurs.
 
If, upon any such Liquidation the Liquidation Distribution can be paid only in part because the Trust has insufficient assets available to pay in full the aggregate Liquidation Distribution, then the amounts payable directly by the Trust on such Capital Securities shall be paid to the Holders of the Trust Securities on a Pro Rata basis, except that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Capital Securities shall have a preference over the Common Securities with regard to such distributions.
 
After the date for any distribution of the Debentures upon dissolution of the Trust (i) the Securities of the Trust will be deemed to be no longer outstanding, (ii) upon surrender of a Holder’s Securities certificate, such Holder of the Securities will receive a certificate representing the Debentures to be delivered upon such distribution, (iii) any certificates representing the Securities still outstanding will be deemed to represent undivided beneficial interests in such of the Debentures as have an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate stated liquidation amount with an interest rate identical to the Distribution Rate of, and bearing accrued and unpaid interest equal to accrued and unpaid distributions on, the Securities until such certificates are presented to the Debenture Issuer or its agent for transfer or reissuance (and until such certificates are so surrendered, no payments of interest or principal shall be made to Holders of Securities in respect of any payments due and payable under the Debentures; provided, however that such failure to pay shall not be deemed to be an Event of Default and shall not entitle the Holder to the benefits of the Guarantee), and (iv) all rights of Holders of Securities under the Declaration shall cease, except the right of such Holders to receive Debentures upon surrender of certificates representing such Securities.
 
4. Redemption and Distribution.
 
(a) The Debentures will mature on September 15, 2035. The Debentures may be redeemed by the Debenture Issuer, in whole or in part, at any Distribution Payment Date on or after the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, at the Redemption Price. In addition, the Debentures may be redeemed by the Debenture Issuer at the Special Redemption Price, in whole but not in part, at any Distribution Payment Date, upon the occurrence and continuation of a Special Event within 120 days following the occurrence of such Special Event at the Special Redemption Price, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice to holders of such Debentures so long as such Special Event is continuing. In each case, the right of the Debenture Issuer to redeem the Debentures is subject to the Debenture Issuer having received prior approval from the Federal Reserve (if the Debenture Issuer is a bank holding company) or prior approval from the OTS (if the Debenture Issuer is a savings and loan holding company), in each case if then required under applicable capital guidelines or policies of the applicable federal agency. The Sponsor shall appoint a Quotation Agent, which shall be a designee of the Institutional Trustee, for the purpose of performing the services contemplated in or by reference in, the definition of Special Redemption Price. Any error in the calculation of the Special Redemption Price by the Quotation Agent or the Debenture Trustee may be corrected at any time by notice delivered to the Sponsor and the holders of the Capital Securities. Subject to the corrective rights set forth above, all certificates, communications, opinions, determinations, calculations, quotations and decisions given, expressed, made or obtained for the purposes of the provisions relating to the payment and calculation of the Special Redemption Price on the Debentures or the Capital Securities by the Debenture Trustee, the Quotation Agent or the Institutional Trustee, as the case may be, shall (in the absence of willful default, bad faith or manifest error) be final, conclusive and binding on the holders of the Debentures and the Capital Securities, the Trust and the Sponsor, and no liability shall attach (except as provided above) to the Debenture Trustee, the Quotation Agent or the Institutional Trustee in connection with the exercise or non-exercise by any of them of their respective powers, duties and discretion.
 
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3-Month LIBOR” means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month, U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority:
 
(1) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (as defined below). “Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits;
 
(2) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations;
 
(3) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (2) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and
 
(4) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (3) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period.
 
If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
Capital Treatment Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of any amendment to, or change (including any announced prospective change) in, the laws, rules or regulations of the United States or any political subdivision thereof or therein, or as the result of any official or administrative pronouncement or action or decision interpreting or applying such laws, rules or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or which pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Sponsor will not, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, be entitled to treat an amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as “Tier 1 Capital” (or its then equivalent) for purposes of the capital adequacy guidelines of the Federal Reserve, as then in effect and applicable to the Sponsor (or if the Sponsor is not a bank holding company, such guidelines applied to the Sponsor as if the Sponsor were subject to such guidelines); provided, however, that the inability of the Sponsor to treat all or any portion of the liquidation amount of the Capital Securities as Tier l Capital shall not constitute the basis for a Capital Treatment Event, if such inability results from the Sponsor having cumulative preferred stock, minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, or any other class of security or interest which the Federal Reserve or OTS, as applicable, may now or hereafter accord Tier 1 Capital treatment in excess of the amount which may now or hereafter qualify for treatment as Tier 1 Capital under applicable capital adequacy guidelines; provided further, however, that the distribution of Debentures in connection with the Liquidation of the Trust shall not in and of itself constitute a Capital Treatment Event unless such Liquidation shall have occurred in connection with a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event.
 
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Comparable Treasury Issue” means with respect to any Special Redemption Date the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life. If no United States Treasury security has a maturity which is within a period from 3 months before to 3 months after the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, the two most closely corresponding United States Treasury securities as selected by the Quotation Agent shall be used as the Comparable Treasury Issue, and the Treasury Rate shall be interpolated and extrapolated on a straight-line basis, rounding to the nearest month using such securities.
 
Comparable Treasury Price” means (a) the average of 5 Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Special Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (b) if the Quotation Agent obtains fewer than 5 such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such Quotations.
 
Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the particular Distribution Period for which a Coupon Rate is being determined.
 
Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life” means, with respect to any Debenture, the period from the Special Redemption Date for such Debenture to the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010.
 
Investment Company Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of the occurrence of a change in law or regulation or written change (including any announced prospective change) in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority, there is more than an insubstantial risk that the Trust is or, within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will be considered an Investment Company that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act which change or prospective change becomes effective or would become effective, as the case may be, on or after the date of the issuance of the Debentures.
 
Maturity Date” means September 15, 2035.
 
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Primary Treasury Dealer” shall mean either a primary United States Government securities dealer or an entity of nationally recognized standing in matters pertaining to the quotation of treasury securities that is reasonably acceptable to the Sponsor and the Institutional Trustee.
 
Quotation Agent” means a designee of the Institutional Trustee who shall be a Primary Treasury Dealer.
 
Redemption Date” shall mean the date fixed for the redemption of Capital Securities, which shall be any Distribution Payment Date on or after the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010.
 
Redemption Price” means 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid Interest on such Debentures to the Redemption Date.
 
Reference Treasury Dealer” means (i) the Quotation Agent and (ii) any other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by the Debenture Trustee after consultation with the Debenture Issuer.
 
Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Special Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Debenture Trustee by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third Business Day preceding such Redemption Date.
 
Special Event” means a Tax Event, an Investment Company Event or a Capital Treatment Event.
 
Special Redemption Date” means a date on which a Special Event redemption occurs, which shall be a Distribution Payment Date.
 
Special Redemption Price” means (a) if the Special Redemption Date occurs before the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, the greater of (i) 107.5% of the principal amount of the Debentures, plus accrued and unpaid Interest on the Debentures to the Special Redemption Date, or (ii) as determined by the Quotation Agent, (A) the sum of the present values of the scheduled payments of principal and Interest on the Debentures during the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life of the Debentures (assuming the Debentures matured on September 15, 2010) discounted to the Special Redemption Date on a quarterly basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate, plus (B) accrued and unpaid Interest on the Debentures to such Special Redemption Date, or (b) if the Special Redemption Date occurs on or after the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid Interest on such Debentures to the Special Redemption Date.
 
Tax Event” means the receipt by the Debenture Issuer and the Trust of an opinion of counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment to or change (including any announced prospective change) in the laws or any regulations thereunder of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein, or as a result of any official administrative pronouncement (including any private letter ruling, technical advice memorandum, field service advice, regulatory procedure, notice or announcement including any notice or announcement of intent to adopt such procedures or regulations) (an “Administrative Action”) or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, regardless of whether such Administrative Action or judicial decision is issued to or in connection with a proceeding involving the Debenture Issuer or the Trust and whether or not subject to review or appeal, which amendment, clarification, change, Administrative Action or decision is enacted, promulgated or announced, in each case on or after the date of original issuance of the Debentures, there is more than an insubstantial risk that: (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures; (ii) interest payable by the Debenture Issuer on the Debentures is not, or within 90 days of the date of such opinion, will not be, deductible by the Debenture Issuer, in whole or in part, for United States federal income tax purposes; or (iii) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date of such opinion, subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges.
 
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Treasury Rate” means (i) the yield, under the heading which represents the average for the week immediately prior to the date of calculation, appearing in the most recently published statistical release designated H.15 (519) or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Federal Reserve and which establishes yields on actively traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to constant maturity under the caption “Treasury Constant Maturities,” for the maturity corresponding to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life (if no maturity is within three months before or after the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life, yields for the two published maturities most closely corresponding to the Fixed Rate Period Remaining Life shall be determined and the Treasury Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated from such yields on a straight-line basis, rounding to the nearest month) or (ii) if such release (or any successor release) is not published during the week preceding the calculation date or does not contain such yields, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, calculated using a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Special Redemption Date. The Treasury Rate shall be calculated by the Quotation Agent on the third Business Day preceding the Special Redemption Date.
 
