424(B)(3)
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-125986 to 333-125986-02
PROSPECTUS
$480,000,000
AMERICAN REAL ESTATE PARTNERS, L.P.
AMERICAN REAL ESTATE FINANCE CORP.
OFFER TO EXCHANGE OUR
71/8%
SENIOR NOTES DUE 2013, WHICH HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, FOR ANY AND ALL OF OUR OUTSTANDING
71/8% SENIOR
NOTES DUE 2013
MATERIAL TERMS OF THE EXCHANGE OFFER
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The terms of the new notes are substantially identical to the
outstanding notes, except that the transfer restrictions and
registration rights relating to the outstanding notes will not
apply to the new notes and the new notes will not provide for
the payment of liquidated damages under circumstances related to
the timing and completion of the exchange offer. |
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Expires 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 13,
2006, unless extended. |
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We will exchange your validly tendered unregistered notes for an
equal principal amount of a new series of notes which have been
registered under the Securities Act of 1933. |
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The exchange offer is not subject to any condition other than
that the exchange offer not violate applicable law or any
applicable interpretation of the staff of the Securities and
Exchange Commission and other customary conditions. |
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You may withdraw your tender of notes at any time before the
exchange offer expires. |
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The exchange of notes should not be a taxable exchange for
U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
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We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange offer. |
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The new notes will not be traded on any national securities
exchange and, therefore, we do not anticipate that an active
public market in the new notes will develop. |
Please refer to Risk Factors beginning on
page 10 of this document for certain important
information.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of the notes
to be issued in the exchange offer or passed upon the adequacy
or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is December 5, 2005
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person
to give any information or to make any representations to you
other than the information contained in this prospectus. You
must not rely on any information or representations not
contained in this prospectus as if we had authorized it. This
prospectus does not offer to sell or solicit any offer to buy
any securities other than the registered notes to which it
relates, nor does it offer to buy any of these notes in any
jurisdiction from any person to whom it is unlawful to make such
offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.
The information contained in this prospectus is current only as
of the date on the cover page of this prospectus, and may change
after that date. We do not imply that there has been no change
in the information contained in this prospectus or in our
affairs since that date by delivering this prospectus.
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PROSPECTUS
You should read the entire prospectus, including Risk
Factors and the financial statements and related notes
incorporated by reference in this prospectus, before making an
investment decision. Unless the context indicates otherwise, all
references to American Real Estate Partners, L.P.,
AREP, we, our,
ours and us refer to American Real
Estate Partners, L.P. and, unless the context otherwise
indicates, include our subsidiaries. Our general partner is
American Property Investors, Inc., or API.
American Real Estate Partners, L.P. is a diversified holding
company engaged in a variety of businesses. Our primary business
strategy is to continue to grow our core businesses, including
home fashion, gaming, oil and gas exploration and production and
real estate. In addition, we seek to acquire undervalued assets
and companies that are distressed or in out of favor industries.
We may also seek opportunities in other sectors, including
energy, industrial manufacturing and insurance and asset
management.
Our general partner is American Property Investors, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Beckton Corp., a Delaware corporation. All of the outstanding
capital stock of Beckton Corp. is owned by Carl C. Icahn.
Substantially all of our businesses are conducted and our assets
held through a subsidiary limited partnership, American Real
Estate Holdings Limited Partnership, or AREH, in which we own a
99% limited partnership interest. API also acts as the general
partner for AREH. API has a 1% general partnership interest in
each of us and AREH. As of November 1, 2005, affiliates of
Mr. Icahn owned 9,346,044 preferred units and 55,655,382
depositary units, which represent 86.5% and 90.0% of the
outstanding preferred units and depositary units, respectively.
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Summary of the Exchange Offer
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The Offering of the Private Notes |
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On February 7, 2005, we issued $480 million aggregate
principal amount of our private notes in an offering not
registered under the Securities Act of 1933. At the time we
issued the private notes, we entered into a registration rights
agreement in which we agreed to offer to exchange the private
notes for new notes which have been registered under the
Securities Act of 1933. This exchange offer is intended to
satisfy that obligation. |
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The Exchange Offer |
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We are offering to exchange the new notes which have been
registered under the Securities Act of 1933 for the private
notes. As of this date, there is $480 million aggregate
principal amount of private notes outstanding. |
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Required Representations |
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In order to participate in this exchange offer, you will be
required to make certain representations to us in a letter of
transmittal, including that: |
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any new notes will be acquired by you in the
ordinary course of your business; |
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you have not engaged in, do not intend to engage in,
and do not have an arrangement or understanding with any person
to participate in a distribution of the new notes; and |
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you are not an affiliate of our company. |
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Resale of New Notes |
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We believe that, subject to limited exceptions, the new notes
may be freely traded by you without compliance with the
registration and prospectus delivery provisions of the
Securities Act of 1933, provided that: |
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you are acquiring new notes in the ordinary course
of your business; |
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you are not participating, do not intend to
participate and have no arrangement or understanding with any
person to participate in the distribution of the new
notes; and |
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you are not an affiliate of our company. |
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If our belief is inaccurate and you transfer any new note issued
to you in the exchange offer without delivering a prospectus
meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 or
without an exemption from registration of your new notes from
such requirements, you may incur liability under the Securities
Act of 1933. We do not assume, or indemnify you against, such
liability. |
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Each broker-dealer that is issued new notes for its own account
in exchange for private notes which were acquired by such
broker-dealer as a result of market-making or other trading
activities also must acknowledge that it has not entered into
any arrangement or understanding with us or any of our
affiliates to distribute the new notes and will deliver a
prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933 in connection with any resale of the new notes issued in
the exchange offer. |
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We have agreed in the registration rights agreement that a
broker-dealer may use this prospectus for an offer to resell,
resale or other retransfer of the new notes issued to it in the
exchange offer. |
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Expiration Date |
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The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time, on January 13, 2006, unless extended, in which case
the term expiration date shall mean the latest date
and time to which we extend the exchange offer. |
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Conditions to the Exchange Offer |
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The exchange offer is subject to certain customary conditions,
which may be waived by us. The exchange offer is not conditioned
upon any minimum principal amount of private notes being
tendered. |
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Procedures for Tendering Private Notes |
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If you wish to tender your private notes for exchange, you must
transmit to Wilmington Trust Company, as exchange agent, at the
address set forth in this prospectus under the heading The
Exchange Offer Exchange Agent, and on the
front cover of the letter of transmittal, on or before the
expiration date, a properly completed and duly executed letter
of transmittal, which accompanies this prospectus, or a
facsimile of the letter of transmittal and either: |
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the private notes and any other required
documentation, to the exchange agent; or |
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a computer generated message transmitted by means of
The Depository Trust Companys Automated Tender Offer
Program system and received by the exchange agent and forming a
part of a confirmation of book entry transfer in which you
acknowledge and agree to be bound by the terms of the letter of
transmittal. |
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If either of these procedures cannot be satisfied on a timely
basis, then you should comply with the guaranteed delivery
procedures described below. By executing the letter of
transmittal, each holder of private notes will make certain
representations to us described under The Exchange
Offer Procedures for Tendering. |
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Special Procedures for Beneficial Owners |
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If you are a beneficial owner whose private notes are registered
in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company
or other nominee and you wish to tender your private notes in
the exchange offer, you should contact such registered holder
promptly and instruct such registered holder to tender on your
behalf. If you wish to tender on your own behalf, you must,
prior to completing and executing the letter of transmittal and
delivering your private notes, either make appropriate
arrangements to register ownership of the private notes in your
name or obtain a properly completed bond power from the
registered holder. The transfer of registered ownership may take
considerable time and may not be able to be completed prior to
the expiration date. |
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Guaranteed Delivery Procedures |
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If you wish to tender private notes and time will not permit the
documents required by the letter of transmittal to reach the
exchange agent prior to the expiration date, or the procedure
for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis,
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must tender your private notes according to the guaranteed
delivery procedures described under The Exchange
Offer Guaranteed Delivery Procedures. |
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Acceptance of Private Notes and Delivery of New Notes |
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Subject to the conditions described under The Exchange
Offer Conditions, we will accept for exchange
any and all private notes which are validly tendered in the
exchange offer and not withdrawn, prior to 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on the expiration date. |
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Withdrawal Rights |
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You may withdraw your tender of private notes at any time prior
to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date,
subject to compliance with the procedures for withdrawal
described in this prospectus under heading The Exchange
Offer Withdrawal of Tenders. |
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Federal Income Tax Consequences |
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For a discussion of the material federal income tax
considerations relating to the exchange of private notes for the
new notes as well as the ownership of the new notes, see
Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences. |
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Exchange Agent |
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The Wilmington Trust Company is serving as the exchange agent.
The address, telephone number and facsimile number of the
exchange agent are set forth in this prospectus under the
heading The Exchange Offer Exchange
Agent. |
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Consequences of Failure to Exchange Private Notes |
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If you do not exchange private notes for new notes, you will
continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer provided
in the private notes and in the indenture governing the private
notes. In general, the unregistered private notes may not be
offered or sold, unless they are registered under the Securities
Act of 1933, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a
transaction not subject to, the Securities Act of 1933 and
applicable state securities laws. |
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The New Notes
The terms of the new notes we are issuing in this exchange offer
and the private notes that are outstanding are identical in all
material respects except:
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The new notes will be registered under the Securities Act of
1933; |
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The new notes will not contain transfer restrictions and
registration rights that relate to the private notes. |
The new notes will evidence the same debt as the old notes and
will be governed by the same indenture. References to notes
include both private notes and new notes.
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Issuer |
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AREP is a holding company. Its operations are conducted through
its subsidiaries and substantially all of its assets consist of
a 99% limited partnership interest in its subsidiary, AREH,
which is a holding company for its operating subsidiaries and
investments. The new notes will be guaranteed by AREH. |
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Co-Issuer |
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American Real Estate Finance Corp., or AREP Finance, is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of AREP. It was formed solely for the
purpose of serving as a co-issuer of debt securities of AREP in
order to facilitate offerings of the debt securities. Other than
as a co-issuer of the notes, AREP Finance does not and will not
have any operations or assets and will not have any revenues. As
a result, holders of the notes should not expect AREP Finance to
participate in servicing any obligations on the new notes. |
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Notes Offered |
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$480 million in aggregate principal amount of
71/8% senior
notes due 2013. |
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Maturity |
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February 15, 2013. |
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Interest Payment Dates |
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February 15 and August 15 of each year, commencing
August 15, 2005. |
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Ranking |
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The new notes and the guarantee will rank equally with all of
our and the guarantors existing and future senior
unsecured indebtedness, and will rank senior to all of our and
the guarantors existing and future subordinated
indebtedness. The new notes and the guarantee will be
effectively subordinated to all of our and the guarantors
existing and future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the
collateral securing such indebtedness. The new notes and the
guarantee also will be effectively subordinated to all
indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, of
all our subsidiaries other than AREH. As of September 30, 2005,
the new notes and the guarantee would have been effectively
subordinated to an aggregate of $417.7 million of
AREHs secured debt and our subsidiaries debt,
excluding trade payables. |
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Guarantee |
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If we cannot make payments on the new notes when they are due,
AREH must make them instead. Other than AREH, none of our
subsidiaries will guarantee payments on the new notes. |
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Optional Redemption |
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We may, at our option, redeem some or all of the new notes at
any time on or after February 15, 2009, at the redemption
prices listed under Description of Notes
Optional Redemption. |
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In addition, prior to February 15, 2008, we may, at our
option, redeem up to 35% of the new notes with the proceeds of
certain sales of our equity at the redemption price listed under
Description of Notes Optional
Redemption. We may make the redemption only if, after the
redemption, at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of
the notes issued remains outstanding. |
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Redemption Based on Gaming Laws |
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The new notes are subject to mandatory disposition and
redemption requirements following certain determinations by
applicable gaming authorities. |
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Certain Covenants |
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We will issue the new notes under an indenture with AREH and
Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee acting on your behalf. The
indenture will, among other things, restrict our and AREHs
ability to: |
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Incur additional debt; |
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Pay dividends and make distributions; |
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Repurchase equity securities; |
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Create liens; |
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Enter into transactions with affiliates; and |
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Merge or consolidate. |
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Our subsidiaries other than AREH will not be restricted in their
ability to incur debt, create liens or merge or consolidate. |
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Absence of Established Market for Notes |
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The new notes will be new securities for which there is
currently no market. We cannot assure you that a liquid market
for the new notes will develop or be maintained. |
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AREP, AREH and AREP Finance Information
AREP is a publicly traded master limited partnership formed in
Delaware on February 17, 1987. Mr. Icahn, through
affiliates, owns approximately 90.0% of our depositary units and
86.5% of our preferred units. Our general partner is API, a
Delaware corporation, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Beckton Corp., a Delaware corporation. All of the outstanding
capital stock of Beckton is owned by Mr. Icahn. Affiliates
of Mr. Icahn acquired API in 1990. Substantially all of our
businesses are conducted and assets are held through a Delaware
limited partnership, AREH, formed on February 17, 1987, in
which we own a 99% limited partnership interest, or its
subsidiaries. For that reason, no separate disclosure
information for AREH is provided, unless otherwise indicated.
API also acts as the general partner for AREH. API has a 1%
general partnership interest in each of us and AREH. Our,
AREHs and APIs principal business address is
100 South Bedford Road, Mt. Kisco, New York 10549, and
our, AREHs and APIs telephone number is
(914) 242-7700.
AREP Finance, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of AREP. AREP Finance was incorporated on
April 19, 2004 and was formed solely for the purpose of
serving as a co-issuer of debt securities of AREP in order to
facilitate offerings of the debt securities. Other than as a
co-issuer of the notes and our
81/8%
senior notes due 2012, AREP Finance does not have any
operations, and it does not have any assets or revenues. As a
result, prospective holders of the notes should not expect AREP
Finance to participate in servicing any obligations with respect
to the notes. AREP Finances principal business address is
100 South Bedford Road, Mt. Kisco, New York 10549 and its
telephone number is (914) 242-7700.
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Structure Chart
The following is a chart of our ownership and the structure of
the entities through which we conduct our operations. Unless
otherwise indicated, all entities are wholly-owned.
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(1) |
Our partnership units consist of depositary units, representing
limited partnership interests, and preferred units, representing
preferred limited partnership interests. As of
September 30, 2005, there were 62,994,030 depositary units
outstanding and 10,800,577 preferred units outstanding. As of
November 1, 2005, Mr. Icahn was the beneficial owner
of 55,655,382 depositary units representing approximately 90.0%
of the depositary units and 9,346,044 preferred units
representing approximately 86.5% of the preferred units. The
number of depositary units issued does not include up to an
additional 206,897 depositary units which may be issued to
affiliates of Mr. Icahn if Atlantic Holdings meets certain
earnings targets during 2005 and 2006. |
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(2) |
Substantially all of our marketable debt and equity securities
and rental real estate properties are owned, directly or
indirectly, by AREH. |
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(3) |
AREH contributed its 50.01% interest in NEG to its wholly-owned
subsidiary, AREP Oil & Gas. NEG is a publicly held
company, the stock of which currently trades on the OTC
Bulletin Board. NEG owns a membership interest in NEG
Holding. AREP Oil & Gas owns the other membership
interest in NEG Holding and 100% of the equity of National
Onshore and National Offshore. |
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AREH, through direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries, is
engaged in real estate investment, management and development,
focused primarily on the acquisition, development, construction
and sale of single-family homes, custom-built homes,
multi-family homes and lots in subdivisions and planned
communities. |
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AREH, through direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries,
owns Grand Harbor and Oak Harbor, waterfront communities located
in Vero Beach, Florida. |
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(6) |
AREH, through direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries,
owns a 381 acre resort community in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. |
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AREP Gaming LLC owns American Entertainment Properties Corp.,
which owns American Casino & Entertainment Properties
LLC, or ACEP, and its indirect subsidiaries, which own three Las
Vegas hotels and casinos. |
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AREP Sands owns approximately 77.5% of the outstanding GB
Holdings common stock, approximately 58.3% of the outstanding
Atlantic Holdings common stock and approximately
$35.0 million principal amount of the Atlantic Holdings
3% Notes due 2008. If all outstanding Atlantic Holdings
notes were converted and warrants exercised, AREP Sands would
own approximately 63.4% of Atlantic Holdings common stock,
GB Holdings would own approximately 28.8% of the Atlantic
Holdings common stock and the remaining shares would be owned by
the public.
GB Holdings filed for protection under Chapter 11 of
the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. As a result, we determined that we no
longer control GB Holdings under applicable accounting
rules and have deconsolidated our investment for financial
reporting purposes effective the date of the filing,
September 29, 2005. |
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NEG and AREP Oil & Gas each owns a membership interest
in NEG Holding. Pursuant to the NEG Holding operating agreement,
NEG is required to be paid guaranteed payments, calculated at an
annual interest rate of 10.75% on the outstanding priority
amount, which includes $148.6 million in principal amount
of debt securities representing all of NEGs outstanding
debt securities. As of September 30, 2005, the priority
amount was $148.6 million. The NEG Holding operating
agreement provides that the priority amount is required to be
paid to NEG by November 6, 2006. After NEG is paid the
guaranteed payments and the priority amount, under the NEG
Holding operating agreement, AREP Oil & Gas is required
to be paid an amount equal to the guaranteed payments and the
priority amount plus interest. After these distributions have
been made, any additional distributions will be made in
accordance with the ratio of NEGs and AREP Oil &
Gass respective capital accounts, as defined in the NEG
Holding operating agreement. |
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We currently own approximately 67.7% of the outstanding common
stock of West Point International. West Point International owns
100% of West Point Home, Inc., which is engaged in our home
fashion business. Depending on the outcome of a recent court
decision, our ownership in West Point International may be
reduced to less than 50% of the outstanding common stock. |
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RISK FACTORS
You should consider carefully each of the following risks and
all other information contained in this prospectus before
deciding to invest in the notes.
Risks Relating to the Exchange Offer
Holders who fail to exchange their private notes will
continue to be subject to restrictions on transfer.
If you do not exchange your private notes for new notes in the
exchange offer, you will continue to be subject to the
restrictions on transfer of your private notes described in the
legend on your private notes. The restrictions on transfer of
your private notes arise because we issued the private notes
under exemptions from, or in transactions not subject to, the
registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and
applicable state securities laws. In general, you may only offer
or sell the private notes if they are registered under the
Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or are
offered and sold under an exemption from these requirements. We
do not plan to register the private notes under the Securities
Act.
Broker-dealers or holders of notes may become subject to
the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the
Securities Act.
Any broker-dealer that:
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exchanges its private notes in the exchange offer for the
purpose of participating in a distribution of the new
notes, or |
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resells new notes that were received by it for its own account
in the exchange offer, |
may be deemed to have received restricted securities and may be
required to comply with the registration and prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with
any resale transaction by that broker-dealer. Any profit on the
resale of the new notes and any commission or concessions
received by a broker-dealer may be deemed to be underwriting
compensation under the Securities Act. In addition to
broker-dealers, any holder of notes that exchanges its private
notes in the exchange offer for the purpose of participating in
a distribution of the new notes may be deemed to have received
restricted securities and may be required to comply with the
registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the
Securities Act in connection with any resale transaction by that
holder.
We cannot guarantee that there will be a trading market
for the new notes.
The new notes are a new issue of securities and currently there
is no market for them. We do not intend to apply to have the new
notes listed or quoted on any exchange or quotation system.
Accordingly, we cannot assure you that a liquid market will
develop for the new notes.
The liquidity of any market for the new notes will depend on a
variety of factors, including:
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the number of holders of the new notes; |
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our performance; and |
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the market for similar securities and the interest of securities
dealers in making a market in the new notes. |
A liquid trading market may not develop for the new notes.
Historically, the market for non-investment grade debt has been
subject to disruptions that have caused substantial volatility
in the prices of securities similar to the new notes. The
market, if any, for the new notes may experience similar
disruptions that may adversely affect the prices at which you
may sell your new notes. If an active trading market does not
develop or is not maintained, the market price and liquidity of
the new notes may be adversely affected.
