Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Under Sections 1741 and 1742 of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law (the “PBCL”), a business corporation has the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of another corporation or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action or proceeding, if such person acted
in good faith in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In the case of a threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding by or in the right of the corporation, such indemnification only covers expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in defense and settlement of such action and excludes judgments and amounts paid in settlement with respect to such action or proceeding, and no indemnification can be made for expenses if such person has been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless, and only to the extent that, a court determines upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for the expenses that the court deems proper.
In addition, Section 1744 of the PBCL provides that, unless ordered by a court, any indemnification referred to above shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct. Such determination shall be made:
(1)by the board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the proceeding;
(2)if such a quorum is not obtainable, or if obtainable and a majority vote of a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion; or
(3)by the shareholders.
Notwithstanding the above, Section 1743 of the PBCL provides that, to the extent that a director or officer of a business corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of a proceeding referred to above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
Further, Section 1745 of the PBCL provides that expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director of a business corporation in defending any such proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking to repay the amount advanced if it is ultimately determined that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation.
Also, Section 1746 of the PBCL provides that the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the foregoing provisions is not exclusive of any other rights to which a person seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, and that indemnification may be granted under any bylaw, agreement, vote of shareholders or directors or otherwise for any action taken or any failure to take any action whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the person under any other provision of law and whether or not the indemnified liability arises or arose from any action by or in the right of the corporation; provided, however, that no indemnification may be made in any case where the act or failure to act giving rise to the claim for indemnification is determined by a court to have constituted willful misconduct or recklessness.
Section 8.01 of the Company’s bylaws provide for indemnification, to the fullest extent permitted by Pennsylvania law, for directors, officers and certain employees against all liability, loss and expense (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by such person by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of Penn National, or is or was serving at the request of Company as a director, officer, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise or entity. The Company’s bylaws also require the advancement of expenses.
Section 1747 of the PBCL permits a Pennsylvania business corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of another corporation or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such individual in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation or other enterprise would have the power to indemnify the person against such liability under the provisions described above.
Section 8.07 of the Company’s bylaws provides that, among other things, it may purchase and maintain insurance to secure its indemnification provisions. The Company maintains directors’ and officers’ liability insurance covering its directors and officers with respect to liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, which they may incur in connection with their serving as such. Under this insurance, the Company may receive reimbursement for amounts as to which the directors and officers are indemnified by the Company under the bylaw indemnification provisions described above. Such insurance also provides certain additional coverage for the directors and officers against certain liabilities even though such liabilities may not be covered by the bylaw indemnification provisions described above.
As permitted by Section 1713(a) of the PBCL, Section 4.14 of the Company’s bylaws provide that no director shall be personally liable, as such, for monetary damages for any action taken, or failure to take any action, unless (i) the director has breached or failed to perform the duties of his or her office under the articles, bylaws or the PBCL; and (ii) the breach or failure to perform constitutes self-dealing, willful misconduct or recklessness. Section 1713(b) of the PBCL states that this exculpation from liability does not apply to the responsibility or liability of a director pursuant to any criminal statute or the liability of a director for the payment of taxes pursuant to federal, state or local law. It is uncertain whether this provision will control with respect to liabilities imposed upon directors by federal law, including federal securities laws. Section 1715(d) of the PBCL creates a presumption, subject to exceptions, that a director acted in the best interests of the corporation. Section 1712 of the PBCL, in defining the standard of care a director owes to a corporation, provides that a director stands in a fiduciary relation to the corporation and must perform his or her duties as a director or as a member of any committee of the board of directors in good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation and with such care, including reasonable inquiry, skill and diligence, as a person of ordinary prudence would use under similar circumstances.
The foregoing summaries are subject to the complete text of the PBCL and the Company’s articles of incorporation and bylaws and are qualified in their entirety by reference thereto.
Item 9. Undertakings.
(a)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(i)To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(1)To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(2)To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and
(3)To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement.
Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i)(1) and (a)(i)(2) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement.
(ii)For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(iii)To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(b)The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c)Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.