SEC Filing | ALLETE, Inc.

Securities and Exchange Commission Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-Q (Mark One) /X/ Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the quarterly period ended March 31, 1996 or / / Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Commission File No. 1-3548 Minnesota Power & Light Company A Minnesota Corporation IRS Employer Identification No. 41-0418150 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Telephone - (218) 722-2641 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 and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes X No ----- ----- Common Stock, no par value, 31,673,778 shares outstanding as of April 30, 1996 Minnesota Power & Light Company Index Page Part I. Financial Information Item 1. Financial Statements Consolidated Balance Sheet - March 31, 1996 and December 31, 1995 1 Consolidated Statement of Income - Quarter ended March 31, 1996 and 1995 2 Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows - Quarter ended March 31, 1996 and 1995 3 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 4 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 8 Part II. Other Information Item 5. Other Information 10 Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K 11 Signatures 12 Definitions The following abbreviations or acronyms are used in the text. Abbreviation or Acronym Term - -------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ 1995 Form 10-K Minnesota Power's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 1995 ADESA ADESA Corporation Capital Re Capital Re Corporation Company Minnesota Power & Light Company and its Subsidiaries CPI Consolidated Papers, Inc. DRIP Automatic Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan ESOP Employee Stock Ownership Plan FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Heater Heater Utilities, Inc. Lehigh Lehigh Acquisition Corporation Minnesota Power Minnesota Power & Light Company and its Subsidiaries MW Megawatt(s) NOPR Notice of Proposed Rulemaking QUIPS Quarterly Income Preferred Securities Seabrook Heater of Seabrook, Inc. Square Butte Square Butte Electric Cooperative SSU Southern States Utilities, Inc. PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1. Financial Statements Minnesota Power Consolidated Balance Sheet In Thousands March 31, December 31, 1996 1995 Unaudited Audited - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assets Plant and Other Assets Electric operations $ 802,417 $ 800,477 Water operations 316,807 323,182 Automobile auctions 134,043 123,632 Investments 196,279 201,360 ----------- ----------- Total plant and other assets 1,449,546 1,448,651 ----------- ----------- Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents 60,270 31,577 Trading securities 45,955 40,007 Trade accounts receivable (less reserve of $3,716 and $3,325) 173,207 128,072 Notes and other accounts receivable 18,172 12,220 Fuel, material and supplies 22,799 26,383 Prepayments and other 14,213 13,706 ----------- ----------- Total current assets 334,616 251,965 ----------- ----------- Deferred Charges Regulatory 82,946 88,631 Other 26,438 25,037 ----------- ----------- Total deferred charges 109,384 113,668 ----------- ----------- Intangible Assets Goodwill 121,124 120,245 Other 13,038 13,096 ----------- ----------- Total intangible assets 134,162 133,341 ----------- ----------- Total Assets $ 2,027,708 $ 1,947,625 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capitalization and Liabilities Capitalization Common stock without par value, 65,000,000 shares authorized 31,647,679 and 31,467,650 shares outstanding $ 379,925 $ 377,684 Unearned ESOP shares (71,964) (72,882) Net unrealized gain on securities investments 819 3,206 Cumulative translation adjustment (191) (177) Retained earnings 278,665 276,241 ----------- ----------- Total common stock equity 587,254 584,072 Cumulative preferred stock 28,547 28,547 Redeemable serial preferred stock 20,000 20,000 Company obligated mandatorily redeemable preferred securities of MP&L Capital I 75,000 - Long-term debt 576,362 639,548 ----------- ----------- Total capitalization 1,287,163 1,272,167 ----------- ----------- Current Liabilities Accounts payable 101,615 68,083 Accrued taxes 62,334 40,999 Accrued interest and dividends 9,744 14,471 Notes payable 45,096 96,218 Long-term debt due within one year 68,821 9,743 Other 35,470 27,292 ----------- ----------- Total current liabilities 323,080 256,806 ----------- ----------- Deferred Credits Accumulated deferred income taxes 162,532 164,737 Contributions in aid of construction 96,467 98,167 Regulatory 57,221 57,950 Other 101,245 97,798 ----------- ----------- Total deferred credits 417,465 418,652 ----------- ----------- Total Capitalization and Liabilities $ 2,027,708 $ 1,947,625 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement. -1- Minnesota Power Consolidated Statement of Income In Thousands Except Per Share Amounts - Unaudited Quarter Ended March 31, 1996 1995 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Revenue and Income Electric operations $ 131,501 $ 120,754 Water operations 19,227 15,600 Automobile auctions 39,693 - Investments 12,255 10,332 ----------- ----------- Total operating revenue and income 202,676 146,686 ----------- ----------- Operating Expenses Fuel and purchased power 43,643 40,310 Operations 86,030 62,142 Administrative and general 33,792 18,459 Interest expense 14,160 11,100 ----------- ----------- Total operating expenses 177,625 132,011 ----------- ----------- Income (Loss) from Equity Investments 3,777 (6,271) ----------- ----------- Operating Income from Continuing Operations 28,828 8,404 Income Tax Expense (Benefit) 10,324 (15,401) ----------- ----------- Income from Continuing Operations 18,504 23,805 Income from Discontinued Operations - 1,652 ----------- ----------- Net Income 18,504 25,457 Dividends on Preferred Stock 800 800 Distributions on Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Preferred Securities of MP&L Capital I 201 - ----------- ----------- Earnings Available for Common Stock $ 17,503 $ 24,657 =========== =========== Average Shares of Common Stock 28,786 28,368 Earnings Per Share of Common Stock Continuing operations $ .61 $ .81 Discontinued operations - .06 ----- ----- Total $ .61 $ .87 ===== ===== Dividends Per Share of Common Stock $ .51 $ .51 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement. -2- Minnesota Power Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows In Thousands - Unaudited Quarter Ended March 31, 1996 1995 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating Activities Net income $ 18,504 $ 25,457 Depreciation and amortization 16,216 13,766 Deferred income taxes (742) (17,415) Deferred investment tax credits (623) (620) Pre-tax gain on sale of plant (1,073) - Changes in operating assets and liabilities Trading securities (5,948) 2,336 Notes and accounts receivable (45,776) 8,763 Fuel, material and supplies 3,584 (1,613) Accounts payable 33,532 (7,052) Other current assets and liabilities 24,078 16,104 Other - net 5,342 3,698 --------- -------- Cash from operating activities 47,094 43,424 --------- -------- Investing Activities Proceeds from sale of investments in securities 7,849 26,466 Additions to investments (4,449) (20,042) Additions to plant (25,427) (17,027) Changes to other assets - net 250 1,035 --------- -------- Cash for investing activities (21,777) (9,568) --------- -------- Financing Activities Issuance of common stock 4,546 829 Issuance of long-term debt 77,108 305 Issuance of Company obligated mandatorily redeemable preferred securities of MP&L Capital I - net 72,638 - Changes in notes payable (53,821) (23,931) Reductions of long-term debt (81,217) (989) Dividends on preferred and common stock (15,878) (15,720) --------- -------- Cash from (for) financing activities 3,376 (39,506) --------- -------- Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents 28,693 (5,650) Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period 31,577 27,001 --------- -------- Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period $ 60,270 $ 21,351 ========= ======== Supplemental Cash Flow Information Cash paid during the period for Interest (net of capitalized) $ 17,781 $ 16,616 Income taxes $ 2,844 $ 982 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement. -3- Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the Company's 1995 Form 10-K. In the opinion of the Company, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods have been included. The results of operations for an interim period may not give a true indication of results for the year. The income statement information for prior periods has been reclassified to reflect the discontinuance of the paper and pulp business. Financial statement information may not be comparable between periods due to the purchase of ADESA on July 1, 1995. Note 1. Business Segments In Thousands

-4- Note 2. Securities Investments

The net unrealized gain on securities investments on the balance sheet also includes the Company's share of Capital Re's unrealized holding gains of $1.7 million at March 31, 1996 and $4.1 million at December 31, 1995. Quarter Ended March 31, 1996 1995 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Thousands Trading securities Change in net unrealized holding gain included in earnings $ 856 $ 778 Available-for-sale securities Proceeds from sales $ 7,849 $ 26,466 Gross realized gains $ 105 $ 274 Gross realized (losses) $ (367) $ (419) Note 3. Square Butte Purchased Power Contract The Company has a contract to purchase power and energy from Square Butte. Under the terms of the contract which extends through 2007, the Company is purchasing 71 percent of the output from a generating plant which is capable of generating up to 470 MW. Reductions to about 49 percent of the output are provided for in the contract and, at the option of Square Butte, could begin after a five-year advance notice to the Company. The cost of the power and energy is a proportionate share of Square Butte's fixed obligations and variable operating costs, based on the percentage of the total output purchased by the Company. The annual fixed obligations of the Company to Square Butte are $19.4 million from 1996 through 2000. The variable operating costs are not incurred unless production takes place. The Company is responsible for paying all costs and expenses of Square Butte if not paid by Square Butte when due. These obligations and responsibilities of the Company are absolute and unconditional whether or not any power is actually delivered to the Company. -5- Note 4. Income Tax Expense Quarter Ended March 31, Schedule of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) 1996 1995 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Thousands Charged to continuing operations Current tax Federal $ 8,859 $ 5,402 Foreign (101) - State 2,931 (1,449) --------- --------- 11,689 3,953 --------- --------- Deferred tax Federal (12) (73) State (730) (261) --------- --------- (742) (334) --------- --------- Change in valuation allowance - (18,400) --------- Deferred tax credits (623) (620) --------- --------- Income tax - continuing operations 10,324 (15,401) --------- --------- Charged to discontinued operations Current tax Federal - (106) State - (17) --------- --------- - (123) --------- --------- Deferred tax Federal - 1,018 State - 301 --------- --------- - 1,319 --------- --------- Income tax - discontinued operations - 1,196 --------- --------- Total income tax expense (benefit) $ 10,324 $ (14,205) ========= ========= In March 1995 based on the results of a project which analyzed the economic feasibility of realizing future tax benefits available to the Company, the board of directors of Lehigh directed the management of Lehigh to dispose of Lehigh's assets in a manner that would maximize utilization of tax benefits. Based on this directive, Lehigh recognized $18.4 million of income in the first quarter of 1995 by reducing the valuation reserve which offsets deferred tax assets. Additional unrealized net deferred tax assets resulting from the original purchase of Lehigh of $8.2 million are included on the Company's balance sheet. These assets are fully offset by the deferred tax asset valuation allowance because under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes," it is currently "more likely than not" that the value of these assets will not be realized. Management reviews the appropriateness of the valuation allowance quarterly. -6- Note 5. Discontinued Operations On June 30, 1995 Minnesota Power sold its interest in the paper and pulp business. The financial results of the paper and pulp business, including the loss on disposition, have been accounted for as discontinued operations. Quarter Ended March 31, Summary of Discontinued Operations 1996 1995 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Thousands Operating revenue and income - $ 22,039 ========= Equity in earnings - $ 1,821 ========= Income from operations - $ 2,848 Income tax expense - 1,196 --------- Income from discontinued operations - $ 1,652 ========= The Company is still committed to a maximum guaranty of $95 million to ensure a portion of a $33.4 million annual lease obligation for paper mill equipment under an operating lease extending to 2012. The purchaser of the Company's paper and pulp business, CPI, has agreed to indemnify the Company for any payments the Company may make as a result of the Company's obligation relating to this operating lease. Note 6. Mandatorily Redeemable Preferred Securities of MP&L Capital I MP&L Capital I (Trust) was established as a wholly owned business trust of the Company for the purpose of issuing common and preferred securities (Trust Securities). On March 20, 1996 the Trust publicly issued three million 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (QUIPS), representing preferred beneficial interests in the assets held by the Trust, indirectly resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $72.6 million. Holders of the QUIPS are entitled to receive quarterly distributions at an annual rate of 8.05 percent of the liquidation preference value of $25 per security. The Company is the owner of all the common trust securities, which constitute approximately 3 percent of the aggregate liquidation amount of all the Trust Securities. The sole asset of the Trust is $77.5 million of 8.05% Junior Subordinated Debentures, Series A, Due 2015 (Subordinated Debentures) issued by the Company, interest on which is deductible by the Company for income tax purposes. The Trust will use interest payments received on the Subordinated Debentures it holds to make the quarterly cash distributions on the QUIPS. The QUIPS are subject to mandatory redemption upon repayment of the Subordinated Debentures at maturity or upon redemption. The Company has the option at any time on or after March 20, 2001, to redeem the Subordinated Debentures, in whole or in part. The Company also has the option, upon the occurrence of certain events, (i) to redeem at any time the Subordinated Debentures, in whole but not in part, which would result in the redemption of all the Trust Securities, or (ii) to terminate the Trust and cause the pro rata distribution of the Subordinated Debentures to the holders of the Trust Securities. In addition to the Company's obligations under the Subordinated Debentures, the Company has guaranteed, on a subordinated basis, payment of distributions on the Trust Securities, to the extent the Trust has funds available to pay such distributions, and has agreed to pay all of the expenses of the Trust (such additional obligations collectively, the Back-up Undertakings). Considered together, the Back-up Undertakings constitute a full and unconditional guarantee by the Company of the Trust's obligations under the QUIPS. -7- Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Minnesota Power has operations in four business segments: (1) electric operations, which include electric and gas services, and coal mining; (2) water operations, which include water and wastewater services; (3) automobile auctions, which also include a finance company and an auto transport company; and (4) investments, which include real estate operations in Florida, a 21 percent equity investment in a financial guaranty reinsurance company, and a securities portfolio. Earnings per share of common stock for the quarter ended March 31, 1996 were 61 cents compared to 87 cents for the quarter ended March 31, 1995. All four business segments were profitable for the first quarter ended March 31, 1996. Increased electric sales, a gain in water operations and improvement in real estate operations, excluding the recognition of tax benefits in 1995, were contributing factors to 1996 earnings. Higher earnings in 1995 were attributed to the 52 cent per share recognition of tax benefits associated with real estate operations. Earnings in 1995 also reflect an 18 cent per share provision associated with exiting the truck-mounted lifting equipment business. Quarter Ended March 31, Earnings Per Share 1996 1995 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Continuing Operations Electric Operations $ .41 $ .35 Water Operations .03 .00 Automobile Auctions .03 - Investments Portfolio and reinsurance .17 .22 Real estate .11 .53 ----- ----- .28 .75 Corporate Charges and Other (.14) (.29) ----- ----- Total Continuing Operations .61 .81 Discontinued Operations - .06 ----- ----- Total Earnings Per Share $ .61 $ .87 ===== ===== Results of Operations Comparison of the Quarter Ended March 31, 1996 and 1995. Electric operations. Operating revenue and income from electric operations were higher in 1996 compared to 1995 due to a 14 percent increase in total kilowatt-hours sales. The increase in sales is attributed primarily to the Company's ability to market energy to other power suppliers. Extreme winter weather in 1996 compared to the milder winter in 1995 also increased sales. Revenue from electric sales to taconite customers accounted for 31 percent of electric operating revenue in 1996 compared to 36 percent in 1995. Electric sales to paper and other wood-products companies accounted for 11 percent of electric operating revenue in 1996 and 13 percent in 1995. Sales to other power suppliers accounted for 5 percent of electric operating revenue in 1996 compared to only 1 percent in 1995. Water operations. Operating revenue and income from water operations were higher in 1996 due to the $1.1 million pre-tax gain from the sale of Seabrook's assets in South Carolina, the addition of 17,000 new water and wastewater customers as a result of the December 1995 purchase of the assets of Orange Osceola Utilities in Florida, and SSU's implementation of a $7.9 million interim rate increase effective January 23, 1996. -8- Automobile Auctions. Automobile auction operations were profitable despite severe winter weather on the east coast which limited auction sales in January 1996. New auctions began operations at Jacksonville, Florida and Newark, New Jersey during the first quarter of 1996. Consolidated operating expenses in 1996 are significantly higher due to the inclusion of ADESA's operations following its purchase by the Company in July 1995. Investments. - Securities Portfolio and Reinsurance. The Company's securities portfolio and reinsurance performed well in 1996. The portfolio produced less earnings in 1996 because its balance was smaller as a result of the sale of a portion of the portfolio to fund the purchase of ADESA. - Real Estate Operations. Revenue in 1996 includes $3.7 million from the sale of Lehigh's joint venture in a resort and golf course. In 1995 $18.4 million of tax benefits were recognized by Lehigh. The Company's portion of the tax benefits reflected as net income was $14.7 million, or 52 cents per share. Corporate Charges and Other. In March 1995 the Company recorded a $5 million provision, lowering earnings per share by 18 cents, in anticipation of exiting the truck-mounted lifting equipment business. Discontinued Operations. Income from discontinued operations in 1995 reflects the operating results of the paper and pulp business which was sold in June 1995. Liquidity and Financial Position Reference is made to the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 1996 and 1995, for purposes of the following discussion. Automobile auction operations, which were acquired in July 1, 1995, are included in the three months ended March 31, 1996. Cash flow activities. Cash from operating activities was affected by a number of factors representative of normal operations. Working capital, if and when needed, generally is provided by the sale of commercial paper. In addition, securities investments can be liquidated to provide funds for reinvestment in existing businesses or acquisition of new businesses, and approximately 500,000 original issue shares of common stock are available for issuance through the DRIP. MP&L Capital I (Trust) was established as a wholly owned business trust of the Company for the purpose of issuing common and preferred securities. On March 20, 1996 the Trust publicly issued three million 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (QUIPS), representing preferred beneficial interests in the assets held by the Trust, indirectly resulting in net proceeds to the Company of $72.6 million. The net proceeds to the Company were used to retire approximately $56 million of commercial paper and approximately $17 million will be used to redeem all of the outstanding shares of the Company's Serial Preferred Stock, $7.36 Series, on May 13, 1996. Capital requirements. Consolidated capital expenditures for the three months ended March 31, 1996 totaled $29.3 million. These expenditures include $11.2 million for electric operations, $3.6 million for water operations and $14.5 million for automobile auction operations. Internally generated funds were the primary source for funding these expenditures. -9- PART II. OTHER INFORMATION Item 5. Other Information Reference is made to the Company's 1995 Form 10-K for background information on the following updates. Unless otherwise indicated, cited references are to the Company's 1995 Form 10-K. Ref. Page 9. - Second Full Paragraph and Page 13 - Fourth Full Paragraph On May 1, 1996 the FERC issued an Order on Rehearing for the St. Louis River Project (Project). The FERC directed the Company to negotiate with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa a reasonable annual charge for the use of tribal lands within the Project. With respect to the Company's arguments regarding the generating capacity that will be lost as a result of certain license terms and conditions mandated by the FERC to mitigate environment consequences of the Project, the FERC determined that not enough evidence was provided to alter the FERC's original analysis of the anticipated impact of such mandates on the generating capacity. The FERC extended the license term from 30 to 40 years because of the anticipated impact of such mandates. The Company estimates that the revenue from this Project will be reduced by approximately $1 million on an annual basis as a result of the license terms. Ref. Page 9. - Last Paragraph On March 29, 1996 the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved a $451,000, or 1.1 percent, increase in rates, with an 11.6 percent return on equity for the Company's wholly owned subsidiary Superior Water, Light and Power Company. Final rates were effective March 30, 1996. Ref. Page 10. - Fourth Paragraph On April 24, 1996 the FERC issued two final rules and a NOPR. The first rule, Order No. 888, addresses both open access to transmission lines for wholesale transactions and stranded cost issues. The second rule, Order No. 889, requires utilities to establish electronic systems to share information about available transmission capacity and establishes standards of conduct. The NOPR, "Capacity Reservation Open Access Transmission Tariffs," proposes to establish a new system for utilities to use in reserving capacity on their own and others' transmission lines. The new and proposed rules are designed to facilitate competition in the electric industry, lower prices and provide more choices to energy customers. In anticipation of the new rules, the Company filed an open access transmission tariff for wholesale service on April 16, 1996 with the FERC. This filing will allow the Company to have a current cost-based tariff in place for any new open access transmission customers requesting service on Minnesota Power's system. The tariff is expected to be effective 60 days after the filing date with the revenue subject to refund pending final approval of the rates. -10- Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K (a) Exhibits 4(a) Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated as of March 1, 1996, relating to MP&L Capital I's 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities, between the Company, as Depositor, and The Bank of New York, The Bank of New York (Delaware), Philip R. Halverson, David G. Gartzke and James K. Vizanko, as Trustees. 4(b) Amendment No. 1, dated April 11, 1996, to Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated as of March 1, 1996, relating to MP&L Capital I's 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities. 4(c) Indenture, dated as of March 1, 1996, relating to the Company's 8.05% Junior Subordinated Debentures, Series A, Due 2015, between the Company and The Bank of New York, as Trustee. 4(d) Guarantee Agreement, dated as of March 1, 1996, relating to MP&L Capital I's 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities, between the Company, as Guarantor, and The Bank of New York, as Trustee. 4(e) Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities, dated as of March 20, 1996, relating to MP&L Capital I's 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities, between the Company and MP&L Capital I. 27 Financial Data Schedule * 99 The consolidated financial statements of ADESA Corporation for the quarter ended March 31, 1995 (filed as exhibit 99(b) to Form 8-K dated July 12 ,1995, File No. 1-3548). - --------------------------- * Incorporated herein by reference as indicated. (b) Reports on Form 8-K Report on Form 8-K dated and filed April 9, 1996 with respect to Item 5. Other Events. -11- Signatures Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. Minnesota Power & Light Company ------------------------------- (Registrant) May 10, 1996 D. G. Gartzke ------------------------------- D. G. Gartzke Senior Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer May 10, 1996 Mark A. Schober ------------------------------- Mark A. Schober Corporate Controller

Exhibit 4(a) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AMENDED AND RESTATED TRUST AGREEMENT between MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY, as Depositor and THE BANK OF NEW YORK, THE BANK OF NEW YORK (DELAWARE), PHILIP R. HALVERSON, DAVID G. GARTZKE, and JAMES K. VIZANKO, as Trustees Dated as of March 1, 1996 MP&L CAPITAL I - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MP&L Capital I Certain Sections of this Trust Agreement relating to Sections 310 through 318 of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939: Trust Indenture Trust Agreement Act Section Section - --------------- ---------------- Section 310(a)(1) .............................. 8.07 (a)(2) .............................. 8.07 (a)(3) .............................. 8.09 (a)(4) .............................. Not Applicable (b) .............................. 8.08 Section 311(a) .............................. 8.13 (b) .............................. 8.13 Section 312(a) .............................. 5.07 (b) .............................. 5.07 (c) .............................. 5.07 Section 313(a) .............................. 8.14(a) (a)(4) .............................. 8.14(b) (b) .............................. 8.14(b) (c) .............................. 8.14(a) (d) .............................. 8.14(a), 8.14(b) Section 314(a) .............................. Not Applicable (b) .............................. Not Applicable (c)(1) .............................. Not Applicable (c)(2) .............................. Not Applicable (c)(3) .............................. Not Applicable (d) .............................. Not Applicable (e) .............................. Not Applicable Section 315(a) .............................. 8.01 (b) .............................. 8.02, 8.14(b) (c) .............................. 8.01(a) (d) .............................. 8.01, 8.03 (e) .............................. Not Applicable Section 316(a) .............................. Not Applicable (a)(1)(A) .............................. Not Applicable (a)(1)(B) .............................. Not Applicable (a)(2) .............................. Not Applicable (b) .............................. Not Applicable (c) .............................. Not Applicable Section 317(a)(1) .............................. Not Applicable (a)(2) .............................. Not Applicable (b) .............................. 5.09 Section 318(a) .............................. 10.10 Note: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of the Trust Agreement. TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLE I. Defined Terms Section 1.01. Definitions....................................... 2 ARTICLE II. Establishment of the Trust Section 2.01. Name............................................... 11 Section 2.02. Office of the Delaware Trustee; Principal Place of Business................................. 11 Section 2.03. Initial Contribution of Trust Property; Organizational Expenses........................... 11 Section 2.04. Issuance of the Preferred Securities............... 11 Section 2.05. Subscription and Purchase of Debentures; Issuance of the Common Securities................. 11 Section 2.06. Declaration of Trust; Appointment of Additional Administrative Trustees .......................... 12 Section 2.07. Authorization to Enter into Certain Transactions... 12 Section 2.08. Assets of Trust.................................... 16 Section 2.09. Title to Trust Property............................ 16 ARTICLE III. Payment Account Section 3.01. Payment Account.................................... 16 ARTICLE IV. Distributions; Redemption Section 4.01. Distributions...................................... 17 Section 4.02. Redemption......................................... 18 Section 4.03. Subordination of Common Securities................. 20 Section 4.04. Payment Procedures................................. 20 Section 4.05. Tax Returns and Reports............................ 20 Section 4.06. Payments under Indenture........................... 21 ARTICLE V. Trust Securities Certificates Section 5.01. Initial Ownership.................................. 21 Section 5.02. The Trust Securities Certificates.................. 21 Section 5.03. Execution and Delivery of Trust Securities Certificates...................................... 22 Section 5.04. Registration of Transfer and Exchange of Preferred Securities Certificates ................ 22 Section 5.05. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Trust Securities Certificates .......................... 23 Section 5.06. Persons Deemed Securityholders..................... 23 Section 5.07. Access to List of Securityholders' Names and Addresses..................................... 23 Section 5.08. Maintenance of Office or Agency.................... 24 Section 5.09. Appointment of Paying Agent........................ 24 Section 5.10. Ownership of Common Securities by Depositor........ 25 Section 5.11. Definitive Preferred Securities Certificates....... 25 Section 5.12. Book-Entry System.................................. 25 Section 5.13. Rights of Securityholders.......................... 26 ARTICLE VI. Acts of Securityholders; Meetings; Voting Section 6.01. Limitations on Voting Rights....................... 26 Section 6.02. Notice of Meetings................................. 28 Section 6.03. Meetings of Holders of Preferred Securities........ 28 Section 6.04. Voting Rights...................................... 28 Section 6.05. Proxies, etc....................................... 28 Section 6.06. Securityholder Action by Written Consent........... 29 Section 6.07. Record Date for Voting and Other Purposes.......... 29 Section 6.08. Acts of Securityholders............................ 29 Section 6.09. Inspection of Records.............................. 30 ARTICLE VII. Representations and Warranties of the Property Trustee and the Delaware Trustee Section 7.01. Property Trustee................................... 30 Section 7.02. Delaware Trustee................................... 31 ARTICLE VIII. The Trustees Section 8.01. Certain Duties and Responsibilities................ 32 Section 8.02. Notice of Defaults................................. 33 Section 8.03. Certain Rights of Property Trustee................. 33 Section 8.04. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities........................................ 36 Section 8.05. May Hold Securities................................ 36 Section 8.06. Compensation; Fees; Indemnity...................... 36 Section 8.07. Certain Trustees Required; Eligibility............. 37 Section 8.09. Co-Trustees and Separate Trustee................... 38 Section 8.10. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.. 39 Section 8.11. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor............. 41 Section 8.12. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business....................................... 41 Section 8.13. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Depositor or Trust................................ 41 Section 8.14. Reports by Property Trustee........................ 42 Section 8.15. Reports to the Property Trustee.................... 42 Section 8.16. Evidence of Compliance With Conditions Precedent... 42 Section 8.17. Number of Trustees................................. 42 Section 8.18. Delegation of Power................................ 43 Section 8.19. Fiduciary Duty..................................... 43 ARTICLE IX. Termination and Liquidation Section 9.01. Termination Upon Expiration Date................... 44 Section 9.02. Early Termination.................................. 44 Section 9.03. Termination........................................ 45 Section 9.04. Liquidation........................................ 45 ARTICLE X. Miscellaneous Provisions Section 10.01. Guarantee by the Depositor and Assumption of Obligations.................................. 47 Section 10.02. Limitation of Rights of Securityholders........... 47 Section 10.03. Amendment......................................... 47 Section 10.04. Separability...................................... 49 Section 10.05. Governing Law..................................... 49 Section 10.06. Successors........................................ 49 Section 10.07. Headings.......................................... 49 Section 10.08. Notice and Demand................................. 49 Section 10.09. Agreement Not to Petition......................... 50 Section 10.10. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act................. 50 AMENDED AND RESTATED TRUST AGREEMENT, dated as of March 1, 1996, between (i) Minnesota Power & Light Company, a Minnesota corporation (the "Depositor"), (ii) The Bank of New York, a banking corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of New York, as trustee (the "Property Trustee" and, in its separate capacity and not in its capacity as Property Trustee, the "Bank"), (iii) The Bank of New York (Delaware), a banking corporation duly organized under the laws of Delaware, as trustee (the "Delaware Trustee") and (iv) Philip R. Halverson, David G. Gartzke and James K. Vizanko, each an individual, as trustee, and each of whose address is c/o Minnesota Power & Light Company, 30 West Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802 (each, an "Administrative Trustee" and collectively the "Administrative Trustees") (the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee and the Administrative Trustees referred to collectively as the "Trustees") and (v) the several Holders, as hereinafter defined. W I T N E S S E T H: - - - - - - - - - - WHEREAS, the Depositor, the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee and Philip R. Halverson, as the Administrative Trustee, have heretofore duly declared and established a business trust pursuant to the Delaware Business Trust Act by the entering into of that certain Trust Agreement, dated as of February 15, 1996 (the "Original Trust Agreement"), and by the execution by the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee and Philip R. Halverson, as Administrative Trustee and filing with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware of the Certificate of Trust, dated February 15, 1996, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit A; and WHEREAS, the Depositor, the Property Trustee, Delaware Trustee and Philip R. Halverson, as Administrative Trustee, desire to amend and restate the Original Trust Agreement in its entirety as set forth herein to provide for, among other things, (i) the acquisition by the Trust from the Depositor of all of the right, title and interest in the Debentures, (ii) the issuance of the Common Securities by the Trust to the Depositor, (iii) the issuance of the Preferred Securities by the Trust and (iv) the appointment of additional Administrative Trustees of the Trust; NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the agreements and obligations set forth herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, each party, for the benefit of the other party and for the benefit of the Securityholders, hereby amends and restates the Original Trust Agreement in its entirety and agrees as follows: ARTICLE I. Defined Terms Section 1.01. Definitions. For all purposes of this Trust Agreement, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires: (a) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article and include the plural as well as the singular; (b) all other terms used herein that are defined in the Trust Indenture Act, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein; (c) unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to an "Article" or a "Section" refers to an Article or a Section, as the case may be, of this Trust Agreement; and (d) the words "herein", "hereof" and "hereunder" and other words of similar import refer to this Trust Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision. "Act" has the meaning specified in Section 6.08. "Additional Amount" means, with respect to Trust Securities of a given Liquidation Amount and/or a given period, the amount of Additional Interest (as defined in the Subordinated Indenture) paid by the Depositor on a Like Amount of Debentures for such period. "Administrative Trustee" means each of the individuals identified as an "Administrative Trustee" in the preamble to this Trust Agreement solely in their capacities as Administrative Trustees of the Trust created hereunder and not in their individual capacities, or such trustee's successor in interest in such capacity, or any successor trustee appointed as herein provided. "Affiliate" of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, "control" when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have meanings correlative to the foregoing. "Bank" has the meaning specified in the preamble to this Trust Agreement. -2- "Bankruptcy Event" means, with respect to any Person: (i) the entry of a decree or order by a court having jurisdiction in the premises judging such Person a bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as properly filed a petition seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjudication or composition of or in respect of such Person under Federal bankruptcy law or any other applicable Federal or State law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee sequestrator or other similar official of such Person or of any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days; or (ii) the institution by such Person of proceedings to be adjudicated a bankrupt or insolvent, or of the consent by it to the institution of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings against it, or the filing by it of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under Federal bankruptcy law or any other applicable Federal or State law, or the consent by it to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of such Person or of any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the admission by it in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due. "Bankruptcy Laws" has the meaning specified in Section 10.09. "Board Resolution" means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Depositor to have been duly adopted by the Depositor's Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee thereof and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, and delivered to the appropriate Trustee. "Business Day" means a day other than (x) a Saturday or a Sunday, (y) a day on which banks in New York, New York are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to remain closed or (z) a day on which the Property Trustee's Corporate Trust Office or the Debenture Trustee's principal corporate trust office is closed for business. "Certificate of Trust" has the meaning specified in Section 2.07(d). "Clearing Agency" means an organization registered as a "clearing agency" pursuant to Section 17A of the Exchange Act. "Closing Date" means the date of delivery of this Trust Agreement. "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. -3- "Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Exchange Act, or, if at any time after the execution of this instrument such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties at such time. "Common Security" means an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust having a Liquidation Amount of $25 and having the rights provided therefor in this Trust Agreement, including the right to receive Distributions and a Liquidation Distribution as provided herein. "Common Securities Certificate" means a certificate evidencing ownership of Common Securities, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit B. "Corporate Trust Office" means the principal corporate trust office of the Property Trustee located in New York, New York. "Covered Person" means:(a) any officer, director, shareholder, partner, member, representative, employee or agent of the Trust or the Trust's Affiliates; and (b) any Holder of Trust Securities. "Debenture Event of Default" means an "Event of Default" as defined in the Subordinated Indenture. "Debenture Issuer" means Minnesota Power & Light Company, a Minnesota corporation, in its capacity as issuer of the Debentures. "Debenture Redemption Date" means "Redemption Date" as defined in the Subordinated Indenture with respect to the Debentures. "Debenture Trustee" means The Bank of New York, as trustee under the Subordinated Indenture. "Debentures" means the $77,500,000 aggregate principal amount of the Depositor's 8.05% Junior Subordinated Debentures, Series A, Due 2015, issued pursuant to the Subordinated Indenture. "Definitive Preferred Securities Certificates" means Preferred Securities Certificates issued in certificated, fully registered form as provided in Section 5.11. "Delaware Business Trust Act" means Chapter 38 of Title 12 of the Delaware Code, 12 Del. Code Section 3801 et seq., as it may be amended from time to time. "Delaware Trustee" means the banking corporation identified as the "Delaware Trustee" in the preamble to this Trust Agreement solely in its capacity as Delaware Trustee -4- of the Trust formed hereunder and not in its individual capacity, or its successor in interest in such capacity, or any successor trustee appointed as herein provided. "Depositor" has the meaning specified in the preamble to this Trust Agreement. "Distribution Date" has the meaning specified in Section 4.01(a). "Distributions" means amounts payable in respect of the Trust Securities as provided in Section 4.01. "Early Termination Event" has the meaning specified in Section 9.02. "Event of Default" 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): (i) the occurrence of a Debenture Event of Default; or (ii) default by the Trust in the payment of any Distribution when it becomes due and payable, and continuation of such default for a period of 30 days; or (iii) default by the Trust in the payment of any Redemption Price, plus accumulated and unpaid distributions of any Trust Security when it becomes due and payable; or (iv) default in the performance, or breach, in any material respect of any covenant or warranty of the Trustees in this Trust Agreement (other than a covenant or warranty a default in whose performance or breach is specifically dealt with in clause (ii) or (iii), 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 Trust by the Holders of at least 10% in Liquidation Amount of the Outstanding Preferred 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 (v) the occurrence of a Bankruptcy Event with respect to the Trust. "Exchange Act" has the meaning specified in Section 2.07(c). -5- "Expense Agreement" means the Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities between the Depositor and the Trust, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit C, as amended from time to time. "Expiration Date" shall have the meaning specified in Section 9.01. "Guarantee" means the Guarantee Agreement executed and delivered by the Depositor and The Bank of New York, a New York banking corporation, as trustee, contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Trust Agreement, for the benefit of the Holders of the Preferred Securities, as amended from time to time. "Indemnified Person" means any Trustee, any Affiliate of any Trustee, or any officer, director, shareholder, member, partner, employee, representative or agent of any Trustee, or any employee or agent of the Trust or its Affiliates. "Investment Company Event" means the occurrence of a change in law or regulation or a change in interpretation or application of law or regulation by any legislative body, court, governmental agency or regulatory authority to the effect that the Trust is or will be considered an "investment company" that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which change in law becomes effective on or after the date of original issuance of the Preferred Securities. "Lien" means any lien, pledge, charge, encumbrance, mortgage, deed of trust, adverse ownership interest, hypothecation, assignment, security interest or preference, priority or other security agreement or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever. "Like Amount" means (i) Trust Securities having a Liquidation Amount equal to the principal amount of Debentures to be contemporaneously redeemed in accordance with the Subordinated Indenture and the proceeds of which will be used to pay the Redemption Price of such Trust Securities plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment and (ii) Debentures having a principal amount equal to the Liquidation Amount of the Trust Securities of the Holder to whom such Debentures are distributed. "Liquidation Amount" means the stated amount of $25 per Trust Security. "Liquidation Date" means the date on which Debentures are to be distributed to Holders of Trust Securities in connection with a termination and liquidation of the Trust pursuant to Section 9.04(a). "Liquidation Distribution" has the meaning specified in Section 9.04(e). "Offer" has the meaning specified in Section 2.07(c). -6- "Officers' Certificate" means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, a Vice Chairman of the Board, the President or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, of the Depositor, and delivered to the appropriate Trustee. One of the officers signing an Officers' Certificate given pursuant to Section 8.16 shall be the principal executive, financial or accounting officer of the Depositor. Any Officers' Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Trust Agreement shall include: (a) a statement that each officer signing the Officers' 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 Officers' 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. "Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Trust, the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee or the Depositor, but not an employee of the Trust, the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee or the Depositor, and who shall be reasonably acceptable to the Property Trustee. "Original Trust Agreement" has the meaning specified in the recitals to this Trust Agreement. "Outstanding," when used with respect to Preferred Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all Preferred Securities theretofore delivered under this Trust Agreement, except: (i) Preferred Securities theretofore canceled by the Administrative Trustees or delivered to the Administrative Trustees for cancellation; (ii) Preferred Securities for whose payment or redemption money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited with the Property Trustee or any Paying Agent for the Holders of such Preferred Securities; provided that, if such Preferred Securities are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Trust Agreement; and -7- (iii) Preferred Securities in exchange for or in lieu of which other Preferred Securities have been delivered pursuant to this Trust Agreement, including pursuant to Sections 5.04, 5.05 or 5.11; provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite Liquidation Amount of the Outstanding Preferred Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, Preferred Securities owned by the Depositor, any Trustee or any Affiliate of the Depositor or any Trustee shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except that (a) in determining whether any Trustee shall be protected in relying upon any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Preferred Securities which such Trustee knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded and (b) the foregoing shall not apply at any time when all of