(b) Upon the repayment in full at maturity or redemption in whole or in part of the Debentures (other than following the distribution of the Debentures to the Holders of the Securities), the proceeds from such repayment or payment shall concurrently be applied to redeem Pro Rata at the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, Securities having an aggregate liquidation amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures so repaid or redeemed; provided, however, that holders of such Securities shall be given not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ notice of such redemption (other than at the scheduled maturity of the Debentures).
 
(c) If fewer than all the outstanding Securities are to be so redeemed, the Common Securities and the Capital Securities will be redeemed Pro Rata and the Capital Securities to be redeemed will be redeemed Pro Rata from each Holder of Capital Securities.
 
(d) The Trust may not redeem fewer than all the outstanding Capital Securities unless all accrued and unpaid Distributions have been paid on all Capital Securities for all quarterly Distribution periods terminating on or before the date of redemption.
 
(e) Redemption or Distribution Procedures.
 
(i) Notice of any redemption of, or notice of distribution of the Debentures in exchange for, the Securities (a “Redemption/Distribution Notice”) will be given by the Trust by mail to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed or exchanged not fewer than 30 nor more than 60 days before the date fixed for redemption or exchange thereof which, in the case of a redemption, will be the date fixed for redemption of the Debentures. For purposes of the calculation of the date of redemption or exchange and the dates on which notices are given pursuant to this paragraph 4(e)(i), a Redemption/Distribution Notice shall be deemed to be given on the day such notice is first mailed by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to Holders of such Securities. Each Redemption/Distribution Notice shall be addressed to the Holders of such Securities at the address of each such Holder appearing on the books and records of the Trust. No defect in the Redemption/Distribution Notice or in the mailing thereof with respect to any Holder shall affect the validity of the redemption or exchange proceedings with respect to any other Holder.
 
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(ii) If the Securities are to be redeemed and the Trust gives a Redemption/ Distribution Notice, which notice may only be issued if the Debentures are redeemed as set out in this paragraph 4 (which notice will be irrevocable), then, provided that the Institutional Trustee has a sufficient amount of cash in connection with the related redemption or maturity of the Debentures, the Institutional Trustee will pay the relevant Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price, as applicable, to the Holders of such Securities by check mailed to the address of each such Holder appearing on the books and records of the Trust on the Redemption Date. If a Redemption/Distribution Notice shall have been given and funds deposited as required then immediately prior to the close of business on the date of such deposit Distributions will cease to accrue on the Securities so called for redemption and all rights of Holders of such Securities so called for redemption will cease, except the right of the Holders of such Securities to receive the applicable Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price specified in paragraph 4(a), but without interest on such Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price. If payment of the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price in respect of any Securities is improperly withheld or refused and not paid either by the Trust or by the Debenture Issuer as guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee, Distributions on such Securities will continue to accrue at the Distribution Rate from the original Redemption Date to the actual date of payment, in which case the actual payment date will be considered the date fixed for redemption for purposes of calculating the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price. In the event of any redemption of the Capital Securities issued by the Trust in part, the Trust shall not be required to (i) issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security during a period beginning at the opening of business fifteen days before any selection for redemption of the Capital Securities and ending at the close of business on the earliest date on which the relevant notice of redemption is deemed to have been given to all Holders of the Capital Securities to be so redeemed or (ii) register the transfer of or exchange any Capital Securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except for the unredeemed portion of any Capital Securities being redeemed in part.
 
(iii) Redemption/Distribution Notices shall be sent by the Administrators on behalf of the Trust to (A) in respect of the Capital Securities, the Holders thereof and (B) in respect of the Common Securities, the Holder thereof.
 
(iv) Subject to the foregoing and applicable law (including, without limitation, United States federal securities laws), and provided that the acquiror is not the Holder of the Common Securities or the obligor under the Indenture, the Sponsor or any of its subsidiaries may at any time and from time to time purchase outstanding Capital Securities by tender, in the open market or by private agreement.
 
5. Voting Rights - Capital Securities.
 
(a) Except as provided under paragraphs 5(b) and 7 and as otherwise required by law and the Declaration, the Holders of the Capital Securities will have no voting rights. The Administrators are required to call a meeting of the Holders of the Capital Securities if directed to do so by Holders of at least 10% in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
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(b) Subject to the requirements of obtaining a tax opinion by the Institutional Trustee in certain circumstances set forth in the last sentence of this paragraph, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, voting separately as a class, have the right to direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under the Declaration, including the right to direct the Institutional Trustee, as holder of the Debentures, to (i) exercise the remedies available under the Indenture as the holder of the Debentures, (ii) waive any past default that is waivable under the Indenture, (iii) exercise any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable or (iv) consent on behalf of all the Holders of the Capital Securities to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures where such consent shall be required; provided, however, that, where a consent or action under the Indenture would require the consent or act of the holders of greater than a simple majority in aggregate principal amount of Debentures (a “Super Majority”) affected thereby, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent or take such action at the written direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities outstanding which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. If the Institutional Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the Debentures after the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of such Capital Securities have so directed the Institutional Trustee, to the fullest extent permitted by law, a Holder of the Capital Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Debenture Issuer to enforce the Institutional Trustee’s rights under the Debentures without first instituting any legal proceeding against the Institutional Trustee or any other person or entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and such event is attributable to the failure of the Debenture Issuer to pay interest or principal on the Debentures on the date the interest or principal is payable (or in the case of redemption, the Redemption Date or the Special Redemption Date, as applicable), then a Holder of record of the Capital Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment, on or after the respective due dates specified in the Debentures, to such Holder directly of the principal of or interest on the Debentures having an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities of such Holder. The Institutional Trustee shall notify all Holders of the Capital Securities of any default actually known to the Institutional Trustee with respect to the Debentures unless (x) such default has been cured prior to the giving of such notice or (y) the Institutional Trustee determines in good faith that the withholding of such notice is in the interest of the Holders of such Capital Securities, except where the default relates to the payment of principal of or interest on any of the Debentures. Such notice shall state that such Indenture Event of Default also constitutes an Event of Default hereunder. Except with respect to directing the time, method and place of conducting a proceeding for a remedy, the Institutional Trustee shall not take any of the actions described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that, as a result of such action, the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
In the event the consent of the Institutional Trustee, as the holder of the Debentures, is required under the Indenture with respect to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture, the Institutional Trustee shall request the direction of the Holders of the Securities with respect to such amendment, modification or termination and shall vote with respect to such amendment, modification or termination as directed by a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities voting together as a single class; provided, however, that where a consent under the Indenture would require the consent of a Super-Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent at the direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Securities outstanding which the relevant Super-Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. The Institutional Trustee shall not take any such action in accordance with the directions of the Holders of the Securities unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that, as a result of such action, the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust for United States federal income tax purposes.
 
A waiver of an Indenture Event of Default will constitute a waiver of the corresponding Event of Default hereunder. Any required approval or direction of Holders of the Capital Securities may be given at a separate meeting of Holders of the Capital Securities convened for such purpose, at a meeting of all of the Holders of the Securities in the Trust or pursuant to written consent. The Institutional Trustee will cause a notice of any meeting at which Holders of the Capital Securities are entitled to vote, or of any matter upon which action by written consent of such Holders is to be taken, to be mailed to each Holder of record of the Capital Securities. Each such notice will include a statement setting forth the following information (i) the date of such meeting or the date by which such action is to be taken, (ii) a description of any resolution proposed for adoption at such meeting on which such Holders are entitled to vote or of such matter upon which written consent is sought and (iii) instructions for the delivery of proxies or consents. No vote or consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel Capital Securities or to distribute the Debentures in accordance with the Declaration and the terms of the Securities.
 
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Notwithstanding that Holders of the Capital Securities are entitled to vote or consent under any of the circumstances described above, any of the Capital Securities that are owned by the Sponsor or any Affiliate of the Sponsor shall not entitle the Holder thereof to vote or consent and shall, for purposes of such vote or consent, be treated as if such Capital Securities were not outstanding.
 
In no event will Holders of the Capital Securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Administrators, which voting rights are vested exclusively in the Sponsor as the Holder of all of the Common Securities of the Trust. Under certain circumstances as more fully described in the Declaration, Holders of Capital Securities have the right to vote to appoint, remove or replace the Institutional Trustee and the Delaware Trustee.
 
6. Voting Rights - Common Securities.
 
(a) Except as provided under paragraphs 6(b), 6(c) and 7 and as otherwise required by law and the Declaration, the Common Securities will have no voting rights.
 