To the extent private notes are tendered and accepted in the
exchange offer, the trading market, if any, for the private
notes that are not so tendered would be adversely affected.
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Risks Relating to Our Structure and Indebtedness
We and AREH are holding companies and will depend on the
businesses of our subsidiaries to satisfy our obligations under
the notes.
We and AREH are holding companies. In addition to cash and cash
equivalents, U.S. government and agency obligations,
marketable equity and debt securities and other short-term
investments, and rental real estate properties and other
property development and resort properties, our assets consist
primarily of investments in our subsidiaries. Moreover, if we
make significant investments in operating businesses, it is
likely that we will reduce the liquid assets at AREP and AREH in
order to fund those investments and their ongoing operations.
Consequently, our cash flow and our ability to meet our debt
service obligations likely will depend on the cash flow of our
subsidiaries and the payment of funds to us by our subsidiaries
in the form of loans, dividends, distributions or otherwise. If
we invest our cash, we may become dependent on our subsidiaries
to provide cash to us to service our debt.
The operating results of our subsidiaries may not be sufficient
to make distributions to us. In addition, our subsidiaries are
not obligated to make funds available to us for payment on the
notes or otherwise, and distributions and intercompany transfers
from our subsidiaries to us may be restricted by applicable law
or covenants contained in debt agreements and other agreements
to which these subsidiaries may be subject or enter into in the
future. The terms of any borrowings of our subsidiaries or other
entities in which we own equity may restrict dividends,
distributions or loans to us. For example, the notes issued by
ACEP, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of AREH, contain
restrictions on dividends and distributions and loans to us, as
well as on other transactions with us. ACEP also has a credit
agreement which contains financial covenants that have the
effect of restricting dividends or distributions. The operating
subsidiary of NEG Holding has a credit agreement which contains
financial covenants that have the effect of restricting
dividends or distributions. We currently are negotiating a
credit facility for AREP Oil & Gas which also will
restrict dividends and distributions other than a potential
initial distribution, and other transactions with us. These
likely will preclude our receiving payments from the operations
of our hotel and casino and certain of our oil and gas
properties. To the degree any distributions and transfers are
impaired or prohibited, our ability to make payments on the
notes will be limited.
We, AREH or our subsidiaries may be able to incur
substantially more debt.
We, AREH or our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial
additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of the
indenture do not prohibit us or our subsidiaries from doing so.
We and AREH may incur additional indebtedness if we comply with
certain financial tests contained in the indenture. As of
September 30, 2005, based upon certain of these tests, we
and AREH could have incurred up to approximately
$1.3 billion of additional indebtedness, although other
covenants could limit further or even preclude the incurrence of
additional debt. Our subsidiaries other than AREH are not
subject to any of the covenants contained in the indenture,
including the covenant restricting debt incurrence. If new debt
is added to our, AREHs and our subsidiaries current
debt levels, the related risks that we, AREH and they now face
could intensify. In addition, certain important events, such as
leveraged recapitalizations that would increase the level of our
indebtedness, would not constitute a Change of
Control under the indenture.
The notes will be effectively subordinated to any secured
indebtedness, and all the indebtedness and liabilities of our
subsidiaries other than AREH.
The notes will be effectively subordinated to our and
AREHs existing and future secured indebtedness to the
extent of the collateral securing such indebtedness. We and AREH
may be able to incur substantial additional secured indebtedness
in the future. The terms of the indenture permit us and AREH to
do so. The notes will be effectively subordinated to our and
AREHs existing and future secured indebtedness to the
extent of the collateral securing such indebtedness. The notes
will also be effectively subordinated to all the indebtedness
and liabilities, including trade payables, of all of our
subsidiaries, other than AREH. In the event of a bankruptcy,
liquidation or reorganization of any of our subsidiaries, other
than AREH, holders of their indebtedness and their trade
creditors will generally be entitled to payment of their claims
from the assets of
11
those subsidiaries before any assets are made available for
distribution to us. As of September 30, 2005, the notes and
the guarantee would have been effectively subordinated to an
aggregate of $417.7 million of AREHs secured debt and
our subsidiaries debt, excluding trade payables.
Our subsidiaries, other than AREH, are not subject to any
of the covenants in the indenture for the notes and only AREH
will guarantee the notes. We may not be able to rely on the cash
flow or assets of our subsidiaries to pay our
indebtedness.
Our subsidiaries, other than AREH, are not subject to the
covenants under the indenture for the notes. We may form
additional subsidiaries in the future which will not be subject
to the covenants under the indenture for the notes. Of our
existing and future subsidiaries, only AREH is required to
guarantee the notes. Our existing and future non-guarantor
subsidiaries may enter into financing arrangements that limit
their ability to make dividends, distributions, loans or other
payments to fund payments in respect of the notes. Accordingly,
we may not be able to rely on the cash flow or assets of our
subsidiaries to pay the notes.
As of September 30, 2005, we had significant
deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting.
If we were to discover other significant deficiencies in the
future, including at any recently acquired entity, it may affect
adversely our ability to provide timely and reliable financial
information and satisfy our reporting obligations under federal
securities laws, which also could affect our ability to remain
listed with the New York Stock Exchange or the market price of
our depositary units.
Effective internal and disclosure controls are necessary for us
to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent
fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. If we
cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our
reputation and operating results would be harmed. We have
discovered significant deficiencies in our internal controls as
defined under interim standards adopted by the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, that require remediation.
A significant deficiency is a control deficiency, or
combination of control deficiencies, that adversely affect a
companys ability to initiate, authorize, record, process,
or report external financial data reliably in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles such that there is a
more than remote likelihood that a misstatement of a
companys annual or interim financial statements that is
more than inconsequential will not be prevented or detected.
During the third quarter of 2005, we continued to implement
processes to address a significant deficiency in our
consolidation process reported by management in 2004 during its
evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of
our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal controls
over financial reporting. These processes included the
implementation and testing of our new accounting and
consolidation program and continuing to retain the services of
an independent consultant to evaluate the effectives of our
internal controls. We continue to monitor the progress of our
subsidiaries in implementing processes to correct any
significant deficiencies noted in their disclosure and control
procedures. We have not yet determined whether our year end
evaluation of internal controls will include recently acquired
entities.
During the third quarter of 2005, we identified a significant
deficiency related to our periodic reconciliation, review and
analysis of investment accounts. This significant deficiency is
not believed to be a material weakness and arose from a lack of
monitoring and review controls. We have engaged additional
resources to provide the appropriate level of control and will
closely monitor the area and will reduce the number of accounts
that require reconciliation and review.
To the extent that any significant deficiency exists in our
internal control over financial reporting, such deficiencies may
adversely affect our ability to provide timely and reliable
financial information necessary for the conduct of our business
and satisfaction of our reporting obligations under federal
securities laws, which could affect our ability to remain listed
with the New York Stock Exchange. Ineffective internal and
disclosure controls could also cause investors to lose
confidence in our reported financial information, which would
likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our
depositary units.
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Risks Relating to the Notes
Our failure to comply with the covenants contained under
one of our debt instruments or the indenture governing the
notes, including our failure as a result of events beyond our
control, could result in an event of default which would
materially and adversely affect our financial condition.
If there were an event of default under one of our debt
instruments, the holders of the defaulted debt could cause all
outstanding amounts of that debt to be due and payable
immediately. In addition, any event of default or declaration of
acceleration under one debt instrument could result in an event
of default under one or more of our other debt instruments,
including the notes. It is possible that, if the defaulted debt
is accelerated, our assets and cash flow may not be sufficient
to fully repay borrowings under our outstanding debt instruments
and we cannot assure you that we would be able to refinance or
restructure the payments on those debt securities.
To service our indebtedness, we will require a significant
amount of cash. Our ability to maintain our current cash
position or generate cash depends on many factors beyond our
control.
Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our
indebtedness, including the notes, and to fund operations will
depend on existing cash balances and our ability to generate
cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to
general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other
factors that are beyond our control.
The businesses or assets we acquire may not generate sufficient
cash to service our debt, including the notes. In addition, we
may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or
investments and future borrowings may not be available to us in
an amount sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness,
including the notes, or to fund our other liquidity needs. We
may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness,
including the notes, on or before maturity. We cannot assure you
that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness,
including the notes, on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
The indenture does not restrict our ability to change our
lines of business or invest the proceeds of asset sales and
allows for the sale of all or substantially all of our and
AREHs assets without the notes being assumed by the
acquirers.
The indenture does not restrict in any way the businesses in
which we may engage and if we were to change our current lines
of business, in whole or in part, you would not be entitled to
accelerated repayment of the notes. We also are not required to
offer to purchase notes with the proceeds from asset sales,
including in the event of the sale of all or substantially all
of our assets or AREHs assets, and we may reinvest the
proceeds without the approval of noteholders. In addition, we
and AREH may sell all or substantially all of our and its assets
without the notes being assumed by the acquirers.
We may not have sufficient funds necessary to finance the
change of control offer required by the indenture.
Upon the occurrence of certain specific kinds of change of
control events, we will be required to offer to repurchase all
outstanding notes at 101% of their principal amount plus accrued
and unpaid interest and liquidated damages, if any, to the date
of repurchase. Mr. Icahn, through affiliates, currently
owns 100% of API and approximately 86.5% of our preferred units
and approximately 90.0% of our depositary units. A majority of
the depositary units have been pledged to lenders of Mr. Icahn
or his affiliates. If Mr. Icahn were to sell or otherwise
transfer some or all of his interests in us to unrelated
parties, a change of control could be deemed to have occurred
under the terms of the indenture governing the notes. However,
it is possible that we will not have sufficient funds at the
time of the change of control to make the required repurchase of
notes.
Federal and state statutes allow courts, under specific
circumstances, to void guarantees and require noteholders to
return payments received from the guarantor.
Under the federal bankruptcy law and comparable provisions of
state fraudulent transfer laws, a guarantee could be voided, or
claims in respect of a guarantee could be subordinated to all
other debts of that
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guarantor if, among other things, the guarantor, at the time it
incurred the indebtedness evidenced by its guarantee:
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received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair
consideration for the incurrence of such guarantee; and |
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was insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of such
incurrence; or |
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was engaged in a business or transaction for which the
guarantors remaining assets constituted unreasonably small
capital; or |
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intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond
its ability to pay such debts as they mature. |
In addition, any payment by that guarantor pursuant to its
guarantee could be voided and required to be returned to the
guarantor, or to a fund for the benefit of the creditors of the
guarantor.
The measures of insolvency for purposes of these fraudulent
transfer laws will vary depending upon the law applied in any
proceeding to determine whether a fraudulent transfer has
occurred. Generally, however, a guarantor would be considered
insolvent if:
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the sum of its debts, including contingent liabilities, was
greater than the fair saleable value of all of its
assets; or |
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the present fair saleable value of its assets was less than the
amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on
its existing debts, including contingent liabilities, as they
become absolute and mature; or |
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it could not pay its debts as they become due. |
On the basis of historical financial information, recent
operating history and other factors, we believe that AREH, after
giving effect to its guarantee of these notes, will not be
insolvent, will not have unreasonably small capital for the
businesses in which it is engaged and will not have incurred
debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature. We
cannot assure you, however, as to what standard a court would
apply in making these determinations or that a court would agree
with our conclusions in this regard.
As a noteholder you may be required to comply with
licensing, qualification or other requirements under gaming laws
and could be required to dispose of the notes.
Currently, we and AREH indirectly own the equity of subsidiaries
that hold the licenses for three hotels and casinos in Nevada.
We and AREH indirectly own Stratosphere Corporation, which owns
Stratosphere Gaming Corp. Stratosphere Gaming holds the gaming
license for the Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower. We and
AREH also indirectly own the equity of subsidiaries that hold
the licenses for the two Arizona Charlies hotels and
casinos. We and AREH also own approximately 58.3% of the entity
that owns The Sands Hotel and Casino, located in Atlantic City,
New Jersey.
We may be required to disclose the identities of the holders of
the notes to the New Jersey and Nevada gaming authorities upon
request. The New Jersey Casino Control Act, or NJCCA, imposes
substantial restrictions on the ownership of our securities and
our subsidiaries. A holder of the notes may be required to meet
the qualification provisions of the NJCCA relating to financial
sources and/or security holders. The indenture governing the
notes provides that if the New Jersey Casino Control Commission,
or New Jersey Commission, requires a holder of the notes
(whether the record or beneficial owner) to qualify under the
NJCCA and the holder does not so qualify, then the holder must
dispose of his interest in the notes within 30 days after
receipt by us of notice of the finding that the holder does not
so qualify, or we may redeem the notes at the lower of the
outstanding principal amount or the notes value calculated
as if the investment had been made on the date of
disqualification of the holder (or such lesser amount as may be
required by the New
14
Jersey Commission). If a holder is found unqualified by the New
Jersey Commission, it is unlawful for the holder:
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to exercise, directly or through any trustee or nominee, any
right conferred by such securities, or |
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to receive any dividends or interest upon such securities or any
remuneration, in any form, from its affiliated casino licensee
for services rendered or otherwise. |
The Nevada Gaming Commission may, in its discretion, require a
holder of the notes to file an application, be investigated and
be found suitable to hold the notes. In addition, the Nevada
Gaming Commission may, in its discretion, require the holder of
any debt security of a company registered by the Nevada Gaming
Commission as a publicly-traded corporation to file an
application, be investigated and be found suitable to own such
debt security.
If a record or beneficial holder of a note is required by the
Nevada Gaming Commission to be found suitable, such owner will
be required to apply for a finding of suitability within
30 days after request of such gaming authority or within
such earlier time prescribed by such gaming authority. The
applicant for a finding of suitability must pay all costs of the
application and investigation for such finding of suitability.
If the Nevada Gaming Commission determines that a person is
unsuitable to own such security, then, pursuant to the Nevada
Gaming Control Act, we can be sanctioned, including the loss of
our approvals, if, without the prior approval of the Nevada
Gaming Commission, we:
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pay to the unsuitable person any dividend, interest, or any
distribution whatsoever; |
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recognize any voting right of the unsuitable person with respect
to such securities; |
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pay the unsuitable person remuneration in any form; or |
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make any payment to the unsuitable person by way of principal,
redemption, conversion, exchange, liquidation or similar
transaction. |
Each holder of the notes will be deemed to have agreed, to the
extent permitted by law, that if the Nevada gaming authorities
determine that a holder or beneficial owner of the notes must be
found suitable, and if that holder or beneficial owner either
refuses to file an application or is found unsuitable, that
holder shall, upon our request, dispose of its notes within
30 days after receipt of our request, or earlier as may be
ordered by the Nevada gaming authorities. We will also have the
right to call for the redemption of notes of any holder at any
time to prevent the loss or material impairment of a gaming
license or an application for a gaming license at a redemption
price equal to:
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the lesser of the cost paid by the holder or the fair market
value of the notes, in each case, plus accrued and unpaid
interest and liquidated damages, if any, to the earlier of the
date of redemption, or earlier as may be required by the Nevada
gaming authorities or the finding of unsuitability by the Nevada
gaming authorities; or |
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such other lesser amount as may be ordered by the Nevada gaming
authorities. |
We will notify the trustee under the indenture in writing of any
redemption as soon as practicable. We will not be responsible
for any costs or expenses you may incur in connection with your
application for a license, qualification or a finding of
suitability, or your compliance with any other requirement of a
gaming authority. The indenture also provides that as soon as a
gaming authority requires you to sell your notes, you will, to
the extent required by applicable gaming laws, have no further
right:
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to exercise, directly or indirectly, any right conferred by the
notes or the indenture; or |
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to receive from us any interest, dividends or any other
distributions or payments, or any remuneration in any form,
relating to the notes, except the redemption price we refer to
above. |
15
Our general partner and its control person could exercise
their influence over us to your detriment.
Mr. Icahn, through affiliates, currently owns 100% of API,
our general partner, and approximately 86.5% of our outstanding
preferred units and approximately 90.0% of our depositary units,
and, as a result, has the ability to influence many aspects of
our operations and affairs. API also is the general partner of
AREH.
We have invested and may in the future invest in entities in
which Mr. Icahn also invests or purchase investments from
him or his affiliates. Although API has never received fees in
connection with our investments, our partnership agreement
allows for the payment of these fees. Mr. Icahn may pursue
other business opportunities in which we compete and there is no
requirement that any additional business opportunities be
presented to us.
The interests of Mr. Icahn, including his interests in
entities in which he and we have invested or may invest in the
future, may differ from your interests as a noteholder and, as
such, he may take actions that may not be in your interest. For
example, if we encounter financial difficulties or are unable to
pay our debts as they mature, Mr. Icahns interests
might conflict with your interests as a noteholder.
In addition, if Mr. Icahn were to sell, or otherwise
transfer, some or all of his interests in us to an unrelated
party or group, a change of control could be deemed to have
occurred under the terms of the indenture governing the notes
which would require us to offer to repurchase all outstanding
notes at 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid
interest and liquidated damages, if any, to the date of
repurchase. However, it is possible that we will not have
sufficient funds at the time of the change of control to make
the required repurchase of notes.
Certain of our management are committed to the management
of other businesses.
Certain of the individuals who conduct the affairs of API,
including our chairman, Mr. Icahn, and our chief executive
officer, Keith A. Meister, are, and will in the future be,
committed to the management of other businesses owned or
controlled by Mr. Icahn and his affiliates. Accordingly,
these individuals will not be devoting all of their professional
time to the management of us, and conflicts may arise between
our interests and the other entities or business activities in
which such individuals are involved. Conflicts of interest may
arise in the future as such affiliates and we may compete for
the same assets, purchasers and sellers of assets or financings.
Since we are a limited partnership, you may not be able to
pursue legal claims against us in U.S. federal
courts.
We are a limited partnership organized under the laws of the
state of Delaware. Under the rules of federal civil procedure,
you may not be able to sue us in federal court on claims other
than those based solely on federal law, because of lack of
complete diversity. Case law applying diversity jurisdiction
deems us to have the citizenship of each of our limited
partners. Because we are a publicly traded limited partnership,
it may not be possible for you to sue us in a federal court
because we have citizenship in all 50 U.S. states and
operations in many states. Accordingly, you will be limited to
bringing any claims in state court. Furthermore, AREP Finance,
our corporate co-issuer for the notes, has only nominal assets
and no operations. While you may be able to sue the corporate
co-issuer in federal court, you are not likely to be able to
realize on any judgment rendered against it.
We may be subject to the pension liabilities of our
affiliates.
Mr. Icahn, through certain affiliates, currently owns 100%
of API and approximately 86.5% of our outstanding depositary
units and preferred units. Applicable pension and tax laws make
each member of a controlled group of entities,
generally defined as entities in which there is at least an 80%
common ownership interest, jointly and severally liable for
certain pension plan obligations of any member of the controlled
group. These pension obligations include ongoing contributions
to fund the plan, as well as liability for any unfunded
liabilities that may exist at the time the plan is terminated.
In addition, the failure to pay these pension obligations when
due may result in the creation of liens in favor of the pension
plan or the
16
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or the PBGC, against the
assets of each member of the controlled group.
As a result of the more than 80% ownership interest in us by
Mr. Icahns affiliates, we and our subsidiaries, are
subject to the pension liabilities of all entities in which
Mr. Icahn has a direct or indirect ownership interest of at
least 80%. One such entity, ACF Industries LLC, is the
sponsor of several pension plans which are underfunded by a
total of approximately $23.7 million on an ongoing
actuarial basis and $175.4 million if those plans were
terminated, as most recently reported by the plans
actuaries. These liabilities could increase or decrease,
depending on a number of factors, including future changes in
promised benefits, investment returns, and the assumptions used
to calculate the liability. As members of the controlled group,
we would be liable for any failure of ACF to make ongoing
pension contributions or to pay the unfunded liabilities upon a
termination of the ACF pension plans. In addition, other
entities now or in the future within the controlled group that
includes us may have pension plan obligations that are, or may
become, underfunded and we would be liable for any failure of
such entities to make ongoing pension contributions or to pay
the unfunded liabilities upon a termination of such plans.
