Exhibit 1.2
WHITE MOUNTAINS INSURANCE GROUP, LTD.
FUND AMERICAN COMPANIES, INC.
FORM OF UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
[Debt Securities]
[Note: Appropriate modifications will be made for other types of securities and
for issuances of securities by Fund American Companies, Inc. which will be
guaranteed by White Mountains Group Insurance, Ltd.]
[ ], 20[ ]
To the Representatives named in Schedule I hereto of the Underwriters named in
Schedule II hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., a company existing under the
laws of Bermuda (the "Company"), proposes to sell to the underwriters named in
Schedule II hereto (the "Underwriters"), for whom you (the "Representatives")
are acting as representatives, the principal amount of its securities identified
in Schedule I hereto (the "Securities"), to be issued under an indenture (the
"Indenture") dated as of [ ], 20[ ], between the Company and [ ],
as trustee (the "Trustee"). If the firm or firms listed in Schedule II hereto
include only the firm or firms listed in Schedule I hereto, then the terms
"Underwriters" and "Representatives", as used herein, shall each be deemed to
refer to such firm or firms. To the extent there are no additional Underwriters
listed on Schedule I other than you, the term Representatives as used herein
shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters
shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires. Any reference
herein to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary
Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include
the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3
which were filed under the Exchange Act on or before the Effective Date of the
Registration Statement or the issue date of the Basic Prospectus, any
Preliminary
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Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference
herein to the terms "amend", "amendment" or "supplement" with respect to the
Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus
or the Final Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of
any document under the Exchange Act after the Effective Date of the Registration
Statement or the issue date of the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final
Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be
incorporated therein by reference.
1. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Company represents and
warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this
Section 1. Certain terms used in this Section 1 are defined in Section 17
hereof.
(a) The Company meets the requirements for the use of Form S-3 under
the Act and has filed with the Commission a registration statement (the file
number of which is set forth in Schedule I hereto) on such Form, including a
basic prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the
Securities. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including
a Preliminary Final Prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to
you. The Company will next file with the Commission either (x) a final
prospectus supplement relating to the Securities in accordance with Rules 430A
and 424(b)(1) or (4), or (y) prior to the Effective Date of such registration
statement, an amendment to such registration statement, including the form of
final prospectus supplement. In the case of clause (x), the Company has included
in such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Date, all
information (other than Rule 430A Information) required by the Act and the rules
thereunder to be included in such registration statement and the Final
Prospectus. As filed, such final prospectus supplement or such amendment and
form of final prospectus supplement shall contain all Rule 430A Information,
together with all other such required information, and, except to the extent the
Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all
substantive respects in the form furnished to you prior to the Execution Time
or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such
specific additional information and other changes (beyond
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that contained in the Basic Prospectus and any Preliminary Final Prospectus) as
the Company has advised you, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or
made therein.
(b) On the Effective Date, the Registration Statement did or will,
and when the Final Prospectus is first filed (if required) in accordance with
Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Final Prospectus (and any supplement
thereto) will, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements
of the Act, the Exchange Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the respective
rules thereunder; on the Effective Date and at the Execution Time, the
Registration Statement did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; on the
Effective Date and on the Closing Date the Indenture did or will comply in all
material respects with the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act and the rules
thereunder; and, on the Effective Date, the Final Prospectus, if not filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b), will not, and on the date of any filing pursuant to
Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Final Prospectus (together with any
supplement thereto) will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to
(i) that part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statement
of Eligibility and Qualification (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of the
Trustee or (ii) the information contained in or omitted from the Registration
Statement or the Final Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon
and in conformity with information furnished herein or in writing to the Company
by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for
inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus (or any
supplement thereto).
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered
to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the
offering of the
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Securities shall be deemed solely to be a representation and warranty by the
Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
2. PURCHASE AND SALE. Subject to the terms and conditions and in
reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company
agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price set forth in
Schedule I hereto the principal amount of the Securities set forth opposite such
Underwriter's name in Schedule II hereto.
3. DELIVERY AND PAYMENT. Delivery of and payment for the Securities
shall be made on the date and at the time specified in Schedule I hereto (or at
such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the
foregoing date as the Representatives shall designate), which date and time may
be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as
provided in Section 8 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the
Securities being herein called the "Closing Date"). Delivery of the Securities
shall be made to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several
Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the
Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the
Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by
the Company. Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of
The Depository Trust Company unless the Representatives shall otherwise
instruct.