(b) The Holders of the Common Securities are entitled, in accordance with Article IV of the Declaration, to vote to appoint, remove or replace any Administrators.
 
(c) Subject to Section 6.7 of the Declaration and only after each Event of Default (if any) with respect to the Capital Securities has been cured, waived, or otherwise eliminated and subject to the requirements of the second to last sentence of this paragraph, the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Common Securities, voting separately as a class, may direct the time, method, and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Institutional Trustee under the Declaration, including (i) directing the time, method, place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Debenture Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures, (ii) waiving any past default and its consequences that is waivable under the Indenture, or (iii) exercising any right to rescind or annul a declaration that the principal of all the Debentures shall be due and payable; provided, however, that, where a consent or action under the Indenture would require a Super Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent or take such action at the written direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Common Securities which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding. Notwithstanding this paragraph 6(c), the Institutional Trustee shall not revoke any action previously authorized or approved by a vote or consent of the Holders of the Capital Securities. Other than with respect to directing the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Institutional Trustee or the Debenture Trustee as set forth above, the Institutional Trustee shall not take any action described in (i), (ii) or (iii) above, unless the Institutional Trustee has obtained an opinion of tax counsel to the effect that for the purposes of United States federal income tax the Trust will not be classified as other than a grantor trust on account of such action. If the Institutional Trustee fails to enforce its rights, to the fullest extent permitted by law, under the Declaration, any Holder of the Common Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against any Person to enforce the Institutional Trustee’s rights under the Declaration, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Institutional Trustee or any other Person.
 
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Any approval or direction of Holders of the Common Securities may be given at a separate meeting of Holders of the Common Securities convened for such purpose, at a meeting of all of the Holders of the Securities in the Trust or pursuant to written consent. The Administrators will cause a notice of any meeting at which Holders of the Common Securities are entitled to vote, or of any matter upon which action by written consent of such Holders is to be taken, to be mailed to each Holder of the Common Securities. Each such notice will include a statement setting forth (i) the date of such meeting or the date by which such action is to be taken, (ii) a description of any resolution proposed for adoption at such meeting on which such Holders are entitled to vote or of such matter upon which written consent is sought and (iii) instructions for the delivery of proxies or consents.
 
No vote or consent of the Holders of the Common Securities will be required for the Trust to redeem and cancel Common Securities or to distribute the Debentures in accordance with the Declaration and the terms of the Securities.
 
7. Amendments to Declaration and Indenture.
 
(a) In addition to any requirements under Section 11.1 of the Declaration, if any proposed amendment to the Declaration provides for, or the Trustees, Sponsor or Administrators otherwise propose to effect, (i) any action that would adversely affect the powers, preferences or special rights of the Securities, whether by way of amendment to the Declaration or otherwise, or (ii) the Liquidation of the Trust, other than as described in Section 7.1 of the Declaration, then the Holders of outstanding Securities, voting together as a single class, will be entitled to vote on such amendment or proposal and such amendment or proposal shall not be effective except with the approval of the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities, affected thereby; provided, however, if any amendment or proposal referred to in clause (i) above would adversely affect only the Capital Securities or only the Common Securities, then only the affected class will be entitled to vote on such amendment or proposal and such amendment or proposal shall not be effective except with the approval of a Majority in liquidation amount of such class of Securities.
 
(b) In the event the consent of the Institutional Trustee as the holder of the Debentures is required under the Indenture with respect to any amendment, modification or termination of the Indenture or the Debentures, the Institutional Trustee shall request the written direction of the Holders of the Securities with respect to such amendment, modification or termination and shall vote with respect to such amendment, modification, or termination as directed by a Majority in liquidation amount of the Securities voting together as a single class; provided, however, that where a consent under the Indenture would require a Super Majority, the Institutional Trustee may only give such consent at the direction of the Holders of at least the proportion in liquidation amount of the Securities which the relevant Super Majority represents of the aggregate principal amount of the Debentures outstanding.
 
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment or modification may be made to the Declaration if such amendment or modification would (i) cause the Trust to be classified for purposes of United States federal income taxation as other than a grantor trust, (ii) reduce or otherwise adversely affect the powers of the Institutional Trustee or (iii) cause the Trust to be deemed an Investment Company which is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act.
 
(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the Declaration, the right of any Holder of the Capital Securities to receive payment of distributions and other payments upon redemption or otherwise, on or after their respective due dates, or to institute a suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such respective dates, shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of such Holder. For the protection and enforcement of the foregoing provision, each and every Holder of the Capital Securities shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or equity.
 
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8. Pro Rata. A reference in these terms of the Securities to any payment, distribution or treatment as being “Pro Rata” shall mean pro rata to each Holder of the Securities according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Securities held by the relevant Holder in relation to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Securities then outstanding unless, in relation to a payment, an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, in which case any funds available to make such payment shall be paid first to each Holder of the Capital Securities Pro Rata according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Capital Securities held by the relevant Holder relative to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Capital Securities outstanding, and only after satisfaction of all amounts owed to the Holders of the Capital Securities, to each Holder of the Common Securities Pro Rata according to the aggregate liquidation amount of the Common Securities held by the relevant Holder relative to the aggregate liquidation amount of all Common Securities outstanding.
 
9. Ranking. The Capital Securities rank pari passu with and payment thereon shall be made Pro Rata with the Common Securities except that, where an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of the Common Securities to receive payment of Distributions and payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise are subordinated to the rights of the Holders of the Capital Securities with the result that no payment of any Distribution on, or Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) of, any Common Security, and no other payment on account of redemption, liquidation or other acquisition of Common Securities, shall be made unless payment in full in cash of all accumulated and unpaid Distributions on all outstanding Capital Securities for all distribution periods terminating on or prior thereto, or in the case of payment of the Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) the full amount of such Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) on all outstanding Capital Securities then called for redemption, shall have been made or provided for, and all funds immediately available to the Institutional Trustee shall first be applied to the payment in full in cash of all Distributions on, or the Redemption Price (or Special Redemption Price) of, the Capital Securities then due and payable.
 
10. Acceptance of Guarantee and Indenture. Each Holder of the Capital Securities and the Common Securities, by the acceptance of such Securities, agrees to the provisions of the Guarantee, including the subordination provisions therein and to the provisions of the Indenture.
 
11. No Preemptive Rights. The Holders of the Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights to subscribe for any additional securities.
 
12. Miscellaneous. These terms constitute a part of the Declaration. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to a Holder without charge on written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
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EXHIBIT A-1

FORM OF CAPITAL SECURITY CERTIFICATE

[FORM OF FACE OF SECURITY]
 
THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAW. NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE REOFFERED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF AGREES TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY ONLY (A) TO THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST, (B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DECLARED EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) TO A PERSON WHOM THE SELLER REASONABLY BELIEVES IS A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN A TRANSACTION MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 144A SO LONG AS THIS SECURITY IS ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A, (D) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 (AS APPLICABLE) OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” WITHIN THE MEANING OF SUBPARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 501 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT THAT IS ACQUIRING THIS CAPITAL SECURITY FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT, OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF SUCH AN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR, FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR FOR OFFER OR SALE IN CONNECTION WITH, ANY DISTRIBUTION IN VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE SPONSOR’S AND THE TRUST’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DECLARATION OF TRUST, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE SPONSOR OR THE TRUST. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF ALSO AGREES, REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT, INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT OR OTHER PLAN OR ARRANGEMENT SUBJECT TO TITLE I OF THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED (“ERISA”), OR SECTION 4975 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED (THE “CODE”) (EACH A “PLAN”), OR AN ENTITY WHOSE UNDERLYING ASSETS INCLUDE “PLAN ASSETS” BY REASON OF ANY PLAN’S INVESTMENT IN THE ENTITY, AND NO PERSON INVESTING “PLAN ASSETS” OF ANY PLAN MAY ACQUIRE OR HOLD THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN, UNLESS SUCH PURCHASER OR HOLDER IS ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF AVAILABLE UNDER U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR PROHIBITED TRANSACTION CLASS EXEMPTION 96-23, 95-60, 91-38, 90-1 OR 84-14 OR ANOTHER APPLICABLE EXEMPTION OR ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING OF THIS SECURITY IS NOT PROHIBITED BY SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE WITH RESPECT TO SUCH PURCHASE OR HOLDING. ANY PURCHASER OR HOLDER OF THE SECURITIES OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE REPRESENTED BY ITS PURCHASE AND HOLDING THEREOF THAT EITHER (i) IT IS NOT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN WITHIN THE MEANING OF SECTION 3(3) OF ERISA, OR A PLAN TO WHICH SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE IS APPLICABLE, A TRUSTEE OR OTHER PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AN EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY USING THE ASSETS OF ANY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN OR PLAN TO FINANCE SUCH PURCHASE, OR (ii) SUCH PURCHASE WILL NOT RESULT IN A PROHIBITED TRANSACTION UNDER SECTION 406 OF ERISA OR SECTION 4975 OF THE CODE FOR WHICH THERE IS NO APPLICABLE STATUTORY OR ADMINISTRATIVE EXEMPTION.
 