the outstanding Preferred Securities are owned by the Depositor, one or more of the Trustees and/or any such Affiliate. Preferred Securities so owned which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Administrative Trustee the pledgee's right so to act with respect to such Preferred Securities and that the pledgee is not the Depositor or any Affiliate of the Depositor. "Owner" means each Person who is the beneficial owner of a Preferred Securities Certificate as reflected in the records of the Securities Depository or, if a Securities Depository Participant is not the beneficial owner, then as reflected in the records of a Person maintaining an account with such Securities Depository (directly or indirectly), in accordance with the rules of such Securities Depository. "Paying Agent" means any paying agent or co-paying agent appointed pursuant to Section 5.09 and shall initially be The Bank of New York. "Payment Account" means a segregated non-interest-bearing corporate trust account maintained by the Property Trustee at The Bank of New York, or such other banking institution as the Depositor shall select in its trust department for the benefit of the Securityholders in which all amounts paid in respect of the Debentures will be held and from which the Paying Agent, pursuant to Section 5.09, shall make payments to the Securityholders in accordance with Sections 4.01 and 4.02. "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, limited liability company or corporation, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof. "Preferred Security" means a quarterly income preferred security representing an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust having a Liquidation Amount of $25 and having rights provided therefor in this Trust Agreement, including the right to receive Distributions and a Liquidation Distribution as provided herein. -8- "Preferred Securities Certificate" means a certificate evidencing ownership of Preferred Securities, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit D. "Property Trustee" means the commercial bank or trust company identified as the "Property Trustee" in the preamble to this Trust Agreement solely in its capacity as Property Trustee of the Trust formed and continued hereunder and not in its individual capacity, or its successor in interest in such capacity, or any successor trustee appointed as herein provided. "Redemption Date" means, with respect to any Trust Security to be redeemed, the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Trust Agreement; provided that each Debenture Redemption Date shall be a Redemption Date for a Like Amount of Trust Securities. "Redemption Price" means, with respect to any date fixed for redemption of any Trust Security, the Liquidation Amount of such Trust Security. "Redemption Tax Opinion" has the meaning specified in Section 9.04(d). "Registrar" shall mean the registrar for the Preferred Securities appointed by the Trust and shall be initially The Bank of New York. "Relevant Trustee" shall have the meaning specified in Section 8.10. "Responsible Officer," when used with respect to the Property Trustee means an officer of the Property Trustee assigned by the Property Trustee to administer its corporate trust matter. "Securities Depository" shall be The Depository Trust Company. "Securities Depository Participant" means an institution which deposits securities with a Securities Depository for holding thereby. "Securities Register" shall mean the Securities Register described in Section 5.04. "Securityholder" or "Holder" means a Person in whose name a Trust Security or Securities is registered in the Securities Register; any such Person shall be deemed to be a beneficial owner within the meaning of the Delaware Business Trust Act. "Special Event" means either a Tax Event or an Investment Company Event. -9- "Subordinated Indenture" means the Indenture, dated as of March 1, 1996, between the Depositor and the Debenture Trustee, as trustee, as amended or supplemented from time to time. "Tax Event" means the receipt by the Trust of an opinion of counsel (which may be counsel to the Depositor or an affiliate but not an employee thereof and which must be acceptable to the Property Trustee) 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 affecting taxation, or as a result of any official administrative or judicial decision interpreting or applying such laws or regulations, which amendment or change is effective or such pronouncement or decision is announced on or after the date of original issuance of the Preferred Securities under this Trust Agreement, there is more than an insubstantial risk that (i) the Trust is, or will be within 90 days of the date thereof, subject to United States federal income tax with respect to income received or accrued on the Debentures, (ii) interest payable by the Depositor on the Debentures, is not, or within 90 days of the date thereof, will not be, deductible, 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 thereof, subject to more than a de minimis amount of other taxes, duties or other governmental charges. "Transfer Agent" shall mean one or more transfer agents for the Preferred Securities appointed by the Trust and shall be initially The Bank of New York. "Trust" means the Delaware business trust created by the Original Trust Agreement and continued hereby and identified on the cover page to this Trust Agreement. "Trust Agreement" means this Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, as the same may be modified, amended or supplemented in accordance with the applicable provisions hereof, including all exhibits hereto, including, for all purposes of this Amended and Restated Trust Agreement and any such modification, amendment or supplement, the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are deemed to be a part of and govern this Amended and Restated Trust Agreement and any such modification, amendment or supplement, respectively. "Trust Indenture Act" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 as in force at the date as of which this instrument was executed; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after such date, "Trust Indenture Act" means, to the extent required by any such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 as so amended. "Trust Property" means (i) the Debentures, (ii) any cash on deposit in, or owing to, the Payment Account and (iii) all proceeds and rights in respect of the foregoing and any other property and assets for the time being held by the Property Trustee pursuant to the trusts of this Trust Agreement. -10- "Trust Security" means any one of the Common Securities or the Preferred Securities. "Trust Securities Certificate" means any one of the Common Securities Certificates or the Preferred Securities Certificates. "Underwriting Agreement" means the Underwriting Agreement, dated as of March 15, 1996, among the Trust, the Depositor and the underwriters named therein. ARTICLE II. Establishment of the Trust Section 2.01. Name. The Trust created hereby shall be known as "MP&L Capital I", in which name the Trustees may conduct the business of the Trust, make and execute contracts and other instruments on behalf of the Trust and sue and be sued. Section 2.02. Office of the Delaware Trustee; Principal Place of Business. The office of the Delaware Trustee in the State of Delaware is White Clay Center, Route 273, Newark, Delaware 19711, or at such other address in Delaware as the Delaware Trustee may designate by written notice to the Securityholders and the Depositor. The principal place of business of the Trust is c/o Minnesota Power & Light Company, 30 West Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802. Section 2.03. Initial Contribution of Trust Property; Organizational Expenses. The Property Trustee acknowledges receipt in trust from the Depositor in connection with the Original Trust Agreement of the sum of $10, which constituted the initial Trust Property. The Depositor shall pay organizational expenses of the Trust as they arise or shall, upon request of any Trustee, promptly reimburse such Trustee for any such expenses paid by such Trustee. The Depositor shall make no claim upon the Trust Property for the payment of such expenses. Section 2.04. Issuance of the Preferred Securities. On March 15, 1996 the Depositor and an Administrative Trustee, on behalf of the Trust, both executed and delivered the Underwriting Agreement. Contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Trust Agreement, one of the Administrative Trustees, on behalf of the Trust in accordance with Section 5.02, executed manually and delivered a Preferred Securities Certificate, registered in the name of the nominee of The Depositary Trust Company, having an aggregate Liquidation Amount of $75,000,000. Section 2.05. Subscription and Purchase of Debentures; Issuance of the Common Securities. Contemporaneously with the execution and delivery of this Trust Agreement, the Administrative Trustees, on behalf of the Trust, shall subscribe to and -11- purchase from the Depositor Debentures, registered in the name of the Property Trustee and having an aggregate principal amount equal to $77,500,000, and, in satisfaction of the purchase price for such Debentures, (x) one of the Administrative Trustees, on behalf of the Trust, shall execute and deliver to the Depositor Common Securities Certificates, registered in the name of the Depositor, in an aggregate amount of 100,000 Common Securities having an aggregate Liquidation Amount of $2,500,000, and (y) the Property Trustee, on behalf of the Trust, shall deliver to the Depositor the sum of $75,000,000 representing the proceeds from the sale of the Preferred Securities pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement. Section 2.06. Declaration of Trust; Appointment of Additional Administrative Trustees. (a) The exclusive purposes and functions of the Trust are (i) to issue Trust Securities and invest the proceeds thereof in Debentures, and (ii) to engage in those activities necessary, convenient or incidental thereto. The Depositor hereby appoints the Trustees as trustees of the Trust, to have all the rights, powers and duties to the extent set forth herein. The Property Trustee hereby declares that it will hold the Trust Property in trust upon and subject to the conditions set forth herein for the benefit of the Securityholders. The Trustees shall have all rights, powers and duties set forth herein and in accordance with applicable law with respect to accomplishing the purposes of the Trust. Anything in this Trust Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding the Delaware Trustee shall not be entitled to exercise any powers, nor shall the Delaware Trustee have any of the duties and responsibilities, of the Property Trustee or the Administrative Trustees set forth herein. The Delaware Trustee shall be one of the Trustees of the Trust for the sole and limited purpose of fulfilling the requirements of Section 3807 of the Delaware Business Trust Act. Section 2.07. Authorization to Enter into Certain Transactions. (a) The Trustees shall conduct the affairs of the Trust in accordance with the terms of this Trust Agreement. Subject to the limitations set forth in paragraph (b) of this Section and Article VIII and in accordance with the following provisions (A) and (B), the Trustees shall have the authority to enter into all transactions and agreements determined by the Trustees to be appropriate in exercising the authority, express or implied, otherwise granted to the Trustees under this Trust Agreement, and to perform all acts in furtherance thereof, including without limitation, the following: (A) As among the Trustees, the Administrative Trustees shall have the power, duty and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following matters: (i) the issuance and sale of the Trust Securities; (ii) without the consent of any Person, to cause the Trust to enter into and to execute, deliver and perform on behalf of the Trust, the Expense Agreement, and such agreements as may be necessary or desirable in connection with the consummation of the Underwriting Agreement (such execution to be by the Administrative Trustees or any one of them); -12- (iii) to qualify the Trust to do business in any jurisdiction as may be necessary or desirable; (iv) the collection of interest, principal and any other payments made in respect of the Debentures in the Payment Account; (v) the registration of the Preferred Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and under state securities or blue sky laws, and the qualification of this Trust Agreement as a trust indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; (vi) the listing of the Preferred Securities upon such securities exchange or exchanges as shall be determined by the Depositor and the registration of the Preferred Securities under the Exchange Act, and the preparation and filing of all periodic and other reports and other documents pursuant to the foregoing; (vii) the appointments of a Paying Agent, a Transfer Agent and a Registrar in accordance with this Trust Agreement (subject to Section 5.09); (viii) registering transfers of the Trust Securities in accordance with this Trust Agreement; and (ix) the taking of any action incidental to the foregoing as the Administrative Trustees may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to protect and conserve the Trust Property for the benefit of the Securityholders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Securityholder). (B) As among the Trustees, the Property Trustee shall have the power, duty and authority to act on behalf of the Trust with respect to the following ministerial matters: (i) the establishment of the Payment Account; (ii) the receipt of the Debentures; (iii) the deposit of interest, principal and any other payments made in respect of the Debentures in the Payment Account; (iv) the distribution of amounts owed to the Securityholders in respect of the Trust Securities in accordance with the terms of this Trust Agreement; -13- (v) the sending of notices of default and other information regarding the Trust Securities and the Debentures to the Securityholders in accordance with the terms of this Trust Agreement; (vi) the distribution of the Trust Property in accordance with the terms of this Trust Agreement; (vii) as provided in this Trust Agreement, the winding up of the affairs of and liquidation of the Trust and the execution of the certificate of cancellation to be prepared and filed by the Administrative Trustees with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware; and (viii) the taking of any ministerial action incidental to the foregoing as the Property Trustee may from time to time determine is necessary or advisable to protect and conserve the Trust Property for the benefit of the Securityholders (without consideration of the effect of any such action on any particular Securityholder). Subject to this Section 2.07(a)(B), the Property Trustee shall have none of the duties, powers or authority of the Administrative Trustee set forth in Section 2.07(a)(A) or the Depositor set forth in Section 2.07(c). The Property Trustee shall have the power and authority to exercise all of the rights, powers and privileges of a holder of Debentures under the Subordinated Indenture and, if an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Property Trustee may, for the benefit of Holders of the Trust Securities, in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights as holder of the Debentures subject to the rights of the Holder pursuant to the terms of this Trust Agreement. (b) So long as this Trust Agreement remains in effect, the Trust (or the Trustees acting on behalf of the Trust) shall not undertake any business, activities or transaction except as expressly provided herein or contemplated hereby. In particular, the Trustees shall not (i) acquire any investments or engage in any activities not authorized by this Trust Agreement, (ii) sell, assign, transfer, exchange, pledge, set-off or otherwise dispose of any of the Trust Property or interests therein, including to Securityholders, except as expressly provided herein, (iii) take any action that would cause the Trust to fail or cease to qualify as a "grantor trust" for United States federal income tax purposes and not as an association taxable as a corporation, (iv) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or (v) take or consent to any action that would result in the placement of a Lien on any of the Trust Property. The Trustees shall 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 Securityholders in their capacity as Securityholders. (c) In connection with the issue of the Preferred Securities, the Depositor shall have the right and responsibility to assist the Trust with respect to, or effect on behalf of the -14- Trust, the following (and any actions taken by the Depositor in furtherance of the following prior to the date of this Trust Agreement are hereby ratified and confirmed in all respects): (i) to prepare for filing by the Trust with the Commission and to execute a registration statement on Form S-3 in relation to the Preferred Securities, including any amendments thereto; (ii) to determine the States in which to take appropriate action to qualify or register for sale all or part of the Preferred Securities and to do any and all such acts, other than actions which must be taken by or on behalf of the Trust, and advise the Trustees of actions they must take on behalf of the Trust, and prepare for execution and filing any documents to be executed and filed by the Trust or on behalf of the Trust, as the Depositor deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with the applicable laws of any such States; (iii) to prepare for filing by the Trust an application to the New York Stock Exchange or any other national stock exchange or the Nasdaq National Market for listing upon notice of issuance of any Preferred Securities and to file or cause the Administrative Trustees to file thereafter with such exchange such notifications and documents as may be necessary from time to time to maintain such listing; (iv) to prepare for filing by the Trust with the Commission and to execute a registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the registration of the Preferred Securities under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), including any amendments thereto; (v) to execute and deliver on behalf of the Trust the Underwriting Agreement and such other agreements as may be necessary or desirable in connection with the consummation thereof; (vi) to select the investment banker or bankers to act as underwriters with respect to the offer and sale by the Trust of Preferred Securities ("Offer") and negotiate the terms of an Underwriting Agreement and pricing agreement providing for the Offer; and (vii) to take any other actions necessary or desirable to carry out any of the foregoing activities. (d) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrative Trustees are authorized and directed to conduct the affairs of the Trust and to operate the Trust so that the Trust will not be deemed to be an "investment company" required to be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or classified other than as a "grantor trust" for United States federal income tax purposes and not as an association -15- taxable as a corporation and so that the Debentures will be treated as indebtedness of the Depositor for United States federal income tax purposes. In this connection, subject to the provisions of Section 10.03, the Depositor and the Administrative Trustees are authorized to take any action, not inconsistent with applicable law, the certificate of trust filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware with respect to the Trust (as amended or restated from time to time, the "Certificate of Trust") or this Trust Agreement, that each of the Depositor and the Administrative Trustees determines in its discretion to be necessary or desirable for such purposes, as long as such action does not materially adversely affect the interests of the Holders of the Preferred Securities. Section 2.08. Assets of Trust. The assets of the Trust shall consist of the Trust Property. Section 2.09. Title to Trust Property. Legal title to all Trust Property shall be vested at all times in the Property Trustee (in its capacity as such) and shall be held and administered by the Property Trustee for the benefit of the Securityholders in accordance with this Trust Agreement. ARTICLE III. Payment Account Section 3.01. Payment Account. (a) On or prior to the Closing Date, the Property Trustee shall establish the Payment Account. The Property Trustees and the Paying Agent appointed by the Administrative Trustees shall have exclusive control and sole right of withdrawal with respect to the Payment Account for the purpose of making deposits in and withdrawals from the Payment Account in accordance with this Trust Agreement. All monies and other property deposited or held from time to time in the Payment Account shall be held by the Property Trustee in the Payment Account for the exclusive benefit of the Holders of Trust Securities and for distribution as herein provided, including (and subject to) any priority of payments provided for herein. (b) The Property Trustee shall deposit in the Payment Account, promptly upon receipt, all payments of principal or interest on, and any other payments or proceeds with respect to, the Debentures. Amounts held in the Payment Account shall not be invested by the Property Trustee pending distribution thereof. -16- ARTICLE IV. Distributions; Redemption Section 4.01. Distributions. (a) Distributions on the Trust Securities shall be cumulative, and will accumulate whether or not there are funds of the Trust available for the payment of Distributions. Distributions shall accrue from the Closing Date, and, except in the event that the Depositor exercises its right to extend the interest payment period for the Debentures pursuant to Section 311 of the Subordinated Indenture, shall be payable quarterly in arrears on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year, commencing on March 31, 1996. If any date on which Distributions are otherwise payable on the Trust Securities is not a Business Day, then the payment of such Distribution shall be made on the next succeeding day which 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, payment of such distribution shall be made on the immediately preceding Business Day, in each case, with the same force and effect as if made on such date (each date on which distributions are payable in accordance with this Section 4.01(a) a "Distribution Date"). (b) Distributions payable on the Trust Securities shall be fixed at a rate of 8.05% per annum of the Liquidation Amount of the Trust Securities. The amount of Distributions payable for any full quarterly period shall be computed on the basis of twelve 30-day months and a 360-day year and for any period shorter than a full month, on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed. If the interest payment period for the Debentures is extended pursuant to Section 311 of the Subordinated Indenture, then Distributions on the Preferred Securities will be deferred for the period equal to the extension of the interest payment period for the Debentures and the rate per annum at which Distributions on the Trust Securities accumulate shall be increased by an amount such that the aggregate amount of Distributions that accumulate on all Trust Securities during any such extended interest payment period is equal to the aggregate amount of interest (including, to the extent permitted by law, interest payable on unpaid interest at the percentage rate per annum set forth above, compounded quarterly) that accrues during any such extended interest payment period on the Debentures. The amount of Distributions payable for any period shall include the Additional Amounts, if any. (c) Distributions on the Trust Securities shall be made and shall be deemed payable on each Distribution Date only to the extent that the Trust has funds available in the Payment Account for the payment of such Distributions. (d) Distributions on the Trust Securities with respect to a Distribution Date shall be payable to the Holders thereof as they appear on the Securities Register for the Trust -17- Securities on the relevant record date, which shall be 15 days prior to the relevant Distribution Date. Section 4.02. Redemption. (a) On each Debenture Redemption Date and at the maturity date for the Debentures (as defined in the Subordinated Indenture), the Property Trustee will be required to redeem a Like Amount of Trust Securities at the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment. (b) Notice of redemption shall be given by the Property Trustee by first-class mail, postage prepaid, mailed not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date to each Holder of Trust Securities to be redeemed, at such Holder's address appearing in the Security Register. All notices of redemption or liquidation shall state: (i) the Redemption Date; (ii) the Redemption Price and the amount of accumulated and unpaid Dividends to be paid on the Redemption Date; (iii) the CUSIP number; (iv) if less than all the Outstanding Trust Securities are to be redeemed, the identification and the total Liquidation Amount of the particular Trust Securities to be redeemed; and (v) that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment will become due and payable upon each such Trust Security to be redeemed and that interest thereon will cease to accrue on and after said date. (c) The Trust Securities redeemed on each Redemption Date shall be redeemed at the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment with the proceeds from the contemporaneous redemption of Debentures. Redemptions of the Trust Securities shall be made and the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment shall be deemed payable on each Redemption Date only to the extent that the Trust has funds immediately available in the Payment Account for such payment. (d) If the Property Trustee gives a notice of redemption in respect of any Preferred Securities, then, by 12:00 noon, New York time, on the Redemption Date, subject to Section 4.02(c), the Property Trustee shall irrevocably deposit with the Paying Agent (or Securities Depository, in the event the Preferred Securities are book-entry only) funds -18- sufficient to pay the applicable Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment and will give the Paying Agent irrevocable instructions and authority to pay the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment to the Holders thereof upon surrender of their Preferred Securities Certificates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Distributions payable on or prior to the redemption date for any Trust Securities called for redemption shall be payable to the Holders of such Trust Securities as they appear on the Securities Register for the Trust Securities on the relevant record dates for the related Distribution Dates. If notice of redemption shall have been given and funds deposited as required, then on the Redemption Date, all rights of Securityholders holding Trust Securities so called for redemption will cease, except the right of such Securityholders to receive the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment, but without interest thereon, and such Trust Securities will cease to be outstanding. In the event that any Redemption Date is not a Business Day, then payment of the Redemption Price payable on such date plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to such date shall be made on the next succeeding day which is a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay). In the event that payment of the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions in respect of any Trust Securities called for redemption is improperly withheld or refused and not paid either by the Trust or by the Depositor pursuant to the Guarantee, Distributions on such Trust Securities will continue to accrue, at the then applicable rate, from the Redemption Date originally established by the Trust for such Trust Securities to the date such Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions is actually paid, in which case the actual payment date will be deemed the date fixed for redemption for purposes of calculating the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions to such date. (e) Payment of the Redemption Price on the Trust Securities shall be made to the Holders thereof as they appear on the Securities Register for the Trust Securities on the relevant record date, which shall be the fifteenth day prior to the Redemption Date. (f) If less than all the Outstanding Trust Securities are to be redeemed on a Redemption Date, then the aggregate Liquidation Amount of Trust Securities to be redeemed shall be allocated 3% to the Common Securities and 97% to the Preferred Securities. The particular Preferred Securities to be redeemed shall be selected not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date by the Property Trustee from the Outstanding Preferred Securities not previously called for redemption, by such method as the Property Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate and which may provide for the selection for a redemption of portions (equal to $25 or integral multiples thereof) of the Liquidation Amount of Preferred Securities of a denomination larger than $25. The Property Trustee shall promptly notify the Transfer Agent and Registrar in writing of the Preferred Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Preferred Securities selected for partial redemption, the Liquidation Amount thereof to be redeemed. For all purposes of this Trust Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Preferred Securities shall relate, in the case of any Preferred Securities redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to -19- the portion of the Liquidation Amount of Preferred Securities which has been or is to be redeemed. Section 4.03. Subordination of Common Securities. (a) Payment of Distributions (including Additional Amounts, if applicable) on, and the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid distributions of, the Trust Securities, as applicable, shall be made pro rata based on the Liquidation Amount of the Trust Securities; provided, however, that if on any Distribution Date or Redemption Date a Debenture Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, no payment of any Distribution (including Additional Amounts, if applicable) on, or Redemption Price of, any Common Security, and no other payment on account of the redemption, liquidation or other acquisition of Common Securities, shall be made unless payment in full in cash of all accumulated and unpaid Distributions (including Additional Amounts, if applicable) on all Outstanding Preferred Securities for all distribution periods terminating on or prior thereto, or in the case of payment of the Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions the full amount of such Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions on all Outstanding Preferred Securities, shall have been made or provided for, and all funds immediately available to the Property Trustee shall first be applied to the payment in full in cash of all Distributions (including Additional Amounts, if applicable) on, or Redemption Price plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions of, Preferred Securities then due and payable. (b) In the case of the occurrence of any Event of Default resulting from a Debenture Event of Default, the Holder of Common Securities will be deemed to have waived any such Event of Default under this Trust Agreement until the effect of all such Events of Default with respect to the Preferred Securities have been cured, waived or otherwise eliminated. Until any such Events of Default under this Trust Agreement with respect to the Preferred Securities have been so cured, waived or otherwise eliminated, the Property Trustee shall act solely on behalf of the Holders of the Preferred Securities and not the Holder of the Common Securities, and only the Holders of the Preferred Securities will have the right to direct the Property Trustee to act on their behalf. Section 4.04. Payment Procedures. Payments in respect of the Preferred Securities shall be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear on the Securities Register or, if the Preferred Securities are held by a Securities Depository, such Distributions shall be made to the Securities Depository, which shall credit the relevant Persons' accounts at such Securities Depository on the applicable distribution dates. Payments in respect of the Common Securities shall be made in such manner as shall be mutually agreed between the Administrative Trustees and the Holder of the Common Securities. Section 4.05. Tax Returns and Reports. The Administrative Trustees shall prepare (or cause to be prepared), at the Depositor's expense and direction, and file all United States federal, state and local tax and information returns and reports required to be filed by or in respect of the Trust. In this regard, the Administrative Trustees shall (a) -20- prepare and file (or cause to be prepared or filed) the Internal Revenue Service Form 1041 (or any successor form) required to be filed in respect of the Trust in each taxable year of the Trust and (b) prepare and furnish (or cause to be prepared and furnished) to each Securityholder the related Internal Revenue Service Form 1099, or any successor form or the information required to be provided on such form. The Administrative Trustees shall provide the Depositor and the Property Trustee with a copy of all such returns, reports and schedules promptly after such filing or furnishing. The Trustees shall comply with United States federal withholding and backup withholding tax laws and information reporting requirements with respect to any payments to Securityholders under the Trust Securities. Section 4.06. Payments under Indenture. Any amount payable hereunder to any Holder of Preferred Securities shall be reduced by the amount of any corresponding payment such Holder has directly received pursuant to Section 808 of the Subordinated Indenture. Notwithstanding the provisions hereunder to the contrary, Securityholders acknowledge that any Holder of Preferred Securities that receives payment under Section 808 of the Subordinated Indenture may receive amounts greater than the amount such Holder may be entitled to receive pursuant to the other provisions of this Trust Agreement. ARTICLE V. Trust Securities Certificates Section 5.01. Initial Ownership. Upon the creation of the Trust by the contribution by the Depositor pursuant to Section 2.03 and until the issuance of the Trust Securities, and at any time during which no Trust Securities are outstanding, the Depositor shall be the sole beneficial owner of the Trust. Section 5.02. The Trust Securities Certificates. The Trust Securities Certificates shall be issued in denominations of $25 Liquidation Amount and integral multiples thereof. Subject to Section 2.04 relating to the original issuance of the Preferred Securities Certificate registered in the name of the nominee of The Depository Trust Company, the Trust Securities Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Trust by manual or facsimile signature of at least one Administrative Trustee and, if executed on behalf of the Trust by facsimile signature, countersigned by a Transfer Agent or its agent. Trust Securities Certificates bearing the manual signatures of individuals who were, at the time when such signatures shall have been affixed, authorized to sign on behalf of the Trust and, if executed on behalf of the Trust by facsimile signature, countersigned by a Transfer Agent or its agent, shall be validly issued and entitled to the benefits of this Trust Agreement, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them shall have ceased to be so authorized prior to the delivery of such Trust Securities Certificates or did not hold such offices at the date of delivery of such Trust Securities Certificates. A transferee of a Trust Securities Certificate shall become a Securityholder, and shall be entitled to the rights and -21- subject to the obligations of a Securityholder hereunder, upon due registration of such Trust Securities Certificate in such transferee's name pursuant to Section 5.04 or 5.11. Section 5.03. Execution and Delivery of Trust Securities Certificates. On the Closing Date, the Administrative Trustees shall cause Trust Securities Certificates, in an aggregate Liquidation Amount as provided in Sections 2.04 and 2.05, to be executed on behalf of the Trust, and in the case of Preferred Securities executed by facsimile signature, countersigned by a Transfer Agent or its agent, and delivered to or upon the written order of the Depositor signed by its chairman of the board, any of its vice presidents or its Treasurer, without further corporate action by the Depositor, in authorized denominations. The Depositor agrees to indemnify, defend and hold each Transfer Agent harmless against any and all costs and liabilities incurred without negligence arising out of or in connection with any such countersigning by it. Section 5.04. Registration of Transfer and Exchange of Preferred Securities Certificates. The Registrar shall keep or cause to be kept, at its principal corporate office, a Securities Register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Registrar shall provide for the registration of Preferred Securities Certificates and the Common Securities Certificates (subject to Section 5.10 in the case of the Common Securities Certificates) and registration of transfers and exchanges of Preferred Securities Certificates as herein provided. Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Preferred Securities Certificate at the office or agency maintained pursuant to Section 5.08, the Administrative Trustees, or any one of them, shall execute on behalf of the Trust by manual or facsimile signature and, if executed on behalf of the Trust by facsimile signature, cause a Transfer Agent or its agent to countersign and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Preferred Securities Certificates in authorized denominations of a like aggregate Liquidation Amount. At the option of a Holder, Preferred Securities Certificates may be exchanged for other Preferred Securities Certificates in authorized denominations of the same class and of a like aggregate Liquidation Amount upon surrender of the Preferred Securities Certificates to be exchanged at the office or agency maintained pursuant to Section 5.08. Every Preferred Securities Certificate presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange shall be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Administrative Trustees and a Transfer Agent duly executed by the Holder or such Holder's attorney duly authorized in writing. Each Preferred Securities Certificate surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange shall be canceled and subsequently disposed of by the Administrative Trustees in accordance with customary practice. The Trust shall not be required to (i) issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Preferred Securities during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 calendar days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any Preferred Securities called for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing or (ii) register the transfer of -22- or exchange any Preferred Securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any such Preferred Securities being redeemed in part. No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Preferred Securities Certificates, but a Transfer Agent may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer or exchange of Preferred Securities Certificates. Section 5.05. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Trust Securities Certificates. If (a) any mutilated Trust Securities Certificate shall be surrendered to a Transfer Agent, or if a Transfer Agent shall receive evidence to its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Trust Securities Certificate and (b) there shall be delivered to the Transfer Agent and the Administrative Trustees such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them and the Depositor harmless, then in the absence of notice that such Trust Securities Certificate shall have been acquired by a bona fide purchaser, the Administrative Trustees, or any one of them, on behalf of the Trust, shall execute by manual or facsimile signature and, if execution on behalf of the Trust is by facsimile signature, countersigned by a Transfer Agent; and the Administrative Trustees, or any one of them, shall make available for delivery, in exchange for or in lieu of any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Trust Securities Certificate, a new Trust Securities Certificate of like class, tenor and denomination. In connection with the issuance of any new Trust Securities Certificate under this Section, the Administrative Trustees or the Transfer Agent 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 Trust Securities Certificate issued pursuant to this Section shall constitute conclusive evidence of an ownership interest in the Trust, as if originally issued, whether or not the lost, stolen or destroyed Trust Securities Certificate shall be found at any time. Section 5.06. Persons Deemed Securityholders. Prior to due presentation of a Trust Securities Certificate for registration of transfer, the Trustees and the Registrar shall be entitled to treat the Person in whose name any Trust Securities Certificate shall be registered in the Securities Register as the owner of such Trust Securities Certificate for the purpose of receiving Distributions and for all other purposes whatsoever, and neither the Trustees nor the Registrar shall be bound by any notice to the contrary. Section 5.07. Access to List of Securityholders' Names and Addresses. The Administrative Trustees shall furnish or cause to be furnished (x) to the Depositor, within 15 days after receipt by any Administrative Trustee of a request therefor from the Depositor in writing and (y) to the Property Trustee, promptly after receipt by any Administrative Trustee of a request therefor from the Property Trustee in writing in order to enable the Property Trustee to discharge its obligations under this Trust Agreement, a list, in such form as the Depositor or the Property Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Securityholders as of the most recent record date. If Holders of Trust Securities Certificates evidencing ownership at such time and for the previous six months not -23- less than 25% of the outstanding aggregate Liquidation Amount apply in writing to any Administrative Trustee, and such application states that the applicants desire to communicate with other Securityholders with respect to their rights under this Trust Agreement or under the Trust Securities Certificates and such application is accompanied by a copy of the communication that such applicants propose to transmit, then the Administrative Trustees shall, within five Business Days after the receipt of such application, afford such applicants access during normal business hours to the current list of Securityholders. Each Holder, by receiving and holding a Trust Securities Certificate, shall be deemed to have agreed not to hold either the Depositor or the Administrative Trustees accountable by reason of the disclosure of its name and address, regardless of the source from which such information was derived. Section 5.08. Maintenance of Office or Agency. The Company shall or shall cause the Transfer Agent to maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, an office or offices or agency or agencies where Preferred Securities Certificates may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company or the Transfer Agent in respect of the Trust Securities Certificates may be served. The Company initially designates The Bank of New York at its principal corporate trust office for such purposes. The Company shall or shall cause the Transfer Agent to give prompt written notice to the Depositor, the Property Trustee and to the Securityholders of any change in any such office or agency. Section 5.09. Appointment of Paying Agent. The Paying Agent shall make distributions to Securityholders from the Payment Account and shall report the amounts of such distributions to the Administrative Trustees and the Property Trustee. Any Paying Agent shall have the revocable power to withdraw funds from the Payment Account for the purpose of making the Distributions referred to above. The Property Trustee shall be entitled to rely upon a certificate of the Paying Agent stating in effect the amount of such funds so to be withdrawn and that same are to be applied by the Paying Agent in accordance with this Section 5.09. The Administrative Trustees or any one of them may revoke such power and remove the Paying Agent if the Administrative Trustee or any one of them determines in its sole discretion that the Paying Agent shall have failed to perform its obligations under this Trust Agreement in any material respect. The Paying Agent may choose any co-paying agent that is acceptable to the Administrative Trustees and the Depositor. The Paying Agent shall be permitted to resign upon 30 days' written notice to the Administrative Trustees and the Depositor. In the event of the removal or resignation of the Paying Agent, the Administrative Trustees shall appoint a successor that is reasonably acceptable to the Property Trustee and the Depositor to act as Paying Agent (which shall be a bank, trust company or an Affiliate of the Depositor). The Administrative Trustees shall cause such successor Paying Agent or any additional Paying Agent appointed by the Administrative Trustees to execute and deliver to the Trustees an instrument in which such successor Paying Agent or additional Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustees that as Paying Agent, such successor Paying Agent or additional Paying Agent will hold all sums, if any, held by it for payment to the Securityholders in trust for the benefit of the -24- Securityholders entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Securityholders. The Paying Agent shall return all unclaimed funds to the Property Trustee and upon resignation or removal of a Paying Agent such Paying Agent shall also return all funds in its possession to the Property Trustee. The provisions of Sections 8.01, 8.03 and 8.06 shall apply to the Paying Agent appointed hereunder, and the Paying Agent shall be bound by the requirements with respect to paying agents of securities issued pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act. Any reference in this Trust Agreement to the Paying Agent shall include any co-paying agent unless the context requires otherwise. Section 5.10. Ownership of Common Securities by Depositor. On the Closing Date and on each other date provided for in Section 2.05, the Depositor shall acquire, and thereafter retain, beneficial and record ownership of the Common Securities. Any attempted transfer of the Common Securities shall be void. The Administrative Trustees shall cause each Common Securities Certificate issued to the Depositor to contain a legend stating "THIS CERTIFICATE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE". Common Securities Certificates representing the Common Securities shall be issued to the Depositor in the form of a typewritten or definitive Common Securities Certificate. Section 5.11. Definitive Preferred Securities Certificates. Upon initial issuance of the Preferred Securities the Definitive Preferred Securities Certificates shall be typewritten, printed, lithographed or engraved or may be produced in any other manner as is reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Trustees, as evidenced by the execution thereof by the Administrative Trustees, or any one of them. The Administrative Trustees, or any one of them, shall execute on behalf of the Trust by manual or facsimile signature, and, if executed by facsimile on behalf of the Trust, countersigned by the Transfer Agent or its agent the Definitive Preferred Securities Certificates initially in accordance with the instructions of the Depositor. Neither the Transfer Agent nor any of the Administrative Trustees shall be liable for any delay in delivery of such instructions and may conclusively rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, such instructions. Section 5.12. Book-Entry System. Some or all of the Preferred Securities may be registered in the name of the Securities Depository or a nominee therefor, and held in the custody of the Securities Depository. In such event, a single certificate will be issued and delivered to the Securities Depository for such Preferred Securities, in which case the Owners of such Preferred Securities will not receive physical delivery of certificates for Preferred Securities. Except as provided herein, all transfers of beneficial ownership interests in such Preferred Securities will be made by book-entry only, and no investor or other party purchasing, selling or otherwise transferring beneficial ownership of the Preferred Securities will receive, hold or deliver any certificate for Preferred Securities. The Depositor, the Trustees and the Paying Agent will recognize the Securities Depository or its nominee as the Holder of Preferred Securities for all purposes, including notices and voting. The Administrative Trustees, at the direction and expense of the Depositor, may from time to time appoint a Securities Depository or a successor thereto and enter into a -25- letter of representations or other agreement with such Securities Depository to establish procedures with respect to the Preferred Securities. Any Securities Depository shall be a Clearing Agency. The Depositor and the Trustees covenant and agree to meet the requirements of a Securities Depository for the Preferred Securities with respect to required notices and