The current underfunded status of the ACF pension plans
requires ACF to notify the PBGC of certain reportable
events, such as if we cease to be a member of the
ACF controlled group, or if we make certain extraordinary
dividends or stock redemptions. The obligation to report could
cause us to seek to delay or reconsider the occurrence of such
reportable events.
Starfire Holding Corporation, which is 100% owned by
Mr. Icahn, has undertaken to indemnify us and our
subsidiaries from losses resulting from any imposition of
pension funding or termination liabilities that may be imposed
on us and our subsidiaries or our assets as a result of being a
member of the Icahn controlled group. The Starfire indemnity
provides, among other things, that so long as such contingent
liabilities exist and could be imposed on us, Starfire will not
make any distributions to its stockholders that would reduce its
net worth to below $250.0 million. Nonetheless, Starfire
may not be able to fund its indemnification obligations to us.
We are subject to the risk of possibly becoming an
investment company.
Because we are a holding company and a significant portion of
our assets consists of investments in companies in which we own
less than a 50% interest, we run the risk of inadvertently
becoming an investment company that is required to register
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Registered
investment companies are subject to extensive, restrictive and
potentially adverse regulation relating to, among other things,
operating methods, management, capital structure, dividends and
transactions with affiliates. Registered investment companies
are not permitted to operate their business in the manner in
which we operate our business, nor are registered investment
companies permitted to have many of the relationships that we
have with our affiliated companies.
To avoid regulation under the Investment Company Act, we monitor
the value of our investments and structure transactions with an
eye toward the Investment Company Act. As a result, we may
structure transactions in a less advantageous manner than if we
did not have Investment Company Act concerns, or we may avoid
otherwise economically desirable transactions due to those
concerns. In addition, events beyond our control, including
significant appreciation or depreciation in the market value of
certain of our publicly traded holdings, could result in our
inadvertently becoming an investment company.
If it were established that we were an investment company, there
would be a risk, among other material adverse consequences, that
we could become subject to monetary penalties or injunctive
relief, or both, in an action brought by the SEC, that we would
be unable to enforce contracts with third parties or that third
parties could seek to obtain rescission of transactions with us
undertaken during the period it was established that we were an
unregistered investment company.
We may become taxable as a corporation.
We operate as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
This allows us to pass through our income and deductions to our
partners. We believe that we have been and are properly treated
as a partnership for
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federal income tax purposes. However, the Internal Revenue
Service, or IRS, could challenge our partnership status and we
could fail to qualify as a partnership for past years as well as
future years. Qualification as a partnership involves the
application of highly technical and complex provisions of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. For example, a
publicly traded partnership is generally taxable as a
corporation unless 90% or more of its gross income is
qualifying income, which includes interest,
dividends, real property rents, gains from the sale or other
disposition of real property, gain from the sale or other
disposition of capital assets held for the production of
interest or dividends, and certain other items. We believe that
in all prior years of our existence at least 90% of our gross
income was qualifying income and we intend to structure our
business in a manner such that at least 90% of our gross income
will constitute qualifying income this year and in the future.
However, there can be no assurance that such structuring will be
effective in all events to avoid the receipt of more than 10% of
non-qualifying income. If less than 90% of our gross income
constitutes qualifying income, we may be subject to corporate
tax on our net income at regular corporate tax rates. Further,
if less than 90% of our gross income constituted qualifying
income for past years, we may be subject to corporate level tax
plus interest and possibly penalties. In addition, if we
register under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it is likely
that we would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal
income tax purposes and subject to corporate tax on our net
income at regular corporate tax rates. The cost of paying
federal and possibly state income tax, either for past years or
going forward, would be a significant liability and would reduce
our funds available to make interest and principal payments on
the notes.
Risks Relating to Our Business
Home Fashion
A recent court decision and order may reduce our ownership
of WestPoint International, Inc. to less than 50%. Uncertainties
arising from this decision and order may adversely affect
WestPoint Internationals operations and financing.
On November 16, 2005, the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York rendered a decision and order in
Contrarian Funds Inc. v. WestPoint Stevens, Inc. et. al.
with respect to the appeal by Contrarian and certain other first
lien lenders of WestPoint Stevens Inc. or other Objecting
Lenders, from certain provisions of the Order Authorizing Sale
of Substantially all of the Sellers Assets Free and Clear
of Liens, Claims, Encumbrances and Interests, the Assumption of
Certain Liabilities, Approval of Successful Bidder and certain
related matters entered by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on
July 8, 2005, as amended on July 11, 2005, or the Sale
Order. The Sale Order, among other things, authorized the sale
of substantially all of the assets of WestPoint Stevens and
related entities to a newly formed company, WestPoint
International, Inc.
The Court concluded, among other things, that provisions of the
Sale Order providing for the satisfaction of the Objecting
Lenders claims and the elimination of the liens in their
favor by the distribution to them of shares of common stock of
WestPoint International was not authorized by applicable law or
contracts. The Court remanded the matter to the Bankruptcy Court
for further proceedings consistent with its decision and order.
The Courts decision did not disturb the sale of assets by
WestPoint Stevens to WestPoint International.
We, through our subsidiary, Textile Holding LLC, currently own
approximately 67.7% of the 19,498,389 outstanding shares of
common stock of WestPoint International. As a result of the
decision and order, our percentage of the outstanding shares of
common stock of WestPoint International could, in certain
circumstances, be reduced to less than 50% of the outstanding
shares of common stock of WestPoint International. We disagreed
with the decision and order and intend to appeal. This
uncertainty regarding control may adversely affect WestPoint
Internationals ability to deal effectively with its
customers, suppliers and financing sources. Accordingly,
WestPoint Internationals operations and financing may be
adversely affected if WestPoint International is unable to
satisfactorily address such uncertainty.
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WestPoint International recently acquired its business
from the former owners through bankruptcy proceedings. We cannot
assure you that it will be able to operate profitably.
WestPoint International acquired the business of WestPoint
Stevens as part of its bankruptcy reorganization. Certain of the
issues that contributed to WestPoint Stevens filing for
bankruptcy, such as intense industry competition, the inability
to produce goods at a cost competitive with overseas suppliers,
the increasing prevalence of direct sourcing by principal
customers and continued incurrence of overhead costs associated
with an enterprise larger than the current business can
profitably support, continue to exist and may continue to affect
WestPoint Internationals business operations and financial
condition adversely. In addition, during the protracted
bankruptcy proceedings of WestPoint Stevens, several of its
customers reduced the volume of business done with WestPoint
Stevens, apparently due to concerns about WestPoint
Stevens ability to continue to operate. Although we
believe that recent actions taken by us and WestPoint
Internationals management may have allayed customer
concerns about the survival of WestPoint Internationals
business, we cannot be certain that we will reverse the decline
that has been precipitated by doubts about WestPoint
Internationals future. If we are unable to successfully
address these issues relating to the operation of WestPoint
Internationals business, WestPoint International will
continue to lose revenues. We have installed new management to
address these issues, but we cannot assure you that new
management will be effective. We have hired a large majority of
WestPoint Stevens employees and have initiated new benefit
plans. We cannot assure you that these changes will not
adversely affect our employee relations and, ultimately, our
financial results. We expect that WestPoint International will
operate at a loss during the current year and we cannot assure
you that it will be able to operate profitably in the future.
WestPoint International may not be able to secure
additional financing to meet its future needs.
We anticipate that operating cash flow, together with available
borrowings under a proposed WestPoint International senior
secured revolving credit facility, will be sufficient to meet
its working capital needs, fund its capital expenditures and
service requirements on its debt obligations for at least the
next 12 months. However, WestPoint International has not
yet obtained the revolving credit facility and we cannot assure
you that it will be able to do so on terms that are acceptable
to us. In addition, we have not yet ascertained the full extent
to which additional capital will be required to retain WestPoint
Internationals customers and make investments required to
attain a competitive cost structure. As a result, we cannot
assure you that WestPoint International will be able to obtain
the capital that will be required to continue operations.
From time to time, WestPoint International may explore
additional financing methods and other means to make needed
investments. Such financing methods could include stock issuance
or debt financing. If WestPoint Internationals business
does not improve, such financing may not be available or may be
available only on terms that are not advantageous and
potentially highly dilutive to existing stockholders. Additional
financing may not be available to WestPoint International on
acceptable terms.
The home fashion industry is cyclical and seasonal.
The home fashion industry is both cyclical and seasonal, which
affects WestPoint Internationals performance.
Traditionally, the home fashion industry is seasonal, with a
peak sales season in the fall. In response to this seasonality,
WestPoint International increases its inventory levels during
the first six months of the year to meet customer demands for
the peak fall season. In addition, the home fashion industry is
traditionally cyclical and WestPoint International performance
may be negatively affected by downturns in consumer spending.
The loss of any of our large customers could reduce
WestPoint Internationals revenues.
During both the nine months ended September 30, 2005 and
the year ended December 31, 2004, WestPoint
Internationals six largest customers accounted for
approximately 51%, of its net sales (including net sales by
WestPoint Stevens). WestPoint International has experienced a
significant decline in net sales to one of its largest
customers. Sales to this customer have declined from
$202.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2004 to
$41.0 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2005 (including net sales by
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WestPoint Stevens). In addition, many other retailers have
indicated that they intend to significantly increase their
direct sourcing of home fashion products from foreign sources.
The loss of any of WestPoint Internationals largest
accounts, or a material portion of sales to those accounts,
would have an adverse effect upon its business, which could be
material.
The $250 million senior secured revolving credit
facility that WestPoint Home is negotiating will impose
operating and financial restrictions on WestPoint Home and may
have adverse consequences to us.
WestPoint Home, WestPoint Internationals primary operating
company, and its subsidiaries are negotiating to obtain a
$250 million senior secured revolving credit facility
which, upon the entering into of the credit facility, is
expected to impose various operating and financial restrictions
on WestPoint Home and its subsidiaries. These restrictions
include limitations on indebtedness, liens, asset sales,
transactions with affiliates, acquisitions, mergers, capital
expenditures, dividends, and investments.
Upon entering into the senior secured revolving credit facility
and drawing upon available funding, WestPoint International will
have a substantial amount of indebtedness. This could have
important consequences, including without limitation, the
following:
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increase WestPoint Internationals vulnerability to general
adverse economic and industry conditions; |
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limit WestPoint Internationals ability to borrow money to
fund future working capital, capital expenditures, debt service
requirements and other general corporate requirements; |
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require WestPoint International to dedicate a substantial
portion of its cash flow from operations to payments on its
indebtedness, thereby reducing its ability to use its cash flow
for other purposes; |
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limit WestPoint Internationals flexibility in planning
for, or reacting to, changes in its business and the industry in
which it operates; |
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make it more difficult for WestPoint International to meet its
debt service obligations in the event that there is a
substantial increase in interest rates because its indebtedness
under its senior credit facility will bear interest at
fluctuating rates; and |
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place WestPoint International at a competitive disadvantage
compared to competitors that have less debt. |
WestPoint Internationals indebtedness levels could also
limit its business opportunities. If WestPoint
Internationals cash flow and capital resources are
insufficient to fund its debt service obligations, it may be
forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets or
seek to obtain additional equity capital or to refinance or
restructure our indebtedness.
A portion of WestPoint Internationals sales are
derived from licensed designer brands. The loss of a significant
license could have an adverse effect on our business.
A portion of WestPoint Internationals sales is derived
from licensed designer brands. The license agreements for
WestPoint Internationals designer brands generally are for
a term of two or three years. Some of the licenses are
automatically renewable for additional periods, provided that
sales thresholds set forth in the license agreements are met.
The loss of a significant license could have an adverse effect
upon WestPoint Internationals business, which effect could
be material. Under certain circumstances, these licenses can be
terminated without WestPoint Internationals consent due to
circumstances beyond WestPoint Internationals control.
Although most of the significant licenses of WestPoint Stevens
were transferred to WestPoint International, WestPoint Stevens
had a nonexclusive license agreement with Disney Enterprises,
Inc. for the sale of bed and bath products under Disney
trademarks with a termination date of December 31, 2005
that was not transferred to WestPoint International. WestPoint
International has reached an understanding with Disney that
allows for the continued sale of products under the Disney
agreement until February 28, 2006 for sales in the United
States and March 31, 2006 for sales in Canada. Sales of
products under the Disney agreement accounted for 3.0% of net
sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 and 2.7%
of net sales for the
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year ended December 31, 2004, including net sales by
WestPoint Stevens. The loss of the ability to sell products
under the Disney agreement after those dates will adversely
affect WestPoint Internationals business.
A shortage of the principal raw materials WestPoint
International uses to manufacture its products could force
WestPoint International to pay more for those materials and,
possibly, cause WestPoint International to increase its prices,
which could have an adverse effect on operations.
Any shortage in the raw materials WestPoint International uses
to manufacture its products could adversely affect its
operations. The principal raw materials that WestPoint
International uses in the manufacture of its products are cotton
of various grades and staple lengths and polyester and nylon in
staple and filament form. Since cotton is an agricultural
product, its supply and quality are subject to weather patterns,
disease and other factors. The price of cotton is also
influenced by supply and demand considerations, both
domestically and worldwide, and by the cost of polyester.
Although WestPoint International has been able to acquire
sufficient quantities of cotton for its operations in the past,
any shortage in the cotton supply by reason of weather, disease
or other factors, or a significant increase in the price of
cotton, could adversely affect its operations. The price of
man-made fibers, such as polyester and nylon, is influenced by
demand, manufacturing capacity and costs, petroleum prices,
cotton prices and the cost of polymers used in producing these
fibers. In particular, the effect of increased energy prices may
have a direct impact upon the cost of dye and chemicals,
polyester and other synthetic fibers. Any significant prolonged
petrochemical shortages could significantly affect the
availability of man-made fibers and could cause a substantial
increase in demand for cotton. This could result in decreased
availability of cotton and possibly increased prices and could
adversely affect WestPoint Internationals operations.
The home fashion industry is very competitive and our
success depends on our ability to compete effectively in the
market.
The home fashion industry is highly competitive. WestPoint
Internationals future success will, to a large extent,
depend on its ability to remain a low-cost producer and to
remain competitive. WestPoint International competes with both
foreign and domestic companies on, among other factors, the
basis of price, quality and customer service. In the sheet and
towel markets, WestPoint International competes primarily with
Springs Industries, Inc. which has recently announced plans to
enter into a joint venture with a major Latin American textile
producer. In the other bedding and accessories markets,
WestPoint International competes with many companies. WestPoint
Internationals future success depends on its ability to
remain competitive in the areas of marketing, product
development, price, quality, brand names, manufacturing
capabilities, distribution and order processing. We cannot
assure you of our ability to compete effectively in any of these
areas. Any failure to compete effectively could adversely affect
WestPoint Internationals sales and, accordingly, its
operations. Additionally, the easing of trade restrictions over
time has led to growing competition from low priced products
imported from Asia and Latin America. The lifting of import
quotas in 2005 has accelerated the loss of WestPoint
Internationals market share. There can be no assurance
that the foreign competition will not grow to a level that could
have an adverse effect upon WestPoint Internationals
ability to compete effectively.
WestPoint International intends to increase the percentage
of its products that are made overseas. There is no assurance
that WestPoint International will be successful in obtaining
goods of sufficient quality on a timely basis and on
advantageous terms. WestPoint International will be subject to
additional risks relating to doing business overseas.
WestPoint International intends to increase the percentage of
its products that are made overseas and may face additional
risks associated with these efforts. WestPoint International has
only limited experience in overseas procurement and,
accordingly, we cannot assure you that it will be successful in
obtaining goods of
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sufficient quality on a timely basis and on advantageous terms.
Adverse factors that WestPoint International may encounter
include:
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challenges caused by distance, language and cultural differences; |
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legal and regulatory restrictions; |
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the difficulty of enforcing agreements with overseas suppliers; |
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currency exchange rate fluctuations; |
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political and economic instability; |
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potential adverse tax consequences; and |
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higher costs associated with doing business internationally. |
There has been consolidation of retailers of WestPoint
Internationals products that may reduce its
profitability.
Retailers of consumer goods have become fewer and more powerful
over time. As buying power has become more concentrated, pricing
pressure on vendors has grown. With the ability to buy imported
products directly from foreign sources, retailers pricing
leverage has increased and also allowed for growth in private
label that displace and compete with WestPoint
Internationals proprietary brands. Retailers pricing
leverage has resulted in a decline in WestPoint
Internationals unit pricing and margins and resulted in a
shift in product mix to more private label programs. If
WestPoint International is unable to diminish the decline in its
pricing and margins, it may not be able to maintain or achieve
profitability.
WestPoint International is subject to various federal,
state and local environmental and health and safety laws and
regulations. If it does not comply with these regulations, it
may incur significant costs in the future to become
compliant.
WestPoint International is subject to various federal, state and
local laws and regulations governing, among other things, the
discharge, storage, handling, usage and disposal of a variety of
hazardous and non-hazardous substances and wastes used in, or
resulting from, its operations, including potential remediation
obligations under those laws and regulations WestPoint
Internationals operations are also governed by federal,
state and local laws and regulations relating to employee safety
and health which, among other things, establish exposure
limitations for cotton dust, formaldehyde, asbestos and noise,
and which regulate chemical, physical and ergonomic hazards in
the workplace. Although WestPoint International does not expect
that compliance with any of these laws and regulations will
adversely affect its operations, we cannot assure you that
regulatory requirements will not become more stringent in the
future or that WestPoint International will not incur
significant costs to comply with those requirements.
Hotel and Casino Operations
The gaming industry is highly regulated. The gaming
authorities and state and municipal licensing authorities have
significant control over our operations.
Our properties currently conduct licensed gaming operations in
Nevada and New Jersey. We currently own approximately 58.3% of
the stock of Atlantic Holdings. Atlantic Holdings through its
wholly-owned subsidiary owns and operates The Sands Hotel and
Casino. Various regulatory authorities, including the Nevada
State Gaming Control Board, Nevada Gaming Commission and the New
Jersey Casino Control Commission, require our properties and The
Sands Hotel and Casino to hold various licenses and
registrations, findings of suitability, permits and approvals to
engage in gaming operations and to meet requirements of
suitability. These gaming authorities also control approval of
ownership interests in gaming operations. These gaming
authorities may deny, limit, condition, suspend or revoke our
gaming licenses, registrations, findings of suitability or the
approval of any of our ownership interests in any of the
licensed gaming operations conducted in Nevada and New Jersey,
any of which could have a significant adverse effect on our
business, financial
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condition and results of operations, for any cause they may deem
reasonable. If we violate gaming laws or regulations that are
applicable to us, we may have to pay substantial fines or
forfeit assets. If, in the future, we operate or have an
ownership interest in casino gaming facilities located outside
of Nevada or New Jersey, we may also be subject to the gaming
laws and regulations of those other jurisdictions.
The sale of alcoholic beverages at our Nevada properties is
subject to licensing and regulation by the City of
Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. The City of
Las Vegas and Clark County have full power to limit,
condition, suspend or revoke any such license, and any such
disciplinary action may, and revocation would, reduce the number
of visitors to our Nevada casinos to the extent the availability
of alcoholic beverages is important to them. If our alcohol
licenses become in any way impaired, it would reduce the number
of visitors. Any reduction in our number of visitors will reduce
our revenue and cash flow.
Rising operating costs for our gaming and entertainment
properties could have a negative impact on our
profitability.
The operating expenses associated with our gaming and
entertainment properties could increase due to some of the
following factors:
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potential changes in the tax or regulatory environment which
impose additional restrictions or increase operating costs; |
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our properties use significant amounts of electricity, natural
gas and other forms of energy, and energy price increases may
reduce our working capital; |
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our Nevada properties use significant amounts of water and a
water shortage may adversely affect our operations; |
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an increase in the cost of health care benefits for our
employees could have a negative impact on our profitability; |
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some of our employees are covered by collective bargaining
agreements and we may incur higher costs or work slow-downs or
stoppages due to union activities; |
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our reliance on slot machine revenues and the concentration of
manufacturing of slot machines in certain companies could impose
additional costs on us; and |
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our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all possible
losses and our insurance costs may increase. |
We face substantial competition in the hotel and casino
industry.