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THIS SECURITY WILL BE ISSUED AND MAY BE TRANSFERRED ONLY IN BLOCKS HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF NOT LESS THAN $100,000.00 (100 SECURITIES) AND MULTIPLES OF $1,000.00 IN EXCESS THEREOF. ANY ATTEMPTED TRANSFER OF SECURITIES IN A BLOCK HAVING A LIQUIDATION AMOUNT OF LESS THAN $100,000.00 SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE VOID AND OF NO LEGAL EFFECT WHATSOEVER.
 
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY AGREES THAT IT WILL COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.
 
IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSFER, THE HOLDER WILL DELIVER TO THE REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENT SUCH CERTIFICATES AND OTHER INFORMATION AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY THE DECLARATION TO CONFIRM THAT THE TRANSFER COMPLIES WITH THE FOREGOING RESTRICTIONS.

Certificate Number P-1
15,000 Capital Securities
[CUSIP NO. [_______] **To be inserted at the request of the Holder]
 
 
September 15, 2005
 
Certificate Evidencing Fixed/Floating Rate Capital Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust III
 
(liquidation amount $1,000.00 per Capital Security)
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust III, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that Hare & Co. (the “Holder”), as the nominee of The Bank of New York, indenture trustee under the Indenture dated as of September 15, 2005 among Preferred Term Securities XIX, Ltd., Preferred Term Securities XIX, Inc. and The Bank of New York, is the registered owner of capital securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, (liquidation amount $1,000.00 per capital security) (the “Capital Securities”). Subject to the Declaration (as defined below), the Capital Securities are transferable on the books and records of the Trust in person or by a duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate duly endorsed and in proper form for transfer. The Capital Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Capital Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of September 15, 2005, among Elaine Jeon and Brian E. Cho, as Administrators, Wilmington Trust Company, as Delaware Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust, including the designation of the terms of the Capital Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee, and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
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Upon receipt of this Security, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Security, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Capital Securities as evidence of beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Capital Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
 
Signatures appear on following page
 
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
 
     
  WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST III
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title: Administrator
 
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Capital Securities referred to in the within-mentioned Declaration.
 
     
 
WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY,
as the Institutional Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 

Authorized Officer
 
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[FORM OF REVERSE OF CAPITAL SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Capital Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 6.07% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.40% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Capital Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable (i) for any Distribution Period commencing on or after the date of original issuance but before the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months, and (ii) for the Distribution Period commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 and each succeeding Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such number by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
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All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Capital Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Capital Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year or if any such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such day, a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in December 2005. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Capital Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer. The payment of Distributions out of moneys held by the Trust is guaranteed by the Guarantor pursuant to the Guarantee.
 
The Capital Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.
 
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ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Capital Security Certificate to:
 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number)

 

 
 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 

 
agent to transfer this Capital Security Certificate on the books of the Trust. The agent may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date: 

 
Signature:    

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Capital Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee:1 
 

1 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
A-1-7


EXHIBIT A-2
 
FORM OF COMMON SECURITY CERTIFICATE
 
THIS COMMON SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION.
 
THIS CERTIFICATE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 8.1 OF THE DECLARATION.

Certificate Number C-1
464 Common Securities
 
September 15, 2005 
 
Certificate Evidencing Fixed/Floating Rate Common Securities
 
of
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust III
 
Wilshire Statutory Trust III, a statutory trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Trust”), hereby certifies that Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (the “Holder”) is the registered owner of common securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust (the “Common Securities”). The Common Securities represented hereby are issued pursuant to, and the designation, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Common Securities shall in all respects be subject to, the provisions of the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated as of September 15, 2005, among Elaine Jeon and Brian E. Cho, as Administrators, Wilmington Trust Company, as Delaware Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, as Institutional Trustee, Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., as Sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust including the designation of the terms of the Common Securities as set forth in Annex I to such amended and restated declaration, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Declaration”). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Declaration. The Holder is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee to the extent provided therein. The Sponsor will provide a copy of the Declaration, the Guarantee and the Indenture to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Sponsor at its principal place of business.
 
As set forth in the Declaration, when an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the rights of Holders of Common Securities to payment in respect of Distributions and payments upon Liquidation, redemption or otherwise are subordinated to the rights of payment of Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
Upon receipt of this Certificate, the Holder is bound by the Declaration and is entitled to the benefits thereunder.
 
By acceptance of this Certificate, the Holder agrees to treat, for United States federal income tax purposes, the Debentures as indebtedness and the Common Securities as evidence of undivided beneficial ownership in the Debentures.
 
This Common Security is governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.
 
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trust has duly executed this certificate.
     
  WILSHIRE STATUTORY TRUST III
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title: Administrator
 

A-2-2


[FORM OF REVERSE OF COMMON SECURITY]
 
Distributions payable on each Common Security will be payable at an annual rate equal to 6.07% beginning on (and including) the date of original issuance and ending on (but excluding) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 and at an annual rate for each successive period beginning on (and including) the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010, and each succeeding Distribution Payment Date, and ending on (but excluding) the next succeeding Distribution Payment Date (each a “Distribution Period”), equal to 3-Month LIBOR, determined as described below, plus 1.40% (the “Coupon Rate”), applied to the stated liquidation amount of $1,000.00 per Common Security, such rate being the rate of interest payable on the Debentures to be held by the Institutional Trustee. Distributions in arrears will bear interest thereon compounded quarterly at the Distribution Rate (to the extent permitted by applicable law). The term “Distributions” as used herein includes cash distributions and any such compounded distributions unless otherwise noted. A Distribution is payable only to the extent that payments are made in respect of the Debentures held by the Institutional Trustee and to the extent the Institutional Trustee has funds available therefor. As used herein, “Determination Date” means the date that is two London Banking Days (i.e., a business day in which dealings in deposits in U.S. dollars are transacted in the London interbank market) preceding the commencement of the relevant Distribution Period. The amount of the Distribution payable (i) for any Distribution Period commencing on or after the date of original issuance but before the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months, and (ii) for the Distribution Period commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in September 2010 and each succeeding Distribution Period will be calculated by applying the Distribution Rate to the stated liquidation amount outstanding at the commencement of the Distribution Period and multiplying each such number by the actual number of days in the Distribution Period concerned divided by 360.
 
“3-Month LIBOR” as used herein, means the London interbank offered interest rate for three-month U.S. dollar deposits determined by the Debenture Trustee in the following order of priority: (i) the rate (expressed as a percentage per annum) for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date (“Telerate Page 3750” means the display designated as “Page 3750” on the Moneyline Telerate Service or such other page as may replace Page 3750 on that service or such other service or services as may be nominated by the British Bankers’ Association as the information vendor for the purpose of displaying London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits); (ii) if such rate cannot be identified on the related Determination Date, the Debenture Trustee will request the principal London offices of four leading banks in the London interbank market to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to prime banks in the London interbank market for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; (iii) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (ii) above, the Debenture Trustee will request four major New York City banks to provide such banks’ offered quotations (expressed as percentages per annum) to leading European banks for loans in U.S. dollars as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Determination Date. If at least two such quotations are provided, 3-Month LIBOR will be the arithmetic mean of such quotations; and (iv) if fewer than two such quotations are provided as requested in clause (iii) above, 3-Month LIBOR will be a 3-Month LIBOR determined with respect to the Distribution Period immediately preceding such current Distribution Period. If the rate for U.S. dollar deposits having a three-month maturity that initially appears on Telerate Page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m. (London time) on the related Determination Date is superseded on the Telerate Page 3750 by a corrected rate by 12:00 noon (London time) on such Determination Date, then the corrected rate as so substituted on the applicable page will be the applicable 3-Month LIBOR for such Determination Date.
 
The Distribution Rate for any Distribution Period will at no time be higher than the maximum rate then permitted by New York law as the same may be modified by United States law.
 
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All percentages resulting from any calculations on the Common Securities will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point, with five one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward (e.g., 9.876545% (or .09876545) being rounded to 9.87655% (or .0987655), and all dollar amounts used in or resulting from such calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent (with one-half cent being rounded upward)).
 