other provisions of the letter of representations or agreement executed with respect to such Preferred Securities. Whenever the beneficial ownership of any Preferred Securities is determined through the books of a Securities Depository, the requirements in this Trust Agreement of holding, delivering or transferring such Preferred Securities shall be deemed modified with respect to such Preferred Securities to meet the requirements of the Securities Depository with respect to actions of the Trustees, the Depositor and the Paying Agent. Any provisions hereof permitting or requiring delivery of such Preferred Securities shall, while such Preferred Securities are in a book-entry system, be satisfied by the notation on the books of the Securities Depository in accordance with applicable state law. Section 5.13. Rights of Securityholders. The legal title to the Trust Property is vested exclusively in the Property Trustee (in its capacity as such) in accordance with Section 2.09, and the Securityholders shall not have any right or title therein other than an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust conferred by their Trust 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 Trust Securities shall be personal property giving only the rights specifically set forth therein and in this Trust Agreement. The Preferred Securities shall have no preemptive or similar rights and when issued and delivered to Securityholders against payment of the purchase price therefor will be fully paid and nonassessable interests in the Trust. ARTICLE VI. Acts of Securityholders; Meetings; Voting Section 6.01. Limitations on Voting Rights. (a) Except as provided in this Section 6.01, in Section 10.03 and as otherwise required by law, no Holder of Preferred Securities shall have any right to vote or in any manner otherwise control the administration, operation and management of the Trust or the obligations of the parties hereto, nor shall anything herein set forth, or contained in the terms of the Trust Securities Certificates, be construed so as to constitute the Securityholders from time to time as partners or members of an association. If the Property Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the Debentures or this Trust Agreement, a Holder of Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Depositor to enforce the -26- Property Trustee's rights under the Debentures or this Trust Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, without first instituting any legal proceeding against the Property Trustee or any other person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Holder of Preferred Securities may directly institute a proceeding for enforcement of payment to such Holder directly of principal of or interest on the Debentures having a principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation preference amount of the Preferred Securities of such Holder on or after the due dates specified in the Debentures. (b) So long as any Debentures are held by the Property Trustee, the Trustees shall not (i) direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Debenture Trustee, or executing any trust or power conferred on the Debenture Trustee with respect to such Debentures, (ii) waive any past default which is waivable under Section 813 of the Subordinated 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 to any amendment, modification or termination of the Subordinated Indenture or the Debentures, where such consent shall be required, without, in each case, obtaining the prior approval of the Holders of at least 66 2/3% of the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Outstanding Preferred Securities; provided, however, that where a consent under the Subordinated Indenture would require the consent of each holder of Debentures affected thereby, no such consent shall be given by any Trustee without the prior written consent of each holder of Preferred Securities. The Trustees shall not revoke any action previously authorized or approved by a vote of the Preferred Securities, except pursuant to a subsequent vote of the Preferred Securities. The Property Trustee shall notify all Holders of the Preferred Securities of any notice of default received from the Debenture Trustee with respect to the Debentures. In addition to obtaining the foregoing approvals of the Holders of the Preferred Securities, prior to taking any of the foregoing actions, the Property Trustee shall, at the expense of the Depositor, obtain an Opinion of Counsel experienced in such matters to the effect that the Trust will be classified as a "grantor trust" and not as an association taxable as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes on account of such action. (c) If any proposed amendment to the Trust Agreement provides for, or the Trustees otherwise propose to effect, (i) any action that would materially adversely affect the powers, preferences or special rights of the Preferred Securities, whether by way of amendment to the Trust Agreement or otherwise, or (ii) the dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust, other than pursuant to the terms of this Trust Agreement, then the Holders of Outstanding Preferred Securities as a 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 66 2/3 in Liquidation Amount of the Outstanding Preferred Securities. No amendment to this Trust Agreement may be made if, as a result of such amendment, the Trust would not be classified as a "grantor trust" but as an association taxable as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes. -27- Section 6.02. Notice of Meetings. Notice of all meetings of the Holders of Preferred Securities, stating the time, place and purpose of the meeting, shall be given by the Administrative Trustees pursuant to Section 10.08 to each Holder of a Preferred Security, at his registered address, at least 15 days and not more than 90 days before the meeting. At any such meeting, any business properly before the meeting may be so considered whether or not stated in the notice of the meeting. Any adjourned meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. Section 6.03. Meetings of Holders of Preferred Securities. No annual meeting of Securityholders is required to be held. The Administrative Trustees, however, shall call a meeting of Securityholders to vote on any matter upon the written request of the Holders of 25% of the then Outstanding Preferred Securities (based upon their aggregate Liquidation Amount) and may, at any time in their discretion, call a meeting of Holders of Preferred Securities to vote on any matters as to which the Holders of Preferred Securities are entitled to vote. Holders of 50% of the then Outstanding Preferred Securities (based upon their aggregate Liquidation Amount), present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of Securityholders. If a quorum is present at a meeting, an affirmative vote by the Holders of Preferred Securities present, in person or by proxy, holding more than the lesser of (x) 66 2/3% of the then Outstanding Preferred Securities (based upon their aggregate Liquidation Amount) held by the Holders of then Outstanding Preferred Securities present, either in person or by proxy, at such meeting and (y) 50% of the Outstanding Preferred Securities (based upon their aggregate Liquidation Amount) shall constitute the action of the Securityholders, unless this Trust Agreement requires a greater number of affirmative votes. Section 6.04. Voting Rights. Securityholders shall be entitled to one vote for each $25 of Liquidation Amount represented by their Trust Securities in respect of any matter as to which such Securityholders are entitled to vote. Section 6.05. Proxies, etc. At any meeting of Securityholders, any Securityholder entitled to vote thereat may vote by proxy, provided that no proxy shall be voted at any meeting unless it shall have been placed on file with the Administrative Trustees, or with such other officer or agent of the Trust as the Administrative Trustees may direct, for verification prior to the time at which such vote shall be taken. Only Securityholders of record shall be entitled to vote. When Trust Securities are held jointly by several Persons, any one of them may vote at any meeting in person or by proxy in respect of such Trust Securities, but if more than one of them shall be present at such meeting in person or by proxy, and such joint owners or their proxies so present disagree as to any vote to be cast, such vote shall not be received in respect of such Trust Securities. A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Securityholder shall be deemed valid unless -28- challenged at or prior to its exercise, or, if earlier, until eleven months after it is sent and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger. Section 6.06. Securityholder Action by Written Consent. Any action which may be taken by Securityholders at a meeting may be taken without a meeting if Securityholders holding more than a majority of all Outstanding Trust Securities entitled to vote in respect of such action (or such larger proportion thereof as shall be required by any express provision of this Trust Agreement) shall consent to the action in writing (based upon their aggregate Liquidation Amount). Section 6.07. Record Date for Voting and Other Purposes. For the purposes of determining the Securityholders who are entitled to notice of and to vote at any meeting or by written consent, or to participate in any Distribution on the Trust Securities in respect of which a record date is not otherwise provided for in this Trust Agreement, or for the purpose of any other action, the Administrative Trustees may from time to time fix a date, not more than 90 days prior to the date of any meeting of Securityholders or the payment of Distribution or other action, as the case may be, as a record date for the determination of the identity of the Securityholders of record for such purposes. Section 6.08. Acts of Securityholders. Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided or permitted by this Trust Agreement to be given, made or taken by Securityholders may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Securityholders in person or by an agent duly appointed in writing; and, except as otherwise expressly provided herein, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments are delivered to the Administrative Trustees. Such instrument or instruments (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the "Act" of the Securityholders signing such instrument or instruments. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Trust Agreement and (subject to Section 8.01) conclusive in favor of the Trustees, if made in the manner provided in this Section. The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by a certificate of a notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgements of deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to him the execution thereof. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than his individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his authority. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other manner which any Trustee deems sufficient. The ownership of Preferred Securities shall be proved by the Securities Register. -29- Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act of the Securityholder of any Trust Security shall bind every future Securityholder of the same Trust Security and the Securityholder of every Trust Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Trustees or the Trust in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Trust Security. Without limiting the foregoing, a Securityholder entitled hereunder to take any action hereunder with regard to any particular Trust Security may do so with regard to all or any part of the Liquidation Amount of such Trust Security or by one or more duly appointed agents each of which may do so pursuant to such appointment with regard to all or any part of such Liquidation Amount. If any dispute shall arise between or among the Securityholders and the Administrative Trustees with respect to the authenticity, validity or binding nature of any request, demand, authorization, direction, consent, waiver or other Act of such Securityholder or Trustee under this Article VI, then the determination of such matter by the Property Trustee shall be conclusive with respect to such matter. Section 6.09. Inspection of Records. Subject to Section 5.07 concerning access to the list of Securityholders, upon reasonable notice to the Administrative Trustees and the Property Trustee, the other records of the Trust shall be open to inspection by Securityholders during normal business hours for any purpose reasonably related to such Securityholder's interest as a Securityholder. ARTICLE VII. Representations and Warranties of the Property Trustee and the Delaware Trustee Section 7.01. Property Trustee. The Property Trustee hereby represents and warrants for the benefit of the Depositor and the Securityholders that: (a) the Property Trustee is a banking corporation or trust company duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of New York; (b) the Property Trustee has full corporate power, authority and legal right to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Trust Agreement and has taken all necessary action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance by it of this Trust Agreement; -30- (c) this Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Property Trustee and constitutes the valid and legally binding agreement of the Property Trustee enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles; (d) the execution, delivery and performance by the Property Trustee of this Trust Agreement will not violate, conflict with or constitute a breach of the Property Trustee's charter or by-laws; and (e) neither the authorization, execution or delivery by the Property Trustee of this Trust Agreement nor the consummation of any of the transactions by the Property Trustee contemplated herein require the consent or approval of, the giving of notice to, the registration with or the taking of any other action with respect to any governmental authority or agency under any existing Federal or New York law governing the banking or trust powers of the Property Trustee. Section 7.02. Delaware Trustee. The Delaware Trustee represents and warrants for the benefit of the Depositor and the Securityholders that: (a) the Delaware Trustee is a banking corporation or trust company duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware; (b) the Delaware Trustee has full corporate power, authority and legal right to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Trust Agreement and has taken all necessary action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance by it of this Trust Agreement; (c) this Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Delaware Trustee and constitutes the valid and legally binding agreement of the Delaware Trustee enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general equity principles; (d) the execution, delivery and performance by the Delaware Trustee of this Trust Agreement will not violate the Delaware Trustee's charter or by-laws; and (e) neither the authorization, execution or delivery by the Delaware Trustee of this Trust Agreement nor the consummation of any of the transactions by the Delaware Trustee contemplated herein require the consent or approval of, the giving of notice to, the registration with or the taking of any other action with respect to any governmental authority or agency under any existing Federal or Delaware law governing the banking or trust powers of the Delaware Trustee. -31- ARTICLE VIII. The Trustees Section 8.01. Certain Duties and Responsibilities. (a) The duties and responsibilities of the Trustees shall be as provided by this Trust Agreement and, in the case of the Property Trustee, the Trust Indenture Act, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Trust Agreement against any of the Trustees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no provision of this Trust Agreement shall require any of the Trustees to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Trust Agreement to the contrary, the duties and responsibilities of the Property Trustee under this Trust Agreement shall be subject to the protections, exculpations and limitations on liability afforded to the Property Trustee under the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act and, to the extent applicable, Rule 3A-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or any successor rule thereunder. Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Trust Agreement relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustees shall be subject to the provisions of this Section. (b) All payments made by the Property Trustee or a Paying Agent in respect of the Trust Securities shall be made only from the income and proceeds from the Trust Property and only to the extent that there shall be sufficient income or proceeds from the Trust Property to enable the Property Trustee or Paying Agent to make payments in accordance with the terms hereof. Each Securityholder, by its acceptance of a Trust Security, agrees that it will look solely to the income and proceeds from the Trust Property to the extent available for distribution to it as herein provided and that the Trustees are not personally liable to it for any amount distributable in respect of any Trust Security or for any other liability in respect of any Trust Security. This Section 8.01(b) does not limit the liability of the Trustees expressly set forth elsewhere in this Trust Agreement or, in the case of the Property Trustee, in the Trust Indenture Act. (c) All duties and responsibilities of the Property Trustee contained in this Trust Agreement are subject to the following: (i) the Property Trustee's sole duty with respect to the custody, safe keeping and physical preservation of the Trust Property shall be to deal with such property in a similar manner as the Property Trustee deals with similar property for its own account, subject to the protections and limitations on liability afforded to the Property Trustee under this Trust Agreement, the Trust -32- Indenture Act and, to the extent applicable, Rule 3a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; (ii) the Property Trustee shall have no duty or liability for or with respect to the value, genuineness, existence or sufficiency of the Trust Property or the payment of any taxes or assessments levied thereon or in connection therewith; (iii) the Property Trustee shall not be liable for any interest on any money received by it except as it may otherwise agree with the Depositor. Money held by the Property Trustee need not be segregated from other funds held by it except in relation to the Payment Account established by the Property Trustee pursuant to this Trust Agreement and except to the extent otherwise required by law; and (iv) the Property Trustee shall not be responsible for monitoring the compliance by the Administrative Trustees or the Depositor with their respective duties under this Trust Agreement, nor shall the Property Trustee be liable for the default or misconduct of the Administrative Trustees or the Depositor. Section 8.02. Notice of Defaults. Within five Business Days after the occurrence of any Event of Default, the Property Trustee shall transmit, in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 10.08, notice of any default known to the Property Trustee to the Securityholders and the Depositor, unless such default shall have been cured or waived. For the purpose of this Section, the term "default" means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default. Section 8.03. Certain Rights of Property Trustee. Subject to the provisions of Section 8.01 and except as provided by law: (i) the Property Trustee may rely and shall 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 reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties; (ii) if (A) in performing its duties under this Trust Agreement the Property Trustee is required to decide between alternative courses of action or (B) in construing any of the provisions in this Trust Agreement the Property Trustee finds the same ambiguous or inconsistent with any other provisions -33- contained herein or (C) the Property Trustee is unsure of the application of any provision of this Trust Agreement, then, except as to any matter as to which the Preferred Securityholders are entitled to vote under the terms of this Trust Agreement, the Property Trustee shall deliver a notice to the Depositor requesting written instructions of the Depositor as to the course of action to be taken. The Property Trustee shall take such action, or refrain from taking such action, as the Property Trustee shall be instructed in writing to take, or to refrain from taking, by the Depositor; provided, however, that if the Property Trustee does not receive such instructions of the Depositor within ten Business Days after it has delivered such notice, or such reasonably shorter period of time set forth in such notice (which to the extent practicable shall not be less than two Business Days), it may, but shall be under no duty to, take or refrain from taking such action not inconsistent with this Trust Agreement as it shall deem advisable and in the best interests of the Securityholders, in which event the Property Trustee shall have no liability except for its own bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct; (iii) whenever in the administration of this Trust Agreement the Property Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Property Trustee (unless other evidence be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, request and rely upon an Officers' Certificate which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Depositor or the Administrative Trustees; (iv) the Property Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection and the written advice of such counsel or any 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 reliance thereon; (v) the Property Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Trust Agreement at the request or direction of any of the Securityholders pursuant to this Trust Agreement, unless such Securityholders shall have offered to the Property Trustee reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) and liabilities which might be incurred by it in complying with such request or direction; (vi) the Property 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, approval, bond, debenture, note or other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine, unless requested in writing to do so by one or more Securityholders, but the Property Trustee, in -34- its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Property Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Depositor personally or by agent or attorney; (vii) the Property 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 Property 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, provided that the Property Trustee shall be responsible for its own negligence or recklessness with respect to selection of any agent or attorney appointed by it hereunder; (viii) the Property Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Trust Agreement; (ix) the Property Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any default or Event of Default with respect to the Trust Securities unless either (1) a Responsible Officer of the Property Trustee shall have actual knowledge of the default or Event of Default or (2) written notice of such default or Event of Default shall have been given to the Property Trustee by the Depositor, the Administrative Trustees or by any Holder of the Trust Securities; (x) no provision of this Trust Agreement shall be deemed to impose any duty or obligation on the Property 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 Property 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; and no permissive or discretionary power or authority available to the Property Trustee shall be construed to be a duty; (xi) no provision of this Trust Agreement shall require the Property 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 Property Trustee shall have reasonable grounds for believing that the repayment of such funds or liability is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Trust Agreement or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it; (xii) the Property Trustee shall have no duty to see to any recording, filing or registration of any instrument (including any financing or continuation -35- statement or any tax or securities) (or any rerecording, refiling or registration thereof); (xiii) the Property Trustee shall have the right at any time to seek instructions concerning the administration of this Trust Agreement from any court of competent jurisdiction; and (xiv) whenever in the administration of this Trust Agreement the Property Trustee shall deem it desirable to receive instructions with respect to enforcing any remedy or right or taking any other action hereunder the Property Trustee (i) may request instructions from the Holders of the Trust Securities, which instructions may only be given by the Holders of the same proportion of Liquidation Amount of the Trust Securities as would be entitled to direct the Property Trustee under the terms of this Trust Agreement in respect of such remedies, rights or actions, (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 acting in accordance with such instructions. Section 8.04. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities. The recitals contained herein and in the Trust Securities Certificates shall be taken as the statements of the Trust, 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 or as to the title of the Trust thereto or as to the security afforded thereby or hereby, or as to the validity or genuineness of any securities at any time pledged and deposited with any Trustees hereunder, nor as to the validity or sufficiency of this Trust Agreement or the Trust Securities. The Trustees shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Trust of the proceeds of the Trust Securities in accordance with Section 2.05. Section 8.05. May Hold Securities. Except as provided in the definition of the term "Outstanding" in Article I, any Trustee or any other agent of any Trustee or the Trust, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Trust Securities and may otherwise deal with the Trust with the same rights it would have if it were not a Trustee or such other agent. Section 8.06. Compensation; Fees; Indemnity. The Depositor agrees (1) to pay to the Trustees from time to time reasonable compensation for all services rendered by the Trustees hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); -36- (2) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Trustees upon request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances reasonably incurred or made by the Trustees in accordance with any provision of this Trust Agreement (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 (gross negligence, in the case of any Administrative Trustee), bad faith or willful misconduct; and (3) to indemnify each Trustee for, and to hold each Trustee harmless against, any and all loss, damage, claims, liability or expense incurred without negligence (gross negligence, in the case of any Administrative Trustee), bad faith or willful misconduct on its part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Trust Agreement, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder. As security for the performance of the obligations of the Depositor under this Section, each of the Trustees shall have a lien prior to the Trust Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by such Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of Distributions on the Trust Securities. The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Trust Agreement. Section 8.07. Certain Trustees Required; Eligibility. (a) There shall at all times be a Property Trustee hereunder with respect to the Trust Securities. The Property Trustee shall be a Person that has a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. If any such Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of its supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such Person 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 the Property Trustee with respect to the Trust Securities shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article VIII. (b) There shall at all times be one or more Administrative Trustees hereunder with respect to the Trust Securities. Each Administrative Trustee shall be either a natural person who is at least 21 years of age or a legal entity that shall act through one or more persons authorized to bind such entity. (c) There shall at all times be a Delaware Trustee with respect to the Trust Securities. The Delaware Trustee shall either be (i) a natural person who is at least 21 years of age and a resident of the State of Delaware or (ii) a legal entity with its principal place of business in the State of Delaware that otherwise meets the -37- requirements of applicable Delaware law and that shall act through one or more persons authorized to bind such entity. Section 8.08. Conflicting Interests. If the Property Trustee has or shall acquire a conflicting interest within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act, the Property 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 this Trust Agreement. The Subordinated Indenture and the Guarantee Agreement shall be deemed to be specifically described in this Trust Agreement for the purposes of clause (i) of the first proviso contained in Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. Section 8.09. Co-Trustees and Separate Trustee. Unless a Debenture Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, at any time or times, for the purpose of meeting the legal requirements of the Trust Indenture Act or of any jurisdiction in which any part of the Trust Property may at the time be located, the Depositor and the Property Trustee shall have power to appoint, and upon the written request of the Property Trustee, the Depositor shall for such purpose join with the Property Trustee in the execution, delivery, and performance of all instruments and agreements necessary or proper to appoint, one or more Persons approved by the Property Trustee either to act as co-trustee, jointly with the Property Trustee, of all or any part of such Trust Property, or to act as separate trustee of any such property, in either case with such powers as may be provided in the instrument of appointment, and to vest in such Person or Persons in the capacity aforesaid, any property, title, right or power deemed necessary or desirable, subject to the other provisions of this Section. If the Depositor does not join in such appointment within 15 days after the receipt by it of a request so to do, or in case an Event of Default under the Subordinated Indenture has occurred and is continuing, the Property Trustee alone shall have power to make such appointment. Should any written instrument from the Depositor be required by any co-trustee or separate trustee so appointed for more fully confirming to such co-trustee or separate trustee such property, title, right, or power, any and all such instruments shall, on request, be executed, acknowledged, and delivered by the Depositor. Every co-trustee or separate trustee shall, to the extent permitted by law, but to such extent only, be appointed subject to the following terms, namely: (1) The Trust Securities shall be executed and delivered and all rights, powers, duties, and obligations hereunder in respect of the custody of securities, cash and other personal property held by, or required to be deposited or pledged with, the Trustees designated for such purpose hereunder, shall be exercised, solely by such Trustees. -38- (2) The rights, powers, duties, and obligations hereby conferred or imposed upon the Property Trustee in respect of any property covered by such appointment shall be conferred or imposed upon and exercised or performed by the Property Trustee or by the Property Trustee and such co-trustee or separate trustee jointly, as shall be provided in the instrument appointing such co-trustee or separate trustee, except to the extent that under any law of any jurisdiction in which any particular act is to be performed, the Property Trustee shall be incompetent or unqualified to perform such act, in which event such rights, powers, duties, and obligations shall be exercised and performed by such co-trustee or separate trustee. (3) The Property Trustee at any time, by an instrument in writing executed by it, with the written concurrence of the Depositor, may accept the resignation of or remove any co-trustee or separate trustee appointed under this Section 8.09, and, in case an Event of Default under the Subordinated Indenture has occurred and is continuing, the Property Trustee shall have power to accept the resignation of, or remove, any such co-trustee or separate trustee without the concurrence of the Depositor. Upon the written request of the Property Trustee, the Depositor shall join with the Property Trustee in the execution, delivery, and performance of all instruments and agreements necessary or proper to effectuate such resignation or removal. A successor to any co-trustee or separate trustee so resigned or removed may be appointed in the manner provided in this Section. (4) No co-trustee or separate trustee hereunder shall be personally liable by reason of any act or omission of the Trustee, or any other such trustee hereunder. (5) The Property Trustee shall not be liable by reason of any act of a co-trustee or separate trustee. (6) Any Act of Holders delivered to the Property Trustee shall be deemed to have been delivered to each such co-trustee and separate trustee. Section 8.10. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor. No resignation or removal of any Trustee (as the case may be, the "Relevant Trustee") and no appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Relevant Trustee in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 8.11. The Relevant Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Securityholders. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Relevant Trustee required by Section 8.11 shall not have been delivered to the Relevant Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Relevant Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee. -39- Unless a Debenture Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Relevant Trustee may be removed at any time by Act of the Common Securityholder. If a Debenture Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Relevant Trustee may be removed at such time by Act of the Securityholders of a majority of the aggregate Liquidation Amount of the Outstanding Preferred Securities, delivered to the Relevant Trustee (in its individual capacity and on behalf of the Trust). If the Relevant Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of continuing to act as Relevant Trustee at a time when no Debenture Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Common Securityholder, by Act of the Common Securityholder delivered to the retiring Relevant Trustee, shall promptly appoint a successor Relevant Trustee or Trustees, and the retiring Relevant Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of Section 8.11. If the Relevant Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of continuing to act as the Relevant Trustee at a time when a Debenture Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Preferred Securityholders, by Act of the Preferred Securityholders of a majority in Liquidation Amount of the Outstanding Preferred Securities delivered to the retiring Relevant Trustee, shall promptly appoint a successor Relevant Trustee or Trustees, and the Relevant Trustee shall comply with the applicable requirements of Section 8.11. If no successor Relevant Trustee shall have been so appointed by the Common Securityholders or the Preferred Securityholders and accepted appointment in the manner required by Section 8.11, any Securityholder who has been a Securityholder for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Relevant Trustee. The retiring Relevant Trustee shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Relevant Trustee and each appointment of a successor Trustee to all Securityholders in the manner provided in Section 10.08 and shall give notice to the Depositor. Each notice shall include the name and address of the successor Relevant Trustee and, in the case of the Property Trustee, the address of its Corporate Trust Office. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Trust Agreement, in the event any Administrative Trustee or a Delaware Trustee who is a natural person dies or becomes incompetent or incapacitated, the vacancy created by such death, incompetence or incapacity may be filled by (i) the unanimous act of remaining Administrative Trustees if there are at least two of them or (ii) otherwise by the Depositor (with the successor in each case being an individual who satisfies the eligibility requirements for Administrative Trustees or Delaware Trustee, as the case may be, set forth in Section 8.07). Additionally, notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Trust Agreement, in the event the Depositor reasonably believes that any Administrative Trustee who is a natural person has become incompetent or incapacitated, the Depositor, by notice to the remaining Trustees, may terminate the status of such Person as an Administrative Trustee (in which case the vacancy so created will be filled in accordance with the preceding sentence). -40- Section 8.11. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor. In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Relevant Trustee, the retiring Relevant Trustee and each successor Trustee shall execute and deliver an amendment hereto wherein each successor Relevant Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) 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 Trust Securities and the Trust and (2) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Trust Agreement as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Relevant Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such amendment shall constitute such Relevant Trustees co-trustees of the same trust and that each such Relevant Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Relevant Trustee 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 Trustee all Trust Property, all proceeds thereof and money held by such retiring Relevant Trustee hereunder with respect to the Trust Securities and the Trust. Upon request of any such successor Relevant Trustee, the retiring Relevant Trustee shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Relevant Trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in the first or second preceding paragraph, as the case may be. No successor Relevant Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Relevant Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article VIII. Section 8.12. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business. Any Person into which the Property Trustee or the Delaware Trustee or any Administrative Trustee or any Trustee that is not a natural person may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Relevant Trustee shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to all or substantially all the corporate trust business of such Relevant Trustee, shall be the successor of such Relevant Trustee hereunder, provided such Person shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article VIII, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto. Section 8.13. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Depositor or Trust. If and when the Property Trustee shall be or become a creditor of the Depositor or the Trust (or any other obligor upon the Debentures or the Trust Securities), the Property -41- Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act regarding the collection of claims against the Depositor or Trust (or any such other obligor). Section 8.14. Reports by Property Trustee. (a) the Property Trustee shall transmit to Securityholders such reports concerning the Property Trustee and its actions under this Trust Agreement as may be required pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act at the times and in the manner provided pursuant thereto. Such of those reports as are required to be transmitted by the Property Trustee pursuant to Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act shall be so transmitted within 60 days after July 31 of each year, commencing July 31, 1996. (b) A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Holders, be filed by the Property Trustee with each stock exchange upon which the Trust Securities are listed, with the Commission and with the Depositor. The Depositor will notify the Property Trustee when any Trust Securities are listed on any stock exchange. Section 8.15. Reports to the Property Trustee. The Depositor and the Administrative Trustees on behalf of the Trust shall provide to the Property Trustee such documents, reports and information as required by Section 314 (if any) and the compliance certificate required by Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act in the form, in the manner and at the times required by Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act. Section 8.16. Evidence of Compliance With Conditions Precedent. Each of the Depositor and the Administrative Trustees on behalf of the Trust shall provide to the Property Trustee such evidence of compliance with any conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Trust Agreement (including any covenants compliance with which constitutes a condition precedent) that relate to any of the matters set forth in Section 314(c) of the Trust Indenture Act. Any certificate or opinion required to be given by an officer pursuant to Section 314(c)(1) of the Trust Indenture Act may be given in the form of an Officers' Certificate. Section 8.17. Number of Trustees. (a) The number of Trustees shall be five, provided that Depositor, by written instrument may increase or decrease the number of Administrative Trustees. (b) If a Trustee ceases to hold office for any reason and the number of Administrative Trustees is not reduced pursuant to Section 8.17(a), or if the number of Trustees is increased pursuant to Section 8.17(a), a vacancy shall occur. The vacancy shall be filled with a Trustee appointed in accordance with Section 8.10. (c) The death, resignation, retirement, removal, bankruptcy, incompetence or incapacity to perform the duties of a Trustee shall not operate to annul the Trust. Whenever a vacancy in the number of Administrative Trustees shall occur, until such vacancy is filled by the appointment of an Administrative Trustee in accordance with Section 8.10, the -42- Administrative Trustees in office, regardless of their number (and notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement), shall have all the powers granted to the Administrative Trustees and shall discharge all the duties imposed upon the Administrative Trustees by this Trust Agreement. Section 8.18. Delegation of Power. (a) Any Administrative Trustee may, by power of attorney consistent with applicable law, delegate to any other natural person over the age of 21 his or her power for the purpose of executing any documents contemplated in Section 2.07(a), including any registration statement or amendment thereto filed with the Commission, or making any other governmental filing; and (b) the Administrative Trustees 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 Administrative Trustees or otherwise as the Administrative Trustees 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 8.19. 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 Trust Agreement shall not be liable to the Trust or to any other Covered Person for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Trust Agreement. The provisions of this Trust Agreement, to the extent that they restrict the duties and liabilities of an Indemnified Person otherwise existing at law or in equity (other than the duties imposed on the Property Trustee under the Trust Indenture Act), are agreed by the parties hereto to replace such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnified Person; (b) Unless otherwise expressly provided herein and subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act: (i) whenever a conflict of interest exists or arises between an Indemnified Person and any Covered Person; or (ii) whenever this Trust Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or therein provides that an Indemnified Person shall act in a manner that is, or provides terms that are, fair and reasonable to the Trust or any Holder of Trust Securities, the Indemnified Person shall resolve such conflict of interest, take such action or provide such terms, considering in each case the relative interest of each party (including its own interest) to such conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to -43- such interests, any customary or accepted industry practices, and any applicable generally accepted accounting practices or principles. In the absence of bad faith by the Indemnified Person, the resolution, action or term so made, taken or provided by the Indemnified Person shall not constitute a breach of this Trust Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or of any duty or obligation of the Indemnified Person at law or in equity or otherwise; and (c) Unless otherwise expressly provided herein and subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, whenever in this Trust Agreement 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 reasonably 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 Trust Agreement or by applicable law. ARTICLE IX. Termination and Liquidation Section 9.01. Termination Upon Expiration Date. The Trust shall automatically terminate on December 31, 2020 (the "Expiration Date") and the Trust Property shall be distributed in accordance with Section 9.04. Section 9.02. Early Termination. Upon the first to occur of any of the following events (such first occurrence, an "Early Termination Event"): (i) the occurrence of a Bankruptcy Event in respect of, or the dissolution or liquidation of, the Depositor; (ii) the redemption of all of the Preferred Securities; (iii) termination of the Trust in accordance with Section 9.04(d); (iv) an order for judicial termination of the Trust having been entered by a court of competent jurisdiction; -44- the Trust shall terminate and the Trustees shall take such action as is required by Section 9.04. Section 9.03. Termination. The respective obligations and responsibilities of the Trust and the Trustees created hereby shall terminate upon the latest to occur of the following: (i) the distribution by the Property Trustee to Securityholders upon the liquidation of the Trust pursuant to Section 9.04, or upon the redemption of all of the Trust Securities pursuant to Section 4.02 or 9.04(d), of all amounts required to be distributed hereunder upon the final payment of the Trust Securities; (ii) the payment of any expenses owed by the Trust; and (iii) the discharge of all administrative duties of the Administrative Trustees, including the performance of any tax reporting obligations with respect to the Trust or the Securityholders. Section 9.04. Liquidation. (a) If an Early Termination Event specified in clause (i) or (iv) of Section 9.02 occurs, after satisfaction of creditors of the Trust, if any, as provided by applicable law, the Trust shall be liquidated by the Property Trustee as expeditiously as the Property Trustee determines to be appropriate by distributing to each Securityholder a Like Amount of Debentures, subject to Section 9.04(e). Notice of liquidation shall be given by the Administrative Trustees by first-class mail, postage prepaid, mailed not later than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Liquidation Date to each Holder of Trust Securities at such Holder's address appearing in the Securities Register. All notices of liquidation shall: (i) state the Liquidation Date; (ii) state that from and after the Liquidation Date, the Trust Securities will no longer be deemed to be outstanding and any Trust Securities Certificates not surrendered for exchange will be deemed to represent a Like Amount of Debentures; and (iii) provide such information with respect to the mechanics by which Holders may exchange Trust Securities Certificates for Debentures, or if Section 9.04(e) applies receive a Liquidation Distribution, as the Administrative Trustees or the Property Trustee shall deem appropriate. (b) In order to effect any liquidation of the Trust hereunder, and any resulting distribution of the Debentures to Securityholders, the Property Trustee shall establish a record date for such distribution (which shall be not more than 45 days prior to the Liquidation Date) and, either itself acting as exchange agent or through the appointment of a separate exchange agent, shall establish such procedures as it shall deem appropriate to effect the distribution of Debentures in exchange for the Outstanding Trust Securities Certificates. (c) After any Liquidation Date, (i) the Trust Securities will no longer be deemed to be Outstanding, (ii) certificates representing a Like Amount of Debentures will be -45- issued to Holders of Trust Securities Certificates, upon surrender of such Trust Securities Certificates to the Administrative Trustees or their agent for exchange, (iii) any Trust Securities Certificates not so surrendered for exchange will be deemed to represent a Like Amount of Debentures, accruing interest at the rate provided for in the Debentures from the last Distribution Date on which a Distribution was made on such Trust Certificates until such Trust Securities Certificates are so surrendered (and until such Trust Securities Certificates are so surrendered, no payments or interest or principal will be made to Holders of Trust Securities Certificates with respect to such Debentures) and (iv) all rights of Securityholders holding Trust Securities will cease, except the right of such Securityholders to receive Debentures upon surrender of Trust Securities Certificates. (d) If at any time, a Special Event shall occur and be continuing, the Depositor has the right to (i) redeem the Debentures in whole but not in part and therefore cause a mandatory redemption of all the Preferred Securities at the Redemption Price within 90 days following the occurrence of such Special Event, or (ii) cause the termination of the Trust. Further, if at any time, the Trust is not or will not be taxed as a grantor trust under the United States federal income tax law, but a Tax Event has not occurred, the Depositor may elect termination of the Trust. In the event the Depositor elects under the provisions of this section for the Trust to be terminated, the Administrative Trustees shall, terminate the Trust and, after satisfaction of creditors of the Trust, if any, as provided by applicable law, cause Debentures held by the Property Trustee having a Like Amount of the Preferred Securities and the Common Securities to be distributed to the Holders of the Preferred Securities and the Common Securities on a pro rata basis in liquidation of such Holders' interests in the Trust (in the case of such an election following the occurrence of a Special Event) within 90 days following the occurrence of such Special Event. The Common Securities will be redeemed on a pro rata basis with the Preferred Securities, except that if a Debenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Preferred Securities will have a priority over the Common Securities with respect to payment of the Redemption Price and accumulated and unpaid Distributions to the date of such payment. (e) In the event that, notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 9.04, whether because of an order for termination entered by a court of competent jurisdiction or otherwise, distribution of the Debentures in the manner provided herein is determined by the Property Trustee not to be practical, the Trust Property shall be liquidated, and the Trust shall be dissolved, wound-up or terminated, by the Property Trustee in such manner as the Property Trustee determines. In such event, on the date of the dissolution, winding-up or other termination of the Trust, Securityholders will be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Trust available for distribution to Securityholders, after satisfaction of liabilities to creditors of the Trust, if any, as provided by applicable law, an amount equal to the Liquidation Amount per Trust Security plus accumulated and unpaid Distributions thereon to the date of payment (such amount being the "Liquidation Distribution"). If, upon any such dissolution, winding up or termination, 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, subject to the next succeeding sentence, the amounts payable by the Trust -46- on the Trust Securities shall be paid on a pro rata basis (based upon Liquidation Amounts). The Holder of Common Securities will be entitled to receive Liquidation Distributions upon any such dissolution, winding-up or termination pro rata (determined as aforesaid) with Holders of Preferred Securities, except that, if a Debenture Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or if a Debenture Event of Default has not occurred solely by reason of a requirement that time lapse or notice be given, the Preferred Securities shall have a priority over the Common Securities. ARTICLE X. Miscellaneous Provisions Section 10.01. Guarantee by the Depositor and Assumption of Obligations. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Depositor irrevocably and unconditionally guarantees to each Person to whom the Trust is now or hereafter becomes indebted or liable (the "Beneficiaries"), and agrees to assume liability for, the full payment, when and as due, of any and all Obligations (as hereinafter defined) to such Beneficiaries. As used herein, "Obligations" means any indebtedness, expenses or liabilities of the Trust, other than obligations of the Trust to pay to Holders or other similar interests in the Trust the amounts due such Holders pursuant to the terms of the Preferred Securities or such other similar interests, as the case may be. This guarantee and assumption 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 10.02. Limitation of Rights of Securityholders. The death or incapacity of any person having an interest, beneficial or otherwise, in a Trust Security shall not operate to terminate this Trust Agreement, nor entitle the legal representatives or heirs of such person or any Securityholder for such person, to claim an accounting, take any action or bring any proceeding in any court for a partition or winding up of the arrangements contemplated hereby, nor otherwise affect the rights, obligations and liabilities of the parties hereto or any of them. Section 10.03. Amendment. (a) This Trust Agreement may be amended from time to time by the Trust (on approval of a majority of the Administrative Trustees and the Depositor, without the consent of any Securityholders), (i) to cure any ambiguity, correct or supplement any provision herein or therein which may be inconsistent with any other provision herein or therein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Trust Agreement, which shall not be inconsistent with the other provisions of this Trust Agreement or (ii) to modify, eliminate or add to any provisions of this Trust Agreement to such extent as shall be necessary to ensure that the Trust will not be classified for United States federal income tax purposes other than as a "grantor trust" and not as an association taxable as a -47- corporation at any time that any Trust Securities are outstanding or to ensure the Trust's exemption from the status of an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; provided, however, that, except in the case of clause (ii), such action shall not adversely affect in any material respect the interests of any Securityholder and, in the case of clause (i), any amendments of this Trust Agreement shall become effective when notice thereof is given to the Securityholders. (b) Except as provided in Sections 6.01(c) and 10.03(c), any provision of this Trust Agreement may be amended by the Administrative Trustees and the Depositor with (i) the consent of Holders of Trust Securities representing not less than a majority (based upon Liquidation Amounts) of the Outstanding Trust Securities and (ii) receipt by the Trustees of an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment or the exercise of any power granted to the Trustees in accordance with such amendment will not affect the Trust's status as a grantor trust for federal income tax purposes or the Trust's exemption from status of an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. (c) In addition to and notwithstanding any other provision in this Trust Agreement, without the consent of each affected Securityholder (such consent being obtained in accordance with Section 6.03 or 6.06), this Trust Agreement may not be amended to (i) change the amount or timing of any Distribution on the Trust Securities or otherwise adversely affect the amount of any Distribution required to be made in respect of the Trust Securities as of a specified date or (ii) restrict the right of a Securityholder to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after such date. (d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Trust Agreement, no Trustee shall enter into or consent to any amendment to this Trust Agreement which would cause the Trust to fail or cease to qualify for the exemption from status of an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, afforded by Rule 3a-5 thereunder. (e) Notwithstanding anything in this Trust Agreement to the contrary, without the consent of the Depositor and the Trustees, this Trust Agreement may not be amended in a manner which imposes any additional obligation on the Depositor or any Trustee. (f) In the event that any amendment to this Trust Agreement is made, the Administrative Trustees shall promptly provide to the Depositor a copy of such amendment. (g) The Property Trustee is entitled to receive an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any amendment to this Trust Agreement executed pursuant to this Section 10.03 is authorized or permitted by, and conforms to, the terms of this Section 10.03, has been duly authorized by and lawfully executed and delivered on behalf of the other requisite parties, and that it is proper for the Property Trustee under the provisions of this Section 10.03 to join in the execution thereof. -48- Section 10.04. Separability. In case any provision in this Trust Agreement or in the Trust Securities Certificates 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. Section 10.05. Governing Law. This Trust Agreement and the rights and obligations of each of the Securityholders, the Trust and the Trustees with respect to this Trust Agreement and the Trust Securities shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware (without regard to conflict of laws principles). Section 10.06. Successors. This Trust Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of any successor to the Trust or the Relevant Trustees or any of them, including any successor by operation of law. Section 10.07. Headings. The Article and Section headings are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of this Trust Agreement. Section 10.08. Notice and Demand. Any notice, demand or other communication which by any provision of this Trust Agreement is required or permitted to be given or served to or upon any Securityholder or the Depositor may be given or served in writing by deposit thereof, postage prepaid, in the United States mail, hand delivery or facsimile transmission, in each case, addressed, (i) in the case of a Preferred Securityholder, to such Preferred Securityholder as such Securityholder's name and address may appear on the Securities Register and (ii) in the case of the Common Securityholder or the Depositor, to Minnesota Power & Light Company, 30 West Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802, Attention: Treasurer, facsimile no. (218) 723-3912, with a copy to the Secretary, facsimile no. (218) 723-3955. Such notice, demand or other communication to or upon a Securityholder shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, upon hand delivery, mailing or transmission. Any notice, demand or other communication which by any provision of this Trust Agreement is required or permitted to be given or served to or upon the Trust, the Property Trustee, the Delaware Trustee or the Administrative Trustees shall be given in writing addressed (until another address is published by the Trust) as follows: (i) with respect to the Property Trustee or the Delaware Trustee, 101 Barclay Street, 21 West, New York, New York 10286 marked "Attention: Corporate Trust Administration" with a copy to: The Bank of New York (Delaware), White Clay Center, Route 273, Newark, Delaware 19711 and (ii) with respect to the Trust or the Administrative Trustees, at the address above for notice to the Depositor, marked "Attention: Administrative Trustees for MP&L Capital I". Such notice, demand or other communication to or upon the Trust or the Property Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made only upon actual receipt of the writing by the Trust or the Property Trustee. -49- Section 10.09. Agreement Not to Petition. Each of the Trustees and the Depositor agrees for the benefit of the Securityholders that, until at least one year and one day after the Trust has been terminated in accordance with Article IX, it shall not file, or join in the filing of, a petition against the Trust under any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, insolvency, liquidation or other similar law (including, without limitation, the United States Bankruptcy Code) (collectively, "Bankruptcy Laws") or otherwise join in the commencement of any proceeding against the Trust under any Bankruptcy Law. In the event the Depositor takes action in violation of this Section 10.09, the Property Trustee agrees, for the benefit of Securityholders, that it shall file an answer with the bankruptcy court or otherwise properly contest the filing of such petition by the Depositor against the Trust or the commencement of such action and raise the defense that the Depositor has agreed in writing not to take such action and should be stopped and precluded therefrom and such other defenses, if any, as counsel for the Property Trustee or the Trust may assert. The provisions of this Section 10.09 shall survive the termination of this Trust Agreement. Section 10.10. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act. (a) This Trust Agreement is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are required or deemed to be part of this Trust Agreement and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions. (b) The Property Trustee shall be the only Trustee which is a trustee for the purposes of the Trust Indenture Act. (c) If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision hereof which is required or deemed to be included in this Trust Agreement by any of the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, such required or deemed provision shall control. (d) The application of the Trust Indenture Act to this Trust Agreement shall not affect the nature of the Trust Securities as equity securities representing interests in the Trust. THE RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE OF A TRUST SECURITY OR ANY INTEREST THEREIN BY OR ON BEHALF OF A SECURITYHOLDER OR ANY BENEFICIAL OWNER, WITHOUT ANY SIGNATURE OR FURTHER MANIFESTATION OF ASSENT, SHALL CONSTITUTE THE UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE BY THE SECURITYHOLDER AND ALL OTHERS HAVING A BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN SUCH TRUST SECURITY OF ALL THE TERMS AND PROVISIONS OF THIS TRUST AGREEMENT AND THE AGREEMENT OF THE TRUST, SUCH SECURITYHOLDER AND SUCH OTHERS THAT THOSE TERMS AND PROVISIONS SHALL BE BINDING, OPERATIVE AND EFFECTIVE AS BETWEEN THE TRUST AND SUCH SECURITYHOLDER AND SUCH OTHERS. -50- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Trust Agreement to be duly executed, all as of the day and year first above written. MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY By: D. G. Gartzke -------------------------------- Title: Treasurer THE BANK OF NEW YORK, as Property Trustee By: Helen M. Cotiaux -------------------------------- Title: Vice President THE BANK OF NEW YORK (DELAWARE), as Delaware Trustee By: Donald J. Wrobel -------------------------------- Title: Executive Vice President Philip R. Halverson -------------------------------- PHILIP R. HALVERSON solely in his capacity as Administrative Trustee D. G. Gartzke -------------------------------- DAVID G. GARTZKE solely in his capacity as Administrative Trustee James Vizanko -------------------------------- JAMES K. VIZANKO solely in his capacity as Administrative Trustee -51- EXHIBIT A CERTIFICATE OF TRUST OF MP&L CAPITAL I THIS CERTIFICATE OF TRUST of MP&L Capital I (the "Trust"), dated as of , 1996, is being duly executed and filed by the undersigned, as trustees, to create a business trust under the Delaware Business Trust Act (12 Del. C. Section 3801, et seq.). 1. Name. The name of the business trust being created hereby is MP&L Capital I. 2. Delaware Trustee. The name and business address of the trustee of the Trust with a principal place of business in the State of Delaware are The Bank of New York (Delaware), White Clay Center, Route 273, Newark, Delaware 19711. 3. Effective Date. This Certificate of Trust shall be effective as of its filing. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being the only trustees of the Trust, have executed this Certificate of Trust as of the date first above written. THE BANK OF NEW YORK (DELAWARE), PHILIP R. HALVERSON, not in its individual capacity not in his individual capacity but solely as Trustee but solely as Trustee By: By: ---------------------- ---------------------- Name: Title: THE BANK OF NEW YORK, not in its individual capacity but solely as Trustee By: ---------------------- Name: Title: A-1 EXHIBIT B THIS CERTIFICATE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE Certificate Number Number of Common Securities C-[ ] Certificate Evidencing Common Securities of MP&L CAPITAL I Common Securities (Liquidation Amount $25 per Common Security) MP&L Capital I, a statutory business trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the "Trust"), hereby certifies that Minnesota Power & Light Company (the "Holder") is the registered owner of _____ (_____) common securities of the Trust representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust and designated the Common Securities (liquidation amount $25 per Common Security) (the "Common Securities"). In accordance with Section 5.10 of the Trust Agreement (as defined below) the Common Securities are not transferable and any attempted transfer hereof shall be void. The designations, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Common Securities are set forth in, and this certificate and the Common Securities represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Trust dated as of _______ ___, 1995, as the same may be amended from time to time (the "Trust Agreement"). The Trust will furnish a copy of the Trust Agreement to the Holder without charge upon written request to the Trust at its principal place of business or registered office. Upon receipt of this certificate, the Holder is bound by the Trust Agreement and is entitled to the benefits thereunder. B-1 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, an Administrative Trustee of the Trust has executed this certificate for and on behalf of the Trust this ____ day of _________, 199 . MP&L CAPITAL I By: ----------------------------------------- not in his (her) individual capacity, but solely as Administrative Trustee B-2 EXHIBIT C AGREEMENT AS TO EXPENSES AND LIABILITIES AGREEMENT dated as of ________ ___, 1995, between Minnesota Power & Light Company, a Minnesota corporation ("Minnesota Power"), and MP&L Capital I, a Delaware business trust (the "Trust"). WHEREAS, the Trust intends to issue its Common Securities (the "Common Securities") to and receive Debentures from Minnesota Power and to issue its ___% Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (the "Preferred Securities") with such powers, preferences and special rights and restrictions as are set forth in the Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Trust dated as of ________ __, 1996 as the same may be amended from time to time (the "Trust Agreement"); WHEREAS, Minnesota Power is the issuer of the Debentures; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the acceptance by each holder of the Preferred Securities, which acceptance Minnesota Power hereby agrees shall benefit Minnesota Power and which acceptance Minnesota Power acknowledges will be made in reliance upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement, Minnesota Power, including in its capacity as holder of the Common Securities, and the Trust hereby agree as follows: ARTICLE I Section 1.01. Assumption by Minnesota Power. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, Minnesota Power hereby irrevocably and unconditionally assumes the full payment, when and as due, of any and all Obligations (as hereinafter defined) to each person or entity to whom the Trust is now or hereafter becomes indebted or liable (the "Beneficiaries"). As used herein, "Obligations" means any indebtedness, expenses or liabilities of the Trust, other than (i) obligations of the Trust to pay to holders of any Preferred Securities or other similar interests in the Trust the amounts due such holders pursuant to the terms of the Preferred Securities or such other similar interests, as the case may be and (ii) obligations arising out of the negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Trustees of the Trust. This Agreement 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 1.02. Term of Agreement. This Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect upon the date on which there are no Beneficiaries remaining; provided, however, that this Agreement shall continue to be effective or shall be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any holder of Preferred Securities or any Beneficiary must restore payment of any sums paid under the Preferred Securities, under any Obligation, under the Guarantee Agreement dated the date hereof by Minnesota Power and The Bank of C-1 New York, as guarantee trustee, or under this Agreement for any reason whatsoever. This Agreement is continuing, irrevocable, unconditional and absolute. Section 1.03. Waiver of Notice. Minnesota Power hereby waives notice of acceptance of this Agreement and of any Obligation to which it applies or may apply, and Minnesota Power hereby waives presentment, demand for payment, protest, notice of nonpayment, notice of dishonor, notice of redemption and all other notices and demands. Section 1.04. No Impairment. The obligations, covenants, agreements and duties of Minnesota Power under this Agreement shall in no way be affected or impaired by reason of the happening from time to time of any of the following: (a) the extension of time for the payment by the Trust of all or any portion of the Obligations or for the performance of any other obligation under, arising out of, or in connection with, the Obligations; (b) any failure, omission, delay or lack of diligence on the part of the Beneficiaries to enforce, assert or exercise any right, privilege, power or remedy conferred on the Beneficiaries with respect to the Obligations or any action on the part of the Trust granting indulgence or extension of any kind; or (c) 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 Trust or any of the assets of the Trust. There shall be no obligation of the Beneficiaries to give notice to, or obtain the consent of, Minnesota Power with respect to the happening of any of the foregoing. Section 1.05. Enforcement. A Beneficiary may enforce this Agreement directly against Minnesota Power and Minnesota Power waives any right or remedy to require that any action be brought against the Trust or any other person or entity before proceeding against Minnesota Power. ARTICLE II Section 2.01. Binding Effect. All guarantees and agreements contained in this Agreement shall bind the successors, assigns, receivers, trustees and representatives of Minnesota Power and shall inure to the benefit of the Beneficiaries. Section 2.02. Amendment. So long as there remains any Beneficiary or any Preferred Securities of any series are outstanding, this Agreement shall not be modified or amended in any manner adverse to such Beneficiary or to the holders of the Preferred Securities. C-2 Section 2.03. Notices. Any notice, request or other communication required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be given in writing by delivering the same against receipt therefor by facsimile transmission (confirmed by mail), telex or by registered or certified mail, addressed as follows (and if so given, shall be deemed given when mailed or upon receipt of an answer-back, if sent by telex), to wit: MP&L Capital I c/o Philip R. Halverson, Administrative Trustee 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Facsimile No.: (218) 723-3955 Minnesota Power & Light Company 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Facsimile No.: (218) 723-3912 Attention: Treasurer Section 2.04 THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES). THIS AGREEMENT is executed as of the day and year first above written. MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY By: --------------------------------- Name: Title: MP&L CAPITAL I By: --------------------------------- Philip R. Halverson not in his individual capacity, but solely as Administrative Trustee C-3 [Clearing Agency Legend] EXHIBIT D Certificate Number Number of Preferred Securities P- CUSIP NO. Certificate Evidencing Preferred Securities of MP&L CAPITAL I % Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (Liquidation Amount $25 per Preferred Security) MP&L Capital I, a statutory business trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware (the "Trust"), hereby certifies that ____________ (the "Holder") is the registered owner of _____ (_____) preferred securities of the Trust representing an undivided beneficial interest in the assets of the Trust and designated the MP&L Capital I % Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (liquidation amount $25 per Preferred Security) (the "Preferred Securities"). The Preferred 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 as provided in Section 5.04 or 5.11 of the Trust Agreement (as defined below). The designations, rights, privileges, restrictions, preferences and other terms and provisions of the Preferred Securities are set forth in, and this certificate and the Preferred Securities represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Trust dated as of , 1996, as the same may be amended from time to time (the "Trust Agreement"). The holder of this certificate is entitled to the benefits of the Guarantee Agreement of Minnesota Power & Light Company, a Minnesota corporation, and The Bank of New York, as guarantee trustee, dated as of , 1996 (the "Guarantee") to the extent provided therein. The Trust will furnish a copy of the Trust Agreement and the Guarantee to the holder of this certificate without charge upon written request to the Trust at its principal place of business or registered office. Upon receipt of this certificate, the holder of this certificate is bound by the Trust Agreement and is entitled to the benefits thereunder. D-1 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, one of the Administrative Trustees of the Trust has executed this certificate for and on behalf of the Trust. Dated: MP&L CAPITAL I By: ----------------------------------------- [ ] not in his (her) individual capacity, but solely as Administrative Trustee D-2 ASSIGNMENT FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned assigns and transfers this Preferred Security to: - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Insert assignee's social security or tax identification number) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Insert address and zip code of assignee) of the Preferred Securities represented by this Preferred Securities Certificate and irrevocably appoints - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- attorney to transfer such Preferred Securities Certificate on the books of the Trust. The attorney may substitute another to act for him or her. Date: ------------------------ Signature: --------------------------- (Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Preferred Securities Certificate) Signature: --------------------------- (Sign exactly as your name appears on the other side of this Preferred Securities Certificate) D-3

Exhibit 4(b) AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO AMENDED AND RESTATED TRUST AGREEMENT DATED AS OF MARCH 1, 1996 Reference is made to an Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated as of March 1, 1996, among Minnesota Power & Light Company, as Depositor, The Bank of New York, as Property Trustee, The Bank of New York (Delaware), as Delaware Trustee and Philip R. Halverson, David G. Gartzke and James K. Vizanko, each in his individual capacity as an Administrative Trustee (the "Trust Agreement"). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall be used with the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 10.03(a) thereof, the Trust Agreement is hereby amended, effective upon delivery of notice of this Amendment No. 1 to the Securityholders, by the addition of the following to the end of the last sentence of Section 4.01(d): ; provided that, at any time the sole Securityholder of the Preferred Securities is the Securities Depository, the record date shall be one Business Day prior to the relevant Distribution Date. In witness whereof, the undersigned have executed this Amendment No. 1 this 11th day of April, 1996. MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY, as Depositor By: R. D. Edwards ----------------------------------------- Robert D. Edwards, Executive Vice President Philip R. Halverson -------------------------------------------- Philip R. Halverson, solely in his capacity as Administrative Trustee D. G. Gartzke -------------------------------------------- David G. Gartzke, solely in his capacity as Administrative Trustee James Vizanko -------------------------------------------- James K. Vizanko, solely in his capacity as Administrative Trustee

Exhibit 4(c) ---------------------------------------------- MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY TO THE BANK OF NEW YORK Trustee --------- Indenture (For Unsecured Subordinated Debt Securities relating to Trust Securities) Dated as of March 1, 1996 ---------------------------------------------- i TABLE OF CONTENTS PARTIES.................................................................... 1 RECITAL OF THE COMPANY..................................................... 1 ARTICLE ONE................................................................ 1 Definitions and Other Provisions of General Application.................... 1 SECTION 101. Definitions......................................... 1 Act...................................................... 2 Additional Interest...................................... 2 Affiliate................................................ 2 Authenticating Agent..................................... 2 Authorized Officer....................................... 2 Board of Directors....................................... 2 Board Resolution......................................... 2 Business Day............................................. 2 Commission............................................... 3 Company.................................................. 3 Company Request or Company Order......................... 3 Corporate Trust Office................................... 3 corporation.............................................. 3 Defaulted Interest....................................... 3 Dollar or $.............................................. 3 Event of Default......................................... 3 Governmental Authority................................... 3 Government Obligations................................... 3 Guarantee................................................ 4 Holder................................................... 4 Indenture................................................ 4 Interest Payment Date.................................... 4 Maturity................................................. 4 Officer's Certificate.................................... 4 Opinion of Counsel....................................... 4 Outstanding.............................................. 4 Paying Agent............................................. 5 Person................................................... 5 Place of Payment......................................... 5 Predecessor Security..................................... 5 Preferred Securities..................................... 6 Redemption Date.......................................... 6 Redemption Price......................................... 6 Regular Record Date...................................... 6 Responsible Officer...................................... 6 Securities............................................... 6 Note: This table of contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture. ii Security Register and Security Registrar................. 6 Senior Indebtedness...................................... 6 Special Record Date...................................... 6 Stated Maturity.......................................... 6 Trust.................................................... 7 Trust Agreement.......................................... 7 Trust Indenture Act...................................... 7 Trustee.................................................. 7 United States............................................ 7 SECTION 102. Compliance Certificates and Opinions................ 7 SECTION 103. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee.............. 8 SECTION 104. Acts of Holders..................................... 9 SECTION 105. Notices, etc. to Trustee and Company................ 10 SECTION 106. Notice to Holders of Securities; Waiver............. 11 SECTION 107. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act................... 12 SECTION 108. Effect of Headings and Table of Contents............ 12 SECTION 109. Successors and Assigns.............................. 12 SECTION 110. Separability Clause................................. 12 SECTION 111. Benefits of Indenture............................... 12 SECTION 112. Governing Law....................................... 13 SECTION 113. Legal Holidays...................................... 13 ARTICLE TWO................................................................ 13 Security Forms............................................................. 13 SECTION 201. Forms Generally..................................... 13 SECTION 202. Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication..... 14 ARTICLE THREE.............................................................. 14 The Securities............................................................. 14 SECTION 301. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series................ 14 SECTION 302. Denominations....................................... 18 SECTION 303. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating...... 18 SECTION 304. Temporary Securities................................ 19 SECTION 305. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange. 20 SECTION 306. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.... 21 SECTION 307. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved...... 22 SECTION 308. Persons Deemed Owners............................... 23 SECTION 309. Cancellation by Security Registrar.................. 23 SECTION 310. Computation of Interest............................. 24 SECTION 311. Extension of Interest Payment....................... 24 SECTION 312. Additional Interest................................. 24 ARTICLE FOUR............................................................... 25 Redemption of Securities................................................... 25 Note: This table of contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture. iii SECTION 401. Applicability of Article............................ 25 SECTION 402. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee............... 25 SECTION 403. Selection of Securities to Be Redeemed.............. 25 SECTION 404. Notice of Redemption................................ 26 SECTION 405. Securities Payable on Redemption Date............... 27 SECTION 406. Securities Redeemed in Part......................... 27 ARTICLE FIVE............................................................... 28 Sinking Funds.............................................................. 28 SECTION 501. Applicability of Article............................ 28 SECTION 502. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities........................................ 28 SECTION 503. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund........... 28 ARTICLE SIX................................................................ 29 Covenants.................................................................. 29 SECTION 601. Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest.......... 29 SECTION 602. Maintenance of Office or Agency..................... 29 SECTION 603. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust... 30 SECTION 604. Corporate Existence................................. 31 SECTION 605. Maintenance of Properties........................... 31 SECTION 606. Annual Officer's Certificate as to Compliance....... 32 SECTION 607. Waiver of Certain Covenants......................... 32 SECTION 608. Restriction on Payment of Dividends................. 32 SECTION 609. Maintenance of Trust Existence...................... 33 SECTION 610. Rights of Holders of Preferred Securities........... 33 ARTICLE SEVEN.............................................................. 34 Satisfaction and Discharge................................................. 34 SECTION 701. Defeasance.......................................... 34 SECTION 702. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture............. 36 SECTION 703. Application of Trust Money.......................... 37 ARTICLE EIGHT.............................................................. 37 Events of Default; Remedies................................................ 37 SECTION 801. Events of Default................................... 37 SECTION 802. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.. 39 SECTION 803. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee............................ 40 SECTION 804. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.................... 41 SECTION 805. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities..................................... 41 SECTION 806. Application of Money Collected...................... 42 SECTION 807. Limitation on Suits................................. 42 SECTION 808. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium and Interest....................................................... 43 Note: This table of contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture. iv SECTION 809. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.................. 43 SECTION 810. Rights and Remedies Cumulative...................... 43 SECTION 811. Delay or Omission Not Waiver........................ 44 SECTION 812. Control by Holders of Securities.................... 44 SECTION 813. Waiver of Past Defaults............................. 44 SECTION 814. Undertaking for Costs............................... 45 SECTION 815. Waiver of Stay or Extension Laws.................... 45 ARTICLE NINE............................................................... 45 The Trustee................................................................ 45 SECTION 901. Certain Duties and Responsibilities................. 45 SECTION 902. Notice of Defaults.................................. 46 SECTION 903. Certain Rights of Trustee........................... 46 SECTION 904. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities..................................... 47 SECTION 905. May Hold Securities................................. 48 SECTION 906. Money Held in Trust................................. 48 SECTION 907. Compensation and Reimbursement...................... 48 SECTION 908. Disqualification; Conflicting Interests............. 49 SECTION 909. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility............. 49 SECTION 910. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor... 50 SECTION 911. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.............. 52 SECTION 912. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business....................................... 53 SECTION 913. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company... 53 SECTION 914. Co-trustees and Separate Trustees................... 54 SECTION 915. Appointment of Authenticating Agent................. 55 ARTICLE TEN................................................................ 57 Holders' Lists and Reports by Trustee and Company.......................... 57 SECTION 1001. Lists of Holders................................... 57 SECTION 1002. Reports by Trustee and Company..................... 57 ARTICLE ELEVEN............................................................. 57 Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance or Other Transfer ....................... 57 SECTION 1101. Company May Consolidate, etc., Only on Certain Terms..................................... 57 SECTION 1102. Successor Corporation Substituted.................. 58 ARTICLE TWELVE............................................................. 58 Supplemental Indentures.................................................... 58 SECTION 1201. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders. 58 SECTION 1202. Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Holders.... 60 SECTION 1203. Execution of Supplemental Indentures............... 62 SECTION 1204. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.................. 62 SECTION 1205. Conformity With Trust Indenture Act................ 62 Note: This table of contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture. v SECTION 1206. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures. 62 SECTION 1207. Modification Without Supplemental Indenture........ 63 ARTICLE THIRTEEN........................................................... 63 Meetings of Holders; Action Without Meeting................................ 63 SECTION 1301. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called.......... 63 SECTION 1302. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings................. 63 SECTION 1303. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings............... 64 SECTION 1304. Quorum; Action..................................... 64 SECTION 1305. Attendance at Meetings; Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings.......................................... 65 SECTION 1306. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings.... 66 SECTION 1307. Action Without Meeting............................. 66 ARTICLE FOURTEEN........................................................... 67 Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors............ 67 SECTION 1401. Liability Solely Corporate......................... 67 ARTICLE FIFTEEN............................................................ 67 Subordination of Securities................................................ 67 SECTION 1501. Securities Subordinate to Senior Indebtedness...... 67 SECTION 1502. Payment Over of Proceeds of Securities............. 68 SECTION 1503. Disputes with Holders of Certain Senior Indebtedness...................................... 70 SECTION 1504. Subrogation........................................ 70 SECTION 1505. Obligation of the Company Unconditional............ 70 SECTION 1506. Priority of Senior Indebtedness Upon Maturity...... 71 SECTION 1507. Trustee as Holder of Senior Indebtedness........... 71 SECTION 1508. Notice to Trustee to Effectuate Subordination...... 71 SECTION 1509. Modification, Extension, etc. of Senior Indebtedness...................................... 72 SECTION 1510. Trustee Has No Fiduciary Duty to Holders of Senior Indebtedness............................... 72 SECTION 1511. Paying Agents Other Than the Trustee............... 72 SECTION 1512. Rights of Holders of Senior Indebtedness Not Impaired...................................... 72 SECTION 1513. Effect of Subordination Provisions; Termination.... 73 Testimonium................................................................ 74 Signatures and Seals....................................................... 74 Acknowledgements........................................................... 