4. AGREEMENTS. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters
that:
(a) The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration
Statement, if not effective at the Execution Time, and any amendment
thereto, to become effective. Prior to the termination of the offering of
the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the
Registration Statement or supplement (including the Final Prospectus or
any Preliminary Final Prospectus) to the Basic Prospectus or any Rule
462(b) Registration Statement unless the Company has furnished you a copy
for your review prior
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to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to
which you reasonably object in writing. Subject to the foregoing sentence,
the Company will cause the Final Prospectus, properly completed, and any
supplement thereto to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the
applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed and
will provide evidence satisfactory to the Representatives of such timely
filing. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives (i) when the
Registration Statement, if not effective at the Execution Time, shall have
become effective, (ii) when the Final Prospectus, and any supplement
thereto, shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)
or when any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with
the Commission, (iii) when, prior to termination of the offering of the
Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been
filed or become effective, (iv) of any request by the Commission or its
staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, or any Rule 462(b)
Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Final Prospectus or
of any additional information, (v) of the issuance by the Commission of
any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement
or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and
(vi) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the
suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any
jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such
purpose. The Company will use its reasonable efforts to prevent the
issuance of any such stop order or the suspension of any such
qualification and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal
thereof.
(b) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is
required to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a result of
which the Final Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary
to make the statements
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therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not
misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration
Statement or supplement the Final Prospectus to comply with the Act or the
Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, the Company promptly will
(i) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence
of paragraph (a) of this Section 4, an amendment or supplement, or, if
appropriate, a filing under the Exchange Act, which will correct such
statement or omission or effect such compliance and (ii) supply any
supplemented Final Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may
reasonably request.
(c) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally
available to its security holders and to the Representatives an earnings
statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries which will
satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 under the
Act.
(d) The Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for
the Underwriters, without charge, copies of the Registration Statement
(including exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by
an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Act, as many copies of any
Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus and any supplement
thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will
pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating
to the offering.
(e) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of
the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the
Representatives may designate, will maintain such qualifications in effect
so long as required for the distribution of the Securities, will arrange
for the determination of the legality of the Securities for purchase by
institutional investors and will pay any fee of the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc., in connection with its review of the
offering, PROVIDED that the Company will not be required to file a consent
to service of process in any state in which it is not
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qualified or for which consent has not been given.
(f) Until the business date set forth on Schedule I hereto, the
Company will not, without the consent of [ ], offer, sell or contract to
sell, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction which is
designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition (whether
by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash
settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company or
any person in privity with the Company or any affiliate of the Company)
directly or indirectly, or announce the offering of, any debt securities
issued or guaranteed by the Company (other than the Securities).
5. CONDITIONS TO THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE UNDERWRITERS. The
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Underwriters' Securities shall
be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of
the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time and the Closing Date, to
the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant
to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations
hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) If the Registration Statement has not become effective prior to
the Execution Time, unless the Representatives agree in writing to a later
time, the Registration Statement will become effective not later than (i)
6:00 p.m. New York City time, on the date of determination of the public
offering price, if such determination occurred at or prior to 3:00 p.m.
New York City time on such date or (ii) 9:30 a.m. on the Business Day
following the day on which the public offering price was determined, if
such determination occurred after 3:00 p.m. New York City time on such
date; if filing of the Final Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is
required pursuant to Rule 424(b), the Final Prospectus, and any such
supplement, shall have been filed in the manner and
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within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been
issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or
threatened.
(b) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives the
opinion of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, counsel for the Company, and Conyers,
Dill & Pearman, Bermuda counsel for the Company, each dated the Closing
Date, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibits A and B,
respectively, and a 10b-5 statement from Cravath, Swaine & Moore,
substantially in the form of Exhibit C.
(c) The Representatives shall have received from [ ], counsel
for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date,
with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Indenture,
the Registration Statement, the Final Prospectus (together with any
supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives may
reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel
such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass
upon such matters.
(d) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a
certificate of the Company, signed by the Chairman of the Board or the
President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the
Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such
certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Final
Prospectus, any supplements to the Final Prospectus and this Agreement and
that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this
Agreement are true and correct in all material respects on and as of
the Closing Date with the same effect as if made on the Closing Date
and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied
all the conditions on
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its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing
Date;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that
purpose have been instituted or, to the Company's knowledge,
threatened; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements
included in the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement
thereto), there has been no material adverse change in the condition
(financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or
properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of
business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Final
Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(e) At the Closing Date, [ ] and [ ] shall
have furnished to the Representatives letters (which may refer to letters
previously delivered to one or more of the Representatives), dated as of
the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Representatives.
In addition, except as provided in Schedule I hereto, at the
Execution Time, [ ] shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter
or letters, dated as of the Execution Time, in form and substance satisfactory
to the Representatives, to the effect set forth above.