Except as otherwise described below, Distributions on the Common Securities will be cumulative, will accrue from the date of original issuance and will be payable quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year or if any such day is not a Business Day, then the next succeeding Business Day (each such day, a “Distribution Payment Date”), commencing on the Distribution Payment Date in December 2005. The Debenture Issuer has the right under the Indenture to defer payments of interest on the Debentures, so long as no Acceleration Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, by extending the interest payment period on the Debentures for up to 20 consecutive quarterly periods (each an “Extension Period”) at any time and from time to time on the Debentures, subject to the conditions described below, during which Extension Period no interest shall be due and payable. During any Extension Period, interest will continue to accrue on the Debentures, and interest on such accrued interest will accrue at an annual rate equal to the Distribution Rate in effect for each such Extension Period, compounded quarterly from the date such interest would have been payable were it not for the Extension Period, to the extent permitted by law (such interest referred to herein as “Additional Interest”). No Extension Period may end on a date other than a Distribution Payment Date. At the end of any such Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer shall pay all interest then accrued and unpaid on the Debentures (together with Additional Interest thereon); provided, however, that no Extension Period may extend beyond the Maturity Date. Prior to the termination of any Extension Period, the Debenture Issuer may further extend such period, provided that such period together with all such previous and further consecutive extensions thereof shall not exceed 20 consecutive quarterly periods, or extend beyond the Maturity Date. Upon the termination of any Extension Period and upon the payment of all accrued and unpaid interest and Additional Interest, the Debenture Issuer may commence a new Extension Period, subject to the foregoing requirements. No interest or Additional Interest shall be due and payable during an Extension Period, except at the end thereof, but each installment of interest that would otherwise have been due and payable during such Extension Period shall bear Additional Interest. During any Extension Period, Distributions on the Common Securities shall be deferred for a period equal to the Extension Period. If Distributions are deferred, the Distributions due shall be paid on the date that the related Extension Period terminates, to Holders of the Securities as they appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date immediately preceding such date. Distributions on the Securities must be paid on the dates payable (after giving effect to any Extension Period) to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of such distributions in the Property Account of the Trust. The Trust’s funds available for Distribution to the Holders of the Securities will be limited to payments received from the Debenture Issuer.
 
The Common Securities shall be redeemable as provided in the Declaration.
 
A-2-4


ASSIGNMENT
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Common Security Certificate to:
 

 
(Insert assignee’s social security or tax identification number)

 

 
 
(Insert address and zip code of assignee) and irrevocably appoints
 

 
 


agent to transfer this Common Security Certificate on the books of the Trust. The agent
may substitute another to act for him or her.
 
Date:      

 
Signature:     

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Common Security Certificate)
 
Signature:     

 
(Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Common Security Certificate)
 
Signature Guarantee2 
 

2 Signature must be guaranteed by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union, meeting the requirements of the Security registrar, which requirements include membership or participation in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (“STAMP”) or such other “signature guarantee program” as may be determined by the Security registrar in addition to, or in substitution for, STAMP, all in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
A-2-5


EXHIBIT B
 
SPECIMEN OF INITIAL DEBENTURE
 
(See Document No. 16)
 
B-1


EXHIBIT C
 
PLACEMENT AGREEMENT
 
(See Document No. 1)
 
C-1

EX-4.11 9 v068251_ex4-11.htm
Exhibit 4.11



 
GUARANTEE AGREEMENT

by and between

WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.

and

WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY

Dated as of September 15, 2005






GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
 
This GUARANTEE AGREEMENT (this “Guarantee”), dated as of September 15, 2005, is executed and delivered by Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., a California corporation (the “Guarantor”), and Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as trustee (the “Guarantee Trustee”), for the benefit of the Holders (as defined herein) from time to time of the Capital Securities (as defined herein) of Wilshire Statutory Trust III, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Issuer”).
 
WHEREAS, pursuant to an Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”), dated as of the date hereof among Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity but solely as institutional trustee, the administrators of the Issuer named therein, the Guarantor, as sponsor, and the holders from time to time of undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Issuer, the Issuer is issuing on the date hereof those undivided beneficial interests, having an aggregate liquidation amount of $15,000,000.00 (the “Capital Securities”); and
 
WHEREAS, as incentive for the Holders to purchase the Capital Securities, the Guarantor desires irrevocably and unconditionally to agree, to the extent set forth in this Guarantee, to pay to the Holders of Capital Securities the Guarantee Payments (as defined herein) and to make certain other payments on the terms and conditions set forth herein;
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the purchase by each Holder of the Capital Securities, which purchase the Guarantor hereby agrees shall benefit the Guarantor, the Guarantor executes and delivers this Guarantee for the benefit of the Holders.
 
ARTICLE I
 
DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
 
Section 1.1. Definitions and Interpretation.  In this Guarantee, unless the context otherwise requires:
 
(a) capitalized terms used in this Guarantee but not defined in the preamble above have the respective meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.1;
 
(b) a term defined anywhere in this Guarantee has the same meaning throughout;
 
(c) all references to “the Guarantee” or “this Guarantee” are to this Guarantee as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time;
 
(d) all references in this Guarantee to “Articles” or “Sections” are to Articles or Sections of this Guarantee, unless otherwise specified;
 
(e) terms defined in the Declaration as at the date of execution of this Guarantee have the same meanings when used in this Guarantee, unless otherwise defined in this Guarantee or unless the context otherwise requires; and
 
(f) a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
 
Affiliate” has the same meaning as given to that term in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any successor rule thereunder.
 
Beneficiaries” means any Person to whom the Issuer is or hereafter becomes indebted or liable.
 

 
Capital Securities” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Guarantee.
 
Common Securities” means the common securities issued by the Issuer to the Guarantor pursuant to the Declaration.
 
Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Guarantee Trustee at which the corporate trust business of the Guarantee Trustee shall, at any particular time, be principally administered, which office at the date of execution of this Guarantee is located at Rodney Square North, 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600, Attention: Corporate Trust Administration.
 
Covered Person” means any Holder of Capital Securities.
 
Debentures” means the debt securities of the Guarantor designated the Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures due 2035 held by the Institutional Trustee (as defined in the Declaration) of the Issuer.
 
Declaration Event of Default” means an “Event of Default” as defined in the Declaration.
 
Event of Default” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4(a).
 
Guarantee Payments” means the following payments or distributions, without duplication, with respect to the Capital Securities, to the extent not paid or made by the Issuer: (i) any accrued and unpaid Distributions (as defined in the Declaration) which are required to be paid on such Capital Securities to the extent the Issuer shall have funds available therefor, (ii) the Redemption Price to the extent the Issuer has funds available therefor, with respect to any Capital Securities called for redemption by the Issuer, (iii) the Special Redemption Price to the extent the Issuer has funds available therefor, with respect to Capital Securities redeemed upon the occurrence of a Special Event, and (iv) upon a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Issuer (other than in connection with the distribution of Debentures to the Holders of the Capital Securities in exchange therefor as provided in the Declaration), the lesser of (a) the aggregate of the liquidation amount and all accrued and unpaid Distributions on the Capital Securities to the date of payment, to the extent the Issuer shall have funds available therefor, and (b) the amount of assets of the Issuer remaining available for distribution to Holders in liquidation of the Issuer (in either case, the “Liquidation Distribution”).
 
Guarantee Trustee” means Wilmington Trust Company, until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee and thereafter means each such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
Guarantor” means Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and each of its successors and assigns.
 
Holder” means any holder, as registered on the books and records of the Issuer, of any Capital Securities; provided, however, that, in determining whether the Holders of the requisite percentage of Capital Securities have given any request, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, “Holder” shall not include the Guarantor or any Affiliate of the Guarantor.
 
Indemnified Person” means the Guarantee Trustee, any Affiliate of the Guarantee Trustee, or any officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, nominees, custodians or agents of the Guarantee Trustee.
 
Indenture” means the Indenture dated as of the date hereof between the Guarantor and Wilmington Trust Company, not in its individual capacity but solely as trustee, and any indenture supplemental thereto pursuant to which the Debentures are to be issued to the institutional trustee of the Issuer.
 
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Issuer” has the meaning set forth in the opening paragraph to this Guarantee.
 
Liquidation Distribution” has the meaning set forth in the definition of “Guarantee Payments” herein.
 
Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities” means Holder(s) of outstanding Capital Securities, voting together as a class, but separately from the holders of Common Securities, of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount (including the stated amount that would be paid on redemption, liquidation or otherwise, plus accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date upon which the voting percentages are determined) of all Capital Securities then outstanding.
 
Obligations” means any costs, expenses or liabilities (but not including liabilities related to taxes) of the Issuer other than obligations of the Issuer to pay to holders of any Trust Securities the amounts due such holders pursuant to the terms of the Trust Securities.
 
Officer’s Certificate” means, with respect to any Person, a certificate signed by one Authorized Officer of such Person. Any Officer’s Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Guarantee shall include:
 
(a) a statement that the officer signing the Officer’s Certificate has read the covenant or condition and the definitions relating thereto;
 
(b) a brief statement of the nature and scope of the examination or investigation undertaken by the officer in rendering the Officer’s Certificate;
 
(c) a statement that the officer has made such examination or investigation as, in such officer’s opinion, is necessary to enable such officer to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such covenant or condition has been complied with; and
 
(d) a statement as to whether, in the opinion of the officer, such condition or covenant has been complied with.
 
