April , 2005
EXCHANGE AGENT AGREEMENT
The Bank of New York
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 00 Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: Corporate Trust Trustee Administration
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Xxxxxxxxxx Hermanos S.A. an Argentine corporation (the "Company")
proposes to make an offer (the "Exchange Offer") to exchange all of its
outstanding 8% Collaterlized Senior Notes due 2012, Series A-1 and B-1, (the
"Old Securities") for an equal principal amount of its 8% Collaterlized Senior
Notes due 2012, Series A-2 and B-2, (the "New Securities") respectively. The
terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer as currently contemplated are set
forth in a prospectus, dated April , 2005 (the "Prospectus") included in the
Company's Registration Statement on Form F-4 (333-122268) as amended (the
"Registration Statement") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"SEC"), proposed to be distributed to all record holders of the Old Securities.
The Old Securities and the New Securities are collectively referred to herein as
the "Securities".
The Company hereby appoints The Bank of New York to act as exchange
agent (the "Exchange Agent") in connection with the Exchange Offer. References
hereinafter to "you" shall refer to The Bank of New York.
A copy of each of the form of letter of transmittal (the "Letter of
Transmittal") and the form of letter to brokers and the form of letter to
clients (collectively, the "Tender Documents") to be used by Holders of Old
Notes in order to receive New Notes pursuant to the Exchange Offer have been
provided to you for your review and comment.
The Exchange Offer is expected to be commenced by the Company on or
about April , 2005. The Letter of Transmittal accompanying the Prospectus
(or in the case of book-entry securities, the Automated Tender Offer Program
("ATOP") of the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (as defined below)) is to be used
by the holders of the Old Securities to accept the Exchange Offer and contains
instructions with respect to the delivery of certificates for Old Securities
tendered in connection therewith.
The Exchange Offer shall expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on
, 2005 or on such subsequent date or time to which the Company may
extend the Exchange Offer (the "Expiration Date"). Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in the Prospectus, the Company expressly reserves the right
to extend the Exchange Offer from time to time and may extend the Exchange Offer
by giving oral (promptly confirmed in writing) or written notice to you before
9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the business day following the previously
scheduled Expiration Date.
The Company expressly reserves the right to amend or terminate the
Exchange Offer, and not to accept for exchange any Old Securities not
theretofore accepted for exchange, upon the occurrence of any of the conditions
of the Exchange Offer specified in the Prospectus under the caption "The
Exchange Offer -- Conditions of the Exchange Offer." The Company will give oral
(promptly confirmed in writing) or written notice of any amendment, termination
or nonacceptance to you as promptly as practicable.
In carrying out your duties as Exchange Agent, you are to act in
accordance with the following instructions:
1. You will perform such duties and only such duties as are
specifically set forth in the section of the Prospectus captioned "The Exchange
Offer" or as specifically set forth herein; provided, however, that in no way
will your general duty to act in good faith be discharged by the foregoing.
2. You will establish book-entry accounts with respect to the Old
Securities at The Depository Trust Company (the "Book-Entry Transfer Facility")
for purposes of the Exchange Offer within two business days after the date of
the Prospectus, and any financial institution that is a participant in the
Book-Entry Transfer Facility's systems may make book-entry delivery of the Old
Securities by causing the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to transfer such Old
Securities into your accounts in accordance with the Book-Entry Transfer
Facility's procedure for such transfer.
3. You are to examine each of the Letters of Transmittal and
certificates for Old Securities (or confirmation of book-entry transfer into
your account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility) and any other documents
delivered or mailed to you by or for holders of the Old Securities to ascertain
whether: (i) the Letters of Transmittal and any such other documents are duly
executed and properly completed in accordance with instructions set forth
therein; and (ii) the Old Securities have otherwise been properly tendered. In
each case where the Letter of Transmittal or any other document has been
improperly completed or executed or any of the certificates for Old Securities
are not in proper form for transfer or some other irregularity in connection
with the acceptance of the Exchange Offer exists, you will endeavor to inform
the presenters of the need for fulfillment of all requirements and to take any
other action as may be reasonably necessary or advisable to cause such
irregularity to be corrected. You are not authorized
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to waive any irregularity in connection with a surrender of Old Notes except as
provided in paragraph 4.