76 Note: This table of contents shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be part of the Indenture. MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY Reconciliation and tie between Trust Indenture Act of 1939 and Indenture, dated as of March 1, 1996 Trust Indenture Act Section Indenture Section Section 310 (a)(1)..................................................909 (a)(2)..................................................909 (a)(3)..................................................914 (a)(4)................................................Not Applicable (b).....................................................908 910 Section 311 (a).....................................................913 (b).....................................................913 (c).....................................................913 Section 312 (a)....................................................1001 (b)....................................................1001 (c)....................................................1001 Section 313 (a)....................................................1002 (b)....................................................1002 (c)....................................................1002 Section 314 (a)....................................................1002 (a)(4)..................................................606 (b)...................................................Not Applicable (c)(1)..................................................102 (c)(2)..................................................102 (c)(3)................................................Not Applicable (d)...................................................Not Applicable (e).....................................................102 Section 315 (a).....................................................901 903 (b).....................................................902 (c).....................................................901 (d).....................................................901 (e).....................................................814 Section 316 (a).....................................................812 813 (a)(1)(A)...............................................802 812 (a)(1)(B)...............................................813 (a)(2)................................................Not Applicable (b).....................................................808 Section 317 (a)(1)..................................................803 (a)(2)..................................................804 (b).....................................................603 Section 318 (a).....................................................107 INDENTURE, dated as of March 1, 1996, between MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Minnesota (herein called the "Company"), having its principal office at 30 West Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802, and THE BANK OF NEW YORK, a corporation of the State of New York, having its principal corporate trust office at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, as Trustee (herein called the "Trustee"). RECITAL OF THE COMPANY The Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of its unsecured subordinated debentures, notes or other evidences of indebtedness (herein called the "Securities"), in an unlimited aggregate principal amount to be issued in one or more series as contemplated herein; and all acts necessary to make this Indenture a valid agreement of the Company have been performed. For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires, capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Article One of this Indenture. NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH: For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of any series thereof, as follows: ARTICLE ONE Definitions and Other Provisions of General Application SECTION 101. Definitions. For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires: (a) the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article and include the plural as well as the singular; (b) all terms used herein without definition which are defined in the Trust Indenture Act, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein; (c) all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, and, except as otherwise herein expressly provided, the term "generally accepted accounting principles" with respect to any computation required or permitted hereunder shall mean such accounting principles as are generally accepted in the United States at the date of such -2- computation or, at the election of the Company from time to time, at the date of the execution and delivery of this Indenture; provided, however, that in determining generally accepted accounting principles applicable to the Company, the Company shall, to the extent required, conform to any order, rule or regulation of any administrative agency, regulatory authority or other governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company; and (d) 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. Certain terms, used principally in Article Nine, are defined in that Article. "Act", when used with respect to any Holder of a Security, has the meaning specified in Section 104. "Additional Interest" has the meaning specified in Section 312. "Affiliate" of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, "control" when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or through one or more intermediaries, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have meanings correlative to the foregoing. "Authenticating Agent" means any Person (other than the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) authorized by the Trustee pursuant to Section 915 to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate one or more series of Securities. "Authorized Officer" means the Chairman of the Board, the President, any Vice President, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, or any other officer or agent of the Company duly authorized by the Board of Directors to act in respect of matters relating to this Indenture. "Board of Directors" means either the board of directors of the Company or any committee thereof duly authorized to act in respect of matters relating to this Indenture. "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", when used with respect to a Place of Payment or any other particular location specified in the Securities or this Indenture, means any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, which is not a day on which banking institutions or trust companies in such Place of Payment or other location are generally authorized or required by law, regulation or -3- executive order to remain closed, except as may be otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301. "Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or, if at any time after the date of execution and delivery of this Indenture such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body, if any, performing such duties at such time. "Company" means the Person named as the "Company" in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Person shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Company" shall mean such successor Person. "Company Request" or "Company Order" means a written request or order signed in the name of the Company by an Authorized Officer and delivered to the Trustee. "Corporate Trust Office" means the office of the Trustee at which at any particular time its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which office at the date of execution and delivery of this Indenture is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. "corporation" means a corporation, association, company, joint stock company or business trust. "Defaulted Interest" has the meaning specified in Section 307. "Dollar" or "$" means a dollar or other equivalent unit in such coin or currency of the United States as at the time shall be legal tender for the payment of public and private debts. "Event of Default" has the meaning specified in Section 801. "Governmental Authority" means the government of the United States or of any State or Territory thereof or of the District of Columbia or of any county, municipality or other political subdivision of any of the foregoing, or any department, agency, authority or other instrumentality of any of the foregoing. "Government Obligations" means: (a) direct obligations of, or obligations the principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States and entitled to the benefit of the full faith and credit thereof; and (b) certificates, depositary receipts or other instruments which evidence a direct ownership interest in obligations described in clause (a) above or in any specific interest or principal payments due in respect thereof; provided, however, that the -4- custodian of such obligations or specific interest or principal payments shall be a bank or trust company (which may include the Trustee or any Paying Agent) subject to Federal or state supervision or examination with a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000; and provided, further, that except as may be otherwise required by law, such custodian shall be obligated to pay to the holders of such certificates, depositary receipts or other instruments the full amount received by such custodian in respect of such obligations or specific payments and shall not be permitted to make any deduction therefrom. "Guarantee" means the guarantee agreement delivered from the Company to a Trust, for the benefit of the holders of Preferred Securities issued by such Trust. "Holder" means a Person in whose name a Security is registered in the Security Register. "Indenture" means this instrument as originally executed and delivered and as it may from time to time be supplemented or amended by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and shall include the terms of a particular series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 301. "Interest Payment Date", when used with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security. "Maturity", when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal of such Security or an installment of principal becomes due and payable as provided in such Security or in this Indenture, whether at the Stated Maturity, by declaration of acceleration, upon call for redemption or otherwise. "Officer's Certificate" means a certificate signed by an Authorized Officer and delivered to the Trustee. "Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Company, or other counsel acceptable to the Trustee. "Outstanding", when used with respect to Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except: (a) Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; (b) Securities deemed to have been paid in accordance with Section 701; and (c) Securities which have been paid pursuant to Section 306 or in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant -5- to this Indenture, other than any such Securities in respect of which there shall have been presented to the Trustee proof satisfactory to it and the Company that such Securities are held by a bona fide purchaser or purchasers in whose hands such Securities are valid obligations of the Company; provided, however, that in determining whether or not the Holders of the requisite principal amount of the Securities Outstanding under this Indenture, or the Outstanding Securities of any series, have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder or whether or not a quorum is present at a meeting of Holders of Securities, Securities owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor (unless the Company, such Affiliate or such obligor owns all Securities Outstanding under this Indenture, or all Outstanding Securities of each such series, as the case may be, determined without regard to this provision) shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying upon any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver or upon any such determination as to the presence of a quorum, only Securities which the Trustee knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded; provided, however, that Securities so owned which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee's right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor; and provided, further, that, in the case of any Security the principal of which is payable from time to time without presentment or surrender, the principal amount of such Security that shall be deemed to be Outstanding at any time for all purposes of this Indenture shall be the original principal amount thereof less the aggregate amount of principal thereof theretofore paid. "Paying Agent" means any Person, including the Company, authorized by the Company to pay the principal of, and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any Securities on behalf of the Company. "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or unincorporated organization or any Governmental Authority. "Place of Payment", when used with respect to the Securities of any series, means the place or places, specified as contemplated by Section 301, at which, subject to Section 602, principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Securities of such series are payable. "Predecessor Security" of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 306 in exchange for or in lieu of a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be deemed (to the extent lawful) to evidence the same debt as the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security. -6- "Preferred Securities" means any preferred trust interests issued by a Trust or similar securities issued by permitted successors to such Trust in accordance with the Trust Agreement pertaining to such Trust. "Redemption Date", when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture. "Redemption Price", when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the price at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to this Indenture. "Regular Record Date" for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date on the Securities of any series means the date specified for that purpose as contemplated by Section 301. "Responsible Officer", when used with respect to the Trustee, means any officer of the Trustee assigned by the Trustee to administer its corporate trust matters. "Securities" has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and more particularly means any securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture. "Security Register" and "Security Registrar" have the respective meanings specified in Section 305. "Senior Indebtedness" means all obligations (other than non-recourse obligations and the indebtedness issued under this Indenture) of, or guaranteed or assumed by, the Company for borrowed money, including both senior and subordinated indebtedness for borrowed money (other than the Securities), or for the payment of money relating to any lease which is capitalized on the consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its subsidiaries in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as in effect from time to time, or evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or other similar instruments, and in each case, amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings of any such indebtedness or obligations, whether existing as of the date of this Indenture or subsequently incurred by the Company unless, in the case of any particular indebtedness, renewal, extension or refunding, the instrument creating or evidencing the same or the assumption or guarantee of the same expressly provides that such indebtedness, renewal, extension or refunding is not superior in right of payment to or is pari passu with the Securities; provided that the Company's obligations under the Guarantee shall not be deemed to be Senior Indebtedness. "Special Record Date" for the payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Securities of any series means a date fixed by the Trustee pursuant to Section 307. "Stated Maturity", when used with respect to any obligation or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon, means the date on which the principal of such obligation or such installment of principal or interest is stated to be due and payable (without regard to any provisions for redemption, prepayment, acceleration, purchase or extension). -7- "Trust" means MP&L Capital I, a statutory business trust created under the laws of the State of Delaware, or any other Trust designated pursuant to Section 301 hereof or any permitted successor under the Trust Agreement pertaining to such Trust. "Trust Agreement" means the Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated as of , 1996, relating to MP&L Capital I or an Amended and Restated Trust Agreement relating to a Trust designated pursuant to Section 301 hereof, in each case, among the Company, as Depositor, the trustees named therein and several holders referred to therein as they may be amended from time to time. "Trust Indenture Act" means, as of any time, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, or any successor statute, as in effect at such time. "Trustee" means the Person named as the "Trustee" in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Trustee shall have become such with respect to one or more series of Securities pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter "Trustee" shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder, and if at any time there is more than one such Person, "Trustee" as used with respect to the Securities of any series shall mean the Trustee with respect to Securities of that series. "United States" means the United States of America, its Territories, its possessions and other areas subject to its political jurisdiction. SECTION 102. Compliance Certificates and Opinions Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Indenture, upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall, if requested by the Trustee, furnish to the Trustee an Officer's Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action (including any covenants compliance with which constitutes a condition precedent) have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent, if any, have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or request as to which the furnishing of such documents is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished. Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture shall include: (a) a statement that each Person signing such certificate or opinion has read such covenant or condition and the definitions herein relating thereto; (b) 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; -8- (c) a statement that, in the opinion of each such Person, such Person has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable such Person 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 Person, such condition or covenant has been complied with. SECTION 103. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee. In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents. Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, counsel, unless such officer knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to the matters upon which such Officer's Certificate or opinion are based are erroneous. Any such certificate or Opinion of Counsel may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information with respect to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, unless such counsel knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous. Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument. Whenever, subsequent to the receipt by the Trustee of any Board Resolution, Officer's Certificate, Opinion of Counsel or other document or instrument, a clerical, typographical or other inadvertent or unintentional error or omission shall be discovered therein, a new document or instrument may be substituted therefor in corrected form with the same force and effect as if originally filed in the corrected form and, irrespective of the date or dates of the actual execution and/or delivery thereof, such substitute document or instrument shall be deemed to have been executed and/or delivered as of the date or dates required with respect to the document or instrument for which it is substituted. Anything in this Indenture to the contrary notwithstanding, if any such corrective document or instrument indicates that action has been taken by or at the request of the Company which could not have been taken had the original document or instrument not contained such error or omission, the action so taken shall not be invalidated or otherwise rendered ineffective but shall be and remain in full force and effect, except to the extent that such action was a result of willful -9- misconduct or bad faith. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any Securities issued under the authority of such defective document or instrument shall nevertheless be the valid obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of this Indenture equally and ratably with all other Outstanding Securities, except as aforesaid. SECTION 104. Acts of Holders. (a) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, election, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by an agent duly appointed in writing or, alternatively, may be embodied in and evidenced by the record of Holders voting in favor thereof, either in person or by proxies duly appointed in writing, at any meeting of Holders duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of Article Thirteen, or a combination of such instruments and any such record. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments or record or both are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments and any such record (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the "Act" of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments and so voting at any such meeting. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or of the holding by any Person of a Security, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and (subject to Section 901) conclusive in favor of the Trustee and the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section. The record of any meeting of Holders shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 1306. (b) The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by a certificate of a notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to him the execution thereof or may be proved in any other manner which the Trustee and the Company deem sufficient. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than his individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his authority. (c) The principal amount and serial numbers of Securities held by any Person, and the date of holding the same, shall be proved by the Security Register. (d) Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, election, waiver or other Act of a Holder shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Trustee or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security. -10- (e) Until such time as written instruments shall have been delivered to the Trustee with respect to the requisite percentage of principal amount of Securities for the action contemplated by such instruments, any such instrument executed and delivered by or on behalf of a Holder may be revoked with respect to any or all of such Securities by written notice by such Holder or any subsequent Holder, proven in the manner in which such instrument was proven. (f) Securities of any series authenticated and delivered after any Act of Holders may, and shall if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any action taken by such Act of Holders. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to such action may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such series. (g) If the Company shall solicit from Holders any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, the Company may, at its option, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, 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 Act may be given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of record at the close of business on the record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purposes of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of the Outstanding Securities have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities shall be computed as of the record date. SECTION 105. Notices, etc. to Trustee and Company. Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, election, waiver or Act of Holders or other document provided or permitted by this Indenture to be made upon, given or furnished to, or filed with, the Trustee by any Holder or by the Company, or the Company by the Trustee or by any Holder, shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and delivered personally to an officer or other responsible employee of the addressee, or transmitted by facsimile transmission or other direct written electronic means to such telephone number or other electronic communications address as the parties hereto shall from time to time designate, or transmitted by certified or registered mail, charges prepaid, to the applicable -11- address set opposite such party's name below or to such other address as either party hereto may from time to time designate: If to the Trustee, to: The Bank of New York 101 Barclay Street, 21 West New York, New York 10286 Attention: Vice President, Corporate Trust Administration Telephone: (212) 815-5291 Telecopy: (212) 815-5915 If to the Company, to: Minnesota Power & Light Company 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Attention: James K. Vizanko Telephone: (218) 722-2641 Telecopy: (218) 723-3912 Any communication contemplated herein shall be deemed to have been made, given, furnished and filed if personally delivered, on the date of delivery, if transmitted by facsimile transmission or other direct written electronic means, on the date of transmission, and if transmitted by registered mail, on the date of receipt. SECTION 106. Notice to Holders of Securities; Waiver. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, where this Indenture provides for notice to Holders of any event, such notice shall be sufficiently given, and shall be deemed given, to Holders if in writing and mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder affected by such event, at the address of such Holder as it appears in the Security Register, not later than the latest date, if any, and not earlier than the earliest date, if any, prescribed for the giving of such notice. In case by reason of the suspension of regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice to Holders by mail, then such notification as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient notification for every purpose hereunder. In any case where notice to Holders is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders. -12- Any notice required by this Indenture may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event otherwise to be specified therein, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver. SECTION 107. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act. If any provision of this Indenture limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision hereof which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by, or is otherwise governed by, any of the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, such other provision shall control; and if any provision hereof otherwise conflicts with the Trust Indenture Act, the Trust Indenture Act shall control. SECTION 108. Effect of Headings and Table of Contents. The Article and Section headings in this Indenture and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. SECTION 109. Successors and Assigns. All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by the Company and Trustee shall bind their respective successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not. SECTION 110. Separability Clause. In case any provision in this Indenture or the Securities 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. SECTION 111. Benefits of Indenture. Nothing in this Indenture or the Securities, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties hereto, their successors hereunder, the Holders and, so long as the notice described in Section 1513 hereof has not been given, the holders of Senior Indebtedness, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture; provided, however, if the Property Trustee fails to enforce its rights with respect to the Securities or the related Trust Agreement, a holder of Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Company to enforce the Property Trustee's rights with respect to the Securities or such Trust Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, without first instituting any legal proceeding against the Property Trustee or any other person or entity. -13- SECTION 112. Governing Law. This Indenture and the Securities shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the law of any other jurisdiction shall be mandatorily applicable. SECTION 113. Legal Holidays. In any case where any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated Maturity of any Security shall not be a Business Day at any Place of Payment, then (notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or of the Securities other than a provision in Securities of any series, or in the Board Resolution or Officer's Certificate which establishes the terms of the Securities of such series, which specifically states that such provision shall apply in lieu of this Section) payment of interest or principal and premium, if any, need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such Place of Payment, 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, and in the same amount, as if made on the Interest Payment Date or Redemption Date, or at the Stated Maturity, as the case may be, and, if such payment is made or duly provided for on such Business Day, no interest shall accrue on the amount so payable for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated Maturity, as the case may be, to such Business Day. ARTICLE TWO Security Forms SECTION 201. Forms Generally. The definitive Securities of each series shall be in substantially the form or forms thereof established in the indenture supplemental hereto establishing such series or in a Board Resolution establishing such series, or in an Officer's Certificate pursuant to such supplemental indenture or Board Resolution, in each case with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by this Indenture, and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as may be required to comply with the rules of any securities exchange or as may, consistently herewith, be determined by the officers executing such Securities, as evidenced by their execution of the Securities. If the form or forms of Securities of any series are established in a Board Resolution or in an Officer's Certificate pursuant to a Board Resolution, such Board Resolution and Officer's Certificate, if any, shall be delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Company Order contemplated by Section 303 for the authentication and delivery of such Securities. -14- Unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301, the Securities of each series shall be issuable in registered form without coupons. The definitive Securities shall be produced in such manner as shall be determined by the officers executing such Securities, as evidenced by their execution thereof. SECTION 202. Form of Trustee's Certificate of Authentication. The Trustee's certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the form set forth below: This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture. --------------------------------- as Trustee By: ------------------------------ Authorized Signatory ARTICLE THREE The Securities SECTION 301. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series. The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited; provided, however, that all Securities shall be issued to a Trust in exchange for securities of the Company or to evidence loans by a Trust of the proceeds of the issuance of Preferred Securities of such Trust plus the amount deposited by the Company with such Trust from time to time. The Securities may be issued in one or more series. Prior to the authentication and delivery of Securities of any series there shall be established by specification in a supplemental indenture or in a Board Resolution, or in an Officer's Certificate pursuant to a supplemental indenture or a Board Resolution: (a) the title of the Securities of such series (which shall distinguish the Securities of such series from Securities of all other series); (b) any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of such series which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for -15- Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of such series pursuant to Section 304, 305, 306, 406 or 1206 and except for any Securities which, pursuant to Section 303, are deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder); (c) the Person or Persons (without specific identification) to whom interest on Securities of such series shall be payable on any Interest Payment Date, if other than the Persons in whose names such Securities (or one or more Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest; (d) the date or dates on which the principal of the Securities of such series is payable or any formulary or other method or other means by which such date or dates shall be determined, by reference or otherwise (without regard to any provisions for redemption, prepayment, acceleration, purchase or extension); (e) the rate or rates at which the Securities of such series shall bear interest, if any (including the rate or rates at which overdue principal shall bear interest, if different from the rate or rates at which such Securities shall bear interest prior to Maturity, and, if applicable, the rate or rates at which overdue premium or interest shall bear interest, if any), or any formulary or other method or other means by which such rate or rates shall be determined, by reference or otherwise; the date or dates from which such interest shall accrue; the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest shall be payable and the Regular Record Date, if any, for the interest payable on such Securities on any Interest Payment Date; the right of the Company, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of any such extension as contemplated by Section 311; and the basis of computation of interest, if other than as provided in Section 310; (f) the place or places at which or methods by which (1) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on Securities of such series shall be payable, (2) registration of transfer of Securities of such series may be effected, (3) exchanges of Securities of such series may be effected and (4) notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of such series and this Indenture may be served; the Security Registrar for such series; and if such is the case, that the principal of such Securities shall be payable without presentment or surrender thereof; (g) the period or periods within which, or the date or dates on which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which the Securities of such series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company and any restrictions on such redemptions, including but not limited to a restriction on a partial redemption by the Company of the Securities of any series, resulting in delisting of such Securities from any national exchange; -16- (h) the obligation or obligations, if any, of the Company to redeem or purchase the Securities of such series pursuant to any sinking fund or other mandatory redemption provisions or at the option of a Holder thereof and the period or periods within which or the date or dates on which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which such Securities shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation, and applicable exceptions to the requirements of Section 404 in the case of mandatory redemption or redemption at the option of the Holder; (i) the denominations in which Securities of such series shall be issuable if other than denominations of $25 and any integral multiple thereof; (j) the currency or currencies, including composite currencies, in which payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Securities of such series shall be payable (if other than in Dollars); (k) if the principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Securities of such series are to be payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof, in a coin or currency other than that in which the Securities are stated to be payable, the period or periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made; (l) if the principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Securities of such series are to be payable, or are to be payable at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof, in securities or other property, the type and amount of such securities or other property, or the formulary or other method or other means by which such amount shall be determined, and the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, any such election may be made; (m) if the amount payable in respect of principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the Securities of such series may be determined with reference to an index or other fact or event ascertainable outside this Indenture, the manner in which such amounts shall be determined to the extent not established pursuant to clause (e) of this paragraph; (n) if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of Securities of such series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 802; (o) any Events of Default, in addition to those specified in Section 801, with respect to the Securities of such series, and any covenants of the Company for the benefit of the Holders of the Securities of such series, in addition to those set forth in Article Six; -17- (p) the terms, if any, pursuant to which the Securities of such series may be converted into or exchanged for shares of capital stock or other securities of the Company or any other Person; (q) the obligations or instruments, if any, which shall be considered to be Government Obligations in respect of the Securities of such series denominated in a currency other than Dollars or in a composite currency, and any additional or alternative provisions for the reinstatement of the Company's indebtedness in respect of such Securities after the satisfaction and discharge thereof as provided in Section 701; (r) if the Securities of such series are to be issued in global form, (i) any limitations on the rights of the Holder or Holders of such Securities to transfer or exchange the same or to obtain the registration of transfer thereof, (ii) any limitations on the rights of the Holder or Holders thereof to obtain certificates therefor in definitive form in lieu of temporary form and (iii) any and all other matters incidental to such Securities; (s) if the Securities of such series are to be issuable as bearer securities, any and all matters incidental thereto which are not specifically addressed in a supplemental indenture as contemplated by clause (g) of Section 1201; (t) to the extent not established pursuant to clause (r) of this paragraph, any limitations on the rights of the Holders of the Securities of such Series to transfer or exchange such Securities or to obtain the registration of transfer thereof; and if a service charge will be made for the registration of transfer or exchange of Securities of such series the amount or terms thereof; (u) any exceptions to Section 113, or variation in the definition of Business Day, with respect to the Securities of such series; (v) the designation of the Trust to which Securities of such series are to be issued; and (w) any other terms of the Securities of such series not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture. All Securities of any one series shall be substantially identical, except as to principal amount and date of issue and except as may be set forth in the terms of such series as contemplated above. The Securities of each series shall be subordinated in right of payment to Senior Indebtedness as provided in Article Fifteen. -18- SECTION 302. Denominations. Unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to any series of Securities, the Securities of each series shall be issuable in denominations of $25 and any integral multiple thereof. SECTION 303. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating. Unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to any series of Securities, the Securities shall be executed on behalf of the Company by an Authorized Officer and may have the corporate seal of the Company affixed thereto or reproduced thereon attested by any other Authorized Officer or by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company. The signature of any or all of these officers on the Securities may be manual or facsimile. Securities bearing the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at the time of execution Authorized Officers or the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the authentication and delivery of such Securities or did not hold such offices at the date of such Securities. The Trustee shall authenticate and deliver Securities of a series, for original issue, at one time or from time to time in accordance with the Company Order referred to below, upon receipt by the Trustee of: (a) the instrument or instruments establishing the form or forms and terms of such series, as provided in Sections 201 and 301; (b) a Company Order requesting the authentication and delivery of such Securities and, to the extent that the terms of such Securities shall not have been established in an indenture supplemental hereto or in a Board Resolution, or in an Officer's Certificate pursuant to a supplemental indenture or Board Resolution, all as contemplated by Sections 201 and 301, establishing such terms; (c) the Securities of such series, executed on behalf of the Company by an Authorized Officer; (d) an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that: (i) the form or forms of such Securities have been duly authorized by the Company and have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture; -19- (ii) the terms of such Securities have been duly authorized by the Company and have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture; and (iii) such Securities, when authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and issued and delivered by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will have been duly issued under this Indenture and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, entitled to the benefits provided by this Indenture, and enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject, as to enforcement, to laws relating to or affecting generally the enforcement of creditors' rights, including, without limitation, bankruptcy and insolvency laws and to general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law). If the form or terms of the Securities of any series have been established by or pursuant to a Board Resolution or an Officer's Certificate as permitted by Sections 201 or 301, the Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities if the issuance of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will materially or adversely affect the Trustee's own rights, duties or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee. Unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to any series of Securities, each Security shall be dated the date of its authentication. Unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to any series of Securities, no Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for herein executed by the Trustee or an Authenticating Agent by manual signature, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Security shall have been authenticated and delivered hereunder to the Company, or any Person acting on its behalf, but shall never have been issued and sold by the Company, and the Company shall deliver such Security to the Trustee for cancellation as provided in Section 309 together with a written statement (which need not comply with Section 102 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) stating that such Security has never been issued and sold by the Company, for all purposes of this Indenture such Security shall be deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder and shall never be entitled to the benefits hereof. SECTION 304. Temporary Securities. Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any series, the Company may execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary -20- Securities which are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise produced, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such Securities may determine, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities; provided, however, that temporary Securities need not recite specific redemption, sinking fund, conversion or exchange provisions. Unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to the Securities of any series, after the preparation of definitive Securities of such series, the temporary Securities of such series shall be exchangeable, without charge to the Holder thereof, for definitive Securities of such series upon surrender of such temporary Securities at the office or agency of the Company maintained pursuant to Section 602 in a Place of Payment for such Securities. Upon such surrender of temporary Securities for such exchange, the Company shall, except as aforesaid, execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor definitive Securities of the same series, of authorized denominations and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount. Until exchanged in full as hereinabove provided, the temporary Securities of any series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of the same series and of like tenor authenticated and delivered hereunder. SECTION 305. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange. The Company shall cause to be kept in each office designated pursuant to Section 602, with respect to the Securities of each series, a register (all registers kept in accordance with this Section being collectively referred to as the "Security Register") in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of Securities of such series and the registration of transfer thereof. The Company shall designate one Person to maintain the Security Register for the Securities of each series on a consolidated basis, and such Person is referred to herein, with respect to such series, as the "Security Registrar." Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may designate one or more of its offices as an office in which a register with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall be maintained, and the Company may designate itself the Security Registrar with respect to one or more of such series. The Security Register shall be open for inspection by the Trustee and the Company at all reasonable times. Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to the Securities of any series, upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Security of such series at the office or agency of the Company maintained pursuant to Section 602 in a Place of Payment for such series, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Securities of the same series, of authorized denominations and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount. -21- Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to the Securities of any series, any Security of such series may be exchanged at the option of the Holder, for one or more new Securities of the same series, of authorized denominations and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Securities to be exchanged at any such office or agency. Whenever any Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive. All Securities delivered upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange. Every Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange shall (if so required by the Company, the Trustee or the Security Registrar) be duly endorsed or shall be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company, the Trustee or the Security Registrar, as the case may be, duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing. Unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to Securities of any series, no service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 304, 406 or 1206 not involving any transfer. The Company shall not be required to execute or to provide for the registration of transfer of or the exchange of (a) Securities of any series during a period of 15 days immediately preceding the date of the mailing of any notice of redemption of such Securities called for redemption or (b) any Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Security being redeemed in part. SECTION 306. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities. If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same series, and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding. If there shall be delivered to the Company and the Trustee (a) evidence to their satisfaction of the ownership of and the destruction, loss or theft of any Security and (b) such security or indemnity as may be reasonably required by them to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security is held by a Person purporting to be the owner of such Security, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in lieu of any such -22- destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same series, and of like tenor and principal amount and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security, pay such Security. Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, 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 reasonable expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith. Every new Security of any series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone other than the Holder of such new Security, and any such new Security shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of such series duly issued hereunder. The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities. SECTION 307. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved. Unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to the Securities of any series, interest on any Security which is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest. Subject to Section 311, any interest on any Security of any series which 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 Holder on the related Regular Record Date by virtue of having been such Holder, and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in clause (a) or (b) below: (a) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Persons in whose names the Securities of such series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a date (herein called 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 of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each Security of such series 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 -23- respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or 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 be not more than 15 days and not 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 promptly 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 Holder of Securities of such series at the address of such Holder as it appears in the Security 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 so mailed, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names the Securities of such series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date. (b) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Securities of any series in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee. Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section and Section 305, each Security delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security. SECTION 308. Persons Deemed Owners. Prior to due presentment of a Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Security is registered as the absolute owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and premium, if any, and (subject to Sections 305 and 307) interest, if any, on such Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary. SECTION 309. Cancellation by Security Registrar. All Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, registration of transfer or exchange shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Security Registrar, be delivered to the Security Registrar and, if not theretofore canceled, shall be promptly canceled by the -24- Security Registrar. The Company may at any time deliver to the Security Registrar for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever or which the Company shall not have issued and sold, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly canceled by the Security Registrar. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities canceled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture. All canceled Securities held by the Security Registrar shall be disposed of in accordance with a Company Order delivered to the Security Registrar and the Trustee, and the Security Registrar shall promptly deliver a certificate of disposition to the Trustee and the Company unless, by a Company Order, similarly delivered, the Company shall direct that canceled Securities be returned to it. The Security Registrar shall promptly deliver evidence of any cancellation of a Security in accordance with this Section 309 to the Trustee and the Company. SECTION 310. Computation of Interest. Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 for Securities of any series, interest on the Securities of each series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months and for any period shorter than a full month, on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed in such period. SECTION 311. Extension of Interest Payment. The Company shall have the right at any time, so long as the Company is not in default in the payment of interest on the Securities of any series hereunder, to extend interest payment periods on all Securities of one or more series, if so specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to such Securities and upon such terms as may be specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to such Securities. SECTION 312. Additional Interest. So long as any Preferred Securities remain outstanding, if the Trust which issued such Preferred Securities shall be required to pay, with respect to its income derived from the interest payments on the Securities of any series, any amounts for or on account of any taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature imposed by the United States, or any other taxing authority, then, in any such case, the Company will pay as interest on such series such additional interest ("Additional Interest") as may be necessary in order that the net amounts received and retained by such Trust after the payment of such taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges shall result in such Trust's having such funds as it would have had in the absence of the payment of such taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges. -25- ARTICLE FOUR Redemption of Securities SECTION 401. Applicability of Article. Securities of any series which are redeemable before their Stated Maturity shall be redeemable in accordance with their terms and (except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 for Securities of such series) in accordance with this Article. SECTION 402. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee. The election of the Company to redeem any Securities shall be evidenced by a Board Resolution or an Officer's Certificate. The Company shall, at least 45 days prior to the Redemption Date fixed by the Company (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee in writing of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of such Securities to be redeemed. In the case of any redemption of Securities (a) prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture or (b) pursuant to an election of the Company which is subject to a condition specified in the terms of such Securities, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officer's Certificate evidencing compliance with such restriction or condition. SECTION 403. Selection of Securities to Be Redeemed. If less than all the Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the particular Securities to be redeemed shall be selected by the Trustee from the Outstanding Securities of such series not previously called for redemption, by such method as shall be provided for any particular series, or, in the absence of any such provision, by such method as the Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate and which may provide for the selection for redemption of portions (equal to the minimum authorized denomination for Securities of such series or any integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of Securities of such series of a denomination larger than the minimum authorized denomination for Securities of such series; provided, however, that if, as indicated in an Officer's Certificate, the Company shall have offered to purchase all or any principal amount of the Securities then Outstanding of any series, and less than all of such Securities as to which such offer was made shall have been tendered to the Company for such purchase, the Trustee, if so directed by Company Order, shall select for redemption all or any principal amount of such Securities which have not been so tendered. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company and the Security Registrar in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected to be redeemed in part, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Securities -26- redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Securities which has been or is to be redeemed. SECTION 404. Notice of Redemption. Notice of redemption shall be given in the manner provided in Section 106 to the Holders of the Securities to be redeemed not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date. All notices of redemption shall state: (a) the Redemption Date, (b) the Redemption Price, (c) if less than all the Securities of any series are to be redeemed, the identification of the particular Securities to be redeemed and the portion of the principal amount of any Security to be redeemed in part, (d) that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price, together with accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date, will become due and payable upon each such Security to be redeemed and, if applicable, that interest thereon will cease to accrue on and after said date, (e) the place or places where such Securities are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any, unless it shall have been specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to such Securities that such surrender shall not be required, (f) that the redemption is for a sinking or other fund, if such is the case, and (g) such other matters as the Company shall deem desirable or appropriate. Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities in accordance with Section 301, with respect to any notice of redemption of Securities at the election of the Company, unless, upon the giving of such notice, such Securities shall be deemed to have been paid in accordance with Section 701, such notice may state that such redemption shall be conditional upon the receipt by the Paying Agent or Agents for such Securities, on or prior to the date fixed for such redemption, of money sufficient to pay the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on such Securities and that if such money shall not have been so received such notice shall be of no force or effect and the Company shall not be required to redeem such Securities. In the event that such notice of redemption contains such a condition and such money is not so received, the redemption shall not be made and within a reasonable time thereafter notice shall be given, in the manner in which the notice of redemption was given, that such money was not so received and such redemption was not -27- required to be made, and the Paying Agent or Agents for the Securities otherwise to have been redeemed shall promptly return to the Holders thereof any of such Securities which had been surrendered for payment upon such redemption. Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed at the election of the Company, and any notice of non-satisfaction of a condition for redemption as aforesaid, shall be given by the Company or, at the Company's request, by the Security Registrar in the name and at the expense of the Company. Notice of mandatory redemption of Securities shall be given by the Security Registrar in the name and at the expense of the Company. SECTION 405. Securities Payable on Redemption Date. Notice of redemption having been given as aforesaid, and the conditions, if any, set forth in such notice having been satisfied, the Securities or portions thereof so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price therein specified, and from and after such date (unless, in the case of an unconditional notice of redemption, the Company shall default in the payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any) such Securities or portions thereof, if interest-bearing, shall cease to bear interest. Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with such notice, such Security or portion thereof shall be paid by the Company at the Redemption Price, together with accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that no such surrender shall be a condition to such payment if so specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to such Security; and provided, further, that except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to such Security, any installment of interest on any Security the Stated Maturity of which installment is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable to the Holder of such Security, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the related Regular Record Date according to the terms of such Security and subject to the provisions of Section 307. SECTION 406. Securities Redeemed in Part. Upon the surrender of any Security which is to be redeemed only in part at a Place of Payment therefor (with, if the Company or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee duly executed by, the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing), the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security, without service charge, a new Security or Securities of the same series, of any authorized denomination requested by such Holder and of like tenor and in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered. -28- ARTICLE FIVE Sinking Funds SECTION 501. Applicability of Article. The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of the Securities of any series, except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 for Securities of such series. The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as a "mandatory sinking fund payment", and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of Securities of any series is herein referred to as an "optional sinking fund payment". If provided for by the terms of Securities of any series, the cash amount of any sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 502. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of the series in respect of which it was made as provided for by the terms of such Securities. SECTION 502. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities. The Company (a) may deliver to the Trustee Outstanding Securities (other than any previously called for redemption) of a series in respect of which a mandatory sinking fund payment is to be made and (b) may apply as a credit Securities of such series which have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities or Outstanding Securities purchased by the Company, in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of such mandatory sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of such series; provided, however, that no Securities shall be applied in satisfaction of a mandatory sinking fund payment if such Securities shall have been previously so applied. Securities so applied shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such mandatory sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly. SECTION 503. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund. Not less than 45 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for the Securities of any series, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officer's Certificate specifying: (a) the amount of the next succeeding mandatory sinking fund payment for such series; (b) the amount, if any, of the optional sinking fund payment to be made together with such mandatory sinking fund payment; -29- (c) the aggregate sinking fund payment; (d) the portion, if any, of such aggregate sinking fund payment which is to be satisfied by the payment of cash; (e) the portion, if any, of such aggregate sinking fund payment which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of such series pursuant to Section 502 and stating the basis for such credit and that such Securities have not previously been so credited, and the Company shall also deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered. If the Company shall not deliver such Officer's Certificate, the next succeeding sinking fund payment for such series shall be made entirely in cash in the amount of the mandatory sinking fund payment. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 403 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 404. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 405 and 406. ARTICLE SIX Covenants SECTION 601. Payment of Principal, Premium and Interest. The Company shall pay the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any (including Additional Interest), on the Securities of each series in accordance with the terms of such Securities and this Indenture. SECTION 602. Maintenance of Office or Agency. The Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for the Securities of each series an office or agency where payment of such Securities shall be made, where the registration of transfer or exchange of such Securities may be effected and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of such Securities and this Indenture may be served. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of each such office or agency and prompt notice to the Holders of any such change in the manner specified in Section 106. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency in respect of Securities of any series, or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, payment of such Securities shall be made, registration of transfer or exchange thereof may be effected and notices and demands in respect thereof may be served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee as its agent for all such purposes in any such event. -30- The Company may also from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies with respect to the Securities of one or more series, for any or all of the foregoing purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 301 with respect to the Securities of such series, no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency for such purposes in each Place of Payment for such Securities in accordance with the requirements set forth above. The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee, and prompt notice to the Holders in the manner specified in Section 106, of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, any office or agency required by this Section may be maintained at an office of the Company, in which event the Company shall perform all functions to be performed at such office or agency. SECTION 603. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust. If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with respect to the Securities of any series, it shall, on or before each due date of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on any of such Securities, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum sufficient to pay the principal and premium or interest so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee of any failure by the Company (or any other obligor on such Securities) to make any payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on such Securities. Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for the Securities of any series, it shall, on or before each due date of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on such Securities, deposit with such Paying Agents sums sufficient (without duplication) to pay the principal and premium or interest so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or interest, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company shall promptly notify the Trustee of any failure by it so to act. The Company shall cause each Paying Agent for the Securities of any series, other than the Company or the Trustee, to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section, that such Paying Agent shall: (a) hold all sums held by it for the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on such Securities in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided; -31- (b) give the Trustee notice of any failure by the Company (or any other obligor upon such Securities) to make any payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on such Securities; and (c) at any time during the continuance of any such default, upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent and furnish to the Trustee such information as it possesses regarding the names and addresses of the Persons entitled to such sums. The Company may at any time pay, or by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same trusts as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent and, if so stated in a Company Order delivered to the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of Article Seven; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such money. Any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any Security and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal and premium, if any, or interest has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company on Company Request, or, if then held by the Company, shall be discharged from such trust; and, upon such payment or discharge, the Holder of such Security shall, as an unsecured general creditor and not as a Holder of an Outstanding Security, look only to the Company for payment of the amount so due and payable and remaining unpaid, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such payment to the Company, may at the expense of the Company cause to be mailed, on one occasion only, notice to such Holder that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such mailing, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be paid to the Company. SECTION 604. Corporate Existence. Subject to the rights of the Company under Article Eleven, the Company shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence. SECTION 605. Maintenance of Properties. The Company shall cause (or, with respect to property owned in common with others, make reasonable effort to cause) all its properties used or useful in the conduct of its business to be maintained and kept in good condition, repair and working order and shall cause (or, with respect to property owned in common with others, make reasonable effort to -32- cause) to be made all necessary repairs, renewals, replacements, betterments and improvements thereof, all as, in the judgment of the Company, may be necessary so that the business carried on in connection therewith may be properly conducted; provided, however, that nothing in this Section shall prevent the Company from discontinuing, or causing the discontinuance of, the operation and maintenance of any of its properties if such discontinuance is, in the judgment of the Company, desirable in the conduct of its business. SECTION 606. Annual Officer's Certificate as to Compliance. Not later than September 15 in each year, commencing September 15, 1996, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officer's Certificate which need not comply with Section 102, executed by the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer or the principal accounting officer of the Company, as to such officer's knowledge of the Company's compliance with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture, such compliance to be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice under this Indenture. SECTION 607. Waiver of Certain Covenants. The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in (a) Section 602 or any additional covenant or restriction specified with respect to the Securities of any series, as contemplated by Section 301, if before the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all series with respect to which compliance with Section 602 or such additional covenant or restriction is to be omitted, considered as one class, shall, by Act of such Holders, either waive such compliance in such instance or generally waive compliance with such term, provision or condition and (b) Section 604, 605 or Article Eleven if before the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of Securities Outstanding under this Indenture shall, by Act of such Holders, either waive such compliance in such instance or generally waive compliance with such term, provision or condition; but, in the case of (a) or (b), no such waiver shall extend to or affect such term, provision or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such term, provision or condition shall remain in full force and effect; provided, however, so long as a Trust holds Securities of any series, such Trust may not waive compliance or waive any default in compliance by the Company with any covenant or other term contained in this Indenture or the Securities of such series without the approval of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate liquidation preference of the outstanding Preferred Securities issued by such Trust affected, obtained as provided in the Trust Agreement pertaining to such Trust. SECTION 608. Restriction on Payment of Dividends. So long as any Preferred Securities of any series remain outstanding, the Company shall not declare or pay any dividend on, or redeem, purchase, acquire or make a -33- liquidation payment with respect to, any of the Company's capital stock, or make any guarantee payments with respect to the foregoing (other than payments under the Guarantee relating to such Preferred Securities) if at such time (a) the Company shall be in default with respect to its payment or other obligations under the Guarantee relating to such Preferred Securities, (b) there shall have occurred and be continuing a payment default (whether before or after expiration of any period of grace) or an Event of Default hereunder or (c) the Company shall have elected to extend any interest payment period as provided in Section 311, and any such period, or any extension thereof, shall be continuing. SECTION 609. Maintenance of Trust Existence. So long as Preferred Securities of any series remain outstanding, the Company shall (i) maintain direct or indirect ownership of all interests in the Trust which issued such Preferred Securities, other than such Preferred Securities, (ii) not voluntarily (to the extent permitted by law) dissolve, liquidate or wind up such Trust, except in connection with a distribution of the Securities to the holders of the Preferred Securities in liquidation of such Trust, (iii) remain the sole Depositor under the Trust Agreement (the "Depositor") of such Trust and timely perform in all material respects all of its duties as Depositor of such Trust, and (iv) use reasonable efforts to cause such Trust to remain a business trust and otherwise continue to be treated as a grantor trust for Federal income tax purposes provided that any permitted successor to the Company under this Indenture may succeed to the Company's duties as Depositor of such Trust; and provided further that the Company may permit such Trust to consolidate or merge with or into another business trust or other permitted successor under the Trust Agreement pertaining to such Trust so long as the Company agrees to comply with this Section 609 with respect to such successor business trust or other permitted successor. SECTION 610. Rights of Holders of Preferred Securities. The Company agrees that, for so long as any Preferred Securities remain outstanding, its obligations under this Indenture will also be for the benefit of the holders from time to time of Preferred Securities, and the Company acknowledges and agrees that if the Property Trustee fails to enforce its rights with respect to the Securities or the related Trust Agreement, a holder of Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Company to enforce the Property Trustee's rights with respect to the Securities or such Trust Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, without first instituting any legal proceeding against the Property Trustee or any other person or entity. -34- ARTICLE SEVEN Satisfaction and Discharge SECTION 701. Defeasance. Any Security or Securities, or any portion of the principal amount thereof, shall be deemed to have been paid for all purposes of this Indenture, and the entire indebtedness of the Company in respect thereof shall be deemed to have been satisfied and discharged, if there shall have been irrevocably deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company), in trust: (a) money in an amount which shall be sufficient, or (b) in the case of a deposit made prior to the Maturity of such Securities or portions thereof, Government Obligations, which shall not contain provisions permitting the redemption or other prepayment thereof at the option of the issuer thereof, the principal of and the interest on which when due, without any regard to reinvestment thereof, will provide moneys which, together with the money, if any, deposited with or held by the Trustee or such Paying Agent, shall be sufficient, or (c) a combination of (a) or (b) which shall be sufficient, to pay when due the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, due and to become due on such Securities or portions thereof on or prior to Maturity; provided, however, that in the case of the provision for payment or redemption of less than all the Securities of any series, such Securities or portions thereof shall have been selected by the Trustee as provided herein and, in the case of a redemption, the notice requisite to the validity of such redemption shall have been given or irrevocable authority shall have been given by the Company to the Trustee to give such notice, under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee; and provided, further, that the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee and such Paying Agent: (x) if such deposit shall have been made prior to the Maturity of such Securities, a Company Order stating that the money and Government Obligations deposited in accordance with this Section shall be held in trust, as provided in Section 703; and (y) if Government Obligations shall have been deposited, an Opinion of Counsel that the obligations so deposited constitute Government Obligations and do not contain provisions permitting the redemption or other prepayment at the option of the issuer thereof, and an opinion of an independent public accountant of nationally recognized standing, selected by the Company, to the effect that the requirements set forth in clause (b) above have been satisfied; and -35- (z) if such deposit shall have been made prior to the Maturity of such Securities, an Officer's Certificate stating the Company's intention that, upon delivery of such Officer's Certificate, its indebtedness in respect of such Securities or portions thereof will have been satisfied and discharged as contemplated in this Section. Upon the deposit of money or Government Obligations, or both, in accordance with this Section, together with the documents required by clauses (x), (y) and (z) above, the Trustee shall, upon receipt of a Company Request, acknowledge in writing that the Security or Securities or portions thereof with respect to which such deposit was made are deemed to have been paid for all purposes of this Indenture and that the entire indebtedness of the Company in respect thereof has been satisfied and discharged as contemplated in this Section. In the event that all of the conditions set forth in the preceding paragraph shall have been satisfied in respect of any Securities or portions thereof except that, for any reason, the Officer's Certificate specified in clause (z) shall not have been delivered, such Securities or portions thereof shall nevertheless be deemed to have been paid for all purposes of this Indenture, and the Holders of such Securities or portions thereof shall nevertheless be no longer entitled to the benefits of this Indenture or of any of the covenants of the Company under Article Six (except the covenants contained in Sections 602 and 603) or any other covenants made in respect of such Securities or portions thereof as contemplated by Section 301, but the indebtedness of the Company in respect of such Securities or portions thereof shall not be deemed to have been satisfied and discharged prior to Maturity for any other purpose, and the Holders of such Securities or portions thereof shall continue to be entitled to look to the Company for payment of the indebtedness represented thereby; and, upon Company Request, the Trustee shall acknowledge in writing that such Securities or portions thereof are deemed to have been paid for all purposes of this Indenture. If payment at Stated Maturity of less than all of the Securities of any series is to be provided for in the manner and with the effect provided in this Section, the Security Registrar shall select such Securities, or portions of principal amount thereof, in the manner specified by Section 403 for selection for redemption of less than all the Securities of a series. In the event that Securities which shall be deemed to have been paid for purposes of this Indenture, and, if such is the case, in respect of which the Company's indebtedness shall have been satisfied and discharged, all as provided in this Section do not mature and are not to be redeemed within the 60 day period commencing with the date of the deposit of moneys or Government Obligations, as aforesaid, the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, give a notice, in the same manner as a notice of redemption with respect to such Securities, to the Holders of such Securities to the effect that such deposit has been made and the effect thereof. Notwithstanding that any Securities shall be deemed to have been paid for purposes of this Indenture, as aforesaid, the obligations of the Company and the Trustee in respect of such Securities under Sections 304, 305, 306, 404, 503 (as to notice of redemption), 602, 603, 907 and 915 and this Article Seven shall survive. -36- The Company shall pay, and shall indemnify the Trustee or any Paying Agent with which Government Obligations shall have been deposited as provided in this Section against, any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against such Government Obligations or the principal or interest received in respect of such Government Obligations, including, but not limited to, any such tax payable by any entity deemed, for tax purposes, to have been created as a result of such deposit. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, (a) if, at any time after a Security would be deemed to have been paid for purposes of this Indenture, and, if such is the case, the Company's indebtedness in respect thereof would be deemed to have been satisfied or discharged, pursuant to this Section (without regard to the provisions of this paragraph), the Trustee or any Paying Agent, as the case may be, shall be required to return the money or Government Obligations, or combination thereof, deposited with it as aforesaid to the Company or its representative under any applicable Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, such Security shall thereupon be deemed retroactively not to have been paid and any satisfaction and discharge of the Company's indebtedness in respect thereof shall retroactively be deemed not to have been effected, and such Security shall be deemed to remain Outstanding and (b) any satisfaction and discharge of the Company's indebtedness in respect of any Security shall be subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 603. SECTION 702. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture. This Indenture shall upon Company Request cease to be of further effect (except as hereinafter expressly provided), and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when (a) no Securities remain Outstanding hereunder; and (b) the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; provided, however, that if, in accordance with the last paragraph of Section 701, any Security, previously deemed to have been paid for purposes of this Indenture, shall be deemed retroactively not to have been so paid, this Indenture shall thereupon be deemed retroactively not to have been satisfied and discharged, as aforesaid, and to remain in full force and effect, and the Company shall execute and deliver such instruments as the Trustee shall reasonably request to evidence and acknowledge the same. Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as aforesaid, the obligations of the Company and the Trustee under Sections 304, 305, 306, 404, 503 (as to notice of redemption), 602, 603, 907 and 915 and this Article Seven shall survive. -37- Upon satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as provided in this Section, the Trustee shall assign, transfer and turn over to the Company, subject to the lien provided by Section 907, any and all money, securities and other property then held by the Trustee for the benefit of the Holders of the Securities other than money and Government Obligations held by the Trustee pursuant to Section 703. SECTION 703. Application of Trust Money. Neither the Government Obligations nor the money deposited pursuant to Section 701, nor the principal or interest payments on any such Government Obligations, shall be withdrawn or used for any purpose other than, and shall be held in trust for, the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Securities or portions of principal amount thereof in respect of which such deposit was made, all subject, however, to the provisions of Section 603; provided, however, that, so long as there shall not have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default any cash received from such principal or interest payments on such Government Obligations, if not then needed for such purpose, shall, to the extent practicable, be invested in Government Obligations of the type described in clause (b) in the first paragraph of Section 701 maturing at such times and in such amounts as shall be sufficient to pay when due the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, due and to become due on such Securities or portions thereof on and prior to the Maturity thereof, and interest earned from such reinvestment shall be paid over to the Company as received, free and clear of any trust, lien or pledge under this Indenture except the lien provided by Section 907; and provided, further, that, so long as there shall not have occurred and be continuing an Event of Default, any moneys held in accordance with this Section on the Maturity of all such Securities in excess of the amount required to pay the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, then due on such Securities shall be paid over to the Company free and clear of any trust, lien or pledge under this Indenture except the lien provided by Section 907; and provided, further, that if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, moneys to be paid over to the Company pursuant to this Section shall be held until such Event of Default shall have been waived or cured. ARTICLE EIGHT Events of Default; Remedies SECTION 801. Events of Default. "Event of Default", wherever used herein with respect to Securities of any series, means any one of the following events: (a) failure to pay interest, if any, including any Additional Interest, on any Security of such series within 30 days after the same becomes due and payable (whether or not payment is prohibited by the provisions of Article Fifteen hereof); provided, however, that a valid extension of the interest payment period by the -38- Company as contemplated in Section 311 of this Indenture shall not constitute a failure to pay interest for this purpose; or (b) failure to pay the principal of or premium, if any, on any Security of such series at its Maturity (whether or not payment is prohibited by the provisions of Article Fifteen hereof); or (c) failure to perform or breach of any covenant or warranty of the Company in this Indenture (other than a covenant or warranty a default in the performance of which or breach of which is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with or which has expressly been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of one or more series of Securities other than such series) 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 33% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, 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, unless the Trustee, or the Trustee and the Holders of a principal amount of Securities of such series not less than the principal amount of Securities the Holders of which gave such notice, as the case may be, shall agree in writing to an extension of such period prior to its expiration; provided, however, that the Trustee, or the Trustee and the Holders of such principal amount of Securities of such series, as the case may be, shall be deemed to have agreed to an extension of such period if corrective action is initiated by the Company within such period and is being diligently pursued; or (d) the entry by a court having jurisdiction in the premises of (1) a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company in an involuntary case or proceeding under any applicable Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or (2) a decree or order adjudging the Company a bankrupt or insolvent, or approving as properly filed a petition by one or more Persons other than the Company seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition of or in respect of the Company under any applicable Federal or State law, or appointing a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or other similar official for the Company or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding up or liquidation of its affairs, and any such decree or order for relief or any such other decree or order shall have remained unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or (e) the commencement by the Company of a voluntary case or proceeding under any applicable Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or of any other case or proceeding to be adjudicated a bankrupt or insolvent, or the consent by it to the entry of a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company in a case or proceeding under any applicable Federal or State bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other similar law or to the commencement -39- of any bankruptcy or insolvency case or proceeding against it, or the filing by it of a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization or relief under any applicable Federal or State law, or the consent by it to the filing of such petition or to the appointment of or taking possession by a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, sequestrator or similar official of the Company or of any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the admission by it in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due, or the authorization of such action by the Board of Directors; or (f) any other Event of Default specified with respect to Securities of such series. SECTION 802. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment. If an Event of Default due to the default in payment of principal of, or interest on, any series of Securities or due to the default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty of the Company applicable to the Securities of such series but not applicable to all outstanding Securities shall have occurred and be continuing, either the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 33% in principal amount of the Securities of such series may then declare the principal of all Securities of such series and interest accrued thereon to be due and payable immediately (provided that the payment of principal and interest on such Securities shall remain subordinated to the extent provided in Article Fifteen hereof). If an Event of Default due to default in the performance of any other of the covenants or agreements herein applicable to all Outstanding Securities or an Event of Default specified in Section 801(d) or (e) shall have occurred and be continuing, either the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 33% in principal amount of all Securities then Outstanding (considered as one class), and not the Holders of the Securities of any one of such series, may declare the principal of all Securities and interest accrued thereon to be due and payable immediately (provided that the payment of principal and interest on such Securities shall remain subordinated to the extent provided in the Indenture). At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to Securities of any series shall have been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due shall have been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Event or Events of Default giving rise to such declaration of acceleration shall, without further act, be deemed to have been waived, and such declaration and its consequences shall, without further act, be deemed to have been rescinded and annulled, if (a) the Company shall have paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay (1) all overdue interest on all Securities of such series; (2) the principal of and premium, if any, on any Securities of such series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of -40- acceleration and interest thereon at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities; (3) to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest upon overdue interest, if any, at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities; (4) all amounts due to the Trustee under Section 907; and (b) any other Event or Events of Default with respect to Securities of such series, other than the nonpayment of the principal of Securities of such series which shall have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, shall have been cured or waived as provided in Section 813. No such rescission shall affect any subsequent Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. SECTION 803. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee. If an Event of Default described in clause (a) or (b) of Section 801 shall have occurred and be continuing, the Company shall, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to it, for the benefit of the Holders of the Securities of the series with respect to which such Event of Default shall have occurred, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal and premium, if any, and interest, if any, and, to the extent permitted by law, interest on premium, if any, and on any overdue principal and interest, at the rate or rates prescribed therefor in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover any amounts due to the Trustee under Section 907. If the Company shall fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities, wherever situated. If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any series shall have occurred and be continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy. -41- SECTION 804. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim. In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal or interest) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise, (a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for amounts due to the Trustee under Section 907) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and (b) to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same; and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder 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 Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amounts due it under Section 907. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding. SECTION 805. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities. All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders in respect of which such judgment has been recovered. -42- SECTION 806. Application of Money Collected. Subject to the provisions of Article Fifteen, any money collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money on account of principal or premium, if any, or interest, if any, upon presentation of the Securities in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money shall have been collected and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid: First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee under Section 907; Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon the Securities for principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, respectively; and Third: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company or to whomsoever may be lawfully entitled to receive the same or as a court of competent jurisdiction may direct. SECTION 807. Limitation on Suits. No Holder shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless: (a) such Holder shall have previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such series; (b) the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all series in respect of which an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, considered as one class, shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder; (c) such Holder or Holders shall have offered to the Trustee reasonable indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request; (d) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity shall have failed to institute any such proceeding; and (e) no direction inconsistent with such written request shall have been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in aggregate -43- principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all series in respect of which an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, considered as one class; it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all of such Holders. SECTION 808. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium and Interest. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right, which is absolute and unconditional, to receive payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and (subject to Section 307 and 311) interest, if any, on such Security on the Stated Maturity or Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the Redemption Date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder. Any holder of related Preferred Securities shall have the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment to such holder with respect to Securities relating to such Preferred Securities having a principal amount equal to the aggregate liquidation preference amount of the related Preferred Securities held by such holder. SECTION 809. Restoration of Rights and Remedies. If the Trustee or any Holder has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding shall have been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, subject to any determination in such proceeding, the Company, and Trustee and such Holder shall be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and such Holder shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted. SECTION 810. Rights and Remedies Cumulative. Except as otherwise provided in the last paragraph of Section 306, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy. -44- SECTION 811. Delay or Omission Not Waiver. No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders, as the case may be. SECTION 812. Control by Holders of Securities. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing in respect of a series of Securities, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series 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 the Securities of such series; provided, however, that if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing with respect to more than one series of Securities, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all such series, considered as one class, shall have the right to make such direction, and not the Holders of the Securities of any one of such series; and provided, further, that such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture. Before proceeding to exercise any right or power hereunder at the direction of such Holders, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive from such Holders reasonable security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with any such direction. SECTION 813. Waiver of Past Defaults. The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such series waive any past default hereunder with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default (a) in the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any Security of such series, or (b) in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Section 1202 cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such series affected; provided, however, that so long as a Trust holds the Securities of any series, such Trust may not waive any past default without the consent of at least a majority in aggregate liquidation preference of the outstanding Preferred Securities issued by such Trust affected, obtained as provided in the Trust Agreement pertaining to such Trust. -45- Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any and all Events of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or impair any right consequent thereon. SECTION 814. Undertaking for Costs. The Company and the Trustee agree, and each Holder 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, suffered 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, 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; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Company, to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all series in respect of which such suit may be brought, considered as one class, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any Security on or after the Stated Maturity or Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date). SECTION 815. Waiver of Stay or Extension Laws. The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay or extension law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted. ARTICLE NINE The Trustee SECTION 901. Certain Duties and Responsibilities. (a) The Trustee shall have and be subject to all the duties and responsibilities specified with respect to an indenture trustee in the Trust Indenture Act and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee. -46- (b) No provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it. (c) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Indenture to the contrary, the duties and responsibilities of the Trustee under this Indenture shall be subject to the protections, exculpations and limitations on liability afforded to the Trustee under the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act. (d) Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section. SECTION 902. Notice of Defaults. The Trustee shall give notice of any default hereunder with respect to the Securities of any series to the Holders of Securities of such series in the manner and to the extent required to do so by the Trust Indenture Act, unless such default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, that in the case of any default of the character specified in Section 801(c), no such notice to Holders shall be given until at least 45 days after the occurrence thereof. For the purpose of this Section, the term "default" means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become, an Event of Default. SECTION 903. Certain Rights of Trustee. Subject to the provisions of Section 901 and to the applicable provisions of the Trust Indenture Act: (a) the Trustee may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting in good faith 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 reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties; (b) any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or Company Order, or as otherwise expressly provided herein, and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution; (c) whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence be herein specifically -47- prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, rely upon an Officer's Certificate; (d) the Trustee may consult with counsel and the written advice of such counsel or any 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 reliance thereon; (e) the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any Holder pursuant to this 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; (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, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, other evidence of indebtedness or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall (subject to applicable legal requirements) be entitled to examine, during normal business hours, the books, records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or attorney; (g) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the 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; and (h) the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any default or Event of Default, as the case may be, with respect to the Securities of any series for which it is acting as Trustee unless either (1) a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have actual knowledge of the default or Event of Default, as the case may be, or (2) written notice of such default or Event of Default, as the case may be, shall have been given to the Trustee by the Company, any other obligor on such Securities or by any Holder of such Securities. SECTION 904. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities. The recitals contained herein and in the Securities (except the Trustee's certificates of authentication) shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of Securities or the proceeds thereof. -48- SECTION 905. May Hold Securities. Each of the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent, any Paying Agent, any Security Registrar or any other agent of the Company, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and, subject to Sections 908 and 913, may otherwise deal with the Company with the same rights it would have if it were not the Trustee, Authenticating Agent, Paying Agent, Security Registrar or such other agent. SECTION 906. Money Held in Trust. Money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds, except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as expressly provided herein or otherwise agreed with, and for the sole benefit of, the Company. SECTION 907. Compensation and Reimbursement. The Company shall (a) pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); (b) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances reasonably incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except to the extent that any such expense, disbursement or advance may be attributable to the Trustee's negligence, wilful misconduct or bad faith; and (c) indemnify the Trustee for, and hold it harmless from and against, any loss, liability or expense reasonably incurred by it arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder or the performance of its duties hereunder, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder, except to the extent any such loss, liability or expense may be attributable to its negligence, wilful misconduct or bad faith. As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such other than property and funds held in trust under Section 703 (except as otherwise provided in Section 703). "Trustee" for purposes of this Section shall include any predecessor Trustee; provided, however, that the negligence, wilful -49- misconduct or bad faith of any Trustee hereunder shall not affect the rights of any other Trustee hereunder. In addition to the rights provided to the Trustee pursuant to the provisions of the immediately preceding paragraph of this Section 907, when the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified in Section 801(d) or Section 801(e), 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. SECTION 908. Disqualification; Conflicting Interests. If the Trustee shall have or acquire any conflicting interest within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act, it shall either eliminate such conflicting interest or resign to the extent, in the manner and with the effect, and subject to the conditions, provided in the Trust Indenture Act and this Indenture. For purposes of Section 310(b)(1) of the Trust Indenture Act and to the extent permitted thereby, the Trustee, in its capacity as trustee in respect of the Securities of any series, shall not be deemed to have a conflicting interest arising from its capacity as trustee in respect of the Securities of any other series. The Trust Agreement and the Guarantee Agreement pertaining to each Trust shall be deemed to be specifically described in this Indenture for the purposes of clause (i) of the first proviso contained in Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. SECTION 909. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility. There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder which shall be (a) a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States, any State or Territory thereof or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or examination by Federal or State authority, or (b) if and to the extent permitted by the Commission by rule, regulation or order upon application, a corporation or other Person organized and doing business under the laws of a foreign government, authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers, having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 or the Dollar equivalent of the applicable foreign currency and subject to supervision or examination by authority of such foreign government or a political subdivision thereof substantially equivalent to supervision or examination applicable to United States institutional trustees, and, in either case, qualified and eligible under this Article and the Trust Indenture Act. If such corporation publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of such supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, -50- 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 the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article. SECTION 910. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor. (a) No resignation or removal of the 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 Section 911. (b) The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more series by giving written notice thereof to the Company. If the instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee required by Section 911 shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 30 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series. (c) The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any series by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series delivered to the Trustee and to the Company; provided that so long as any Preferred Securities remain outstanding, the Trust which issued such Preferred Securities shall not execute any Act to remove the Trustee without the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate liquidation preference of Preferred Securities issued by such Trust outstanding, obtained as provided in the Trust Agreement pertaining to such Trust. (d) If at any time: (1) the Trustee shall fail to comply with Section 908 after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder for at least six months, or (2) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 909 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Holder, or (3) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a 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, (x) the Company by a Board Resolution may remove the Trustee with respect to all Securities or (y) subject to Section 814, any Holder who has been a bona fide -51- Holder for at least six months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees. (e) If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any cause (other than as contemplated in clause (y) in subsection (d) of this Section), with respect to the Securities of one or more series, the Company, by a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of that or those series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular series) and shall comply with the applicable requirements of Section 911. If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapability, or the occurrence of such vacancy, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall be appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series delivered to the Company and the retiring Trustee, the successor Trustee so appointed shall, forthwith upon its acceptance of such appointment in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 911, become the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and to that extent supersede the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If no successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders and accepted appointment in the manner required by Section 911, any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such series for at least six months may, on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series. (f) So long as no event which is, or after notice or lapse of time, or both, would become, an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, and except with respect to a Trustee appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, if the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee (i) a Board Resolution appointing a successor Trustee, effective as of a date specified therein, and (ii) an instrument of acceptance of such appointment, effective as of such date, by such successor Trustee in accordance with Section 911, the Trustee shall be deemed to have resigned as contemplated in subsection (b) of this Section, the successor Trustee shall be deemed to have been appointed by the Company pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section and such appointment shall be deemed to have been accepted as contemplated in Section 911, all as of such date, and all other provisions of this Section and Section 911 shall be applicable to such resignation, appointment and acceptance except to the extent inconsistent with this subsection (f). (g) The Company shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series and each appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any series by mailing written notice of such event by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to all Holders of Securities of such -52- series as their names and addresses appear in the Security Register. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such series and the address of its corporate trust office. SECTION 911. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor. (a) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of all series, every such successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, 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, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on the request of the Company or the successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of all sums owed to it, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights, powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder. (b) In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto wherein each successor Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, (2) if the retiring Trustee is not retiring with respect to all Securities, 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 Securities of that or those series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee and (3) 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 trusts 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; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee, upon payment of all sums owed to it, shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates. -53- (c) Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any instruments which fully vest in and confirm to such successor Trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in subsection (a) or (b) of this Section, as the case may be. (d) No successor Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article. SECTION 912. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business. 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 the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided such corporation 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. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities. SECTION 913. Preferential Collection of Claims Against Company. If the Trustee shall be or become a creditor of the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities (other than by reason of a relationship described in Section 311(b) of the Trust Indenture Act), the Trustee shall be subject to any and all applicable provisions of the Trust Indenture Act regarding the collection of claims against the Company or such other obligor. For purposes of Section 311(b) of the Trust Indenture Act: (a) the term "cash transaction" means any transaction in which full payment for goods or securities sold is made within seven days after delivery of the goods or securities in currency or in checks or other orders drawn upon banks or bankers and payable upon demand; (b) the term "self-liquidating paper" means any draft, bill of exchange, acceptance or obligation which is made, drawn, negotiated or incurred by the Company for the purpose of financing the purchase, processing, manufacturing, shipment, storage or sale of goods, wares or merchandise and which is secured by documents evidencing title to, possession of, or a lien upon, the goods, wares or merchandise or the receivables or proceeds arising from the sale of the goods, wares or merchandise previously constituting the security, provided the security is received by the Trustee simultaneously with the creation of the creditor relationship with the -54- Company arising from the making, drawing, negotiating or incurring of the draft, bill of exchange, acceptance or obligation. SECTION 914. Co-trustees and Separate Trustees. At any time or times, for the purpose of meeting the legal requirements of any applicable jurisdiction, the Company and the Trustee shall have power to appoint, and, upon the written request of the Trustee or of the Holders of at least 33% in principal amount of the Securities then Outstanding, the Company shall for such purpose join with the Trustee in the execution and delivery of all instruments and agreements necessary or proper to appoint, one or more Persons approved by the Trustee either to act as co-trustee, jointly with the Trustee, or to act as separate trustee, in either case with such powers as may be provided in the instrument of appointment, and to vest in such Person or Persons, in the capacity aforesaid, any property, title, right or power deemed necessary or desirable, subject to the other provisions of this Section. If the Company does not join in such appointment within 15 days after the receipt by it of a request so to do, or if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Trustee alone shall have power to make such appointment. Should any written instrument or instruments from the Company be required by any co-trustee or separate trustee so appointed to more fully confirm to such co-trustee or separate trustee such property, title, right or power, any and all such instruments shall, on request, be executed, acknowledged and delivered by the Company. Every co-trustee or separate trustee shall, to the extent permitted by law, but to such extent only, be appointed subject to the following conditions: (a) the Securities shall be authenticated and delivered, and all rights, powers, duties and obligations hereunder in respect of the custody of securities, cash and other personal property held by, or required to be deposited or pledged with, the Trustee hereunder, shall be exercised solely, by the Trustee; (b) the rights, powers, duties and obligations hereby conferred or imposed upon the Trustee in respect of any property covered by such appointment shall be conferred or imposed upon and exercised or performed either by the Trustee or by the Trustee and such co-trustee or separate trustee jointly, as shall be provided in the instrument appointing such co-trustee or separate trustee, except to the extent that under any law of any jurisdiction in which any particular act is to be performed, the Trustee shall be incompetent or unqualified to perform such act, in which event such rights, powers, duties and obligations shall be exercised and performed by such co-trustee or separate trustee; (c) the Trustee at any time, by an instrument in writing executed by it, with the concurrence of the Company, may accept the resignation of or remove any co-trustee or separate trustee appointed under this Section, and, if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Trustee shall have power to accept the -55- resignation of, or remove, any such co-trustee or separate trustee without the concurrence of the Company. Upon the written request of the Trustee, the Company shall join with the Trustee in the execution and delivery of all instruments and agreements necessary or proper to effectuate such resignation or removal. A successor to any co-trustee or separate trustee so resigned or removed may be appointed in the manner provided in this Section; (d) no co-trustee or separate trustee hereunder shall be personally liable by reason of any act or omission of the Trustee, or any other such trustee hereunder; and (e) any Act of Holders delivered to the Trustee shall be deemed to have been delivered to each such co-trustee and separate trustee. SECTION 915. Appointment of Authenticating Agent The Trustee may appoint an Authenticating Agent or Agents with respect to the Securities of one or more series, which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such series issued upon original issuance and upon exchange, registration of transfer or partial redemption thereof or pursuant to Section 306, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. Wherever reference is made in this Indenture to the authentication and delivery of Securities by the Trustee or the Trustee's certificate of authentication, such reference shall be deemed to include authentication and delivery on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent and a certificate of authentication executed on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall at all times be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States, any State or territory thereof or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined capital and surplus of not less than $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or examination by Federal or State authority. If such Authenticating Agent publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of said supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such Authenticating Agent 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, such Authenticating Agent shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in this Section. Any corporation into which an Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the corporate agency or corporate trust business of an Authenticating Agent, shall continue to be an Authenticating Agent, provided such corporation shall be otherwise eligible under this Section, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent. -56- An Authenticating Agent may resign at any time by giving written notice thereof to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice thereof 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 such Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee may appoint a successor Authenticating Agent which shall be acceptable to the Company. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent. No successor Authenticating Agent shall be appointed unless eligible under the provisions of this Section. The Trustee agrees to pay to each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services under this Section, and the Trustee shall be entitled to be reimbursed for such payments, in accordance with, and subject to the provisions of Section 907. The provisions of Sections 308, 904 and 905 shall be applicable to each Authenticating Agent. If an appointment with respect to the Securities of one or more series shall be made pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to the Trustee's certificate of authentication, an alternate certificate of authentication substantially in the following form: This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture. ------------------------ As Trustee By ---------------------- As Authenticating Agent By ---------------------- Authorized Signatory If all of the Securities of a series may not be originally issued at one time, and if the Trustee does not have an office capable of authenticating Securities upon original issuance located in a Place of Payment where the Company wishes to have Securities of such series authenticated upon original issuance, the Trustee, if so requested by the Company in writing (which writing need not comply with Section 102 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel), shall appoint, in accordance with this Section and in accordance with such procedures as shall be acceptable to the Trustee, an Authenticating Agent having an -57- office in a Place of Payment designated by the Company with respect to such series of Securities. ARTICLE TEN Holders' Lists and Reports by Trustee and Company SECTION 1001. Lists of Holders. Semiannually, not later than June 1 and December 1 in each year, commencing June 1, 1996, and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee information as to the names and addresses of the Holders, and the Trustee shall preserve such information and similar information received by it in any other capacity and afford to the Holders access to information so preserved by it, all to such extent, if any, and in such manner as shall be required by the Trust Indenture Act; provided, however, that no such list need be furnished so long as the Trustee shall be the Security Registrar. SECTION 1002. Reports by Trustee and Company. Not later than November 1 in each year, commencing November 1, 1996, the Trustee shall transmit to the Holders and the Commission a report, dated as of the next preceding September 15, with respect to any events and other matters described in Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, in such manner and to the extent required by the Trust Indenture Act. The Trustee shall transmit to the Holders and the Commission, and the Company shall file with the Trustee (within 30 days after filing with the Commission in the case of reports which pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act must be filed with the Commission and furnished to the Trustee) and transmit to the Holders, such other information, reports and other documents, if any, at such times and in such manner, as shall be required by the Trust Indenture Act. ARTICLE ELEVEN Consolidation, Merger, Conveyance or Other Transfer SECTION 1101. Company May Consolidate, etc., Only on Certain Terms. The Company shall not consolidate with or merge into any other corporation, or convey or otherwise transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any Person, unless (a) the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or the Person which acquires by conveyance or transfer, or which leases, -58- the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety shall be a Person organized and validly existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia, and shall expressly assume, by an indenture supplemental hereto, executed and delivered to the Trustee, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, the due and punctual payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on all Outstanding Securities and the performance of every covenant of this Indenture on the part of the Company to be performed or observed; (b) immediately after giving effect to such transaction no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing; and (c) the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer's Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, or other transfer or lease and such supplemental indenture comply with this Article and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transactions have been complied with. SECTION 1102. Successor Corporation Substituted. Upon any consolidation by the Company with or merger by the Company into any other corporation or any conveyance, or other transfer or lease of the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety in accordance with Section 1101, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or the Person to which such conveyance, transfer or lease is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, the Company under this Indenture with the same effect as if such successor Person had been named as the Company herein, and thereafter, except in the case of a lease, the predecessor Person shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this Indenture and the Securities Outstanding hereunder. ARTICLE TWELVE Supplemental Indentures SECTION 1201. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders. Without the consent of any Holders, the Company and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, for any of the following purposes: (a) to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company herein and in the Securities, all as provided in Article Eleven; or -59- (b) to add one or more covenants of the Company or other provisions for the benefit of all Holders or for the benefit of the Holders of, or to remain in effect only so long as there shall be Outstanding, Securities of one or more specified series, or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company; or (c) to add any additional Events of Default with respect to all or any series of Securities Outstanding hereunder; or (d) to change or eliminate any provision of this Indenture or to add any new provision to this Indenture; provided, however, that if such change, elimination or addition shall adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series Outstanding on the date of such indenture supplemental hereto in any material respect, such change, elimination or addition shall become effective with respect to such series only pursuant to the provisions of Section 1202 hereof or when no Security of such series remains Outstanding; or (e) to provide collateral security for all but not part of the Securities; or (f) to establish the form or terms of Securities of any series as contemplated by Sections 201 and 301; or (g) to provide for the authentication and delivery of bearer securities and coupons appertaining thereto representing interest, if any, thereon and for the procedures for the registration, exchange and replacement thereof and for the giving of notice to, and the solicitation of the vote or consent of, the holders thereof, and for any and all other matters incidental thereto; or (h) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a separate or successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more series 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, pursuant to the requirements of Section 911(b); or (i) to provide for the procedures required to permit the Company to utilize, at its option, a noncertificated system of registration for all, or any series of, the Securities; or (j) to change any place or places where (1) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on all or any series of Securities shall be payable, (2) all or any series of Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer, (3) all or any series of Securities may be surrendered for exchange and (4) notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of all or any series of Securities and this Indenture may be served; or -60- (k) to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein, or to make any other changes to the provisions hereof or to add other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Indenture, provided that such other changes or additions shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of any series in any material respect. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the Trust Indenture Act as in effect at the date of the execution and delivery of this Indenture or at any time thereafter shall be amended and (x) if any such amendment shall require one or more changes to any provisions hereof or the inclusion herein of any additional provisions, or shall by operation of law be deemed to effect such changes or incorporate such provisions by reference or otherwise, this Indenture shall be deemed to have been amended so as to conform to such amendment to the Trust Indenture Act, and the Company and the Trustee may, without the consent of any Holders, enter into an indenture supplemental hereto to effect or evidence such changes or additional provisions; or (y) if any such amendment shall permit one or more changes to, or the elimination of, any provisions hereof which, at the date of the execution and delivery hereof or at any time thereafter, are required by the Trust Indenture Act to be contained herein, this Indenture shall be deemed to have been amended to effect such changes or elimination, and the Company and the Trustee may, without the consent of any Holders, enter into an indenture supplemental hereto to evidence such amendment hereof. SECTION 1202. Supplemental Indentures With Consent of Holders. With the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of all series then Outstanding under this Indenture, considered as one class, by Act of said Holders delivered to the Company and the Trustee, the Company, when authorized by a Board Resolution, and the Trustee may 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 modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series under the Indenture; provided, however, that if there shall be Securities of more than one series Outstanding hereunder and if a proposed supplemental indenture shall directly affect the rights of the Holders of Securities of one or more, but less than all, of such series, then the consent only of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of -61- all series so directly affected, considered as one class, shall be required; and provided, further, that no such supplemental indenture shall: (a) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on (except as provided in Section 311 hereof), any Security, or reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate of interest thereon (or the amount of any installment of interest thereon) or change the method of calculating such rate or reduce any premium payable upon the redemption thereof, or change the coin or currency (or other property), in which any Security or any premium or the interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the Stated Maturity of any Security (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date), without, in any such case, the consent of the Holder of such Security, or (b) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any series (or, if applicable, in liquidation preference of any series of Preferred Securities), the consent of the Holders of which is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of the Holders of which is required for any waiver of compliance with any provision of this Indenture or of any default hereunder and its consequences, or reduce the requirements of Section 1304 for quorum or voting, without, in any such case, the consent of the Holders of each Outstanding Security of such series, or (c) modify any of the provisions of this Section, Section 607 or Section 813 with respect to the Securities of any series, except to increase the percentages in principal amount referred to in this Section or such other Sections or to provide that other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby; provided, however, that this clause shall not be deemed to require the consent of any Holder with respect to changes in the references to "the Trustee" and concomitant changes in this Section, or the deletion of this proviso, in accordance with the requirements of Sections 911(b) and 1201(h). Notwithstanding the foregoing, so long as any of the Preferred Securities remain outstanding, the Trustee may not consent to a supplemental indenture under this Section 1202 without the prior consent, obtained as provided in a Trust Agreement pertaining to a Trust which issued such Preferred Securities, of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate liquidation preference of all Preferred Securities issued by such Trust affected, considered as one class, or, in the case of changes described in clauses (a), (b) and (c) above, 100% in aggregate liquidation preference of all such Preferred Securities then outstanding which would be affected thereby, considered as one class. A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture which has expressly been included solely for the benefit of one or more particular series of Securities, or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such series with respect to such covenant or other -62- provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other series. It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders under this Section to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof. A waiver by a Holder of such Holder's right to consent under this Section shall be deemed to be a consent of such Holder. SECTION 1203. Execution of Supplemental Indentures. In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modifications thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive, and (subject to Section 901) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee's own rights, duties, immunities or liabilities under this Indenture or otherwise. SECTION 1204. Effect of Supplemental Indentures. Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article, this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental indenture shall form a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder of Securities theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder shall be bound thereby. Any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article may restate this Indenture in its entirety, and, upon the execution and delivery thereof, any such restatement shall supersede this Indenture as theretofore in effect for all purposes. SECTION 1205. Conformity With Trust Indenture Act. Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect. SECTION 1206. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures. Securities of any series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article may, and shall if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such series. -63- SECTION 1207. Modification Without Supplemental Indenture If the terms of any particular series of Securities shall have been established in a Board Resolution or an Officer's Certificate as contemplated by Section 301, and not in an indenture supplemental hereto, additions to, changes in or the elimination of any of such terms may be effected by means of a supplemental Board Resolution or Officer's Certificate, as the case may be, delivered to, and accepted by, the Trustee; provided, however, that such supplemental Board Resolution or Officer's Certificate shall not be accepted by the Trustee or otherwise be effective unless all conditions set forth in this Indenture which would be required to be satisfied if such additions, changes or elimination were contained in a supplemental indenture shall have been appropriately satisfied. Upon the acceptance thereof by the Trustee, any such supplemental Board Resolution or Officer's Certificate shall be deemed to be a "supplemental indenture" for purposes of Section 1204 and 1206. ARTICLE THIRTEEN Meetings of Holders; Action Without Meeting SECTION 1301. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called. A meeting of Holders of Securities of one or more, or all, series may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to this Article to make, give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders of Securities of such series. SECTION 1302. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings. (a) The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders of Securities of one or more, or all, series for any purpose specified in Section 1301, to be held at such time and at such place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, as the Trustee shall determine, or, with the approval of the Company, at any other place. Notice of every such meeting, 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 given, in the manner provided in Section 106, not less than 21 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting. (b) If the Trustee shall have been requested to call a meeting of the Holders of Securities of one or more, or all, series by the Company or by the Holders of 33% in aggregate principal amount of all of such series, considered as one class, for any purpose specified in Section 1301, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have given the notice of such meeting within 21 days after receipt of such request or shall not thereafter proceed to cause the meeting to be held as provided herein, then the Company or the Holders of Securities of such series in the amount above specified, -64- as the case may be, may determine the time and the place in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, or in such other place as shall be determined or approved by the Company, for such meeting and may call such meeting for such purposes by giving notice thereof as provided in subsection (a) of this Section. (c) Any meeting of Holders of Securities of one or more, or all, series shall be valid without notice if the Holders of all Outstanding Securities of such series are present in person or by proxy and if representatives of the Company and the Trustee are present, or if notice is waived in writing before or after the meeting by the Holders of all Outstanding Securities of such series, or by such of them as are not present at the meeting in person or by proxy, and by the Company and the Trustee. SECTION 1303. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings. To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Holders of Securities of one or more, or all, series a Person shall be (a) a Holder of one or more Outstanding Securities of such series, or (b) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy for a Holder or Holders of one or more Outstanding Securities of such series by such Holder or Holders. The only Persons who shall be entitled to attend any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel, any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel. SECTION 1304. Quorum; Action. The Persons entitled to vote a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of the series with respect to which a meeting shall have been called as hereinbefore provided, considered as one class, shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Holders of Securities of such series; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at such meeting which this Indenture expressly provides may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, considered as one class, the Persons entitled to vote such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, considered as one class, shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum within one hour of the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Holders of Securities of such series, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for such period as may be determined by the 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 such period as may be determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such adjourned meeting. Except as provided by Section 1305(e), notice of the reconvening of any meeting adjourned for more than 30 days shall be given as provided in Section 1302(a) not less than 10 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 Outstanding Securities of such series which shall constitute a quorum. -65- Except as limited by Section 1202, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted only by the affirmative vote of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of the series with respect to which such meeting shall have been called, considered as one class; provided, however, that, except as so limited, any resolution with respect to any action which this Indenture expressly provides may be taken by the Holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, considered as one class, may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid by the affirmative vote of the Holders of such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series, considered as one class. Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of Holders of Securities duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Holders of Securities of the series with respect to which such meeting shall have been held, whether or not present or represented at the meeting. SECTION 1305. Attendance at Meetings; Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings. (a) Attendance at meetings of Holders of Securities may be in person or by proxy; and, to the extent permitted by law, any such proxy shall remain in effect and be binding upon any future Holder of the Securities with respect to which it was given unless and until specifically revoked by the Holder or future Holder of such Securities before being voted. (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders of Securities in regard to proof of the holding of such Securities 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 deem appropriate. Except as otherwise permitted or required by any such regulations, the holding of Securities shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 104 and the appointment of any proxy shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 104. Such regulations may provide that written instruments appointing proxies, regular on their face, may be presumed valid and genuine without the proof specified in Section 104 or other proof. (c) 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 Holders as provided in Section 1302(b), in which case the Company or the Holders of Securities of the series 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 vote of the Persons entitled to vote a -66- majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all series represented at the meeting, considered as one class. (d) At any meeting each Holder or proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each $1 principal amount of Securities held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security 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, except as a Holder of a Security or proxy. (e) Any meeting duly called pursuant to Section 1302 at which a quorum is present may be adjourned from time to time by Persons entitled to vote a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of all series represented at the meeting, considered as one class; and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice. SECTION 1306. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings. The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts and serial numbers of the Outstanding Securities, of the series with respect to which the meeting shall have been called, 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 of all votes cast at the meeting. A record of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders 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 given as provided in Section 1302 and, if applicable, Section 1304. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one such copy shall be delivered to the Company, and another to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting. Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated. SECTION 1307. Action Without Meeting. In lieu of a vote of Holders at a meeting as hereinbefore contemplated in this Article, any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action may be made, given or taken by Holders by written instruments as provided in Section 104. -67- ARTICLE FOURTEEN Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors SECTION 1401. Liability Solely Corporate No recourse shall be had for the payment of the principal of or premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any Securities, or any part thereof, or for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, or of the indebtedness represented thereby, or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement under this Indenture, against any incorporator, stockholder, officer or director, as such, past, present or future of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation (either directly or through the Company or a predecessor or successor corporation), whether by virtue of any constitutional provision, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and all the Securities are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any incorporator, stockholder, officer or director, past, present or future, of the Company or of any predecessor or successor corporation, either directly or indirectly through the Company or any predecessor or successor corporation, because of the indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities or to be implied herefrom or therefrom, and that any such personal liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issuance of the Securities. ARTICLE FIFTEEN Subordination of Securities SECTION 1501. Securities Subordinate to Senior Indebtedness. The Company, for itself, its successors and assigns, covenants and agrees, and each Holder of the Securities of each series, by its acceptance thereof, likewise covenants and agrees, that the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on each and all of the Securities is hereby expressly subordinated and subject to the extent and in the manner set forth in this Article, in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness. Each Holder of the Securities of each series, by its acceptance thereof, authorizes and directs the Trustee on its behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination as provided in this Article, and appoints the Trustee its attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes. -68- SECTION 1502. Payment Over of Proceeds of Securities In the event (a) of any insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings or any receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar proceedings in respect of the Company or a substantial part of its property, or of any proceedings for liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of the Company, whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy, or (b) subject to the provisions of Section 1503, that (i) a default shall have occurred with respect to the payment of principal of or interest on or other monetary amounts due and payable on any Senior Indebtedness, or (ii) there shall have occurred a default (other than a default in the payment of principal or interest or other monetary amounts due and payable) in respect of any Senior Indebtedness, as defined therein or in the instrument under which the same is outstanding, permitting the holder or holders thereof to accelerate the maturity thereof (with notice or lapse of time, or both), and such default shall have continued beyond the period of grace, if any, in respect thereof, and, in the cases of subclauses (i) and (ii) of this clause (b), such default shall not have been cured or waived or shall not have ceased to exist, or (c) that the principal of and accrued interest on the Securities of any series shall have been declared due and payable pursuant to Section 801 and such declaration shall not have been rescinded and annulled as provided in Section 802, then: (1) the holders of all Senior Indebtedness shall first be entitled to receive payment of the full amount due thereon, or provision shall be made for such payment in money or money's worth, before the Holders of any of the Securities are entitled to receive a payment on account of the principal of or interest on the indebtedness evidenced by the Securities, including, without limitation, any payments made pursuant to Articles Four and Five; (2) any payment by, or distribution of assets of, the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, to which any Holder or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article, shall be paid or delivered by the person making such payment or distribution, whether a trustee in bankruptcy, a receiver or liquidating trustee or otherwise, directly to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture under which any instruments evidencing any of such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, ratably according to the aggregate amounts remaining unpaid on account of such Senior Indebtedness held or represented by each, to the extent necessary to make payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution (or provision therefor) to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness, before any payment or distribution is made to the Holders of the indebtedness evidenced by the Securities or to the Trustee under this Indenture; and -69- (3) in the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, any payment by, or distribution of assets of, the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, in respect of principal of or interest on the Securities or in connection with any repurchase by the Company of the Securities, shall be received by the Trustee or any Holder before all Senior Indebtedness is paid in full, or provision is made for such payment in money or money's worth, such payment or distribution in respect of principal of or interest on the Securities or in connection with any repurchase by the Company of the Securities shall be paid over to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness or their representative or representatives or to the trustee or trustees under any indenture under which any instruments evidencing any such Senior Indebtedness may have been issued, ratably as aforesaid, for application to the payment of all Senior Indebtedness remaining unpaid until all such Senior Indebtedness shall have been paid in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution (or provision therefor) to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time after the 123rd day following the date of deposit of cash or Government Obligations pursuant to Section 701 (provided all conditions set out in such Section shall have been satisfied), the funds so deposited and any interest thereon will not be subject to any rights of holders of Senior Indebtedness including, without limitation, those arising under this Article Fifteen; provided that no event described in clauses (d) and (e) of Section 801 with respect to the Company has occurred during such 123-day period. For purposes of this Article only, 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 or reorganization or readjustment which are subordinate in right of payment to all Senior Indebtedness which may at the time be outstanding to the same extent as, or to a greater extent than, the Securities are so subordinated as provided in this Article. 