Person” means a legal person, including any individual, corporation, estate, partnership, joint venture, association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated association, or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity of whatever nature.
 
Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Responsible Officer” means, with respect to the Guarantee Trustee, any officer within the Corporate Trust Office of the Guarantee Trustee including any Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary or any other officer of the Guarantee Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and also, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of that officer’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject.
 
Special Event” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
Special Redemption Price” has the meaning set forth in the Indenture.
 
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Successor Guarantee Trustee” means a successor Guarantee Trustee possessing the qualifications to act as Guarantee Trustee under Section 3.1.
 
Trust Securities” means the Common Securities and the Capital Securities.
 
ARTICLE II
 
POWERS, DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF
GUARANTEE TRUSTEE
 
Section 2.1. Powers and Duties of the Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a) This Guarantee shall be held by the Guarantee Trustee for the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not transfer this Guarantee to any Person except a Holder of Capital Securities exercising his or her rights pursuant to Section 4.4(b) or to a Successor Guarantee Trustee on acceptance by such Successor Guarantee Trustee of its appointment to act as Successor Guarantee Trustee. The right, title and interest of the Guarantee Trustee shall automatically vest in any Successor Guarantee Trustee, and such vesting and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents have been executed and delivered pursuant to the appointment of such Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(b) If an Event of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee has occurred and is continuing, the Guarantee Trustee shall enforce this Guarantee for the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
(c) The Guarantee Trustee, before the occurrence of any Event of Default and after curing all Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee, and no implied covenants shall be read into this Guarantee against the Guarantee Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been waived pursuant to Section 2.4) and is actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise thereof, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
 
(d) No provision of this Guarantee shall be construed to relieve the Guarantee Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:
 
(i) prior to the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default that may have occurred:
 
(A) the duties and obligations of the Guarantee Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Guarantee, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Guarantee against the Guarantee Trustee; and
 
(B) in the absence of bad faith on the part of the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Guarantee Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Guarantee; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Guarantee Trustee, the Guarantee Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Guarantee;
 
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(ii) the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, unless it shall be proved that such Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee or the Guarantee Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts upon which such judgment was made;
 
(iii) the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the written direction of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee, or relating to the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee; and
 
(iv) no provision of this Guarantee shall require the Guarantee Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if the Guarantee Trustee shall have reasonable grounds for believing that the repayment of such funds is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Guarantee or security and indemnity, reasonably satisfactory to the Guarantee Trustee, against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
 
Section 2.2. Certain Rights of Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.1:
 
(i) The Guarantee Trustee may conclusively rely, and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon, any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or presented by the proper party or parties.
 
(ii) Any direction or act of the Guarantor contemplated by this Guarantee shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officer’s Certificate.
 
(iii) Whenever, in the administration of this Guarantee, the Guarantee Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established before taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Guarantee Trustee (unless other evidence is herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, request and conclusively rely upon an Officer’s Certificate of the Guarantor which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Guarantor.
 
(iv) The Guarantee Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (or any re-recording, refiling or re-registration thereof).
 
(v) The Guarantee Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection, and the advice or opinion of such counsel with respect to legal matters shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or opinion. Such counsel may be counsel to the Guarantor or any of its Affiliates and may include any of its employees. The Guarantee Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Guarantee from any court of competent jurisdiction.
 
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(vi) The Guarantee Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Guarantee at the request or direction of any Holder, unless such Holder shall have provided to the Guarantee Trustee such security and indemnity, reasonably satisfactory to the Guarantee Trustee, against the costs, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses and the expenses of the Guarantee Trustee’s agents, nominees or custodians) and liabilities that might be incurred by it in complying with such request or direction, including such reasonable advances as may be requested by the Guarantee Trustee; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Section 2.2(a)(vi) shall relieve the Guarantee Trustee, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, of its obligation to exercise the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee.
 
(vii) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Guarantee Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit.
 
(viii) The Guarantee Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents, nominees, custodians or attorneys, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder.
 
(ix) Any action taken by the Guarantee Trustee or its agents hereunder shall bind the Holders of the Capital Securities, and the signature of the Guarantee Trustee or its agents alone shall be sufficient and effective to perform any such action. No third party shall be required to inquire as to the authority of the Guarantee Trustee to so act or as to its compliance with any of the terms and provisions of this Guarantee, both of which shall be conclusively evidenced by the Guarantee Trustee’s or its agent’s taking such action.
 
(x) Whenever in the administration of this Guarantee the Guarantee Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder, the Guarantee Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities, (ii) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (iii) shall be protected in conclusively relying on or acting in accordance with such instructions.
 
(xi) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith, without negligence, and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Guarantee.
 
(b) No provision of this Guarantee shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Guarantee Trustee to perform any act or acts or exercise any right, power, duty or obligation conferred or imposed on it, in any jurisdiction in which it shall be illegal or in which the Guarantee Trustee shall be unqualified or incompetent in accordance with applicable law to perform any such act or acts or to exercise any such right, power, duty or obligation. No permissive power or authority available to the Guarantee Trustee shall be construed to be a duty.
 
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Section 2.3. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Guarantee.  The recitals contained in this Guarantee shall be taken as the statements of the Guarantor, and the Guarantee Trustee does not assume any responsibility for their correctness. The Guarantee Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or sufficiency of this Guarantee.
 
Section 2.4. Events of Default; Waiver.
 
(a) An Event of Default under this Guarantee will occur upon the failure of the Guarantor to perform any of its payment or other obligations hereunder.
 
(b) The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities may, voting or consenting as a class, on behalf of the Holders of all of the Capital Securities, waive any past Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such Event of Default shall cease to exist, and shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Guarantee, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.
 
Section 2.5. Events of Default; Notice.
 
(a) The Guarantee Trustee shall, within 90 days after the occurrence of an Event of Default, transmit by mail, first class postage prepaid, to the Holders of the Capital Securities and the Guarantor, notices of all Events of Default actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee, unless such defaults have been cured before the giving of such notice, provided, however, that the Guarantee Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Capital Securities.
 
(b) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any Event of Default unless the Guarantee Trustee shall have received written notice from the Guarantor or a Holder of the Capital Securities (except in the case of a payment default), or a Responsible Officer of the Guarantee Trustee charged with the administration of this Guarantee shall have obtained actual knowledge thereof.
 
ARTICLE III
 
GUARANTEE TRUSTEE
 
Section 3.1. Guarantee Trustee; Eligibility.
 
(a) There shall at all times be a Guarantee Trustee which shall:
 
(i) not be an Affiliate of the Guarantor, and
 
(ii) be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America or any State or Territory thereof or of the District of Columbia, or Person authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least 50 million U.S. dollars ($50,000,000), and subject to supervision or examination by Federal, State, Territorial or District of Columbia authority. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of the supervising or examining authority referred to above, then, for the purposes of this Section 3.1(a)(ii), the combined capital and surplus of such corporation shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published.
 
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(b) If at any time the Guarantee Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 3.1(a), the Guarantee Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set out in Section 3.2(c).
 
(c) If the Guarantee Trustee has or shall acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act, the Guarantee Trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to this Guarantee.
 
Section 3.2. Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Guarantee Trustee.
 
(a) Subject to Section 3.2(b), the Guarantee Trustee may be appointed or removed without cause at any time by the Guarantor except during an Event of Default.
 
(b) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be removed in accordance with Section 3.2(a) until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment by written instrument executed by such Successor Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor.
 
(c) The Guarantee Trustee appointed to office shall hold office until a Successor Guarantee Trustee shall have been appointed or until its removal or resignation. The Guarantee Trustee may resign from office (without need for prior or subsequent accounting) by an instrument in writing executed by the Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor, which resignation shall not take effect until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment by an instrument in writing executed by such Successor Guarantee Trustee and delivered to the Guarantor and the resigning Guarantee Trustee.
 
(d) If no Successor Guarantee Trustee shall have been appointed and accepted appointment as provided in this Section 3.2 within 60 days after delivery of an instrument of removal or resignation, the Guarantee Trustee resigning or being removed may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for appointment of a Successor Guarantee Trustee. Such court may thereupon, after prescribing such notice, if any, as it may deem proper, appoint a Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(e) No Guarantee Trustee shall be liable for the acts or omissions to act of any Successor Guarantee Trustee.
 
(f) Upon termination of this Guarantee or removal or resignation of the Guarantee Trustee pursuant to this Section 3.2, the Guarantor shall pay to the Guarantee Trustee all amounts owing to the Guarantee Trustee under Sections 7.2 and 7.3 accrued to the date of such termination, removal or resignation.
 
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ARTICLE IV
 
GUARANTEE
 
Section 4.1. Guarantee.
 