(f) Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of
which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any
amendment thereof) and the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement
thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified
in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (e) of this Section 5 or
(ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or
affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or
properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken
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as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary
course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the
Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) the effect of which, in
any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the sole judgment
of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impractical
or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities
as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment
thereof) and the Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(g) Subsequent to the Execution Time, there shall not have been any
decrease in the rating of any of the Company's debt securities by any
"nationally recognized statistical rating organization" (as defined for
purpose of Rule 436(g) under the Act) or any notice given of any intended
or potential decrease in any such rating or of a possible change in any
such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.
(h) The Company shall have caused the Securities to be eligible for
trading on [ ] upon issuance.
(i) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to
the Representatives such further information, certificates and documents
as the Representatives may reasonably request.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 5 shall not have
been fulfilled in all material respects when and as provided in this Agreement,
or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this
Agreement shall not be in all material respects reasonably satisfactory in form
and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, this
Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at,
or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such
cancelation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or
facsimile confirmed in writing.
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The documents required to be delivered by this Section 5 shall be
delivered at the office of [ ], counsel for the Underwriters, at
[ ], on the Closing Date.
6. REIMBURSEMENT OF UNDERWRITERS' EXPENSES. If the sale of the
Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the
obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 5 hereof is not satisfied,
because of any termination pursuant to Section 9 hereof or because of any
refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any
agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a
default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters
severally through [ ] on demand for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses
(including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been
incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the
Securities, but the Company shall not be liable in any event to any of the
Underwriters for damages on account of loss of anticipated profits from the sale
of the Securities.
7. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION. (a) The Company agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees
and agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter
within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all
losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any
of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or
state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out
of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of
the Securities as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in the Basic
Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, or in any
amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and
agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as reasonably incurred, for any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection
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with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or
action; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that with respect to any untrue statement or omission
of material fact made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the indemnity agreement
contained in this Section 8(a) shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter
from whom the person asserting any such loss, claim, damage or liability
purchased the securities concerned, to the extent that any such loss, claim,
damage or liability of such Underwriter occurs under the circumstance where it
shall have been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and
nonappealable judgment that (w) the Company had previously furnished copies of
the Final Prospectus to the Representatives, (x) delivery of the Final
Prospectus was required by the Act to be made to such person, (y) the untrue
statement or omission of a material fact contained in the Preliminary Prospectus
was corrected in the Final Prospectus and (z) there was not sent or given to
such person, at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of such
securities to such person, a copy of the Final Prospectus. This indemnity
agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise
have.
(b) Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless
the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the
Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the
meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the
foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with
reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the
Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives
specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing
indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which
any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the statements
set forth in [the [last]] paragraph of the cover page regarding delivery of the
Securities, the stabilization legend in block capital letters on page [2] and,
under the heading "Underwriting" or "Plan of Distribution", (i) the sentences
related to concessions and reallowances and (ii) the paragraph related to
stabilization
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in any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus constitute the only
information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for
inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this
Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party
under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the
commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i)
will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and
to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results
in the prejudice by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses
and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any
obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation
provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled
to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party's choice at the indemnifying
party's expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which
indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not
thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel
retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below);
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the
indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party's election to appoint
counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party
shall have the right to a total of one separate counsel (and, if reasonably
necessary, one additional local counsel) and the indemnifying party shall bear
the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use
of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party
would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the indemnifying
party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to
represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the
institution of such action or (iii) the indemnifying party shall authorize the
indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying
party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the
indemnified parties, settle or compromise or
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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 parties are
actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement,
compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified
party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding,
in which case such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b)
of this Section 7 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an
indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters agree to
contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or
defending same) (collectively "Losses") to which the Company and one or more of
the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by the Company and by the Underwriters from the
offering of the Securities; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in no case shall any
Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among underwriters
relating to the offering of the Securities) be responsible for any amount in
excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities
purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the
immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and
the Underwriters shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to
reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the
Company and of the Underwriters in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to
the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by
it, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the
total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the
cover page of the Final Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by
reference
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to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a
material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the
Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it
would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata
allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the
equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of
this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the
meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any
person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of
this Section 7, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of
either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and
agent of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such
Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of
either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have
signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have
the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the
applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
8. DEFAULT BY AN UNDERWRITER. If any one or more Underwriters shall
fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by
such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall
constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this
Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up
and pay for within 24 hours (in the respective proportions which the amount of
Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule II hereto bears to the
aggregate amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining
Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed but failed to purchase; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event that the
aggregate amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate amount of
Securities set forth in Schedule II hereto, the remaining
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Underwriters shall have the right to purchase within 24 hours all, but shall not
be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if such
nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this Agreement
will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the
Company. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this
Section 8, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding
five Business Days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the
required changes in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus or in
any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this
Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to
the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its
default hereunder.
