The trustee may from time to time also act as a depository of funds for, make loans to, and perform other services for, us in the normal course of business. The address of the trustee under the senior indenture and under the subordinated indenture is 8800 Bay Meadows Way W., Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.
The Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the “Trust Indenture Act,” provides that if an Event of Default occurs (and is not cured), the trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of care and skill that a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers vested in it by the indenture at the request or direction of any holder of securities issued under the indenture, unless such holder shall have offered to the trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction. (Section 603.) The trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Offered Debt Securities of one or more series, or may be removed by the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Offered Debt Securities of such series or, under certain circumstances, by us. If the trustee resigns, is removed or becomes incapable of acting as trustee or if a vacancy occurs in the office of the trustee for any cause, a successor trustee shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of the indenture. (Section 610.)
If the trustee shall have or acquire any “conflicting interest” within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee shall either eliminate such interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner provided by, and subject to the provisions of, the Trust Indenture Act and the indenture. (Section 608.) The Trust Indenture Act also contains certain limitations on the right of the trustee, as our creditor, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received by it in respect of such claims, as security or otherwise. (Section 613.)
Limitations on Liens
Subject to certain limitations described below, the senior indenture provides that so long as any of the senior Offered Debt Securities issued under such indenture are outstanding, we will not, and will not permit any of our subsidiaries to, create or suffer to exist, except in favor of us or any of our subsidiaries, any lien on any principal property at any time owned by it, to secure any of our or any of our subsidiaries’ funded debt, unless effective provision is made whereby outstanding senior Offered Debt Securities will be equally and ratably secured with any and all such funded debt and with any other indebtedness similarly entitled to be equally and ratably secured. This restriction does not apply to prevent the creation or existence of any (1) acquisition lien or permitted encumbrance; or (2) lien created or assumed by us or any of our subsidiaries in connection with the issuance of Offered Debt Securities the interest on which is excludable from gross income of the holder of such Offered Debt Security pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for the purpose of financing, in whole or in part, the acquisition or construction of property or assets to be used by us or any of our subsidiaries. In case we or any of our subsidiaries propose to create or permit to exist a lien on any principal property at any time owned by it to secure any funded debt, other than funded debt permitted to be secured under clauses (1) or (2) above, we will give prior written notice thereof to the trustee. We also will, or will cause our subsidiary to, prior to or simultaneously with such creation or permission to exist, by supplemental indenture executed to the trustee (or to the extent legally necessary to another trustee or additional or separate trustee), in form satisfactory to the trustee, effectively secure all the senior Offered Debt Securities equally and ratably with such funded debt and any other indebtedness entitled to be equally and ratably secured.
Notwithstanding the above, we or any of our subsidiaries may issue, assume or guarantee funded debt secured by a lien which would otherwise be subject to the foregoing restrictions in an aggregate amount which, together with all other funded debt of ours or any of our subsidiaries secured by a lien which, if originally issued, assumed or guaranteed at such time, would otherwise be subject to the foregoing restrictions, not including funded debt permitted to be secured under clauses (1) or (2) above, does not at the time exceed 10% of our consolidated net tangible assets, as shown on our audited consolidated financial statements of as of the end of the fiscal year preceding the date of determination. (Section 1007 of the senior indenture.)
The term “subsidiary” is defined to mean a corporation more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by us or by one or more other subsidiaries, or by us and one or more other subsidiaries. (Section 101.)
The term “principal property” is defined to mean any property interest in oil and gas reserves located in the United States or offshore the United States and owned by us or any of our subsidiaries and which is capable of producing crude oil, condensate, natural gas, natural gas liquids or other similar hydrocarbon substances in