4. With the approval of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating
Officer, Assistant Chief Operating Officer, or any Chief Financial Officer of
the Company (such approval, if given orally, to be promptly confirmed in
writing) or any other party designated in writing, by such an officer, you are
authorized to waive any irregularities in connection with any tender of Old
Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer.
5. Tenders of Old Securities may be made only as set forth in the
Letter of Transmittal and in the section of the Prospectus captioned "The
Exchange Offer -- Procedures for Tendering Old Notes", and Old Securities shall
be considered properly tendered to you only when tendered in accordance with the
procedures set forth therein.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5, Old Securities which
the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Assistant Chief Operating
Officer, or Chief Financial Officer of the Company shall approve as having been
properly tendered shall be considered to be properly tendered (such approval, if
given orally, shall be promptly confirmed in writing).
6. You shall advise the Company with respect to any Old Securities
received subsequent to the Expiration Date and accept its instructions with
respect to disposition of such Old Securities.
7. You shall accept tenders:
(a) in cases where the Old Securities are registered in two or
more names only if signed by all named holders;
(b) in cases where the signing person (as indicated on the Letter
of Transmittal) is acting in a fiduciary or a representative capacity only when
proper evidence of his or her authority so to act is submitted; and
(c) from persons other than the registered holder of Old
Securities, provided that customary transfer requirements, including payment of
any applicable transfer taxes, are fulfilled.
You shall accept partial tenders of Old Securities where so indicated
and as permitted in the Letter of Transmittal and deliver certificates for Old
Securities to the registrar for split-up and return any untendered Old
Securities to the holder (or such other person as may be designated in the
Letter of Transmittal) as promptly as practicable after expiration or
termination of the Exchange Offer.
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8. Upon satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions to the
Exchange Offer, the Company will notify you (such notice, if given orally, to be
promptly confirmed in writing) of its acceptance, promptly after the Expiration
Date, of all Old Securities properly tendered and you, on behalf of the Company,
will exchange such Old Securities for New Securities and cause such Old
Securities to be cancelled. Delivery of New Securities will be made on behalf of
the Company by you at the rate of $1,000 principal amount of New Securities for
each $1,000 principal amount of the corresponding series of Old Securities
tendered promptly after notice (such notice if given orally, to be promptly
confirmed in writing) of acceptance of said Old Securities by the Company;
provided, however, that in all cases, Old Securities tendered pursuant to the
Exchange Offer will be exchanged only after timely receipt by you of
certificates for such Old Securities (or confirmation of book-entry transfer
into your account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility), a properly completed and
duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or manually signed facsimile thereof) with
any required signature guarantees and any other required documents. You shall
issue New Securities only in denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple
thereof.
9. Tenders pursuant to the Exchange Offer are irrevocable, except
that, subject to the terms and upon the conditions set forth in the Prospectus
and the Letter of Transmittal, Old Securities tendered pursuant to the Exchange
Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date.
10. The Company shall not be required to exchange any Old Securities
tendered if any of the conditions set forth in the Exchange Offer are not met.
Notice of any decision by the Company not to exchange any Old Securities
tendered shall be given (if given orally, to be promptly confirmed in writing)
by the Company to you.
11. If, pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the Company does not accept
for exchange all or part of the Old Securities tendered because of an invalid
tender, the occurrence of certain other events set forth in the Prospectus under
the caption "The Exchange Offer -- Conditions of the Exchange Offer" or
otherwise, you shall as soon as practicable after the expiration or termination
of the Exchange Offer return those certificates for unaccepted Old Securities
(or effect appropriate book-entry transfer), together with any related required
documents and the Letters of Transmittal relating thereto that are in your
possession, to the persons who deposited them.
12. All certificates for reissued Old Securities, unaccepted Old
Securities or for New Securities shall be forwarded by first-class mail at the
expense of the Company.
13. You are not authorized to pay or offer to pay any concessions,
commissions or solicitation fees to any broker, dealer, bank or other persons or
to engage or utilize any person to solicit tenders.
14. As Exchange Agent hereunder you:
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(a) shall not be liable for any action or omission to act unless
the same constitutes your own gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith,
and in no event shall you be liable to a securityholder, the Company or any
third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost profits,
arising in connection with this Agreement.