9. TERMINATION. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in
the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice given to the Company
prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to
such time (i) trading in the Company's Common Stock shall have been suspended by
the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange or trading in securities generally
on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended or limited or minimum
prices shall have been established on such Exchange, (ii) a banking moratorium
shall have been declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or
(iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities,
declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or other
calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make
it, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impractical or inadvisable to
proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the
Final Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
10. REPRESENTATIONS AND INDEMNITIES TO SURVIVE. The respective
agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the
Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to
this Agreement will remain in full force and
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effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter
or the Company or any of the officers, directors or controlling persons referred
to in Section 7 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the
Securities. The provisions of Sections 6 and 7 hereof shall survive the
termination or cancelation of this Agreement.
11. NOTICES. All communications hereunder will be in writing and
effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed
or delivered to [ ]; or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed or
delivered to 80 South Main Street, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-2053, attention
of [ ] or faxed to [( ) ] and confirmed to it at
[( ) ], attention of [ ].
12. SUCCESSORS. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers
and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof, and no
other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term "successors"
shall not include any purchaser of the Securities merely because of such
purchase.
13. APPLICABLE LAW. This Agreement will be governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
14. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be signed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
15. HEADINGS. The section headings used herein are for convenience
only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
16. DEFINITIONS. The terms which follow, when used in this
Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
"Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
"Basic Prospectus" shall mean the prospectus referred to in
paragraph 1(a) above contained in the Registration Statement at the
Effective Date including,
<Page>
18
any Preliminary Final Prospectus.
"Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or
a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies
are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City or [ ].
"Effective Date" shall mean each date and time that the Registration
Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule
462(b) Registration Statement became or become effective.
"Exchange Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
"Execution Time" shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is
executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
"Final Prospectus" shall mean the form of final prospectus relating
to the Securities, including the Basic Prospectus, included in the
Registration Statement at the Effective Date.
"Preliminary Final Prospectus" shall mean any preliminary prospectus
supplement to the Basic Prospectus which describes the Securities and the
offering thereof and is used prior to filing of the Final Prospectus.
"Preliminary Prospectus" shall mean any preliminary prospectus
referred to in paragraph 1(a) above and any preliminary prospectus
included in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date that omits
Rule 430A Information.
"Registration Statement" shall mean the registration statement
referred to in paragraph 1(a) above, including exhibits and financial
statements, as amended at the Execution Time (or, if not effective at the
Execution Time, in the form in which it shall
<Page>
19
become effective) and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto
or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective prior to the
Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), shall also mean such registration
statement as so amended or such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, as the
case may be. Such term shall include any Rule 430A Information deemed to
be included therein at the Effective Date as provided by Rule 430A.
"Rule 424", "Rule 430A" and "Rule 462" refer to such rules under the
Act.
"Rule 430A Information" shall mean information with respect to the
Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the
Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A.
"Rule 462(b) Registration Statement" shall mean a registration
statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b)
relating to the offering covered by the initial registration statement.
"Trust Indenture Act" shall mean the Trust Indenture Act of 1934, as
amended.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our
agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon
this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the
Company and the several Underwriters.
Very truly yours,
White Mountains Insurance
Group, Ltd.
By:
[Title]
The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted
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20
as of the date specified in
Schedule I hereto.
[names of Representatives]
By:
By:
Vice President
For themselves and the other
several Underwriters, if any,
named in Schedule II to the
foregoing Agreement.
[or
[name of underwriters]
By:
Vice President
For itself and the other
several Underwriters, if any,
named in Schedule II to the
foregoing Agreement.]
<Page>
SCHEDULE I
Underwriting Agreement dated
Registration Statement No.
Representative(s):
Title, Purchase Price and Description of Securities:
Title:
Principal amount:
Purchase price
(include accrued interest
or amortization, if any):
Sinking fund provisions:
Redemption provisions:
Other provisions:
Closing Date, Time and Location:
Type of Offering:
Date referred to in Section 4(f) after which the Company may offer or sell debt
securities issued or guaranteed by the Company without the consent of the
Representative(s):
Modification of items to be covered by the letter from [ ] delivered
pursuant to Section 5(e) at the Execution Time:
<Page>
SCHEDULE II
<Table>
<Caption>
PRINCIPAL AMOUNT
OF SECURITIES TO
UNDERWRITERS BE PURCHASED
- ------------ ----------------
[names of Underwriters] $
Total $
</Table>
<Page>
EXHIBIT A
[Form of Opinion of Cravath, Swaine & Moore]
<Page>
EXHIBIT B
[Form of Opinion of Conyers, Dill & Pearman]
<Page>
EXHIBIT C
[Form of 10b-5 Statement of Cravath, Swaine & Moore]