The hotel and casino industry in general, and the markets in
which we compete in particular, are highly competitive.
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we compete with many world class destination resorts with
greater name recognition, different attractions, amenities and
entertainment options; |
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we compete with the continued growth of gaming on Native
American tribal lands; |
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the existence of legalized gambling in other jurisdictions may
reduce the number of visitors to our properties; |
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certain states have legalized, and others may legalize, casino
gaming in specific venues, including race tracks and/or in
specific areas, including metropolitan areas from which we
traditionally attract customers; and |
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our properties also compete and will in the future compete with
all forms of legalized gambling. |
Many of our competitors have greater financial, selling and
marketing, technical and other resources than we do. We may not
be able to compete effectively with our competitors and we may
lose market share, which could reduce our revenue and cash flow.
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Economic downturns, terrorism and the uncertainty of war,
as well as other factors affecting discretionary consumer
spending, could reduce the number of our visitors or the amount
of money visitors spend at our casinos.
The strength and profitability of our business depends on
consumer demand for hotel-casino resorts and gaming in general
and for the type of amenities we offer. Changes in consumer
preferences or discretionary consumer spending could harm our
business.
During periods of economic contraction, our revenues may
decrease while some of our costs remain fixed, resulting in
decreased earnings, because the gaming and other leisure
activities we offer at our properties are discretionary
expenditures, and participation in these activities may decline
during economic downturns because consumers have less disposable
income. Even an uncertain economic outlook may adversely affect
consumer spending in our gaming operations and related
facilities, as consumers spend less in anticipation of a
potential economic downturn. Additionally, rising gas prices
could deter non-local visitors from traveling to our properties.
The terrorist attacks which occurred on September 11, 2001,
the potential for future terrorist attacks and wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq have had a negative impact on travel and
leisure expenditures, including lodging, gaming and tourism.
Leisure and business travel, especially travel by air, remain
particularly susceptible to global geopolitical events. Many of
the customers of our properties travel by air, and the cost and
availability of air service can affect our business.
Furthermore, insurance coverage against loss or business
interruption resulting from war and some forms of terrorism may
be unavailable or not available on terms that we consider
reasonable. We cannot predict the extent to which war, future
security alerts or additional terrorist attacks may interfere
with our operations.
Our hotels and casinos may need to increase capital
expenditures to compete effectively.
Capital expenditures, such as room refurbishments, amenity
upgrades and new gaming equipment, may be necessary from time to
time to preserve the competitiveness of our hotels and casinos.
The gaming industry market is very competitive and is expected
to become more competitive in the future. If cash from
operations is insufficient to provide for needed levels of
capital expenditures, the competitive position of our hotels and
casinos could deteriorate if our hotels and casinos are unable
to raise funds for such purposes.
Increased state taxation of gaming and hospitality
revenues could adversely affect our hotel and casinos
results of operations.
The casino industry represents a significant source of tax
revenues to the various jurisdictions in which casinos operate.
Gaming companies are currently subject to significant state and
local taxes and fees in addition to normal federal and state
corporate income taxes. For example, casinos in Atlantic City
pay for licenses as well as special taxes to the city and state,
including taxes on annual gaming revenues, an annual investment
alternative tax on annual gaming revenues, on casino
complimentaries and on casino service industry multi-casino
progressive slot machine revenue, a daily fee on each hotel room
in a casino hotel facility that is occupied by a guest for
consideration or as a complimentary item and a hotel parking
charge.
Future changes in state taxation of casino gaming companies
cannot be predicted and any such changes could adversely affect
the operating results of our hotels and casino.
The Sands Hotel and Casinos operating results are
subject to seasonality.
The Sands Hotel and Casinos quarterly operating results
are highly volatile and subject to unpredictable fluctuations.
The Sands Hotel and Casino historically experienced greater
revenues in the summer. Future results may be more or less
seasonal than historical results. The Sands Hotel and
Casinos operating results for any given quarter may not
meet expectations or conform to the operating results of The
Sands Hotel and Casinos local, regional or national
competitors. Conversely, favorable operating results in any
given quarter may be followed by an unexpected downturn in
subsequent quarters.
The Sands Hotel and Casino is exposed to certain risks
related to the creditworthiness of its patrons.
Historically, The Sands Hotel and Casino has extended credit on
a discretionary basis to certain qualified patrons. For the nine
months ended September 30, 2005, gaming credit extended to
The Sands Hotel and
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Casinos table game patrons accounted for approximately
19.1% of overall table game wagering, and table game wagering
accounted for approximately 19.7% of overall casino wagering
during the period. At September 30, 2005, gaming
receivables amounted to $6.1 million before an allowance
for uncollectible gaming receivables of $3.4 million. There
can be no assurance that defaults in the repayment of credit by
patrons of The Sands Hotel and Casino would not have a material
adverse effect on the results of operations of The Sands Hotel
and Casino.
The Sands Hotel and Casino recently has incurred operating
losses which could result in our determining that, for financial
reporting purposes, our investment has been impaired.
During 2005, The Sands Hotel and Casino began to incur operating
losses relating to its operations. However, The Sands Hotel and
Casino continues to generate positive cash flow. We believe that
The Sands Hotel and Casino efforts to improve profitability may
lead to a reversal of these operating losses. However, as there
is no guarantee that these efforts will be successful, we
continue to evaluate whether there is an impairment under
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144,
Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived
Assets, or SFAS 144. In the event that a change in
operations results in a future reduction of cash flows, we may
determine an impairment under SFAS 144 has occurred at The
Sands Hotel and Casino, and an impairment charge may be required.
Creditors of GB Holdings have indicated that they intend
to challenge the transactions consummated in July 2004, which,
among other things resulted in the transfer of The Sands Hotel
& Casino to ACE Gaming, and intend to attempt to subordinate
our claims against GB Holdings to those of other
creditors.
We own approximately 77.5% of the outstanding GB Holdings common
stock. GB Holdings principal asset is 41.7% of the
outstanding common stock of Atlantic Holdings. On
September 29, 2005, GB Holdings filed for protection under
Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. As a result we
determined that we no longer control GB Holdings under
applicable accounting rules and have deconsolidated our
investment for financial reporting purposes. Creditors of GB
Holdings have indicated that they may challenge the transactions
in July 2004 that, among other things, resulted in the transfer
of The Sands Hotel & Casino to ACE Gaming, the exchange
of GB Holdings notes for 3% Senior Secured
convertible notes of Atlantic Holdings, and, ultimately, our
owning 58.7% of the Atlantic Coast common stock. The creditors
also have indicated that, if they succeed in challenging these
transactions, they may attempt to subordinate, in bankruptcy,
AREPs claims against GB Holdings to those of the creditors.
Additionally, on September 2, 2005, Robino Stortini
Holdings, LLC, or RSH, which claims to own beneficially
1,652,590 shares of common stock of GB Holdings, filed a
complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware
against GB Holdings and the six members of its board or
directors. Three of the GB Holdings directors include a director
and two officers of our general partner. RSH alleges five counts
against the defendants and seeks as relief the appointment of a
custodian and receiver for GB Holdings and, among other things,
a declaration that the director defendants breached their
fiduciary duties and an award of unspecified compensatory
damages as well as attorneys fees and costs. We are not a
party in either lawsuit however claims under the RSH litigation
may be subject to indemnification by us.
Oil and Gas
We face substantial risks in the oil and gas
industry.
The exploration for and production of oil and gas involves
numerous risks. The cost of drilling, completing and operating
wells for oil or gas is often uncertain, and a number of factors
can delay or prevent drilling operations or production,
including:
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unexpected drilling conditions; |
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pressure or irregularities in formation; |
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equipment failures or repairs; |
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fires or other accidents; |
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adverse weather conditions; |
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pipeline ruptures or spills; and |
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shortages or delays in the availability of drilling rigs and the
delivery of equipment. |
The oil and gas industry is subject to environmental
regulation by state and federal agencies.
Our existing operations and the operations that we expect to
acquire are affected by extensive regulation through various
federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the
exploration for and development, production, gathering and
marketing of oil and gas. Matters subject to regulation include
discharge permits for drilling operations, drilling and
abandonment bonds or other financial responsibility
requirements, reports concerning operations, the spacing of
wells, unitization and pooling of properties, and taxation. From
time to time, regulatory agencies have imposed price controls
and limitations on production by restricting the rate of flow of
oil and gas wells below actual production capacity in order to
conserve supplies of oil and gas.
Our operations are also subject to numerous environmental laws,
including but not limited to, those governing management of
waste, protection of water, air quality, the discharge of
materials into the environment, and preservation of natural
resources. Non-compliance with environmental laws and the
discharge of oil, natural gas, or other materials into the air,
soil or water may give rise to liabilities to the government and
third parties, including civil and criminal penalties, and may
require us to incur costs to remedy the discharge. Oil and gas
may be discharged in many ways, including from a well or
drilling equipment at a drill site, leakage from pipelines or
other gathering and transportation facilities, leakage from
storage tanks, and sudden discharges from oil and gas wells or
explosion at processing plants. Hydrocarbons tend to degrade
slowly in soil and water, which makes remediation costly, and
discharged hydrocarbons may migrate through soil and water
supplies or adjoining property, giving rise to additional
liabilities. Laws and regulations protecting the environment
have become more stringent in recent years, and may in certain
circumstances impose retroactive, strict, and joint and several
liabilities rendering entities liable for environmental damage
without regard to negligence or fault. In the past, we have
agreed to indemnify sellers of producing properties against
certain liabilities for environmental claims associated with
those properties. We cannot assure you that new laws or
regulations, or modifications of or new interpretations of
existing laws and regulations, will not substantially increase
the cost of compliance or otherwise adversely affect our oil and
gas operations and financial condition or that material
indemnity claims will not arise with respect to properties that
we acquire. While we do not anticipate incurring material costs
in connection with environmental compliance and remediation, we
cannot guarantee that material costs will not be incurred.
We may experience difficulty finding and acquiring
additional reserves and be unable to compensate for the
depletion of our proved reserves.
Our future success and growth depends upon the ability to find
or acquire additional oil and gas reserves that are economically
recoverable. Except to the extent that we conduct successful
exploration or development activities or acquire properties
containing proved reserves, our proved reserves will generally
decline as they are produced. The decline rate varies depending
upon reservoir characteristics and other factors. Our future oil
and gas reserves and production, and, therefore, cash flow and
income are highly dependent upon the level of success in
exploiting our current reserves and acquiring or finding
additional reserves. The business of exploring for, developing
or acquiring reserves is capital intensive. To the extent cash
flow from operations is reduced and external sources of capital
become limited or unavailable, our ability to make the necessary
capital investments to maintain or expand this asset base of oil
and gas reserves could be impaired. Development projects and
acquisition activities may not result in additional reserves. We
may not have success drilling productive wells at economic
returns sufficient to replace our current and future production.
We may acquire reserves which contain undetected problems or
issues that did not initially appear to be significant to us.
Reservoir engineering is a subjective process of estimating the
volumes of underground accumulations of oil and gas which cannot
be measured precisely. The accuracy of any reserve estimates is
a function of the quality of available data and of engineering
and geological interpretation and judgment. Reserve estimates
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prepared by other engineers might differ from the estimates
contained herein. Results of drilling, testing, and production
subsequent to the date of the estimate may justify revision of
such estimate. Future prices received for the sale of oil and
gas may be different from those used in preparing these reports.
The amounts and timing of future operating and development costs
may also differ from those used. Accordingly, reserve estimates
are often different from the quantities of oil and gas that are
ultimately recovered.
Proved reserves are the estimated quantities of natural gas,
condensate and oil that geological and engineering data
demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in
future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and
operating conditions. Proved developed reserves are proved
reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing
wells with existing equipment and operating methods. The
estimation of reserves requires substantial judgment on the part
of petroleum engineers, resulting in imprecise determinations,
particularly with respect to recent discoveries. The accuracy of
any reserve estimate depends on the quality of available data
and engineering and geological interpretation and judgment.
Results of drilling, testing and production after the date of
the estimate may result in revisions of the estimate.
Accordingly, estimates of reserves are often materially
different from the quantities of natural gas, condensate and oil
that are ultimately recovered, and these estimates will change
as future production and development information becomes
available. The reserve data represent estimates only and should
not be construed as being exact.
Difficulties in exploration and development could
adversely affect our financial condition.
The costs of drilling all types of wells are uncertain, as are
the quantity of reserves to be found, the prices that we will
receive for the oil or natural gas and the costs of operating
each well. While we have successfully drilled wells, you should
know that there are inherent risks in doing so, and those
difficulties could materially affect our financial condition and
results of operations. Also, just because we complete a well and
begin producing oil or natural gas, we cannot assure you that we
will recover our investment or make a profit.
Oil and gas prices are likely to be volatile.
Our revenues, profitability and the carrying value of oil and
gas properties are substantially dependent upon prevailing
prices of, and demand for, oil and gas and the costs of
acquiring, finding, developing and producing reserves.
Historically, the markets for oil and gas have been volatile.
Markets for oil and gas likely will continue to be volatile in
the future. Prices for oil and gas are subject to wide
fluctuations in response to: (1) relatively minor changes
in the supply of, and demand for, oil and gas; (2) market
uncertainty; and (3) a variety of additional factors, all
of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among
others: domestic and foreign political conditions; the price and
availability of domestic and imported oil and gas; the level of
consumer and industrial demand; weather, domestic and foreign
government relations; and the price and availability of
alternative fuels and overall economic conditions. Our
production is weighted toward natural gas, making earnings and
cash flow more sensitive to natural gas price fluctuations.
There is inherent uncertainty in estimates of reserves
which may affect future net cash flows.
The basis for the success and long-term prospects for our oil
and gas business is the price that we receive for our oil and
gas. These prices are the primary factors for all aspects of our
business including reserve values, future net cash flows,
borrowing availability and results of operations. The reserve
valuations are prepared annually by independent petroleum
consultants. However, there are many uncertainties inherent in
preparing these reports and the third party consultants rely on
information we provide them. For example, Pretax PV-10
calculations that we report assume constant oil and gas prices,
operating expenses and capital expenditures over the lives of
the reserves. They also assume certain timing for completion of
projects and that we will have the financial ability to conduct
operations and capital expenditures without regard to factors
independent of the reserve report. The actual results realized
by the operations we propose to acquire may have historically
varied from these reports and may do so in the future. The
volumes estimated in these reports may also vary due to a
variety of reasons including incorrect assumptions, unsuccessful
drilling and the actual oil and gas prices that we receive.
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You should not assume that the Pretax PV-10 values of reserves
represent the market value for those reserves. These values are
prepared in accordance with strict guidelines imposed by the
SEC. These valuations are the estimated discounted future net
cash flows from our proved reserves. These estimates use prices
that the operations we propose to acquire received or would have
received as of a specified date and use costs for operating and
capital expenditures in effect at that date. These assumptions
are then used to calculate a future cash flow stream that is
discounted at a rate of 10%.
Operating hazards and uninsured risks are inherent to the
oil and gas industry.
Our oil and gas business involves a variety of operating risks,
including, but not limited to, natural disasters, unexpected
formations or pressures, uncontrollable flows of oil, natural
gas, brine or well fluids into the environment (including
groundwater contamination), blowouts, fires, explosions,
pollution and other risks, any of which could result in personal
injuries, loss of life, damage to properties and substantial
losses. Although we carry insurance at levels we believe are
reasonable, we are not fully insured against all risks. Losses
and liabilities arising from uninsured or under-insured events
could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition
and operations.
Our use of hedging arrangements have resulted in our
reporting losses.
We typically hedge a portion of oil and gas production during
periods when market prices for products are higher than
historical average prices. Typically, we have used swaps,
cost-free collars and options to put products to a purchaser at
a specified price, or floor. Under these arrangements, no
payments are due by either party so long as the market price is
above the floor price set in the collar and below the ceiling.
If the price falls below the floor, the counter-party to the
collar pays the difference to us and if the price is above the
ceiling, the counter-party to the collar receives the difference
from us. For the nine months ended September 30, 2005, we
recognized unrealized losses on hedging transactions of
$111.6 million which contributed to our net loss of
$89.2 million for that period.
Government regulations impose costs on abandoning oil and
gas facilities.
Government regulations and lease terms require all oil and gas
producers to plug and abandon platforms and production
facilities at the end of the properties lives. Our reserve
valuations do not include the estimated costs of plugging the
wells and abandoning the platforms and equipment on their
properties, less any cash deposited in escrow accounts for these
obligations. These costs are usually higher on offshore
properties, as are most expenditures on offshore properties. As
of September 30, 2005, the total estimated abandonment
costs, net of $22.6 million already in escrow, were
approximately $19.5 million. Those future liabilities are
accounted for by accruing for them in depreciation, depletion
and amortization expense over the lives of each propertys
total proved reserves.
The oil and gas industry is highly competitive.
There are many companies and individuals engaged in the
exploration for and development of oil and gas properties.
Competition is particularly intense with respect to the
acquisition of oil and gas producing properties and securing
experienced personnel. We encounter competition from various oil
and gas companies in raising capital and in acquiring producing
properties. Many of our competitors have financial and other
resources considerably larger than ours.
Real Estate Operations
Our investment in property development may be more costly
than anticipated.
We have invested and expect to continue to invest in unentitled
land, undeveloped land and distressed development properties.
These properties involve more risk than properties on which
development has been completed. Unentitled land may not be
approved for development. Undeveloped land and distressed
development properties do not generate any operating revenue,
while costs are incurred to develop the properties. In addition,
undeveloped land and development properties incur expenditures
prior to completion,
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including property taxes and development costs. Also,
construction may not be completed within budget or as scheduled
and projected rental levels or sales prices may not be achieved
and other unpredictable contingencies beyond our control could
occur. We will not be able to recoup any of such costs until
such time as these properties, or parcels thereof, are either
disposed of or developed into income-producing assets.
Competition for acquisitions could adversely affect us and
new acquisitions may fail to perform as expected.
We seek to acquire investments that are undervalued. Acquisition
opportunities in the real estate market for value-added
investors have become competitive to source and the increased
competition may negatively impact the spreads and the ability to
find quality assets that provide returns that we seek. These
investments may not be readily financeable and may not generate
immediate positive cash flow for us. There can be no assurance
that any asset we acquire, whether in the real estate sector or
otherwise, will increase in value or generate positive cash flow.
We may not be able to sell our rental properties, which
would reduce cash available for other purposes.
We are currently marketing for sale our rental real estate
portfolio. As of September 30, 2005, we owned
58 rental real estate properties with a book value of
approximately $155.6 million, individually encumbered by
mortgage debt which aggregated approximately $82.6 million.
As of September 30, 2005, we had entered into conditional
sales contracts or letters of intent for six rental real
estate properties. Selling prices for the properties covered by
the contracts or letters of intent would total approximately
$10 million. These properties are unencumbered by mortgage
debt. Generally, these contracts and letters of intent may be
terminated by the buyer with little or no penalty. We may not be
successful in obtaining purchase offers for our remaining
properties at acceptable prices and sales may not be
consummated. Many of our properties are net-leased to single
corporate tenants, and it may be difficult to sell those
properties that existing tenants decline to re-let. Our attempt
to market the real estate portfolio may not be successful. Even
if our efforts are successful, we cannot be certain that the
proceeds from the sales can be used to acquire businesses and
investments at prices or at projected returns which are deemed
favorable. From October 1, through November 30, we
sold three of these rental real estate properties for
approximately $4.3 million. These properties were
unencumbered by mortgage debt. In the third quarter of 2005, we
entered into agreements to seek offers to finance or sell the
New Seabury development located in Massachusetts and Grand
Harbor/ Oak Harbor, one of Bayswaters two Florida
developments. We cannot predict whether any such offers will be
acceptable to us.