(b) shall have no duties or obligations other than those
specifically set forth herein or as may be subsequently agreed to in writing
between you and the Company;
(c) will be regarded as making no representations and having no
responsibilities as to the validity, sufficiency, value or genuineness of any of
the certificates or the Old Securities represented thereby deposited with you
pursuant to the Exchange Offer, and will not be required to and will make no
representation as to the validity, value or genuineness of the Exchange Offer or
the New Securities issued in connection with the Exchange Offer;
(d) shall not be obligated to take any legal action hereunder
which might in your judgment involve any expense or liability, unless you shall
have been furnished with indemnity satisfactory to you;
(e) may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting in
reliance upon any certificate, instrument, opinion, notice, letter, telegram or
other document or security delivered to you and believed by you to be genuine
and to have been signed or presented by the proper person or persons;
(f) may act upon any tender, statement, request, document,
agreement, certificate or other instrument whatsoever not only as to its due
execution and validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the
truth and accuracy of any information contained therein, which you shall in good
faith believe to be genuine or to have been signed or presented by the proper
person or persons;
(g) may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting
upon written or oral instructions from any authorized officer of the Company;
(h) may consult with counsel of your selection with respect to
any questions relating to your duties and responsibilities and the advice or
opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection
in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by you hereunder
in good faith and in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel; and
(i) shall not advise any person tendering Old Securities pursuant
to the Exchange Offer as to the wisdom of making such tender or as to the market
value or decline or appreciation in market value of any Old Securities.
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15. At the expense of the Company, you are to mail the Prospectus,
Letter of Transmittal and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (as defined in the
Prospectus) or such other forms as may be approved from time to time by the
Company to all the Holders and participants on the day that you are notified by
the Company that the Registration Statement has been declared effective under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or as soon as practicable thereafter,
and to make subsequent mailings thereof after the date thereof to any persons
who become Holders prior to the Expiration Date. You shall take such action as
may from time to time be requested by the Company (and such other action as you
may deem appropriate) to furnish copies of the Prospectus, Letter of Transmittal
and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (as defined in the Prospectus) or such
other forms as may be approved from time to time by the Company, to all persons
requesting such documents and to accept and comply with telephone requests for
information relating to the Exchange Offer, provided that such information shall
relate only to the procedures for accepting (or withdrawing from) the Exchange
Offer. The Company will furnish you with copies of such documents on your
request. All other requests for information relating to the Exchange Offer shall
be directed to the Company, Attention: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Chief Financial
Officer.
16. You shall advise by facsimile transmission Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx,
the Chief Financial Officer of the Company (at the facsimile number 54 (0)
237-4859-050), and such other person or persons as the Company may request,
daily (and more frequently during the week immediately preceding the Expiration
Date if requested) up to and including the Expiration Date, as to the number of
Old Securities which have been tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer and the
items received by you pursuant to this Agreement, separately reporting and
giving cumulative totals as to items properly received and items improperly
received. In addition, you will also inform, and cooperate in making available
to, the Company or any such other person or persons upon oral request made from
time to time prior to the Expiration Date of such other information as they may
reasonably request. Such cooperation shall include, without limitation, the
granting by you to the Company and such person as the Company may request of
access to those persons on your staff who are responsible for receiving tenders,
in order to ensure that immediately prior to the Expiration Date the Company
shall have received information in sufficient detail to enable it to decide
whether to extend the Exchange Offer. You shall prepare a final list of all
persons whose tenders were accepted, the aggregate principal amount of Old
Securities tendered, the aggregate principal amount of Old Securities accepted
and deliver said list to the Company.
17. Letters of Transmittal and Notices of Guaranteed Delivery shall be
stamped by you as to the date and, after the expiration of the Exchange Offer,
the time, of receipt thereof and shall be preserved by you for a period of time
at least equal to the period of time you preserve other records pertaining to
the transfer of securities. You shall dispose of unused Letters of Transmittal
and other surplus materials by returning them to the Company.
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18. For services rendered as Exchange Agent hereunder, you shall be
entitled to such compensation as set forth on Schedule I attached hereto. The
provisions of this section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
19. You hereby acknowledge receipt of the Prospectus and the Letter of
Transmittal. Any inconsistency between this Agreement, on the one hand, and the
Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal (as they may be amended from time to
time), on the other hand, shall be resolved in favor of the latter two
documents, except with respect to your duties, liabilities and indemnification
as Exchange Agent.