(a) The Guarantor irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to pay in full to the Holders the Guarantee Payments (without duplication of amounts theretofore paid by the Issuer), as and when due, regardless of any defense (except the defense of payment by the Issuer), right of set-off or counterclaim that the Issuer may have or assert. The Guarantor’s obligation to make a Guarantee Payment may be satisfied by direct payment of the required amounts by the Guarantor to the Holders or by causing the Issuer to pay such amounts to the Holders.
 
(b) The Guarantor hereby also agrees to assume any and all Obligations of the Issuer and in the event any such Obligation is not so assumed, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees to each Beneficiary the full payment, when and as due, of any and all Obligations to such Beneficiaries. This Guarantee is intended to be for the benefit of, and to be enforceable by, all such Beneficiaries, whether or not such Beneficiaries have received notice hereof.
 
Section 4.2. Waiver of Notice and Demand.  The Guarantor hereby waives notice of acceptance of this Guarantee and of any liability to which it applies or may apply, presentment, demand for payment, any right to require a proceeding first against the Issuer or any other Person before proceeding against the Guarantor, protest, notice of nonpayment, notice of dishonor, notice of redemption and all other notices and demands.
 
Section 4.3. Obligations Not Affected.  The obligations, covenants, agreements and duties of the Guarantor under this Guarantee shall in no way be affected or impaired by reason of the happening from time to time of any of the following:
 
(a) the release or waiver, by operation of law or otherwise, of the performance or observance by the Issuer of any express or implied agreement, covenant, term or condition relating to the Capital Securities to be performed or observed by the Issuer;
 
(b) the extension of time for the payment by the Issuer of all or any portion of the Distributions, Redemption Price, Special Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or any other sums payable under the terms of the Capital Securities or the extension of time for the performance of any other obligation under, arising out of or in connection with, the Capital Securities (other than an extension of time for payment of Distributions, Redemption Price, Special Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or other sum payable that results from the extension of any interest payment period on the Debentures or any extension of the maturity date of the Debentures permitted by the Indenture);
 
(c) any failure, omission, delay or lack of diligence on the part of the Holders to enforce, assert or exercise any right, privilege, power or remedy conferred on the Holders pursuant to the terms of the Capital Securities, or any action on the part of the Issuer granting indulgence or extension of any kind;
 
(d) the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, sale of any collateral, receivership, insolvency, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, reorganization, arrangement, composition or readjustment of debt of, or other similar proceedings affecting, the Issuer or any of the assets of the Issuer;
 
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(e) any invalidity of, or defect or deficiency in, the Capital Securities;
 
(f) the settlement or compromise of any obligation guaranteed hereby or hereby incurred; or
 
(g) any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 4.3 that the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances.
 
There shall be no obligation of the Holders to give notice to, or obtain consent of, the Guarantor with respect to the happening of any of the foregoing.
 
Section 4.4. Rights of Holders.
 
(a) The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee in respect of this Guarantee or to direct the exercise of any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee; provided, however, that (subject to Section 2.1) the Guarantee Trustee shall have the right to decline to follow any such direction if the Guarantee Trustee being advised by counsel determines that the action or proceeding so directed may not lawfully be taken or if the Guarantee Trustee in good faith by its board of directors or trustees, executive committees or a trust committee of directors or trustees and/or Responsible Officers shall determine that the action or proceedings so directed would involve the Guarantee Trustee in personal liability.
 
(b) Any Holder of Capital Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Guarantor to enforce the Guarantee Trustee’s rights under this Guarantee, without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Issuer, the Guarantee Trustee or any other Person. The Guarantor waives any right or remedy to require that any such action be brought first against the Issuer, the Guarantee Trustee or any other Person before so proceeding directly against the Guarantor.
 
Section 4.5. Guarantee of Payment.  This Guarantee creates a guarantee of payment and not of collection.
 
Section 4.6. Subrogation.  The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all (if any) rights of the Holders of Capital Securities against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to such Holders by the Guarantor under this Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not (except to the extent required by mandatory provisions of law) be entitled to enforce or exercise any right that it may acquire by way of subrogation or any indemnity, reimbursement or other agreement, in all cases as a result of payment under this Guarantee, if, after giving effect to any such payment, any amounts are due and unpaid under this Guarantee. If any amount shall be paid to the Guarantor in violation of the preceding sentence, the Guarantor agrees to hold such amount in trust for the Holders and to pay over such amount to the Holders.
 
Section 4.7. Independent Obligations.  The Guarantor acknowledges that its obligations hereunder are independent of the obligations of the Issuer with respect to the Capital Securities and that the Guarantor shall be liable as principal and as debtor hereunder to make Guarantee Payments pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee notwithstanding the occurrence of any event referred to in subsections (a) through (g), inclusive, of Section 4.3 hereof.
 
Section 4.8. Enforcement by a Beneficiary.  A Beneficiary may enforce the obligations of the Guarantor contained in Section 4.1(b) directly against the Guarantor and the Guarantor waives any right or remedy to require that any action be brought against the Issuer or any other person or entity before proceeding against the Guarantor. The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all rights (if any) of any Beneficiary against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to the Beneficiaries by the Guarantor under this Guarantee; provided, however, that the Guarantor shall not (except to the extent required by mandatory provisions of law) be entitled to enforce or exercise any rights that it may acquire by way of subrogation or any indemnity, reimbursement or other agreement, in all cases as a result of payment under this Guarantee, if at the time of any such payment, and after giving effect to such payment, any amounts are due and unpaid under this Guarantee.
 
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ARTICLE V
 
LIMITATION OF TRANSACTIONS; SUBORDINATION
 
Section 5.1. Limitation of Transactions.  So long as any Capital Securities remain outstanding, if (a) there shall have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default or a Declaration Event of Default or (b) the Guarantor shall have selected an Extension Period as provided in the Declaration and such period, or any extension thereof, shall have commenced and be continuing, then the Guarantor shall not and shall not permit any Affiliate to (x) declare or pay any dividends or distributions on, or redeem, purchase, acquire, or make a liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Guarantor’s or such Affiliate’s capital stock (other than payments of dividends or distributions to the Guarantor or payments of dividends from direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Guarantor to their parent corporations, which also shall be direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Guarantor) or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing or (y) make any payment of principal of or interest or premium, if any, on or repay, repurchase or redeem any debt securities of the Guarantor or any Affiliate that rank pari passu in all respects with or junior in interest to the Debentures (other than, with respect to clauses (x) and (y) above, (i) repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of capital stock of the Guarantor in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar arrangement with or for the benefit of one or more employees, officers, directors or consultants, in connection with a dividend reinvestment or stockholder stock purchase plan or in connection with the issuance of capital stock of the Guarantor (or securities convertible into or exercisable for such capital stock) as consideration in an acquisition transaction entered into prior to the occurrence of the Event of Default, Declaration Event of Default or Extension Period, as applicable, (ii) as a result of any exchange or conversion of any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock (or any capital stock of a subsidiary of the Guarantor) for any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock or of any class or series of the Guarantor’s indebtedness for any class or series of the Guarantor’s capital stock, (iii) the purchase of fractional interests in shares of the Guarantor’s capital stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange provisions of such capital stock or the security being converted or exchanged, (iv) any declaration of a dividend in connection with any stockholders’ rights plan, or the issuance of rights, stock or other property under any stockholders’ rights plan, or the redemption or repurchase of rights pursuant thereto, (v) any dividend in the form of stock, warrants, options or other rights where the dividend stock or the stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants, options or other rights is the same stock as that on which the dividend is being paid or ranks pari passu with or junior to such stock and any cash payments in lieu of fractional shares issued in connection therewith, (vi) payments of principal or interest on debt securities or payments of cash dividends or distributions on any capital stock issued by an Affiliate that is not, in whole or in part, a subsidiary of the Guarantor (or any redemptions, repurchases or liquidation payments on such stock or securities), or (vii) payments under this Guarantee).
 
Section 5.2. Ranking.  This Guarantee will constitute an unsecured obligation of the Guarantor and will rank subordinate and junior in right of payment to all present and future Senior Indebtedness (as defined in the Indenture) of the Guarantor. By their acceptance thereof, each Holder of Capital Securities agrees to the foregoing provisions of this Guarantee and the other terms set forth herein.
 
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The right of the Guarantor to participate in any distribution of assets of any of its subsidiaries upon any such subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization or otherwise is subject to the prior claims of creditors of that subsidiary, except to the extent the Guarantor may itself be recognized as a creditor of that subsidiary. Accordingly, the Guarantor’s obligations under this Guarantee will be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of the Guarantor’s subsidiaries, and claimants should look only to the assets of the Guarantor for payments hereunder. This Guarantee does not limit the incurrence or issuance of other secured or unsecured debt of the Guarantor, including Senior Indebtedness of the Guarantor, under any indenture that the Guarantor may enter into in the future or otherwise.
 