We face potential adverse effects from tenant bankruptcies
or insolvencies.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of our tenants may adversely affect
the income produced by our properties. If a tenant defaults, we
may experience delays and incur substantial costs in enforcing
our rights as landlord. If a tenant files for bankruptcy, we
cannot evict the tenant solely because of such bankruptcy. A
court, however, may authorize a tenant to reject or terminate
its lease with us.
We may be subject to environmental liability as an owner
or operator of development and rental real estate.
Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and
regulations, an owner or operator of real property may become
liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain
hazardous substances, pollutants and contaminants released on,
under, in or from its property. These laws often impose
liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew
of, or was responsible for, the release of such substances. To
the extent any such substances are found in or on any property
invested in by us, we could be exposed to liability and be
required to incur substantial remediation costs. The presence of
such substances or the failure to undertake proper remediation
may adversely affect the ability to finance, refinance or
dispose of such property. We generally conduct a Phase I
environmental site assessment on properties in which we are
considering investing. A Phase I environmental site
assessment involves record review, visual site assessment and
personnel interviews, but does not typically include invasive
testing procedures such as air, soil or groundwater sampling or
other tests performed as part of a Phase II environmental
site assessment. Accordingly, there can be no
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assurance that these assessments will disclose all potential
liabilities or that future property uses or conditions or
changes in applicable environmental laws and regulations or
activities at nearby properties will not result in the creation
of environmental liabilities with respect to a property.
Investments
We may not be able to identify suitable investments, and
our investments may not result in favorable returns or may
result in losses.
Our partnership agreement allows us to take advantage of
investment opportunities we believe exist outside of the real
estate market. The equity securities in which we may invest
include common stocks, preferred stocks and securities
convertible into common stocks, as well as warrants to purchase
these securities. The debt securities in which we may invest
include bonds, debentures, notes, or non-rated mortgage-related
securities, municipal obligations, bank debt and mezzanine
loans. Certain of these securities may include lower rated or
non-rated securities which may provide the potential for higher
yields and therefore may entail higher risk and may include the
securities of bankrupt or distressed companies. In addition, we
may engage in various investment techniques, including
derivatives, options and futures transactions, foreign currency
transactions, short sales and leveraging for either
hedging or other purposes. We may concentrate our activities by
owning one or a few businesses or holdings, which would increase
our risk. We may not be successful in finding suitable
opportunities to invest our cash and our strategy of investing
in undervalued assets may expose us to numerous risks.
Our investments may be subject to significant
uncertainties.
Our investments may not be successful for many reasons
including, but not limited to:
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fluctuation of interest rates; |
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lack of control in minority investments; |
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worsening of general economic and market conditions; |
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lack of diversification; |
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inexperience with non-real estate areas; |
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fluctuation of U.S. dollar exchange rates; and |
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adverse legal and regulatory developments that may affect
particular businesses. |
We also have engaged in a short sale which has
resulted, to date, and in the future could result in significant
unrealized and realized losses.
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements in this prospectus and the documents
incorporated by reference are known as forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may
relate to, among other things, future performance generally,
business development activities, future capital expenditures,
financing sources and availability and the effects of regulation
and competition.
When we use the words believe, intend,
expect, may, will,
should, anticipate, could,
estimate, plan, predict,
project, or their negatives, or other similar
expressions, the statements which include those words are
usually forward-looking statements. When we describe strategy
that involves risks or uncertainties, we are making
forward-looking statements.
We warn you that forward-looking statements are only
predictions. Actual events or results may differ as a result of
risks that we face, including those set forth in the section of
this prospectus called Risk Factors. Those risks are
representative of factors that could affect the outcome of the
forward-looking statements. These and the other factors
discussed elsewhere in this prospectus and the documents
incorporated by reference herein are not necessarily all of the
important factors that could cause our results to differ
materially from those expressed in our forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date
they were made and we undertake no obligation to update them.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We will not receive any proceeds from the exchange of the new
notes for the private notes pursuant to the exchange offer. On
February 7, 2005, we issued and sold the private notes in a
private offering, receiving net proceeds of approximately
$471.5 million, after deducting selling and offering
expenses.
We intend to use the net proceeds of the private offering for
general business purposes, including to pursue our primary
business strategy of acquiring undervalued assets in either our
existing lines of business or other businesses and to provide
additional capital to grow our existing business.
We will use the net proceeds of the private offering and conduct
our activities in a manner so as not to be deemed an investment
company under the Investment Company Act. Generally, this means
that we do not intend to enter the business of investing in
securities and that no more than 40% of our total assets will be
invested in securities. The portion of our assets invested in
each type of security or any single issuer or industry will not
be limited.
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
The table below sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed
charges including our consolidated subsidiaries on a historical
basis for each of the periods indicated below. For the purpose
of computing the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings
consist of income (loss) from continuing operations before
income taxes, income or loss from equity investees and minority
interest plus fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest
expense, amortization of capitalized expenses related to
indebtedness, whether expensed or capitalized, amortization of
capitalized interest and that portion of rental expense we
believe to be representative of interest.
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Nine Months | |
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Ended September 30, | |
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Year Ended December 31, | |
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2005 | |
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2004 | |
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2002 | |
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2001 | |
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2000 | |
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N/A |
(1) |
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2.4x |
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2.0x |
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For the nine months ended September 30, 2005, earnings were
not sufficient to cover fixed charges by $97.2 million. |
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THE EXCHANGE OFFER
Purpose of the Exchange Offer
In connection with the sale of the private notes, we and the
initial purchaser entered into a registration rights agreement
in which we and AREH agreed to:
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file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange
Commission with respect to the exchange of the private notes for
new notes, or the exchange offer registration statement, no
later than 180 days after the date we issued the private
notes; |
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use all commercially reasonable efforts to have the exchange
offer registration statement declared effective by the SEC on or
prior to 300 days after the issuance date; and |
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commence the offer to exchange new notes for the private notes
and use all commercially reasonable efforts to issue on or prior
to 30 business days, or longer if required by the federal
securities laws, after the date on which the exchange offer
registration statement was declared effective by the SEC, new
notes in exchange for all private notes tendered prior to that
date in the exchange offer. |
We are making the exchange offer to satisfy certain of our
obligations under the registration rights agreement. We filed a
copy of the registration rights agreement as an exhibit to the
exchange offer registration statement.
Resale of Exchange Notes
Under existing interpretations of the Securities Act of 1933 by
the staff of the SEC contained in several no-action letters to
third parties, we believe that the new notes will generally be
freely transferable by holders who have validly participated in
the exchange offer without further registration under the
Securities Act of 1933 (assuming the truth of certain
representations required to be made by each holder of notes, as
set forth below). For additional information on the staffs
position, we refer you to the following no-action letters: Exxon
Capital Holdings Corporation, available April 13, 1988;
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, available
June 5, 1991; and Shearman & Sterling, available
July 2, 1993. However, any purchaser of private notes who
is one of our affiliates or who intends to
participate in the exchange offer for the purpose of
distributing the new notes or who is a broker-dealer who
purchased private notes from us to resell pursuant to
Rule 144A or any other available exemption under the
Securities Act of 1933:
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will not be able to tender its private notes in the exchange
offer; |
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will not be able to rely on the interpretations of the staff of
the SEC; and |
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must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with
any sale or transfer of the private notes unless such sale or
transfer is made pursuant to an exemption from these
requirements. |
If you wish to exchange private notes for new notes in the
exchange offer, you will be required to make representations in
a letter of transmittal which accompanies this prospectus,
including that:
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you are not our affiliate (as defined in
Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933); |
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any new notes to be received by you will be acquired in the
ordinary course of your business; |
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you have no arrangement or understanding with any person to
participate in the distribution of the new notes in violation of
the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933; |
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if you are not a broker-dealer, you are not engaged in, and do
not intend to engage in, a distribution of new notes; and |
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if you are a broker-dealer, you acquired the private notes for
your own account as a result of market-making or other trading
activities (and as such, you are a participating
broker-dealer), you have not entered into any arrangement
or understanding with American Real Estate Partners, L.P. or an
affiliate |
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of American Real Estate Partners, L.P. to distribute the new
notes and you will deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements
of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with any resale of
the new notes. |
Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933 provides that an
affiliate of, or person affiliated with,
a specified person, is a person that directly, or indirectly
through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled
by, or is under common control with, the person specified.
The SEC has taken the position that participating broker-dealers
may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning
of the Securities Act of 1933, and accordingly may fulfill their
prospectus delivery requirements with respect to the new notes,
other than a resale of an unsold allotment from the original
sale of the notes, with the prospectus contained in the exchange
offer registration statement. Under the registration rights
agreement, we have agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts
to allow participating broker-dealers and other persons, if any,
subject to similar prospectus delivery requirements, to use the
prospectus contained in the exchange offer registration
statement in connection with the resale of the new notes for a
period of 270 days from the issuance of the new notes.
Terms of the Exchange Offer
This prospectus and the accompanying letter of transmittal
contain the terms and conditions of the exchange offer. Upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus
and in the accompanying letter of transmittal, we will accept
for exchange all private notes which are properly tendered and
not withdrawn on or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the expiration date. After authentication of the new notes by
the trustee or an authentication agent, we will issue and
deliver $1,000 principal amount of new notes in exchange for
each $1,000 principal amount of outstanding private notes
accepted in the exchange offer. Holders may tender some or all
of their private notes in the exchange offer in denominations of
$1,000 and integral multiples thereof.
The form and terms of the new notes are identical in all
material respects to the form and terms of the private notes,
except that:
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(1) the offering of the new notes has been registered under
the Securities Act of 1933; |
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(2) the new notes generally will not be subject to transfer
restrictions or have registration rights; and |
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(3) certain provisions relating to liquidated damages on
the private notes provided for under certain circumstances will
be eliminated. |
The new notes will evidence the same debt as the private notes.
The new notes will be issued under and entitled to the benefits
of the indenture.
As of the date of this prospectus, $480 million aggregate
principal amount of the private notes is outstanding. In
connection with the issuance of the private notes, we made
arrangements for the private notes to be issued and transferable
in book-entry form through the facilities of the Depository
Trust Company acting as a depositary. The new notes will also be
issuable and transferable in book-entry form through the
Depository Trust Company.
The exchange offer is not conditioned upon any minimum aggregate
principal amount of private notes being tendered. However, our
obligation to accept private notes for exchange pursuant to the
exchange offer is subject to certain customary conditions that
we describe under Conditions below.
Holders who tender private notes in the exchange offer will not
be required to pay brokerage commissions or fees or, subject to
the instructions in the letter of transmittal, transfer taxes
with respect to the exchange of private notes pursuant to the
exchange offer. We will pay all charges and expenses, other than
certain applicable taxes, in connection with the exchange offer.
See Solicitation of Tenders; Fees and
Expenses for more detailed information regarding the
expenses of the exchange offer.
By executing or otherwise becoming bound by the letter of
transmittal, you will be making the representations described
under Procedures for Tendering below.
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Expiration Date; Extensions; Amendments
The term expiration date will mean 5:00 p.m.,
New York City time, on January 13, 2006, unless we, in our
sole discretion, extend the exchange offer, in which case the
term expiration date will mean the latest date and
time to which we extend the exchange offer.
To extend the exchange offer, we will:
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notify the exchange agent of any extension orally or in
writing; and |
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notify the registered holders of the private notes by means of a
press release or other public announcement, each before
9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day
after the previously scheduled expiration date. |
We reserve the right, in our reasonable discretion:
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to delay accepting any private notes; |
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to extend the exchange offer; or |
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if any conditions listed below under
Conditions are not satisfied, to
terminate the exchange offer by giving oral or written notice of
the delay, extension or termination to the exchange agent. |
We will follow any delay in acceptance, extension or termination
as promptly as practicable by oral or written notice to the
registered holders. If we amend the exchange offer in a manner
we determine constitutes a material change, we will promptly
disclose the amendment in a prospectus supplement that we will
distribute to the registered holders.
Interest on the New Notes
Interest on the new notes will accrue from the last interest
payment date on which interest was paid on the private notes
surrendered in exchange for new notes or, if no interest has
been paid on the private notes, from the issue date of the
private notes, February 7, 2005. Interest on the new notes
will be payable semi-annually on February 15 and August 15 of
each year, commencing on August 15, 2005.
Procedures for Tendering
You may tender your private notes in the exchange offer only if
you are a registered holder of private notes. To tender in the
exchange offer, you must:
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complete, sign and date the letter of transmittal or a facsimile
of the letter of transmittal; |
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have the signatures thereof guaranteed if required by the letter
of transmittal; and |
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mail or otherwise deliver the letter of transmittal or such
facsimile to the exchange agent, at the address listed below
under Exchange Agent for receipt prior
to the expiration date. |
In addition, either:
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the exchange agent must receive certificates for the private
notes along with the letter of transmittal into its account at
the Depository Trust Company pursuant to the procedure described
under Book-Entry Transfer before the
expiration date; |
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the exchange agent must receive a timely confirmation of a
book-entry transfer, if the procedure is available, into its
account at the Depository Trust Company pursuant to the
procedure described under Book-Entry
Transfer before the expiration date; or |
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you must comply with the procedures described under
Guaranteed Delivery Procedures. |
Your tender, if not withdrawn before the expiration date, will
constitute an agreement between you and us in accordance with
the terms and subject to the conditions described in this
prospectus and in the letter of transmittal.
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The method of delivery of private notes and the letter of
transmittal and all other required documents to the exchange
agent is at your election and risk. We recommend that, instead
of delivery by mail, you use an overnight or hand delivery
service. In all cases, you should allow sufficient time to
ensure delivery to the exchange agent prior to the expiration
date. You should not send letters of transmittal or private
notes to us. You may request that your respective brokers,
dealers, commercial banks, trust companies or nominees effect
the transactions described above for you.
If you are a beneficial owner whose private notes are registered
in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company
or other nominee and you wish to tender your private notes, you
should contact such registered holder promptly and instruct such
registered holder to tender on your behalf. If you wish to
tender on your own behalf, prior to completing and executing the
letter of transmittal and delivering your private notes, you
must either:
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make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of your
private notes in your name; or |
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obtain a properly completed bond power from the registered
holder. |
The transfer of record ownership may take considerable time
unless private notes are tendered:
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by a registered holder who has not completed the box entitled
Special Registration Instructions or Special
Delivery Instruction on the letter of transmittal; or |
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for the account of an Eligible Institution which is
either: |
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a member firm of a registered national securities exchange or of
the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.; |
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a commercial bank or trust company located or having an office
or correspondent in the United States; or |
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otherwise an eligible guarantor institution within
meaning of Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934. |
An Eligible Institution must guarantee the signatures on a
letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal described below
under Withdrawal of Tenders.
If the letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than
the registered holder, such private notes must be endorsed or
accompanied by appropriate bond powers which authorize such
person to tender the private notes on behalf of the registered
holder, in either case signed as the name of the registered
holder or holders appears on the private notes.
If the letter of transmittal or any private notes or bond powers
are signed or endorsed by trustees, executors, administrators,
guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others
acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such persons
should so indicate when signing, and unless waived by us, they
must submit evidence satisfactory to us of their authority to so
act with the letter of transmittal.
The letter of transmittal will include representations to us as
set forth under Resale of Exchange Notes.
You should note that:
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All questions as to the validity, form, eligibility, including
time of receipt, acceptance and withdrawal of the tendered
private notes will be determined by us in our sole discretion,
which determination will be final and binding; |
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We reserve the absolute right to reject any and all private
notes not properly tendered or any private notes the acceptance
of which would, in our judgment or the judgment of our counsel,
be unlawful; |
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We also reserve the absolute right to waive any irregularities
or conditions of tender as to particular private notes. Our
interpretation of the terms and conditions of the exchange
offer, including the instructions in the letter of transmittal,
will be final and binding on all parties. Unless waived, any |
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defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of private
notes must be cured within such time as we shall determine; |
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Although we intend to notify holders of defects or
irregularities with respect to any tender of private notes,
neither we, the exchange agent nor any other person shall be
under any duty to give notification of any defect or
irregularity with respect to tenders of private notes, nor shall
any of them incur any liability for failure to give such
notification; and |
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Tenders of private notes will not be deemed to have been made
until such irregularities have been cured or waived. Any private
notes received by the exchange agent that we determine are not
properly tendered or the tender of which is otherwise rejected
by us and as to which the defects or irregularities have not
been cured or waived by us will be returned by the exchange
agent to the tendering holder unless otherwise provided in the
letter of transmittal, as soon as practicable following the
expiration date. |
Book-Entry Transfer
The exchange agent will make a request promptly after the date
of this prospectus to establish accounts with respect to the
private notes at the Depository Trust Company for the purpose of
facilitating the exchange offer. Any financial institution that
is a participant in the Depository Trust Companys system
may make book-entry delivery of private notes by causing the
Depository Trust Company to transfer such private notes into the
exchange agents account with respect to the private notes
in accordance with the Depository Trust Companys Automated
Tender Offer Program procedures for such transfer. However, the
exchange for the private notes so tendered will only be made
after timely confirmation of such book-entry transfer of private
notes into the exchange agents account, and timely receipt
by the exchange agent of an agents message and any other
documents required by the letter of transmittal. The term
agents message means a message, transmitted by
the Depository Trust Company and received by the exchange agent
and forming a part of the confirmation of a book-entry transfer,
which states that the Depository Trust Company has received an
express acknowledgment from a participant that is tendering
private notes that such participant has received the letter of
transmittal and agrees to be bound by the terms of the letter of
transmittal, and that we may enforce such agreement against the
participant.
Although delivery of private notes may be effected through
book-entry transfer into the exchange agents account at
the Depository Trust Company, you must transmit and the exchange
agent must receive, the letter of transmittal (or facsimile
thereof) properly completed and duly executed with any required
signature guarantee and all other required documents prior to
the expiration date, or you must comply with the guaranteed
delivery procedures described below. Delivery of documents to
the Depository Trust Company does not constitute delivery to the
exchange agent.
Guaranteed Delivery Procedures
If you wish to tender your private notes but your private notes
are not immediately available, or time will not permit your
private notes or other required documents to reach the exchange
agent before the expiration date, or the procedure for
book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis, you
may effect a tender if:
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(1) the tender is made through an Eligible Institution; |
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(2) prior to the expiration date, the exchange agent
receives from such Eligible Institution a properly completed and
duly executed notice of guaranteed delivery, by facsimile
transmittal, mail or hand delivery |
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stating the name and address of the holder, the certificate
number or numbers of such holders private notes and the
principal amount of such private notes tendered; |
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stating that the tender is being made thereby; and |
37
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guaranteeing that, within three New York Stock Exchange trading
days after the expiration date, the letter of transmittal, or a
facsimile thereof, together with the certificate(s) representing
the private notes to be tendered in proper form for transfer, or
confirmation of a book-entry transfer into the exchange
agents account at the Depository Trust Company of private
notes delivered electronically, and any other documents required
by the letter of transmittal, will be deposited by the Eligible
Institution with the exchange agent; and |
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(3) such properly completed and executed letter of
transmittal, or a facsimile thereof, together with the
certificate(s) representing all tendered private notes in proper
form for transfer, or confirmation of a book-entry transfer into
the exchange agents account at the Depository Trust
Company of private notes delivered electronically and all other
documents required by the letter of transmittal are received by
the exchange agent within three New York Stock Exchange trading
days after the expiration date. |
Upon request, the exchange agent will send to you a notice of
guaranteed delivery if you wish to tender your private notes
according to the guaranteed delivery procedures described above.
Withdrawal of Tenders
Except as otherwise provided in this prospectus, you may
withdraw tenders of private notes at any time prior to the
expiration date.