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 Eleven hereof shall not be deemed a dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization for the purposes of this Section 1502 if such other corporation shall, as a part of such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer, comply with the conditions stated in Article Eleven hereof. Nothing in Section 1501 or in this Section 1502 shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 907. -70- SECTION 1503. Disputes with Holders of Certain Senior Indebtedness. Any failure by the Company to make any payment on or perform any other obligation in respect of Senior Indebtedness, other than any indebtedness incurred by the Company or assumed or guaranteed, directly or indirectly, by the Company for money borrowed (or any deferral, renewal, extension or refunding thereof) or any other obligation as to which the provisions of this Section shall have been waived by the Company in the instrument or instruments by which the Company incurred, assumed, guaranteed or otherwise created such indebtedness or obligation, shall not be deemed a default under clause (b) of Section 1502 if (i) the Company shall be disputing its obligation to make such payment or perform such obligation and (ii) either (A) no final judgment relating to such dispute shall have been issued against the Company which is in full force and effect and is not subject to further review, including a judgment that has become final by reason of the expiration of the time within which a party may seek further appeal or review, or (B) in the event that a judgment that is subject to further review or appeal has been issued, the Company shall in good faith be prosecuting an appeal or other proceeding for review and a stay or execution shall have been obtained pending such appeal or review. SECTION 1504. Subrogation. Senior Indebtedness shall not be deemed to have been paid in full unless the holders thereof shall have received cash (or securities or other property satisfactory to such holders) in full payment of such Senior Indebtedness then outstanding. Subject to the prior payment in full of all Senior Indebtedness, the rights of the Holders of the Securities shall be subrogated to the rights of the holders of Senior Indebtedness to receive any further payments or distributions of cash, property or securities of the Company applicable to the holders of the Senior Indebtedness until all amounts owing on the Securities shall be paid in full; and such payments or distributions of cash, property or securities received by the Holders of the Securities, by reason of such subrogation, which otherwise would be paid or distributed to the holders of such Senior Indebtedness shall, as between the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, and the Holders, be deemed to be a payment by the Company to or on account of Senior Indebtedness, it being understood that the provisions of this Article are and are intended solely for the purpose of defining the relative rights of the Holders, on the one hand, and the holders of the Senior Indebtedness, on the other hand. SECTION 1505. Obligation of the Company Unconditional. Nothing contained in this Article or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Securities is intended to or shall impair, as among the Company, its creditors other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness and the Holders, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay to the Holders the principal of and interest on the Securities 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 and creditors of the Company other than the holders of Senior Indebtedness, nor shall anything herein or therein prevent the Trustee or any Holder from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law -71- upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article of the holders of 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 or securities of the Company referred to in this Article, the Trustee and the Holders shall be entitled to rely upon any order or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction in which such dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization proceedings are pending for the purpose of ascertaining the persons entitled to participate in such distribution, the holders of the 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. SECTION 1506. Priority of Senior Indebtedness Upon Maturity. Upon the maturity of the principal of any Senior Indebtedness by lapse of time, acceleration or otherwise, all matured principal of Senior Indebtedness and interest and premium, if any, thereon shall first be paid in full before any payment of principal or premium, if any, or interest, if any, is made upon the Securities or before any Securities can be acquired by the Company or any sinking fund payment is made with respect to the Securities (except that required sinking fund payments may be reduced by Securities acquired before such maturity of such Senior Indebtedness). SECTION 1507. Trustee as Holder of Senior Indebtedness. The Trustee shall be entitled to all rights set forth in this Article with respect to any Senior Indebtedness at any time held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Indebtedness. Nothing in this Article shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder. SECTION 1508. Notice to Trustee to Effectuate Subordination. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article or any other provision of the Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts which would prohibit the making of any payment of moneys to or by the Trustee unless and until the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company, from a Holder or from a holder of any Senior Indebtedness or from any representative or representatives of such holder and, prior to the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee shall be entitled, subject to Section 901, in all respects to assume that no such facts exist; provided, however, that, if prior to the fifth Business Day preceding the date upon which by the terms hereof any such moneys may become payable for any purpose, or in the event of the execution of an instrument pursuant to Section 702 acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, then if prior to the second Business Day preceding the date of such execution, the Trustee shall not have received with respect to such moneys the notice provided for in this Section, then, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the Trustee may, in its discretion, receive such moneys and/or apply the same to the purpose for which they were -72- received, and shall not be affected by any notice to the contrary, which may be received by it on or after such date; provided, however, that no such application shall affect the obligations under this Article of the persons receiving such moneys from the Trustee. SECTION 1509. Modification, Extension, etc. of Senior Indebtedness The holders of Senior Indebtedness may, without affecting in any manner the subordination of the payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Securities, at any time or from time to time and in their absolute discretion, agree with the Company to change the manner, place or terms of payment, change or extend the time of payment of, or renew or alter, any Senior Indebtedness, or amend or supplement any instrument pursuant to which any Senior Indebtedness is issued, or exercise or refrain from exercising any other of their rights under the Senior Indebtedness including, without limitation, the waiver of default thereunder, all without notice to or assent from the Holders or the Trustee. SECTION 1510. Trustee Has No Fiduciary Duty to Holders of Senior Indebtedness. With respect to the holders of Senior Indebtedness, the Trustee undertakes to perform or to observe only such of its covenants and objectives as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations with respect to the holders of 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 Senior Indebtedness, and shall not be liable to any such holders if it shall mistakenly pay over or deliver to the Holders or the Company or any other Person, money or assets to which any holders of Senior Indebtedness shall be entitled by virtue of this Article or otherwise. SECTION 1511. Paying Agents Other Than the Trustee. In case at any time any Paying Agent other than the Trustee shall have been appointed by the Company and be then acting hereunder, the term "Trustee" as used in this Article shall in such case (unless the context shall otherwise require) be construed as extending to and including such Paying Agent within its meaning as fully for all intents and purposes as if such Paying Agent were named in this Article in addition to or in place of the Trustee; provided, however, that Sections 1507, 1508 and 1510 shall not apply to the Company if it acts as Paying Agent. SECTION 1512. Rights of Holders of Senior Indebtedness Not Impaired. No right of any present or future holder of Senior Indebtedness to enforce the subordination herein shall at any time or in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company or by any noncompliance by the Company with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof any such holder may have or be otherwise charged with. -73- SECTION 1513. Effect of Subordination Provisions; Termination Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, other than as provided in the immediately succeeding sentence, all the provisions of this Indenture shall be subject to the provisions of this Article, so far as the same may be applicable thereto. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the provisions of this Article Fifteen shall be of no further effect, and the Securities shall no longer be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment of Senior Indebtedness, if the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee a notice to such effect. Any such notice delivered by the Company shall not be deemed to be a supplemental indenture for purposes of Article Twelve. ------------------------- This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. -74- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the day and year first above written. MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY By: James Vizanko ------------------------------- James K. Vizanko Treasurer -75- THE BANK OF NEW YORK, Trustee By: Helen M. Cotiaux ------------------------------- -76- STATE OF MINNESOTA ) ) ss.: COUNTY OF ST. LOUIS ) On the 20th day of March, 1996, before me personally came James K. Vizanko, to me known, who, being by me duly sworn, did depose and say that he is the Treasurer of Minnesota Power & Light Company, one of the corporations described in and which executed the foregoing instrument; that he knows the seal of said corporation; that the seal affixed to said instrument is such corporate seal; that it was so affixed by authority of the Board of Directors of said corporation, and that he signed his name thereto by like authority. Kristie J. Lindstrom ---------------------------------- Kristie Lindstrom Notary Public, State of Minnesota St. Louis County My. Comm. Expires [ ] 31, 2000 -77- STATE OF NEW YORK ) ) ss.: COUNTY OF NEW YORK ) On the 19th day of March, 1996, before me personally came Helen Cotiaux, to me known, who, being by me duly sworn, did depose and say that he is a Vice President of The Bank of New York, one of the corporations described in and which executed the foregoing instrument; that he knows the seal of said corporation; that the seal affixed to said instrument is such corporate seal; that it was so affixed by authority of the Board of Directors of said corporation, and that he signed his name thereto by like authority. Susan Fields ---------------------------------- Notary Public, State of New York No. 31-4980055 Qualified in New York County Commission Expires April 8, 1997

Exhibit 4(d) GUARANTEE AGREEMENT Between Minnesota Power & Light Company (as Guarantor) and The Bank of New York (as Trustee) dated as of March 1, 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS.......................................... 1 SECTION 1.01 Definitions.......................................... 1 ARTICLE II TRUST INDENTURE ACT.................................. 4 SECTION 2.01 Trust Indenture Act; Application..................... 4 SECTION 2.02 Lists of Holders of Preferred Securities............. 4 SECTION 2.03 Reports by the Guarantee Trustee..................... 4 SECTION 2.04 Periodic Reports to Guarantee Trustee................ 4 SECTION 2.05 Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent..... 5 SECTION 2.06 Events of Default; Waiver............................ 5 SECTION 2.07 Event of Default; Notice............................. 5 SECTION 2.08 Conflicting Interests................................ 5 ARTICLE III POWERS, DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF GUARANTEE TRUSTEE....... 5 SECTION 3.01 Powers and Duties of the Guarantee Trustee........... 5 SECTION 3.02 Certain Rights of Guarantee Trustee.................. 7 ARTICLE IV GUARANTEE TRUSTEE.................................... 9 SECTION 4.01 Guarantee Trustee; Eligibility....................... 9 SECTION 4.02 Compensation and Reimbursement....................... 9 SECTION 4.03 Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Guarantee Trustee........................ 10 ARTICLE V GUARANTEE............................................ 11 SECTION 5.01 Guarantee............................................ 11 SECTION 5.02 Waiver of Notice and Demand.......................... 11 SECTION 5.03 Obligations Not Affected............................. 12 SECTION 5.04 Rights of Holders.................................... 12 SECTION 5.05 Guarantee of Payment................................. 13 SECTION 5.06 Subrogation.......................................... 13 SECTION 5.07 Independent Obligations.............................. 13 ARTICLE VI SUBORDINATION........................................ 13 SECTION 6.01 Subordination........................................ 13 ARTICLE VII TERMINATION.......................................... 14 SECTION 7.01 Termination.......................................... 14 ARTICLE VIII MISCELLANEOUS........................................ 14 SECTION 8.01 Successors and Assigns............................... 14 SECTION 8.02 Amendments........................................... 14 SECTION 8.03 Notices.............................................. 14 SECTION 8.04 Benefit.............................................. 15 SECTION 8.05 Interpretation....................................... 16 SECTION 8.06 Governing Law........................................ 16 CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE Section of Section of Trust Indenture Act Guarantee of 1939, as amended Agreement - ------------------- ---------- 310(a)....................................................... 4.01(a) 310(b)....................................................... 4.01(c), 2.08 310(c)....................................................... Inapplicable 311(a)....................................................... 2.02(b) 311(b)....................................................... 2.02(b) 311(c)....................................................... Inapplicable 312(a)....................................................... 2.02(a) 312(b)....................................................... 2.02(b) 313.......................................................... 2.03 314(a)....................................................... 2.04 314(b)....................................................... Inapplicable 314(c)....................................................... 2.05 314(d)....................................................... Inapplicable 314(e)....................................................... 1.01, 2.05, 3.02 314(f)....................................................... 2.01, 3.02 315(a)....................................................... 3.01(d) 315(b)....................................................... 2.07 315(c)....................................................... 3.01 315(d)....................................................... 3.01(d) 316(a)....................................................... 5.04(a), 2.06 316(b)....................................................... 5.03 316(c)....................................................... 2.02 317(a)....................................................... Inapplicable 317(b)....................................................... Inapplicable 318(a)....................................................... 2.01(b) 318(b)....................................................... 2.01 318(c)....................................................... 2.01(a) - ------------- * This Cross-Reference Table does not constitute part of the Guarantee Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation of any of its terms or provisions. GUARANTEE AGREEMENT This GUARANTEE AGREEMENT ("Guarantee Agreement"), dated as of March 1, 1996, is executed and delivered by Minnesota Power & Light Company, a Minnesota corporation (the "Guarantor"), and The Bank of New York, as trustee (the "Guarantee Trustee"), for the benefit of the Holders (as defined herein) from time to time of the Preferred Securities (as defined herein) of MP&L Capital I, a Delaware statutory business trust (the "Issuer"). WHEREAS, pursuant to an Amended and Restated Trust Agreement (the "Trust Agreement"), dated as of March 1, 1996 between the Trustees of the Issuer named therein, Minnesota Power & Light Company, as Depositor, and the several Holders (as defined therein) the Issuer is issuing as of the date hereof $75,000,000 aggregate liquidation amount of its 8.05% Cumulative Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (the "Preferred Securities") representing preferred undivided beneficial ownership interests in the Issuer and having the terms set forth in the Trust Agreement; WHEREAS, the Preferred Securities are to be issued for sale by the Issuer and the proceeds are to be invested in $77,500,000 principal amount of Debentures (as defined in the Trust Agreement); and WHEREAS, in order to enhance the value of the Preferred Securities, the Guarantor desires to irrevocably and unconditionally agree, to the extent set forth herein, to pay to the Holders 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 of Debentures, which purchase the Guarantor hereby agrees shall benefit the Guarantor, the Guarantor executes and delivers this Guarantee Agreement for the benefit of the Holders from time to time. ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS SECTION 1.01 Definitions. As used in this Guarantee Agreement, the terms set forth below shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the following meanings. Capitalized or otherwise defined terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Trust Agreement as in effect on the date hereof. "Affiliate" of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, "control" when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms "controlling" and "controlled" have meanings correlative to the foregoing. "Common Securities" means the securities representing common undivided beneficial ownership interests in the assets of the Issuer. "Event of Default" means a default by the Guarantor on any of its payment obligations under this Guarantee Agreement. "Guarantee Payments" shall mean the following payments or distributions, without duplication, with respect to the Preferred Securities, to the extent not paid or made by or on behalf of the Issuer: (i) any accrued and unpaid Distributions that are required to be paid on such Preferred Securities but only if and to the extent that the Property Trustee has available in the Payment Account funds sufficient to make such payment, (ii) the redemption price (the "Redemption Price"), and all accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date of redemption, with respect to the Preferred Securities called for redemption by the Issuer but only if and to the extent that the Property Trustee has available in the Payment Account funds sufficient to make such payment, (iii) upon a voluntary or involuntary dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Issuer (other than in connection with a redemption of all of the Preferred Securities), the lesser of (a) the aggregate of the Liquidation Amount and all accrued and unpaid Distributions on the Preferred Securities to the date of payment, 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 The Bank of New York until a Successor Guarantee Trustee has been appointed and has accepted such appointment pursuant to the terms of this Guarantee Agreement and thereafter means each such Successor Guarantee Trustee. "Holder" shall mean any holder, as registered on the books and records of the Issuer, of any Preferred Securities then outstanding; provided, however, that in determining whether the holders of the requisite percentage of Preferred Securities have given any request, notice, consent or waiver hereunder, "Holder" shall not include the Guarantor or any Affiliate of the Guarantor. "Indenture" means the Indenture dated as of March 1, 1996, among the Guarantor (the "Debenture Issuer") and The Bank of New York, as trustee, pursuant to which the Debentures are issued. "Majority in liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities" means a vote by Holders, voting separately as a class, of more than 50% of the aggregate liquidation amount of all Preferred Securities. -2- "Officers' Certificate" means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, a Vice Chairman of the Board, the President or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, of the Guarantor, and delivered to the Guarantee Trustee. Any Officers' Certificate delivered with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Guarantee Agreement shall include: (a) a statement that each officer signing the Officers' 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 Officers' 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. "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof. "Responsible Officer" means, with respect to the Guarantee Trustee, any vice-president, any assistant vice-president, the secretary, any assistant secretary, the treasurer, any assistant treasurer, any trust officer or assistant trust officer or any other officer of the Corporate Trust Department of the Guarantee 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. "Successor Guarantee Trustee" means a successor Guarantee Trustee possessing the qualifications to act as Guarantee Trustee under Section 4.01. "Trust Indenture Act" means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended. -3- ARTICLE II TRUST INDENTURE ACT SECTION 2.01 Trust Indenture Act; Application. (a) This Guarantee Agreement is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act that are required or deemed to be part of this Guarantee Agreement and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions; and (b) if and to the extent that any provision of this Guarantee Agreement limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Sections 310 to 317, inclusive, of the Trust Indenture Act, such imposed duties shall control. SECTION 2.02 Lists of Holders of Preferred Securities. (a) The Guarantor shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Guarantee Trustee (a) semiannually, not later than December 31 and June 30 in each year, a list, in such form as the Guarantee Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Holders ("List of Holders") as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the delivery thereof, and (b) at such other times as the Guarantee Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Guarantor of any such request, a List of Holders as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished; provided that, the Guarantor shall not be obligated to provide such List of Holders at any time the List of Holders does not differ from the most recent List of Holders given to the Guarantee Trustee by the Guarantor. The Guarantee Trustee may destroy any List of Holders previously given to it on receipt of a new List of Holders. (b) The Guarantee Trustee shall comply with its obligations under Section 311(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, subject to the provisions of Section 311(b) and Section 312(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. SECTION 2.03 Reports by the Guarantee Trustee. Within 60 days after December 31 of each year, commencing December 31, 1996, the Guarantee Trustee shall provide to the Holders such reports, if any, as are required by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act in the form and in the manner provided by Section 313(a) of the Trust Indenture Act. The Guarantee Trustee shall also comply with the requirements of Sections 313(b), (c) and (d) of the Trust Indenture Act. SECTION 2.04 Periodic Reports to Guarantee Trustee. The Guarantor shall provide to the Guarantee Trustee such documents, reports and information as required by Section 314 (if any) and the compliance certificate required by Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act in the form, in the manner and at the times required by Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act. -4- SECTION 2.05 Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent. The Guarantor shall provide to the Guarantee Trustee such evidence of compliance with any conditions precedent provided for in this Guarantee Agreement as and to the extent required by Section 314(c) of the Trust Indenture Act. Any certificate or opinion required to be given by an officer pursuant to Section 314(c)(1) of the Trust Indenture Act may be given in the form of an Officers' Certificate. SECTION 2.06 Events of Default; Waiver. The Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of Preferred Securities may, by vote, on behalf of all of the Holders, waive any past Event of Default and its consequences. Upon such waiver, any such Event of Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Guarantee Agreement, but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. SECTION 2.07 Event 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, notices of all Events of Default known to the Guarantee Trustee, unless such defaults have been cured before the giving of such notice, provided that, the Guarantee Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as the board of directors, the executive committee, or a trust committee of directors or Responsible Officers of the Guarantee Trustee in good faith determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders. (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, or a Responsible Officer charged with the administration of the Trust Agreement shall have obtained written notice, of such Event of Default. SECTION 2.08 Conflicting Interests. The Trust Agreement and the Indenture shall be deemed to be specifically described in this Guarantee Agreement for the purposes of clause (i) of the first proviso contained in Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. ARTICLE III POWERS, DUTIES AND RIGHTS OF GUARANTEE TRUSTEE SECTION 3.01 Powers and Duties of the Guarantee Trustee. (a) This Guarantee Agreement shall be held by the Guarantee Trustee for the benefit of the Holders, and the Guarantee Trustee shall not transfer this Guarantee -5- Agreement or any rights hereunder to any Person except a Holder exercising his or her rights pursuant to Section 5.04 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) The Guarantee Trustee, prior to the occurrence of any Event of Default and after the curing of all Events of Default that may have occurred, shall undertake to perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Guarantee Agreement, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Guarantee Agreement against the Guarantee Trustee. In case an Event of Default has occurred (that has not been cured or waived pursuant to Section 2.06), the Guarantee Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Guarantee Agreement, 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. (c) No provision of this Guarantee Agreement 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 Agreement, 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 Agreement; 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 Agreement; 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 Agreement; (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 -6- it shall be proved that the Guarantee Trustee or such Responsible Officer 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 direction of the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Preferred Securities relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee Agreement; and (iv) no provision of this Guarantee Agreement 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 or liability is not reasonably assured to it under the terms of this Guarantee Agreement or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it. SECTION 3.02 Certain Rights of Guarantee Trustee. (a) Subject to the provisions of Section 3.01: (i) the Guarantee Trustee may 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 reasonably 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 Agreement shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officers' Certificate; (iii) whenever, in the administration of this Guarantee Agreement, 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 rely upon an Officers' Certificate which, upon receipt of such request, shall be promptly delivered by the Guarantor; -7- (iv) the Guarantee Trustee may consult with counsel of its choice, and the written 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 Agreement from any court of competent jurisdiction; (v) the Guarantee Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Guarantee Agreement at the request or direction of any Holder, unless such Holder shall have provided to the Guarantee Trustee such adequate security and indemnity as would satisfy a reasonable person in the position of the Guarantee Trustee, against the costs, expenses (including attorneys' fees and expenses) 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 that, nothing contained in this Section 3.02(a)(v) shall be taken to 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 Agreement; (vi) 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 reasonably believed by it to be genuine, but the Guarantee Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit; (vii) the Guarantee Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents 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; (viii) whenever in the administration of this Guarantee Agreement 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 (1) may request instructions from the Holders, (2) may refrain from enforcing such remedy or right or taking such other action until such instructions are received, and (3) shall be protected in acting in accordance with such instructions; and -8- (ix) the Guarantee Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in good faith 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 Agreement 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. ARTICLE IV GUARANTEE TRUSTEE 4.01 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 a corporation or Person permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission to act as an institutional trustee under the Trust Indenture Act, 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 4.01(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. (b) If at any time the Guarantee Trustee shall cease to be eligible to so act under Section 4.01(a), the Guarantee Trustee shall immediately resign in the manner and with the effect set out in Section 4.03(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 and -9- Guarantor shall in all respects comply with the provisions of Section 310(b) of the Trust Indenture Act. SECTION 4.02 Compensation and Reimbursement. The Guarantor agrees: (a) to pay the Guarantee Trustee from time to time such reasonable compensation as the Guarantor and the Guarantee Trustee shall from time to time agree in writing for all services rendered by it hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust); (b) except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse the Guarantee Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Guarantee Trustee in accordance with the provisions of this Guarantee (including the reasonable compensation and expenses of its agents and counsel), except any such expense, disbursement or advance as may be attributable to its negligence or bad faith; and (c) to indemnify each of the Guarantee Trustee and any predecessor Guarantee Trustee for, and to hold it harmless from and against, any and all loss, damage, claim, liability or expense, including taxes (other than taxes based upon the income of the Guarantee Trustee) incurred without negligence or bad faith on its part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance of the administration of this Guarantee Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any its powers or duties hereunder. As security for the performance of the obligations of the Guarantor under this Section, the Guarantee Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Preferred Securities upon all the property and funds held or collected by the Guarantee Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of, and premium (if any) or interest on, particular obligations of the Guarantor under this Guarantee Agreement. The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Guarantee Agreement. SECTION 4.03 Appointment, Removal and Resignation of Guarantee Trustee. (a) Subject to Section 4.03(b), unless an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Guarantee Trustee may be appointed or removed without cause at any time by the Guarantor. -10- (b) The Guarantee Trustee shall not be removed 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 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 4.03 within 60 days after delivery to the Guarantor of an instrument of resignation, the resigning Guarantee Trustee 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) The Guarantor shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Guarantee Trustee and each appointment of a successor Guarantee Trustee to all Holders in the manner provided in Section 8.03 hereof. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Guarantee Trustee and the address of its Corporate Trust Office. ARTICLE V GUARANTEE SECTION 5.01 Guarantee. 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, right of set-off or counterclaim which 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. SECTION 5.02 Waiver of Notice and Demand. The Guarantor hereby waives notice of acceptance of this Guarantee Agreement 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. -11- SECTION 5.03 Obligations Not Affected. The obligation of the Guarantor to make the Guarantee Payments under this Guarantee Agreement 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 Preferred 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, Liquidation Distribution or any other sums payable under the terms of the Preferred Securities or the extension of time for the performance of any other obligation under, arising out of, or in connection with, the Preferred Securities (other than an extension of time for payment of Distributions, Redemption Price, Liquidation Distribution or other sum payable that results from the extension of any interest payment period on 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 Preferred 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; (e) any invalidity of, or defect or deficiency in, the Preferred 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 5.03 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 5.04 Rights of Holders. The Guarantor expressly acknowledges that: (i) this Guarantee Agreement will be deposited with the Guarantee Trustee to be held for the benefit of the Holders; (ii) the Guarantee Trustee has the right to enforce this -12- Guarantee Agreement on behalf of the Holders; (iii) the Holders of a Majority in liquidation amount of the Preferred 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 Agreement or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Guarantee Trustee under this Guarantee Agreement; and (iv) any Holder may institute a legal proceeding directly against the Guarantor to enforce its rights under this Guarantee Agreement without first instituting a legal proceeding against the Issuer or any other person or entity. SECTION 5.05 Guarantee of Payment. This Guarantee Agreement creates a guarantee of payment and not of collection. This Guarantee Agreement will not be discharged except by payment of the Guarantee Payments in full (without duplication). SECTION 5.06 Subrogation. The Guarantor shall be subrogated to all (if any) rights of the Holders against the Issuer in respect of any amounts paid to the Holders by the Guarantor under this Guarantee Agreement; 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 which 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 Agreement, if, at the time of any such payment, any amounts of Guarantee Payments are due and unpaid under this Guarantee Agreement. 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 5.07 Independent Obligations. The Guarantor acknowledges that its obligations hereunder are independent of the obligations of the Issuer with respect to the Preferred 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 Agreement notwithstanding the occurrence of any event referred to in subsections (a) through (g), inclusive, of Section 5.03. ARTICLE VI SUBORDINATION SECTION 6.01 Subordination. This Guarantee Agreement will constitute an unsecured obligation of the Guarantor and will rank (i) subordinate and junior in right of payment to all other liabilities of the Guarantor, including the Debentures, except those made pari passu or subordinate by their terms, (ii) pari passu with the most senior preferred or preference stock now or hereafter issued by the Guarantor and with any guarantee now or hereafter entered into by the Guarantor in respect of any preferred or preference stock of any Affiliate of the Guarantor, and (iii) senior to all common stock of the Guarantor. Nothing in -13- this Section 6.01 shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Guarantee Trustee under or pursuant to Section 4.02 hereof. ARTICLE VII TERMINATION SECTION 7.01 Termination. This Guarantee Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect upon: (i) full payment of the Redemption Price of all Preferred Securities, and all accrued and unpaid Distributions to the date of redemption, (ii) the distribution of Debentures to Holders in exchange for all of the Preferred Securities or (iii) full payment of the amounts payable in accordance with the Trust Agreement upon liquidation of the Issuer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Guarantee Agreement will continue to be effective or will be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any Holder must restore payment of any sums paid with respect to the Preferred Securities or under this Guarantee Agreement. ARTICLE VIII MISCELLANEOUS SECTION 8.01 Successors and Assigns. All guarantees and agreements contained in this Guarantee Agreement shall bind the successors, assigns, receivers, trustees and representatives of the Guarantor and shall inure to the benefit of the Holders of the Preferred Securities then outstanding. Except in connection with a consolidation, merger or sale involving the Guarantor that is permitted under Article Eleven of the Indenture, the Guarantor shall not assign its obligations hereunder. SECTION 8.02 Amendments. This Guarantee Agreement may be amended only by an instrument in writing entered into by the Guarantor and the Guarantee Trustee. Except with respect to any changes which do not materially adversely affect the rights of Holders (in which case no consent of Holders will be required), this Guarantee Agreement may only be amended with the prior approval of the Holders of not less than 66 2/3% in aggregate liquidation amount of all the outstanding Preferred Securities. The provisions of Article VI of the Trust Agreement concerning meetings of Holders shall apply to the giving of such approval. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require that the Guarantee Trustee enter into any amendment of this Guarantee Agreement. SECTION 8.03 Notices. Any notice, request or other communication required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing, duly signed by the party giving such notice, and delivered, telecopied or mailed by first class mail as follows: -14- (a) if given to the Guarantor, to the address set forth below or such other address as the Guarantor may give notice of to the Holders of the Preferred Securities: Minnesota Power & Light Company 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Facsimile No: (218) 723-3912 Attention: James K. Vizanko (b) if given to the Issuer, in care of the Administrative Trustees, at the Issuer's (and the Administrative Trustee's) address set forth below or such other address as the Administrative Trustees on behalf of the Issuer may give notice of to the Holders: MP&L Capital I c/o Minnesota Power & Light Company 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Facsimile No: (218) 723-3912 Attention: Administrative Trustees (c) if given to the Guarantee Trustee, to the address set forth below or such other address as the Guarantee Trustee may give notice of to the Holders of the Preferred Securities: The Bank of New York 101 Barclay Street, 21 West New York, New York 10286 Facsimile No: (212) 815-5915 Attention: Corporate Trust Administration (d) if given to any Holder, at the address set forth on the books and records of the Issuer. All notices hereunder 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. -15- SECTION 8.04 Benefit. This Guarantee Agreement is solely for the benefit of the Holders and, subject to Section 3.01(a), is not separately transferable from the Preferred Securities. SECTION 8.05 Interpretation. In this Guarantee Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) Capitalized terms used in this Guarantee Agreement but not defined in the preamble hereto have the respective meanings assigned to them in Section 1.01; (b) a term defined anywhere in this Guarantee Agreement has the same meaning throughout; (c) all references to "the Guarantee Agreement" or "this Guarantee Agreement" are to this Guarantee Agreement as modified, supplemented or amended from time to time; (d) all references in this Guarantee Agreement to Articles and Sections are to Articles and Sections of this Guarantee Agreement unless otherwise specified; (e) a term defined in the Trust Indenture Act has the same meaning when used in this Guarantee Agreement unless otherwise defined in this Guarantee Agreement or unless the context otherwise requires; (f) a reference to the singular includes the plural and vice versa; and (g) the masculine, feminine or neuter genders used herein shall include the masculine, feminine and neuter genders. SECTION 8.06 Governing Law. This Guarantee Agreement shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. -16- THIS GUARANTEE AGREEMENT is executed as of the day and year first above written. Minnesota Power & Light Company By: D. G. Gartzke --------------------------------------- Name: David G. Gartzke Title: Senior Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer The Bank of New York, as Guarantee Trustee By: Helen M. Cotiaux --------------------------------------- Name: Helen M. Cotiaux Title: Vice President -17-

Exhibit 4(e) AGREEMENT AS TO EXPENSES AND LIABILITIES AGREEMENT dated as of March 20, 1996, between Minnesota Power & Light Company, a Minnesota corporation ("Minnesota Power"), and MP&L Capital I, a Delaware business trust (the "Trust"). WHEREAS, the Trust intends to issue its Common Securities (the "Common Securities") to and receive Debentures from Minnesota Power and to issue its 8.05% Quarterly Income Preferred Securities (the "Preferred Securities") with such powers, preferences and special rights and restrictions as are set forth in the Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Trust dated as of March 1, 1996 as the same may be amended from time to time (the "Trust Agreement"); WHEREAS, Minnesota Power is the issuer of the Debentures; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the acceptance by each holder of the Preferred Securities, which acceptance Minnesota Power hereby agrees shall benefit Minnesota Power and which acceptance Minnesota Power acknowledges will be made in reliance upon the execution and delivery of this Agreement, Minnesota Power, including in its capacity as holder of the Common Securities, and the Trust hereby agree as follows: ARTICLE I Section 1.01. Assumption by Minnesota Power. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, Minnesota Power hereby irrevocably and unconditionally assumes the full payment, when and as due, of any and all Obligations (as hereinafter defined) to each person or entity to whom the Trust is now or hereafter becomes indebted or liable (the "Beneficiaries"). As used herein, "Obligations" means any indebtedness, expenses or liabilities of the Trust, other than (i) obligations of the Trust to pay to holders of any Preferred Securities or other similar interests in the Trust the amounts due such holders pursuant to the terms of the Preferred Securities or such other similar interests, as the case may be and (ii) obligations arising out of the negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Trustees of the Trust. This Agreement 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 1.02. Term of Agreement. This Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect upon the date on which there are no Beneficiaries remaining; provided, however, that this Agreement shall continue to be effective or shall be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time any holder of Preferred Securities or any Beneficiary must restore payment of any sums paid under the Preferred Securities, under any Obligation, under the Guarantee Agreement dated the date hereof by Minnesota Power and The Bank of New York, as guarantee trustee, or under this Agreement for any reason whatsoever. This Agreement is continuing, irrevocable, unconditional and absolute. Section 1.03. Waiver of Notice. Minnesota Power hereby waives notice of acceptance of this Agreement and of any Obligation to which it applies or may apply, and Minnesota Power hereby waives presentment, demand for payment, protest, notice of nonpayment, notice of dishonor, notice of redemption and all other notices and demands. Section 1.04. No Impairment. The obligations, covenants, agreements and duties of Minnesota Power under this Agreement shall in no way be affected or impaired by reason of the happening from time to time of any of the following: (a) the extension of time for the payment by the Trust of all or any portion of the Obligations or for the performance of any other obligation under, arising out of, or in connection with, the Obligations; (b) any failure, omission, delay or lack of diligence on the part of the Beneficiaries to enforce, assert or exercise any right, privilege, power or remedy conferred on the Beneficiaries with respect to the Obligations or any action on the part of the Trust granting indulgence or extension of any kind; or (c) 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 Trust or any of the assets of the Trust. There shall be no obligation of the Beneficiaries to give notice to, or obtain the consent of, Minnesota Power with respect to the happening of any of the foregoing. Section 1.05. Enforcement. A Beneficiary may enforce this Agreement directly against Minnesota Power and Minnesota Power waives any right or remedy to require that any action be brought against the Trust or any other person or entity before proceeding against Minnesota Power. ARTICLE II Section 2.01. Binding Effect. All guarantees and agreements contained in this Agreement shall bind the successors, assigns, receivers, trustees and representatives of Minnesota Power and shall inure to the benefit of the Beneficiaries. Section 2.02. Amendment. So long as there remains any Beneficiary or any Preferred Securities of any series are outstanding, this Agreement shall not be modified or amended in any manner adverse to such Beneficiary or to the holders of the Preferred Securities. Section 2.03. Notices. Any notice, request or other communication required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be given in writing by delivering the same against receipt therefor by facsimile transmission (confirmed by mail), telex or by registered or certified mail, addressed as follows (and if so given, shall be deemed given when mailed or upon receipt of an answer-back, if sent by telex), to wit: MP&L Capital I c/o Minnesota Power & Light Company 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Facsimile No.: (218) 723-3955 Attention: Philip R. Halverson Minnesota Power & Light Company 30 West Superior Street Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Facsimile No.: (218) 723-3912 Attention: James K. Vizanko Section 2.04 THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES). THIS AGREEMENT is executed as of the day and year first above written. MINNESOTA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY By: D. G. Gartzke ------------------------------------- Name: David G. Gartzke Title: Senior Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer MP&L CAPITAL I By: Philip R. Halverson ------------------------------------- Philip R. Halverson not in his individual capacity, but solely as Administrative Trustee

UT THIS SCHEDULE CONTAINS SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM MINNESOTA POWER'S CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET, STATEMENT OF INCOME, AND STATEMENT OF CASH FLOW FOR THE PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 1996, AND IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO SUCH FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. 1,000 3-MOS DEC-31-1996 JAN-01-1996 MAR-31-1996 PER-BOOK 1,119,224 330,322 334,616 109,384 134,162 2,027,708 379,925 0 278,665 587,254 75,000 48,547 576,362 45,096 0 0 68,821 0 0 0 555,292 2,027,708 202,676 10,324 163,465 177,625 28,828 3,777 32,664 14,160 18,504 1,001 17,503 15,078 0 47,094 .61 .61 Includes $201,000 for Distributions on Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Preferred Securities of MP&L Capital I.