ARTICLE VI
 
TERMINATION
 
Section 6.1. Termination.  This Guarantee shall terminate as to the Capital Securities (i) upon full payment of the Redemption Price or Special Redemption Price of all Capital Securities then outstanding, (ii) upon the distribution of all of the Debentures to the Holders of all of the Capital Securities or (iii) upon full payment of the amounts payable in accordance with the Declaration upon dissolution of the Issuer. This Guarantee will continue to be effective or will be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any Holder of Capital Securities must restore payment of any sums paid under the Capital Securities or under this Guarantee.
 
ARTICLE VII
 
INDEMNIFICATION
 
Section 7.1. Exculpation.
 
(a) No Indemnified Person shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to the Guarantor or any Covered Person for any loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnified Person in good faith in accordance with this Guarantee and in a manner that such Indemnified Person reasonably believed to be within the scope of the authority conferred on such Indemnified Person by this Guarantee or by law, except that an Indemnified Person shall be liable for any such loss, damage or claim incurred by reason of such Indemnified Person’s negligence or willful misconduct with respect to such acts or omissions.
 
(b) An Indemnified Person shall be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Issuer or the Guarantor and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Issuer or the Guarantor by any Person as to matters the Indemnified Person reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who, if selected by such Indemnified Person, has been selected with reasonable care by such Indemnified Person, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, liabilities, profits, losses, or any other facts pertinent to the existence and amount of assets from which Distributions to Holders of Capital Securities might properly be paid.
 
Section 7.2. Indemnification.
 
(a) The Guarantor agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person for, and to hold each Indemnified Person harmless against, any and all loss, liability, damage, claim or expense incurred without negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Indemnified Person, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including, but not limited to, the costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) of the Indemnified Person defending itself against, or investigating, any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of the Indemnified Person’s powers or duties hereunder. The obligation to indemnify as set forth in this Section 7.2 shall survive the resignation or removal of the Guarantee Trustee and the termination of this Guarantee.
 
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(b) Promptly after receipt by an Indemnified Person under this Section 7.2 of notice of the commencement of any action, such Indemnified Person will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Guarantor under this Section 7.2, notify the Guarantor in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the Guarantor (i) will not relieve the Guarantor from liability under paragraph (a) above unless and to the extent that the Guarantor did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the Guarantor of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the Guarantor from any obligations to any Indemnified Person other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) above. The Guarantor shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the Guarantor’s choice at the Guarantor’s expense to represent the Indemnified Person in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the Guarantor shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the Indemnified Person or Persons except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person. Notwithstanding the Guarantor’s election to appoint counsel to represent the Guarantor in an action, the Indemnified Person shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the Guarantor shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the Guarantor to represent the Indemnified Person would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the Indemnified Person and the Guarantor and the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other Indemnified Person(s) which are different from or additional to those available to the Guarantor, (iii) the Guarantor shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the Guarantor shall authorize the Indemnified Person to employ separate counsel at the expense of the Guarantor. The Guarantor will not, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Persons, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the Indemnified Persons are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each Indemnified Person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.
 
Section 7.3. Compensation; Reimbursement of Expenses.  The Guarantor agrees:
 
(a) to pay to the Guarantee Trustee from time to time such compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder as the parties shall agree to from time to time (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); and
 
(b) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Guarantee Trustee upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by it in accordance with any provision of this Guarantee (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence or willful misconduct.
 
For purposes of clarification, this Section 7.3 does not contemplate the payment by the Guarantor of acceptance or annual administration fees owing to the Guarantee Trustee for services to be provided by the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee or the fees and expenses of the Guarantee Trustee’s counsel in connection with the closing of the transactions contemplated by this Guarantee. The provisions of this Section 7.3 shall survive the resignation or removal of the Guarantee Trustee and the termination of this Guarantee.
 
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ARTICLE VIII
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
Section 8.1. Successors and Assigns.  All guarantees and agreements contained in this Guarantee shall bind the successors, assigns, receivers, trustees and representatives of the Guarantor and shall inure to the benefit of the Holders of the Capital Securities then outstanding. Except in connection with any merger or consolidation of the Guarantor with or into another entity or any sale, transfer or lease of the Guarantor’s assets to another entity, in each case, to the extent permitted under the Indenture, the Guarantor may not assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Guarantee without the prior approval of the Holders of at least a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities.
 
Section 8.2. Amendments.  Except with respect to any changes that do not adversely affect the rights of Holders of the Capital Securities in any material respect (in which case no consent of Holders will be required), this Guarantee may be amended only with the prior approval of the Holders of not less than a Majority in liquidation amount of the Capital Securities. The provisions of the Declaration with respect to amendments thereof apply to the giving of such approval.
 
Section 8.3. Notices.  All notices provided for in this Guarantee shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and shall be delivered, telecopied or mailed by first class mail, as follows:
 
(a) If given to the Guarantee Trustee, at the Guarantee Trustee’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Guarantee Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Capital Securities and the Guarantor):
 
Wilmington Trust Company
Rodney Square North
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19890-1600
Attention: Corporate Trust Administration
Telecopy: 302-636-4140
 
(b) If given to the Guarantor, at the Guarantor’s mailing address set forth below (or such other address as the Guarantor may give notice of to the Holders of the Capital Securities and to the Guarantee Trustee):
 
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.
3200 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90010
Attention: Brian E. Cho
Telecopy: 213-427-6584
 
(c) If given to any Holder of the Capital Securities, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Issuer.
 
All such notices shall be deemed to have been given when received in person, telecopied with receipt confirmed, or mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, except that if a notice or other document is refused delivery or cannot be delivered because of a changed address of which no notice was given, such notice or other document shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date of such refusal or inability to deliver.
 
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Section 8.4. Benefit.  This Guarantee is solely for the benefit of the Beneficiaries and, subject to Section 2.1(a), is not separately transferable from the Capital Securities.
 
Section 8.5. Governing Law.  THIS GUARANTEE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES THEREOF (OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).
 
Section 8.6. Counterparts.  This Guarantee may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
 
Section 8.7 Separability.  In case one or more of the provisions contained in this Guarantee shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Guarantee, but this Guarantee shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
 
Signatures appear on the following page
 
15


THIS GUARANTEE is executed as of the day and year first above written.
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC., as Guarantor
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:

     
  WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Guarantee Trustee
 
 
 
 
 
 
By:  
 
Name:
  Title:
 

16

 
EX-21 10 v068251_ex21.htm
EXHIBIT 21
 
WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
LIST OF WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARIES
 
1. Wilshire State Bank, a California state chartered commercial bank
 
2. Wilshire Statutory Trust I, a Connecticut Statutory Trust
 
3. Wilshire Statutory Trust II, a Connecticut Statutory Trust
 
3. Wilshire Statutory Trust III, a Connecticut Statutory Trust
 
 
 

 
 
EX-23.1 11 v068251_ex23-1.htm
EXHIBIT 23.1
 
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
 
We consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statement No. 333-119526 on Form S-8 of our reports dated March 13, 2007, relating to the consolidated financial statements of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. and management’s report of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2006.
 
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Los Angeles, California
March 13, 2007
 
 
 

 
EX-31.1 12 v068251_ex31-1.htm
EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
 
I, Soo Bong Min, certify that:
 
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.;
 
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
 
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
 
4. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
 
 
      (a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
   
 
      (b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
   
 
      (c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
   
 
      (d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
   
5. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
 
 
      (a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
   
 
      (b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
 
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date: March 16, 2007 By:   /s/ Soo Bong Min
 
Soo Bong Min
Chief Executive Officer
 
 
 

 
EX-31.2 13 v068251_ex31-2.htm
 
EXHIBIT 31.2

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
 
I, Brian E. Cho, Chief Financial Officer of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc., hereby certify that:
 
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc.;
 
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
 
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
 
4. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
 
 
      (a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
   
 
      (b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
   
 
      (c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
   
 
      (d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
    
5. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
 
 
      (a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
   
 
      (b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
 
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date: March 16, 2007 By:   /s/ Brian E. Cho
 
Brian E. Cho
Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 

 
EX-32.1 14 v068251_ex32-1.htm
 
EXHIBIT 32.1
 
CERTIFICATION OF CEO AND CFO PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002 
 
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. (the “Bank”) for the year ended December 31, 2006 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), Soo Bong Min, as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Brian E. Cho, as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of his knowledge:
 
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
 
(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
     
  WILSHIRE BANCORP, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date: March 16, 2007 By:   /s/ Soo Bong Min
   
Soo Bong Min
Chief Executive Officer
     
     
Date: March 16, 2007 By:   /s/ Brian E. Cho
 
Brian E. Cho
Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 

 
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