For a withdrawal to be effective, the exchange agent must
receive a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal
at its address set forth this prospectus prior to the expiration
date. Any such notice of withdrawal must:
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specify the name of the person who deposited the private notes
to be withdrawn; |
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identify the private notes to be withdrawn, including the
certificate number or number and principal amount of such
private notes or, in the case of private notes transferred by
book-entry transfer, the name and number of the account at the
Depository Trust Company to be credited; and |
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be signed in the same manner as the original signature on the
letter of transmittal by which such private notes were tendered,
including any required signature guarantee. |
We will determine in our sole discretion all questions as to the
validity, form and eligibility, including time of receipt, of
such withdrawal notices, and our determination shall be final
and binding on all parties. We will not deem any properly
withdrawn private notes to have been validly tendered for
purposes of the exchange offer, and we will not issue new notes
with respect those private notes unless you validly retender the
withdrawn private notes. You may retender properly withdrawn
private notes following one of the procedures described above
under Procedures for Tendering at any
time prior to the expiration date.
Conditions
Notwithstanding any other term of the exchange offer, we will
not be required to accept for exchange, or exchange the new
notes for, any private notes, and may terminate the exchange
offer as provided in this prospectus before the acceptance of
the private notes, if:
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the exchange offer violates applicable law, rules or regulations
or an applicable interpretation of the staff of the SEC; |
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an action or proceeding has been instituted or threatened in any
court or by any governmental agency which might materially
impair our ability to proceed with the exchange offer; |
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there has been proposed, adopted or enacted any law, rule or
regulation that, in our reasonable judgment would impair
materially our ability to consummate the exchange offer; or |
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all governmental approvals which we deem necessary for the
completion of the exchange offer have not been obtained. |
38
If we determine in our reasonable discretion that any of these
conditions are not satisfied, we may:
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refuse to accept any private notes and return all tendered
private notes to you; |
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extend the exchange offer and retain all private notes tendered
before the exchange offer expires, subject, however, to your
rights to withdraw the private notes; or |
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waive the unsatisfied conditions with respect to the exchange
offer and accept all properly tendered private notes that have
not been withdrawn. |
If the waiver constitutes a material change to the exchange
offer, we will promptly disclose the waiver by means of a
prospectus supplement that we will distribute to the registered
holders of the private notes.
Exchange Agent
We have appointed Wilmington Trust Company, the trustee under
the indenture, as exchange agent for the exchange offer. You
should send all executed letters of transmittal to the exchange
agent at one of the addresses set forth below. In such capacity,
the exchange agent has no fiduciary duties and will be acting
solely on the basis of directions of our company. You should
direct questions, requests for assistance and requests for
additional copies of this prospectus or of the letter of
transmittal and requests for a notice of guaranteed delivery to
the exchange agent addressed as follows:
By Certified or Registered Mail:
Wilmington Trust Company
DC-1626 Processing Unit
P.O. Box 8861
Wilmington, DE 19899-8861
By Overnight Courier or Hand Delivery:
Wilmington Trust Company
Corporate Capital Markets
1100 North Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19890-1626
By Facsimile:
(302) 636-4139
Confirm By Telephone:
(302) 636-6470
Delivery to an address or facsimile number other than those
listed above will not constitute a valid delivery.
The trustee does not assume any responsibility for and makes no
representation as to the validity or adequacy of this prospectus
or the notes.
Solicitation of Tenders; Fees And Expenses
We will pay all expenses of soliciting tenders pursuant to the
exchange offer. We are making the principal solicitation by
mail. Our officers and regular employees may make additional
solicitations in person or by telephone or telecopier.
We have not retained any dealer-manager in connection with the
exchange offer and will not make any payments to brokers,
dealers or other persons soliciting acceptances of the exchange
offer. We will, however, pay the exchange agent reasonable and
customary fees for its services and will reimburse the exchange
agent for its reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses in
connection therewith.
We also may pay brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees
and fiduciaries the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred
by them in forwarding copies of this prospectus, letters of
transmittal and related documents to the beneficial owners of
the private notes and in handling or forwarding tenders for
exchange.
39
We will pay the expenses to be incurred in connection with the
exchange offer, including fees and expenses of the exchange
agent and trustee and accounting and legal fees and printing
costs.
We will pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the
exchange of private notes for new notes pursuant to the exchange
offer. If, however, certificates representing new notes or
private notes for principal amounts not tendered or accepted for
exchange are to be delivered to, or are to be registered or
issued in the name of, any person other than the registered
holder of the private notes tendered, or if tendered private
notes are registered in the name of any person other than the
person signing the letter of transmittal, or if a transfer tax
is imposed for any reason other than the exchange of private
notes pursuant to the exchange offer, then the amount of any
such transfer taxes, whether imposed on the registered holder or
any other persons, will be payable by the tendering holder. If
satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes or exemption
therefrom is not submitted with the letter of transmittal, the
amount of such transfer taxes will be billed by us directly to
such tendering holder.
Consequences of Failure to Exchange
Participation in the exchange offer is voluntary. We urge you to
consult your financial and tax advisors in making your decisions
on what action to take. Private notes that are not exchanged for
new notes pursuant to the exchange offer will remain restricted
securities. Accordingly, those private notes may be resold only:
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to a person whom the seller reasonably believes is a qualified
institutional buyer in a transaction meeting the requirements of
Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933; |
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in a transaction meeting the requirements of Rule 144 under
the Securities Act of 1933; |
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outside the United States to a foreign person in a transaction
meeting the requirements of Rule 903 or 904 of
Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933; |
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in accordance with another exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and based upon an
opinion of counsel if we so request; |
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to us; or |
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pursuant to an effective registration statement. |
In each case, the private notes may be resold only in accordance
with any applicable securities laws of any state of the United
States or any other applicable jurisdiction.
40
DESCRIPTION OF NOTES
General
You can find the definitions of certain terms used in this
description under the subheading Certain
Definitions. In this description, the word
AREP refers only to American Real Estate Partners,
L.P., the words AREP Finance refer only to AREP
Finance, the word AREH refers only to American Real
Estate Holdings Limited Partnership, and the word
API refers only to American Property Investors, Inc.
and not to any of their respective Subsidiaries. For the
avoidance of doubt, AREH will be deemed to be a Subsidiary of
AREP for so long as AREH remains a Guarantor. The term
Issuers refers to AREP and AREP Finance,
collectively.
The Issuers issued the private notes, and will issue the new
notes, under an indenture among the Issuers, AREH, as guarantor,
and Wilmington Trust Company, as trustee. The terms of the
notes include those stated in the indenture and those made part
of the indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
The following description is a summary of the material
provisions of the indenture. It does not restate the indenture
in entirety. We urge you to read the indenture because it and
not this description, defines your rights as holders of the
notes. Copies of the indenture are available as set forth below
under Additional Information. Certain
defined terms used in this description but not defined below
under Certain Definitions have the
meanings assigned to them in the indenture and the registration
rights agreement.
For the avoidance of doubt, the inclusion of exceptions to the
provisions (including covenants and definitions) set forth
herein will not be interpreted to imply that the matters
permitted by the exception would be limited by the terms of such
provisions but for such exceptions.
The registered holder of a note will be treated as the owner of
it for all purposes. Only registered holders will have rights
under the indenture.
Brief Description of the Notes and the Note Guarantee
The Notes
The notes:
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will be the general unsecured obligation of each of the Issuers; |
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will be pari passu in right of payment to all existing and
future senior Indebtedness of each of the Issuers; |
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will be senior in right of payment to any future subordinated
Indebtedness of each of the Issuers; and |
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will be effectively subordinated to the secured Indebtedness of
the Issuers to the extent of the value of the collateral
securing such Indebtedness. As of September 30, 2005, the
Issuers did not have any secured Indebtedness. |
The Note Guarantee
The Guarantee of the notes:
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will be the general unsecured obligation of AREH; |
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will be pari passu in right of payment to all existing and
future senior Indebtedness of AREH; |
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will be senior in right of payment to any future subordinated
Indebtedness of AREH; and |
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will be effectively subordinated to the secured Indebtedness of
AREH to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such
Indebtedness. As of September 30, 2005, AREH had
$39 million of secured Indebtedness. |
41
The operations of AREP are conducted through its Subsidiaries
(including AREH) and, therefore, AREP depends on the cash flow
of AREPs Subsidiaries and AREH to meet its obligations,
including its obligations under the notes. The notes will not be
guaranteed by any of AREPs Subsidiaries other than AREH.
The notes and the guarantee will be effectively subordinated in
right of payment to all Indebtedness and other liabilities and
commitments (including trade payables and lease obligations) of
AREPs Subsidiaries (other than AREH). Any right of the
Issuers or AREH to receive assets of any of their Subsidiaries
(other than AREH) upon that Subsidiarys liquidation or
reorganization (and the consequent right of the holders of the
notes to participate in those assets) will be effectively
subordinated to the claims of that Subsidiarys creditors,
except to the extent that any of the Issuers or AREH is itself
recognized as a creditor of that Subsidiary, in which case the
claims of the Issuers and AREH would still be subordinate in
right of payment to any security in the assets of the Subsidiary
and any Indebtedness of the Subsidiary senior to that held by
the Issuers or AREH. The covenants of the notes do not restrict
the ability of AREPs Subsidiaries, other than AREH, from
incurring additional Indebtedness or creating liens, nor do the
covenants of the notes restrict the ability of AREH, AREP or its
Subsidiaries from making investments or entering into sale and
leaseback transactions.
Principal, Maturity and Interest
The Issuers will issue $480.0 million in aggregate
principal amount of notes. The Issuers may issue additional
notes (Additional Notes) from time to time. Any
offering of Additional Notes is subject to the covenant
Certain Covenants Incurrence of
Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock. In the case
of each series, the notes and any Additional Notes subsequently
issued under the indenture will be treated as a single class for
all purposes under the indenture, including, without limitation,
waivers, amendments, redemption and offers to purchase. The
Issuers will issue notes in denominations of $1,000 and integral
multiples of $1,000. The notes will mature on February 15,
2013.
Interest on the notes will accrue at the rate of
71/8% per
annum and will be payable semi-annually in arrears on
February 15 and August 15, commencing on
August 15, 2005. Interest on overdue principal and interest
and Liquidated Damages, if any, will accrue at a rate that is 1%
higher than the then applicable interest rate on the notes. The
Issuers will make each interest payment to the holders of record
on the immediately preceding February 1 and August 1.
Interest on the notes will accrue from the date of original
issuance or, if interest has already been paid, from the date it
was most recently paid. Interest will be computed on the basis
of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.
Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes
If a noteholder holds at least $2.0 million aggregate
principal amount of notes, such holder may give wire transfer
instructions to AREP and the Issuers will instruct the trustee
to pay all principal, interest and premium and Liquidated
Damages, if any, on that holders notes in accordance with
those instructions. All other payments on the notes will be made
at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar within
the City and State of New York unless the Issuers elect to make
interest payments by check mailed to the noteholders at their
address set forth in the register of holders. In addition, all
payments will be subject to the applicable rules and procedures
of the settlement systems (including, if applicable, those of
Euroclear and Clearstream), which may change from time to time.
Paying Agent and Registrar for the Notes
The trustee will initially act as paying agent and registrar.
The Issuers may change the paying agent or registrar without
prior notice to the holders of the notes, and the Issuers or any
of their Subsidiaries (including AREH) may act as paying agent
or registrar.
42
Transfer and Exchange
A holder may transfer or exchange notes in accordance with the
provisions of the indenture. The registrar and the trustee may
require a holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate
endorsements and transfer documents in connection with a
transfer of notes. Holders will be required to pay all taxes due
on transfer. The Issuers will not be required to transfer or
exchange any note selected for redemption. Also, the Issuers
will not be required to transfer or exchange any note for a
period of 15 days before a selection of notes to be
redeemed.
Note Guarantee
The notes will be guaranteed by AREH. AREP may, at its option,
add subsidiary Guarantors to the notes. Each Guarantors
obligations under its Note Guarantee will be limited as
necessary to prevent the Note Guarantee from constituting a
fraudulent conveyance under applicable law. See Risk
Factors Federal and state statutes allow courts,
under specific circumstances, to void guarantees and require
noteholders to return payments received from the guarantor.
Any Guarantors Note Guarantee will be released:
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(1) upon the substitution of a successor to AREH or other
release as described under the heading Certain
Covenants Merger, Consolidation or Sale of
Assets; and |
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(2) upon legal defeasance or satisfaction and discharge of
the indenture as provided below under the captions
Covenant Defeasance and
Satisfaction and Discharge. |
Optional Redemption
At any time prior to February 15, 2008, the Issuers may on
one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate
principal amount of notes (including Additional Notes) issued
under the indenture at a redemption price of
1071/8%
of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid
interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, to the redemption date,
with the net cash proceeds of one or more Equity Offerings;
provided, however, that:
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(1) at least 65% of the aggregate principal amount of notes
issued under the indenture remains outstanding immediately after
the occurrence of such redemption (excluding notes held by AREP
and its Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor)); and |
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(2) the redemption occurs within 60 days of the date
of the closing of such Equity Offering. |
Except pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the notes will not
be redeemable at the Issuers option prior to
February 15, 2009.
On or after February 15, 2009, the Issuers may redeem all
or a part of the notes upon not less than 15 nor more than
60 days notice, at the redemption prices (expressed
as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued
and unpaid interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, on the notes
redeemed, to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during
the twelve-month period beginning on one of the years indicated
below:
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Percentage | |
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2009
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103.563 |
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2010
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101.781 |
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2011 and thereafter
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100.000 |
% |
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Mandatory Disposition Pursuant to Gaming Laws
If any Gaming Authority requires that a holder or Beneficial
Owner of notes be licensed, qualified or found suitable under
any applicable Gaming Law and such holder or Beneficial Owner:
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(1) fails to apply for a license, qualification or a
finding of suitability within 30 days (or such shorter
period as may be required by the applicable Gaming Authority)
after being requested to do so by the Gaming Authority; or |
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(2) is denied such license or qualification or not found
suitable; AREP shall then have the right, at its option: |
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(1) to require each such holder or Beneficial Owner to
dispose of its notes within 30 days (or such earlier date
as may be required by the applicable Gaming Authority) of the
occurrence of the event described in clause (1) or
(2) above, or |
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(2) to redeem the notes of each such holder or Beneficial
Owner, in accordance with Rule 14e-1 of the Exchange Act,
if applicable, at a redemption price equal to the lowest of: |
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(a) the principal amount thereof, together with accrued and
unpaid interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, to the earlier
of the date of redemption, the date 30 days after such
holder or Beneficial Owner is required to apply for a license,
qualification or finding of suitability (or such shorter period
that may be required by any applicable Gaming Authority) if such
holder or Beneficial Owner fails to do so (Application
Date) or of the date of denial of license or qualification
or of the finding of unsuitability by such Gaming Authority; |
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(b) the price at which such holder or Beneficial Owner
acquired the notes, together with accrued and unpaid interest
and Liquidated Damages, if any, to the earlier of the date of
redemption, the Application Date or the date of the denial of
license or qualification or of the finding of unsuitability by
such Gaming Authority; and |
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(c) such other lesser amount as may be required by any
Gaming Authority. |
Immediately upon a determination by a Gaming Authority that a
holder or Beneficial Owner of the notes will not be licensed,
qualified or found suitable and must dispose of the notes, the
holder or Beneficial Owner will, to the extent required by
applicable Gaming Laws, have no further right:
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(1) to exercise, directly or indirectly, through any
trustee or nominee or any other person or entity, any right
conferred by the notes, the Note Guarantee or the
indenture; or |
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(2) to receive any interest, Liquidated Damages, dividend,
economic interests or any other distributions or payments with
respect to the notes and the Note Guarantee or any remuneration
in any form with respect to the notes and the Note Guarantee
from the Issuers, any Note Guarantor or the trustee, except the
redemption price referred to above. |
AREP shall notify the trustee in writing of any such redemption
as soon as practicable. Any holder or Beneficial Owner that is
required to apply for a license, qualification or a finding of
suitability will be responsible for all fees and costs of
applying for and obtaining the license, qualification or finding
of suitability and of any investigation by the applicable Gaming
Authorities and the Issuers and any Note Guarantor will not
reimburse any holder or Beneficial Owner for such expense.
Mandatory Redemption
The Issuers are not required to make mandatory redemption or
sinking fund payments with respect to the notes.
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Repurchase at the Option of Holders
Change of Control
If a Change of Control occurs, each holder of notes will have
the right to require the Issuers to repurchase all or any part
(equal to $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000) of that
holders notes pursuant to a Change of Control offer on the
terms set forth in the indenture. In the Change of Control
offer, the Issuers will offer a Change of Control payment in
cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of notes
repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest and Liquidated
Damages, if any, on the notes repurchased, to the date of
purchase. Within 30 days following any Change of Control,
the Issuers will mail a notice to each holder describing the
transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of
Control and offering to repurchase notes on the Change of
Control payment date specified in the notice, which date will be
no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from
the date such notice is mailed, pursuant to the procedures
required by the indenture and described in such notice.
On the Change of Control payment date, the Issuers will, to the
extent lawful:
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(1) accept for payment all notes or portions of notes
properly tendered and not withdrawn pursuant to the Change of
Control offer; |
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(2) deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the
Change of Control payment in respect of all notes or portions of
notes properly tendered; and |
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(3) deliver or cause to be delivered to the trustee the
notes properly accepted together with an Officers
Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of notes or
portions of notes being purchased by the Issuers. |
The paying agent will promptly mail to each holder of notes
properly tendered the Change of Control payment for such notes,
and the trustee will promptly authenticate and mail (or cause to
be transferred by book entry) to each holder a new note equal in
principal amount to any unpurchased portion of the notes
surrendered, if any; provided that each new note will be in a
principal amount of $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000.
The Issuers will publicly announce the results of the Change of
Control offer on or as soon as practicable after the Change of
Control payment date.
The provisions described above that require the Issuers to make
a Change of Control offer following a Change of Control will be
applicable whether or not any other provisions of the indenture
are applicable. Except as described above with respect to a
Change of Control, the indenture does not contain provisions
that permit the holders of the notes to require that the Issuers
repurchase or redeem the notes in the event of a takeover,
recapitalization or similar transaction.
The Issuers will not be required to make a Change of Control
offer upon a Change of Control if a third party makes the Change
of Control offer in the manner, at the times and otherwise in
compliance with the requirements set forth in the indenture
applicable to a Change of Control offer made by the Issuers and
purchases all notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under
the Change of Control offer.
The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating
to the sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition by
AREP or AREH of all or substantially all of its
properties or assets. Although there is a limited body of case
law interpreting the phrase substantially all, there
is no precise established definition of the phrase under
applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of notes to
require the Issuers to repurchase its notes as a result of a
sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less
than all of the assets of AREP or AREH to another Person or
group may be uncertain. In addition, under certain circumstances
the definition of Change of Control excludes certain sales,
leases transfers, conveyances or other dispositions even if they
constitute all or substantially all of the
properties or assets of AREP or AREH.