20. The Company covenants and agrees to fully indemnify and hold you
harmless against any and all loss, liability, cost or expense, including
attorneys' fees and expenses, incurred without gross negligence or willful
misconduct on your part, arising out of or in connection with any act, omission,
delay or refusal made by you in reliance upon any signature, endorsement,
assignment, certificate, order, request, notice, instruction or other instrument
or document believed by you to be valid, genuine and sufficient and in accepting
any tender or effecting any transfer of Old Securities believed by you in good
faith to be authorized, and in delaying or refusing in good faith to accept any
tenders or effect any transfer of Old Securities. In each case, the Company
shall be notified by you, by letter or facsimile transmission, of the written
assertion of a claim against you or of any other action commenced against you,
promptly after you shall have received any such written assertion or shall have
been served with a summons in connection therewith. The Company shall be
entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense of any such claim or
other action and, if the Company so elects, the Company shall assume the defense
of any suit brought to enforce any such claim. In the event that the Company
shall assume the defense of any such suit, the Company shall not be liable for
the fees and expenses of any additional counsel thereafter retained by you, so
long as the Company shall retain counsel satisfactory to you to defend such
suit, and so long as you have not determined, in your reasonable judgment, that
a conflict of interest exists between you and the Company. The provisions of
this section shall survive the termination of this Agreement or the resignation
or removal of you as the Exchange Agent.
21. You shall arrange to comply with all requirements under the tax
laws of the United States, including those relating to missing Tax
Identification Numbers, and shall file any appropriate reports with the Internal
Revenue Service including W-8's and W-9's received from holders in the Exchange
Offer.
22. You shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in a timely manner to
each governmental authority to which any transfer taxes are payable in respect
of the exchange of Old Securities, the Company's check in the amount of all
transfer taxes so payable; provided, however, that you shall reimburse the
Company for amounts refunded to you in respect of your payment of any such
transfer taxes, at such time as such refund is received by you.
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23. This Agreement and your appointment as Exchange Agent hereunder
shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New
York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely within such
state, and without regard to conflicts of law principles, and shall inure to the
benefit of, and the obligations created hereby shall be binding upon, the
successors and assigns of each of the parties hereto.
24. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each
of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall
constitute one and the same agreement.
25. In case any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal
or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining
provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
26. This Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be modified,
amended, rescinded, cancelled or waived, in whole or in part, except by a
written instrument signed by a duly authorized representative of the party to be
charged. This Agreement may not be modified orally.
27. Unless otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests and other
communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing (including facsimile
or similar writing) and shall be given to such party, addressed to it, at its
address or telecopy number set forth below:
If to the Company:
Attention: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Chief Financial Officer
Xxxxxxxxxx Hermanos S.A.
Almirante Xxxxx 957
B1742KFS Gral. Xxxxxxxxx
Pcia de Buenos Aires
Argentina
Telephone: 00 (0) 000-0000-000
Facsimile: 00 (0) 000-0000-000
If to the Exchange Agent:
The Bank of New York
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Floor 00 Xxxx
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Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
Attention: Corporate Trust Trustee
Administration
28. Unless terminated earlier by the parties hereto, this Agreement
shall terminate 90 days following the Expiration Date. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Sections 18 and 20 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
Upon any termination of this Agreement, you shall promptly deliver to the
Company any certificates for Securities, funds or property then held by you as
Exchange Agent under this Agreement.
29. This Agreement shall be binding and effective as of the date
hereof.
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Please acknowledge receipt of this Agreement and confirm the
arrangements herein provided by signing and returning the enclosed copy.
XXXXXXXXXX HERMANOS S.A.
By:
---------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Accepted as of the date
first above written:
THE BANK OF NEW YORK, as Exchange Agent
By:
--------------------------------
Name:
Title:
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SCHEDULE I
COMPENSATION OF EXCHANGE AGENT:
$10,000 PLUS $500 PER EXTENSION OF OFFER
PLUS OUT-OF POCKET EXPENSES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION, LEGAL FEES AND EXPENSES.