45
Certain Covenants
Restricted Payments
AREP will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries
(including any Guarantor) to:
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(1) declare or pay any dividend or make any other
distribution on account of AREPs or any of its
Subsidiaries (including any Guarantors) Equity
Interests or to the holders of AREPs or any of its
Subsidiaries (including AREHs) Equity Interests in
their capacity as such (other than dividends or distributions
payable in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of
AREP or to AREP or a Subsidiary of AREP (including AREH)); |
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(2) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or retire for
value (including, without limitation, in connection with any
merger or consolidation involving AREP) any Equity Interests of
AREP; or |
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(3) make any payment on or with respect to, or purchase,
redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any
Indebtedness of AREP or any Guarantor that is contractually
subordinated to the notes or to any Note Guarantee (excluding
any intercompany Indebtedness between or among AREP and any of
its Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor)), except a payment of
interest, Other Liquidated Damages or principal at the Stated
Maturity on such subordinated Indebtedness (all such payments
and other actions set forth in these clauses (1) through
(3) (except as excluded therein) above being collectively
referred to as Restricted Payments), |
unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such
Restricted Payment:
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(1) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is
continuing or would occur as a consequence of such Restricted
Payment; |
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(2) AREP or any Guarantor would, at the time of such
Restricted Payment and after giving pro forma effect thereto as
if such Restricted Payment had been made at the beginning of the
most recently ended four-quarter period for which financial
statements are available, have been permitted to incur at least
$1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the first paragraph
of the covenant described below under the caption
Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock; and |
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(3) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate
amount of all other Restricted Payments made by AREP and its
Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor) after May 12, 2004
(excluding Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (2),
(3), (4), (6) and (8) of the next succeeding
paragraph) is less than the sum, without duplication, of: |
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(a) 50% of the Consolidated Net Income of AREP for the
period (taken as one accounting period) from July 1, 2006
to the end of AREPs most recently ended fiscal quarter for
which financial statements are available at the time of such
Restricted Payment (or, if such Consolidated Net Income for such
period is a deficit, less 100% of such deficit); provided,
however, that to the extent any payments of Tax Amounts were not
deducted in the calculation of Consolidated Net Income during
the applicable period, for purposes of this clause (a),
such payments of Tax Amounts will be deducted from Consolidated
Net Income, plus |
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(b) 100% of the aggregate net cash proceeds received by
AREP since May 12, 2004 as a contribution to its equity
capital or from the issue or sale of Equity Interests of AREP
(excluding Disqualified Stock) or from the issue or sale of
convertible or exchangeable Disqualified Stock or convertible or
exchangeable debt securities of AREP that have been converted
into or exchanged for such Equity Interests (other than Equity
Interests or Disqualified Stock or debt securities sold to a
Subsidiary of AREP (including AREH)). |
46
So long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is
continuing or would be caused thereby (except with respect to
clauses (6) and (8), which payments will be permitted
notwithstanding an Event of Default), the preceding provisions
will not prohibit:
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(1) the payment of any dividend or the consummation of any
irrevocable redemption or payment within 60 days after the
date of declaration of the dividend or giving of the redemption
notice or becoming irrevocably obligated to make such payment,
as the case may be, if at the date of declaration or notice or
becoming irrevocably obligated to make such payment, the
dividend or payment would have complied with the provisions of
the indenture; |
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(2) the making of any Restricted Payment in exchange for,
or out of the net cash proceeds of the substantially concurrent
sale (other than to a Subsidiary of AREP (including any
Guarantor)) of, Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock)
or from the substantially concurrent contribution of equity
capital to AREP; provided, however, that the amount of any such
net cash proceeds that are utilized for any such redemption,
repurchase, retirement, defeasance or other acquisition will be
excluded from clause (3)(b) of the preceding paragraph; |
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(3) the repurchase, redemption, defeasance or other
acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness of AREP or
any Guarantor that is contractually subordinated to the notes
with the net cash proceeds from a substantially concurrent
incurrence of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness; |
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(4) the declaration or payment of any dividend or
distribution by a Subsidiary of AREP (including any Guarantor)
to the holders of its Equity Interests; provided, that if any
such dividend or distribution is paid to an Affiliate of the
Principal (other than AREP or any of its Subsidiaries (including
any Guarantor)), that any such dividend or distribution is paid
on a pro rata basis to all holders (including AREP or any of its
Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor)) that hold securities
whose terms (either contractually or by law) entitle them to the
same distribution upon which such dividend or distribution is
paid; |
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(5) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or
retirement for value of any Equity Interests of AREP or any
Subsidiary of AREP (including any Guarantor) held by any member
of AREPs (or any of its Subsidiaries (including any
Guarantors)) management pursuant to any management equity
subscription agreement, stock option agreement or similar
agreement; provided that the aggregate price paid for all such
repurchased, redeemed, acquired or retired Equity Interests
shall not exceed $2.0 million; |
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(6) for so long as AREP is a partnership or otherwise a
pass-through entity for federal income tax purposes for any
period, AREP may make cash distributions to its equity holders
or partners in an amount not to exceed the Tax Amount for such
period; provided that a distribution of the Tax Amount shall be
made no earlier than 20 days prior to the due date for such
tax (or the date that quarterly estimated taxes are required to
be paid) that would be payable by AREP if it were a Delaware
corporation; |
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(7) the purchase, redemption or retirement for value of
Capital Stock of AREP not owned by the Principal or any
Affiliate of the Principal, provided that (a) AREP would,
at the time of such Restricted Payment and after giving pro
forma effect thereto as if such Restricted Payment had been made
at the beginning of the most recently ended four-quarter period
for which financial statements are available, have been
permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness
pursuant to the first paragraph of the covenant described below
under the caption Incurrence of Indebtedness
and Issuance of Preferred Stock and (b) after giving
effect to such purchase, redemption or retirement, the
Partners Equity is at least $1.0 billion; |
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(8) the payment of dividends on the Preferred Units in the
form of additional Preferred Units or other Capital Stock of
AREP (that is not Disqualified Stock) or the payment of cash
dividends on the Preferred Units in lieu of fractional Preferred
Units; provided that the aggregate amount of cash under this
clause (8) does not exceed $100,000 in any calendar year; |
47
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(9) the purchase, redemption or retirement for value of the
Preferred Units on or before March 31, 2010, provided that
(a) AREP would, at the time of such Restricted Payment and
after giving pro forma effect thereto as if such Restricted
Payment had been made at the beginning of the most recently
ended four-quarter period for which financial statements are
available, have been permitted to incur at least $1.00 of
additional Indebtedness pursuant to the first paragraph of the
covenant described below under the caption
Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock and (b) after giving effect to such
purchase, redemption or retirement, the Partners Equity is
at least $1.0 billion; and |
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(10) other Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not
to exceed $50.0 million since the date of the indenture. |
For purposes of determining compliance with this covenant, in
the event that a proposed Restricted Payment meets the criteria
of more than one of the categories of Restricted Payments
described in clauses (1) through (10) above, or is
permitted to be made pursuant to the first paragraph of this
covenant, AREP shall, in its sole discretion, classify (or later
reclassify, in whole or in part, in its sole discretion) such
Restricted Payment in any manner that complies with this
covenant.
The amount of all Restricted Payments (other than cash) will be
the Fair Market Value on the date of the Restricted Payment of
the assets, property or securities proposed to be transferred or
issued by AREP or such Subsidiary (including AREH), as the case
may be, pursuant to the Restricted Payment.
Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred
Stock
Neither AREP nor any Guarantor will create, incur, issue,
assume, guarantee or otherwise become liable, contingently or
otherwise, with respect to (collectively, incur) any
Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt), and neither AREP nor any
Guarantor will issue any Disqualified Stock; provided, however,
that AREP or any Guarantor may incur Indebtedness (including
Acquired Debt) or issue Disqualified Stock, if immediately after
giving effect to the incurrence of additional Indebtedness
(including Acquired Debt) or issuance of Disqualified Stock
(including a pro forma application of the net proceeds
therefrom), the ratio of the aggregate principal amount of all
outstanding Indebtedness (excluding Indebtedness incurred
pursuant to clauses (4), (7) and (8) of the following
paragraph and any Hedging Obligations of AREPs
Subsidiaries that are not Guarantors) of AREP and its
Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor) on a consolidated basis
determined in accordance with GAAP (including an amount of
Indebtedness equal to the principal amount of any Guarantees by
AREP or its Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor) of any
Indebtedness of a Person (that is not AREP or a Subsidiary) to
the extent such Guarantees were not included in computing
AREPs or its Subsidiaries (including any
Guarantors) outstanding Indebtedness) to the Tangible Net
Worth of AREP and its Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor) on
a consolidated basis, would have been less than 1.75 to 1.
The preceding paragraph of this covenant will not prohibit the
incurrence of any of the following items of Indebtedness
(collectively, Permitted Debt):
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(1) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of Indebtedness
represented by the notes to be issued on the date of the
indenture and the exchange notes to be issued pursuant to the
registration rights agreement; |
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(2) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness in exchange for, or the net proceeds of
which are used to refund, refinance or replace Indebtedness
(other than intercompany Indebtedness) that was incurred under
the first paragraph of this covenant or clauses (1), (2) or
(9) of this paragraph or any Existing Indebtedness; |
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(3) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of intercompany
Indebtedness between or among AREP and any of its Subsidiaries
(including AREH) or the issuance of Disqualified Stock by any
Guarantor to AREP; |
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(4) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of Hedging
Obligations that are incurred in the normal course of business; |
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(5) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of Indebtedness
arising from the honoring by a bank or other financial
institution of a check, draft or similar instrument
inadvertently drawn against insufficient funds, so long as such
Indebtedness is covered within five business days; |
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(6) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of the Existing
Indebtedness; |
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(7) Indebtedness arising from any agreement entered into by
AREP or AREH providing for indemnification, purchase price
adjustment or similar obligations, in each case, incurred or
assumed in connection with an asset sale; |
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(8) Indebtedness of AREP or any Guarantor attributable to
Bad Boy Guarantees; and |
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(9) the incurrence by AREP or any Guarantor of additional
Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount at any time
outstanding, including all Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness
incurred to refund, refinance or replace any Indebtedness
incurred pursuant to this clause (9), not to exceed
$10.0 million at any one time outstanding. |
Neither AREP nor any Guarantor will incur any Indebtedness
(including Permitted Debt) that is contractually subordinated in
right of payment to any other Indebtedness of AREP or any
Guarantor unless such Indebtedness is also contractually
subordinated in right of payment to the notes and the Note
Guarantee, as applicable, on substantially identical terms;
provided, however, that no Indebtedness of AREP or any Guarantor
shall be deemed to be contractually subordinated in right of
payment to any other Indebtedness of AREP or any Guarantor for
purposes of this paragraph solely by virtue of being unsecured
or secured to a lesser extent or on a junior Lien basis.
To the extent AREP or any Guarantor incurs any intercompany
Indebtedness, (a) if AREP or any Guarantor is the obligor
on such Indebtedness, such Indebtedness (other than intercompany
Indebtedness of any Guarantor to or from AREP or another
Guarantor) must be expressly subordinated to the prior payment
in full in cash of all Obligations with respect to the notes and
(b)(i) any subsequent issuance or transfer of Equity Interests
that results in any such Indebtedness being held by a Person
other than AREP or a Subsidiary of AREP (including any
Guarantor) and (ii) any sale or other transfer of any such
Indebtedness to a Person that is not either AREP or a Subsidiary
of AREP (including any Guarantor) shall be deemed, in each case,
to constitute an incurrence of such Indebtedness by AREP or any
Guarantor, that is not intercompany Indebtedness; provided that
in the case of clause (a), that no restriction on the
payment of principal, interest or other obligations in
connection with such intercompany Indebtedness shall be required
by such subordinated terms except during the occurrence and
continuation of a Default or Event of Default.
For purposes of determining compliance with this covenant, in
the event that an item of Indebtedness meets the criteria of
more than one of the categories of Permitted Debt described in
clauses (1) through (9) above or is entitled to be incurred
pursuant to the first paragraph of this covenant, in each case,
as of the date of incurrence thereof, AREP shall, in its sole
discretion, classify (or later reclassify in whole or in part,
in its sole discretion) such item of Indebtedness in any manner
that complies with this covenant and such Indebtedness will be
treated as having been incurred pursuant to such clauses or the
first paragraph hereof, as the case may be, designated by AREP.
The accrual of interest, the accretion or amortization of
original issue discount, the payment of interest or Other
Liquidated Damages on any Indebtedness in the form of additional
Indebtedness with the same terms, the reclassification of
preferred stock as Indebtedness due to a change in accounting
principles, and the payment of dividends on Disqualified Stock
in the form of additional shares of the same class of
Disqualified Stock will not be deemed to be an incurrence of
Indebtedness or an issuance of Disqualified Stock for purposes
of this covenant. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
covenant, the maximum amount of Indebtedness that AREP or any
Guarantor may incur pursuant to this covenant shall not be
deemed to be exceeded solely as a result of fluctuations in
exchange rates or currency values.
The amount of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date will
be:
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(1) the accreted value of the Indebtedness, in the case of
any Indebtedness issued with original issue discount; |
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(2) the principal amount of the Indebtedness, in the case
of any other Indebtedness; and |
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(3) in respect of Indebtedness of another Person secured by
a Lien on the assets of the specified Person, the lesser of: |
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(a) the Fair Market Value of such assets at the date of
determination; and |
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(b) the amount of the Indebtedness of the other Person. |
Limitation on Liens
Neither AREP nor any Guarantor will, (a) issue, assume or
guarantee any Indebtedness if such Indebtedness is secured by a
Lien upon, or (b) secure any then outstanding Indebtedness
by granting a Lien upon, any Principal Property of AREP or any
Guarantor, now owned or hereafter acquired by AREP or any
Guarantor, without effectively providing that the notes and the
Note Guarantee shall be secured equally and ratably with such
Indebtedness, except that the foregoing restrictions shall not
apply to:
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(1) Liens on any Principal Property acquired after the
Issuance Date to secure or provide for the payment of the
purchase price or acquisition cost thereof; |
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(2) Liens on Principal Property acquired after the Issuance
Date existing at the time such Principal Property is acquired; |
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(3) Liens on any Principal Property acquired from a
corporation merged with or into AREP or any Guarantor; |
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(4) Liens in favor of AREP or any Guarantor; |
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(5) Liens in existence on any Principal Property on the
Issuance Date; |
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(6) Liens on any Principal Property constituting unimproved
real property constructed or improved after the Issuance Date to
secure or provide for the payment or cost of such construction
or improvement; |
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(7) Liens in favor of, or required by, governmental
authorities; |
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(8) pledges or deposits in connection with workers
compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security
legislation and deposits securing liability to insure carriers
under insurance arrangements; |
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(9) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or
statutory liens of landlords, carriers, warehousemen, mechanics,
suppliers, materialmen, repairmen or other similar Liens arising
in the ordinary course of business or in the improvement or
repair of any Principal Property not yet due or which are being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings; |
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(10) any judgment attachment or judgment Lien not
constituting an Event of Default; |
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(11) Liens to secure the performance of statutory
obligations, surety or appeal bonds, performance bonds or other
obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of
business and in the improvement or repair of any Principal
Property and which obligations are not expressly prohibited by
the indenture; |
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(12) Liens to secure Indebtedness of AREP or any Guarantor
attributable to Bad Boy Guarantees; |
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(13) Liens in favor of the trustee and required by the
covenant Maintenance of Interest Coverage; |
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(14) Liens to secure margin Indebtedness; provided that
such Liens are secured solely by the applicable margin
securities; or |
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(15) any extension, renewal, substitution or replacement
(or successive extensions, renewals, substitutions or
replacements), in whole or in part, of any Lien referred to in
the foregoing clauses (i) through (xiv), inclusive; |
50
provided that in the case of clauses (1), (2) and (3) such
Liens shall only extend to the Principal Property so acquired
(including through any merger or consolidation) and not to any
other Principal Property of AREP or any Guarantor.
Maintenance of Interest Coverage
On each Quarterly Determination Date, the Fixed Charge Coverage
Ratio of AREP and the Guarantors will be at least 1.5 to 1.0 for
the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently completed
prior to such Quarterly Determination Date; provided that, in
the event that the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of AREP and the
Guarantors is less than 1.5 to 1.0 for such four consecutive
fiscal quarters, the Issuers shall be deemed to have satisfied
this maintenance test if there is deposited, within 2 Business
Days of such Quarterly Determination Date, an amount in cash
such that the deposited funds, together with any funds
previously deposited pursuant to this covenant (and that have
not been paid out or otherwise released) are in an amount equal
to the Issuers obligations to pay interest on the notes
for one year; provided further, that the Issuers shall grant to
the trustee, on behalf of the holders of the notes, a first
priority security interest in such deposited funds. At any
subsequent Quarterly Determination Date, if the Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio of AREP and the Guarantors is at least 1.5 to 1.0
for the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently completed
prior to such Quarterly Determination Date, such deposited funds
will be released from the security interest granted to the
trustee and paid to or at the direction of AREP.
Maintenance of Total Unencumbered Assets
On each Quarterly Determination Date, the ratio of Total
Unencumbered Assets to the then outstanding principal amount of
the Unsecured Indebtedness will be greater than 1.5 to 1.0 as of
the last day of the fiscal quarter most recently completed.
Compliance with Law
AREP will, and will cause its Subsidiaries (including any
Guarantor) to, comply in all material respects with all
applicable laws, rules and regulations.
No Investment Company
Neither AREP nor any Guarantor will register as an
investment company as such term is defined in the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets
AREP will not: (1) consolidate or merge with or into
another Person (whether or not AREP, is the surviving entity) or
(2) sell, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of
all or substantially all of the properties or assets of AREP in
one or more related transactions, to another Person; unless:
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(1) either: (a) AREP is the surviving entity, or
(b) the Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger (if other than AREP) or to which such
sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has
been made is a corporation, limited liability company or limited
partnership entity organized or existing under the laws of the
United States, any state of the United States or the District of
Columbia; |
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(2) the Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger (if other than AREP) or the Person to
which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other
disposition has been made assumes all the obligations of AREP
under the notes, the indenture and the registration rights
agreement and upon such assumption such Person will become the
successor to, and be substituted for, AREP thereunder and all
references to AREP in each thereof shall then become references
to such Person and such Person shall thereafter be able to
exercise every right and power of AREP thereunder; |
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(3) immediately after such transaction no Default or Event
of Default exists; |
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(4) AREP or the Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger (if other than AREP), or to which such
sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has
been made would, on the date of such transaction after giving
pro forma effect thereto and any related financing transactions
as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable
four-quarter period, be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of
additional Indebtedness pursuant to the first paragraph of the
covenant described above under the caption
Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock; and |
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(5) AREP has delivered to the trustee an Officers
Certificate and opinion of counsel, which may be an opinion of
in-house counsel of AREP or an Affiliate, each stating that such
transaction complies with the terms of the indenture. |
Clauses (1), (2) or (4) above will not apply to or be
required to be complied with in connection with any merger or
consolidation or the sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or
other disposition of all or substantially all of AREPs
properties or assets to:
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(1) an Affiliate that has no material assets or liabilities
where the primary purpose of such transaction is to change AREP
into a corporation or other form of business entity or to change
the jurisdiction of formation of AREP and such transaction does
not cause the realization of any material federal or state tax
liability that will be paid by AREP or any of its Subsidiaries
(including AREH). For purposes of this paragraph, the term
material refers to any assets, liabilities or tax liabilities
that are greater than 5.0% of the Tangible Net Worth of AREP and
its Subsidiaries (including AREH) on a consolidated
basis; or |
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(2) any Person; provided that AREP receives consideration
in Cash Equivalents and marketable securities with an aggregate
Fair Market Value determined at the time of the execution of
such relevant agreement of at least $1.0 billion for such
merger or consolidation or the sale, assignment, transfer,
conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of
AREPs properties or assets. In any transaction referred to
in this clause (2), and subject to the terms and conditions
thereof, the trustee shall, without the need of any action by
the noteholders, (x) confirm that such Person shall not be
liable for and release such Person from, any obligation of
AREPs under the indenture and the notes and
(y) release any Guarantor from all obligations under its
Note Guarantee if such Guarantor was directly or indirectly
sold, assigned, transferred, conveyed or otherwise disposed of
to such Person in such transaction. |
AREP or the Person formed by or surviving any merger or
consolidation will not have to comply with clause (4) above
in connection with any merger or consolidation if the effect of
the merger or consolidation is to cause the Capital Stock of
AREP not owned by the Principal or any Affiliate of the
Principal to be retired or extinguished for consideration that
was provided by the Principal or an Affiliate of the Principal
(other than AREP or its Subsidiaries (including AREH) or the
Person formed by or surviving any merger or consolidation) and
the Partners Equity immediately after giving effect to the
merger or consolidation is not less than the Partners
Equity immediately prior to such merger or consolidation.
In addition, AREP may not lease all or substantially all of its
properties or assets, in one or more related transactions, to
any other Person. In the case of a lease of all or substantially
all of the assets of AREP, AREP will not be released from its
obligations under the notes or the indenture, as applicable.
AREH will not: (1) consolidate or merge with or into
another Person (whether or not AREH, is the surviving entity) or
(2) sell, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of
all or substantially all of the properties or assets of AREH in
one or more related transactions, to another Person; unless:
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(1) either: (a) AREH is the surviving entity, or
(b) the Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger (if other than AREH) or to which such
sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has
been made is a corporation, limited liability company or limited
partnership entity organized or existing under the laws of the
United States, any state of the United States or the District of
Columbia; |
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(2) the Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger (if other than AREH) or the Person to
which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other
disposition has been made assumes all the obligations of AREH
under the Note Guarantee (and becomes a Guarantor), the notes,
the indenture and the registration rights agreement, and upon
such assumption such Person will become the successor to, and be
substituted for, AREH thereunder, and all references to AREH in
each thereof shall than become references to such Person and
such Person shall thereafter be able to exercise every right and
power of AREH thereunder; |
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(3) immediately after such transaction no Default or Event
of Default exists; |
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(4) AREH or the Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger (if other than AREP), or to which such
sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has
been made would, on the date of such transaction after giving
pro forma effect thereto and any related financing transactions
as if the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable
four-quarter period, be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of
additional Indebtedness pursuant to the first paragraph of the
covenant described above under the caption
Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock; and |
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(5) AREH has delivered to the trustee an Officers
Certificate and opinion of counsel which may be an opinion of
in-house counsel of AREP or an Affiliate, each stating that such
transaction complies with the terms of the indenture. |
Clauses (1), (2) or (4) above will not apply to or be
required to be complied with in connection with any merger or
consolidation or the sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or
other disposition of all or substantially all of AREHs
properties or assets to:
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(1) an Affiliate that has no material assets or liabilities
where the primary purpose of such transaction is to change AREH
into a corporation or other form of business entity or to change
the jurisdiction of formation of AREH and such transaction does
not cause the realization of any material federal or state tax
liability that will be paid by AREH or any of its Subsidiaries.
For purposes of this paragraph, the term material refers to any
assets, liabilities or tax liabilities that are greater than
5.0% of the Tangible Net Worth of AREP and its Subsidiaries
(including AREH) on a consolidated basis; |
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(2) any Person; provided that AREP receives consideration
in Cash Equivalents and marketable securities with an aggregate
Fair Market Value determined at the time of the execution of
such relevant agreement of at least $1.0 billion for such
merger or consolidation or the sale, assignment, transfer,
conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of
AREHs properties or assets; or |
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(3) any Person; provided that AREH receives consideration
in Cash Equivalents and marketable securities with an aggregate
Fair Market Value determined at the time of the execution of
such relevant agreement of at least $1.0 billion for such
merger or consolidation or the sale, assignment, transfer,
conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of
AREHs properties or assets and AREH remains a Subsidiary
of AREP. |
In any transaction referred to in clause (2) or (3) above,
and subject to the terms and conditions thereof, the trustee
shall, without the need of any action by the noteholders,
(x) confirm that such other Person shall not be liable for
and shall be released from any obligation of AREPs or
AREHs under the indenture, the notes and the Note
Guarantees, and (y) release any Guarantor from all
obligations under its Note Guarantee if such Guarantor was
directly or indirectly sold, assigned, transferred, conveyed or
otherwise disposed of to such Person in such transaction.
This Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets
covenant will not apply to:
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(1) any consolidation or merger, or any sale, assignment,
transfer, conveyance, lease or other disposition of assets
between or among AREP, AREH or any one or more
Guarantors; or |
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(2) any sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other
disposition of Cash Equivalents, including, without limitation,
any investment or capital contribution of Cash Equivalents, or
any purchase of property and assets, including, without
limitation, securities, debt obligations or Capital Stock, with
Cash Equivalents. |
Transactions with Affiliates
AREP will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries
(including any Guarantor) to, make any payment to, or sell,
lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or
assets to, or purchase any property or assets from, or enter
into or make or amend any transaction, contract, agreement,
understanding, loan, advance or guarantee with, any Affiliate of
AREP (each, an Affiliate Transaction), unless:
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(1) the Affiliate Transaction is on terms that are not
materially less favorable to AREP or the relevant Subsidiary
(including any Guarantor) than those that would have been
obtained in a comparable transaction by AREP or such Subsidiary
(including any Guarantor) with an unrelated Person as determined
in good faith by the Board of Directors of AREP; and |
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(2) AREP delivers to the trustee: |
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(a) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of
related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration
in excess of $2.0 million, a resolution of the Board of
Directors of AREP set forth in an Officers Certificate
certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with this
covenant and that such Affiliate Transaction has been approved
by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board of
Directors of AREP; and |
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(b) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series of
related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration
in excess of $10.0 million, an opinion as to the fairness
to AREP or such Subsidiary (including any Guarantor) of such
Affiliate Transaction from a financial point of view issued by
an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of
recognized standing. |
The following items will not be deemed to be Affiliate
Transactions and, therefore, will not be subject to the
provisions of the prior paragraph:
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(1) any employment agreement, employee benefit plan,
officer or director indemnification agreement or any similar
arrangement entered into by AREP or any of its Subsidiaries
(including any Guarantor) in the ordinary course of business and
payments pursuant thereto including payments or reimbursement of
payments by API with respect to any such agreement, plan or
arrangement entered into by API with respect to or for the
benefit of officers or directors of API (other than any such
agreements, plans or arrangements entered into by AREP or any of
its Subsidiaries (including AREH) with Carl Icahn (other than
employee benefit plans and officer or director indemnification
agreements generally applicable to officers and directors of
API, AREP or its Subsidiaries (including AREH)); |
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(2) transactions between or among AREP, any Guarantor
and/or their respective Subsidiaries (except any Subsidiaries of
which Carl Icahn or Affiliates of Carl Icahn (other then AREP,
AREH or their Subsidiaries) own more than 10% of the Voting
Stock); |
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(3) payment (or reimbursement of payments by API) of
directors fees to Persons who are not otherwise Affiliates
of AREP; |
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(4) any issuance of Equity Interests (other than
Disqualified Stock) and Preferred Unit Distributions of AREP to
Affiliates of AREP; |
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(5) Restricted Payments that do not violate the provisions
of the indenture described above under the caption
Restricted Payments; |
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(6) transactions between AREP and/or any of its
Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor), on the one hand, and
other Affiliates, on the other hand, for the provision of goods
or services in the ordinary course of business by such other
Affiliates; provided that such other Affiliate is in the
business of providing such goods or services in the ordinary
course of business to unaffiliated third parties and the terms
and pricing for such goods and services overall are not less
favorable to AREP and/or its |
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Subsidiaries (including AREH) than the terms and pricing upon
which such goods and services are provided to unaffiliated third
parties; |
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(7) the provision or receipt of accounting, financial,
management, information technology and other ancillary services
to or from Affiliates, provided that AREP or its Subsidiaries
(including any Guarantor) in the case of the provision of such
services, are paid a fee not less than its out of pocket costs
and allocated overhead (including a portion of salaries and
benefits) and in the case of the receipt of such services, paid
a fee not more than such Persons out-of-pocket costs and
allocated overhead (including a portion of salaries and
benefits), in each case, as determined by AREP in its reasonable
judgment; |
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(8) the license of a portion of office space pursuant to a
license agreement, dated as of February 1, 1997, between
AREP and an Affiliate of API and any renewal thereof; |
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(9) the payment to API and reimbursements of payments made
by API of expenses relating to AREPs, AREHs or any
Guarantors status as a public company; |
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(10) services provided and payments received by NEG from
NEG Operating LLC, TransTexas Gas Corporation and Panaco, Inc.
pursuant to the NEG Management Agreements; |
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(11) the pledge by NEG of its interest in the Capital Stock
of NEG Holding LLC pursuant to the NEG Credit Agreement; |
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(12) the exchange by AREH of its GB Securities for other
securities of GB Holdings, Inc.; provided that such exchange is
on terms no less favorable to AREH as the exchange of GB
Securities offered to other non-Affiliated Persons; |
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(13) payments by AREH, AREP or any Subsidiary to API in
connection with services provided to AREH, AREP or any
Subsidiary in accordance with the AREP Partnership Agreement; and |
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(14) the Acquisitions. |
Reports
Whether or not required by the rules and regulations of the SEC,
so long as any notes are outstanding, the Issuers will furnish
to the holders of notes or cause the trustee to furnish to the
holders of notes, within the time periods specified in the
SECs rules and regulations:
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(1) all quarterly and annual reports that would be required
to be filed with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 10-K if the
Issuers were required to file such reports; and |
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(2) all current reports that would be required to be filed
with the SEC on Form 8-K if the Issuers were required to
file such reports. |
All such reports will be prepared in all material respects in
accordance with all of the rules and regulations applicable to
such reports. Each annual report on Form 10-K will include
a report on the Issuers consolidated financial statements
by the Issuers certified independent accountants. In
addition, the Issuers will file a copy of each of the reports
referred to in clauses (1) and (2) above with the SEC for
public availability within the time periods specified in the
rules and regulations applicable to such reports (unless the SEC
will not accept such a filing) and, if the SEC will not accept
such a filing, will post the reports on its website within those
time periods.
If, at any time, the Issuers are no longer subject to the
periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for any
reason, the Issuers will nevertheless continue filing the
reports specified in the preceding paragraphs of this covenant
with the SEC within the time periods specified above unless the
SEC will not accept such a filing. The Issuers will not take any
action for the purpose of causing the SEC not to accept any such
filings. If, notwithstanding the foregoing, the SEC will not
accept the Issuers filings for any reason, the Issuers
will post the reports referred to in the preceding paragraphs on
its website within the time periods that would apply if the
Issuers were required to file those reports with the SEC.
55
In addition, the Issuers agree that, for so long as any notes
remain outstanding, if at any time they are not required to file
with the SEC the reports required by the preceding paragraphs,
they will furnish to the holders of notes and to securities
analysts and prospective investors, upon their request, the
information required to be delivered pursuant to
Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.
Events of Default and Remedies
The following constitutes an Event of Default:
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(1) default in payment when due and payable, upon
redemption or otherwise, of principal or premium, if any, on the
notes; |
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(2) default for 30 days or more in the payment when
due of interest or Liquidated Damages on the notes; |
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(3) failure by the Issuers to call or cause to be called
for redemption or to purchase or cause to be called any notes,
in each case when required under the indenture; |
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(4) failure by AREP or any Guarantor for 30 days after
written notice from the trustee to comply with the provisions
described under the captions Restricted
Payments or Incurrence of Indebtedness
and Issuance of Preferred Stock; |
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(5) failure by AREP or any Guarantor for 30 days after
written notice from the trustee to comply with the provisions
described under the captions Maintenance of
Interest Coverage or Maintenance of
Total Unencumbered Assets; |
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(6) failure by the Issuers or any Guarantor for
60 days after notice from the trustee or the holders of at
least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the notes then
outstanding to comply with any of their other agreements in the
indenture or the notes or the Note Guarantee; |
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(7) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument
under which there is issued or by which there is secured or
evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by the Issuers or
any Guarantor or default on any Guarantee by the Issuers or AREH
of Indebtedness, whether such Indebtedness or Guarantee now
exists or is created after the Issuance Date, which default
(a) is caused by a failure to pay when due at final
maturity (giving effect to any grace period or waiver related
thereto) the principal of such Indebtedness (a Payment
Default) or (b) results in the acceleration of such
Indebtedness prior to its express maturity and, in each case,
the principal amount of any such Indebtedness as to which AREP
or any Guarantor is obligated to pay, together with the
principal amount of any other such Indebtedness under which a
Payment Default then exists or with respect to which the
maturity thereof has been so accelerated or which has not been
paid at maturity as to which AREP or any Guarantor is obligated
to pay, aggregates $10.0 million or more; |
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(8) failure by the Issuers or any Guarantor to pay final
judgments aggregating in excess of $10.0 million, which
final judgments remain unpaid, undischarged or unstayed for a
period of more than 60 days after such judgment becomes a
final judgment; |
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(9) except as permitted by the indenture, any Note
Guarantee is held in any judicial proceeding to be unenforceable
or invalid or ceases for any reason to be in full force and
effect, or AREH or any other Guarantor, or any Person acting on
behalf of any Guarantor, denies or disaffirms its obligations
under its Note Guarantee; and |
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(10) certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with
respect to AREP or any Guarantor that is a Significant
Subsidiary. |
If any Event of Default (other than by reason of bankruptcy or
insolvency) occurs and is continuing, the holders of more than
25% in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may
declare the principal, premium, if any, interest, Liquidated
Damages, if any, and any other monetary obligations on all the
notes to be due and payable immediately. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, in the case of an Event of Default arising from
certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, with respect to the
Issuers or any Guarantor that is a
56
Significant Subsidiary all outstanding notes will become due and
payable without further action or notice. Holders of the notes
may not enforce the indenture or the notes except as provided in
the indenture. Subject to certain limitations, holders of a
majority in principal amount of the then outstanding notes may
direct the trustee in its exercise of any trust or power
conferred on it. However, the trustee may refuse to follow any
direction that conflicts with law or the indenture that the
trustee determines may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of
other holders of notes or that may involve the trustee in
personal liability. The trustee may withhold from holders of
notes notice of any continuing Default or Event of Default
(except a Default or Event of Default relating to the payment of
principal or interest) if it determines that withholding notice
is in the interests of the holders of the notes. In addition,
the trustee shall have no obligation to accelerate the notes if
in the best judgment of the trustee acceleration is not in the
best interest of the holders of the notes.
At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to
the notes and subject to certain conditions, the holders of a
majority in aggregate principal amount of notes outstanding may
rescind and cancel such acceleration and its consequences.
The holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount
of the notes then outstanding by notice to the trustee may on
behalf of the holders of all of the notes waive any existing
Default or Event of Default and its consequences under the
indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the
payment of interest on, premium, if any, or the principal of,
any note held by a non-consenting holder.
The Issuers will be required to deliver to the trustee annually
a statement regarding compliance with the indenture, and the
Issuers will be required, within ten Business Days, upon
becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default to deliver to
the trustee a statement specifying such Default or Event of
Default.
No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees,
Incorporators and Stockholders
No director, officer, employee, incorporator, manager (or
managing member) direct or indirect member, partner or
stockholder of the Issuers, AREH, API or any additional
Guarantor shall have any liability for any obligations of the
Issuers, AREH, API or any additional Guarantor under the notes,
the indenture, any Note Guarantee or for any claim based on, in
respect of, or by reason of such obligations or its creation.
Each holder of the notes by accepting a note waives and releases
all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the
consideration for issuance of the notes.
Covenant Defeasance
The Issuers may, at their option and at any time, elect to have
their obligations and the obligations of any of their
Subsidiaries or AREH released with respect to certain covenants
that are described in the indenture (Covenant
Defeasance) and, thereafter, any omission to comply with
such obligations shall not constitute a Default or Event of
Default with respect to the notes or any Note Guarantee. In the
event Covenant Defeasance occurs, certain events (not including
non-payment, bankruptcy, receivership, rehabilitation and
insolvency events) described under Events of Default
will no longer constitute an Event of Default with respect to
the notes.
In order to exercise Covenant Defeasance:
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(1) the Issuers must irrevocably deposit, or cause to be
deposited, with the trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the
holders of the notes, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable
Government Securities, or a combination thereof, in such amounts
as will be sufficient to pay the principal of, premium, if any,
interest and Liquidated Damages, if any, due on the outstanding
notes on the stated maturity date or on the applicable
redemption date, as the case may be, in accordance with the
terms of the indenture; |
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(2) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and
be continuing with respect to certain Events of Default on the
date of such deposit; |
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(3) such Covenant Defeasance shall not result in a breach
or violation of, or constitute a default under any material
agreement or instrument (other than the indenture) to which the
Issuers or any of their Subsidiaries is a party or by which the
Issuers or any of their Subsidiaries is bound; |
57
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(4) the Issuers shall have delivered to the trustee an
opinion of counsel, which may be an opinion of in-house counsel
to AREP or an Affiliate, containing customary assumptions and
exceptions, to the effect that upon and immediately following
the deposit, the trust funds will not be subject to the effect
of any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or
similar laws affecting creditors rights generally under
any applicable law; |
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(5) the Issuers shall have delivered to the trustee an
Officers Certificate stating that the deposit was not made
by the Issuers with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying
or defrauding any creditors of AREP or others; and |
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(6) the Issuers shall have delivered to the trustee an
Officers Certificate and an opinion of counsel in the
United States, which may be an opinion of in-house counsel to
AREP or an Affiliate (which opinion of counsel may be subject to
customary assumptions and exclusions) each stating that all
conditions precedent provided for or relating to the Covenant
Defeasance have been complied with. |
Satisfaction and Discharge
The indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further
effect as to all notes issued thereunder, when:
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(a) all notes that have been authenticated, except lost,
stolen or destroyed notes that have been replaced or paid and
notes for whose payment money has been deposited in trust and
thereafter repaid to AREP, have been delivered to the trustee
for cancellation; or |
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(b) all notes that have not been delivered to the trustee
for cancellation (1) have become due and payable by reason
of the mailing of a notice of redemption or otherwise,
(2) will become due and payable within one year or
(3) are to be called for redemption within 12 months
under arrangements reasonably satisfactory to the trustee for
the giving of notice of redemption by the trustee in the name,
and at the reasonable expense of the Issuers, and the Issuers or
any Guarantor have irrevocably deposited or caused to be
deposited with the trustee as trust funds in trust solely for
the benefit of the holders, cash in U.S. dollars,
non-callable Government Securities, or a combination of cash in
U.S. dollars and non-callable Government Securities, in
amounts as will be sufficient without consideration of any
reinvestment of interest, to pay and discharge the entire
Indebtedness on the notes not delivered to the trustee for
cancellation for principal and premium, if any, and accrued but
unpaid interest to the date of maturity or redemption; |
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(2) no Default of Event of Default has occurred and is
continuing on the date of the deposit or will occur as a result
of the deposit and the deposit will not result in a breach or
violation of, or constitute a default under, any other material
instrument to which the Issuers are a party or by which the
Issuers are bound; |
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(3) the Issuers have paid or caused to be paid all sums
payable by it under the indenture; and |
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(4) the Issuers or any Guarantor have delivered irrevocable
instructions to the trustee under the indenture to apply the
deposited money toward the payment of the notes at maturity or
the redemption date, as the case may be. |
In addition, the Issuers must deliver an Officers
Certificate and an opinion of counsel to the trustee stating
that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have
been satisfied.
Amendment, Supplement and Waiver
Except as provided in the next two succeeding paragraphs, the
indenture, the notes or the Note Guarantee may be amended or
supplemented with the consent of the holders of at least a
majority in principal amount of the notes then outstanding
(including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer
or exchange offer for notes), and any existing default or
compliance with any provision of the indenture, the notes
58
or the Note Guarantee may be waived with the consent of the
holders of a majority in principal amount of the then
outstanding notes (including consents obtained in connection
with a tender offer or exchange offer for notes).
Without the consent of each holder affected, an amendment or
waiver may not (with respect to any notes held by a
nonconsenting holder of notes):
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(1) reduce the principal amount of notes whose holders must
consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver; |
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(2) reduce the principal of or change the fixed maturity of
any note or alter or waive the provisions with respect to the
redemption of the notes; |
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(3) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of
interest on any note; |
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(4) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of
principal of, premium or interest on the notes (except a
rescission of acceleration of the notes by the holders of at
least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the notes and
a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such
acceleration); |
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(5) make any note payable in money other than that stated
in the notes; |
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(6) make any change in the provisions of the indenture
relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of holders of
notes to receive payments of principal of or premium, if any, or
interest on the notes; |
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(7) release AREH or any other Guarantor from any of its
obligations under its Note Guarantee or the indenture, except in
accordance with the terms of the indenture; or |
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(8) make any change in the foregoing amendment and waiver
provisions. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of any holder
of notes, the Issuers, the Guarantors and the trustee together
may amend or supplement the indenture, any Note Guarantee or the
notes to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, to comply
with the covenant relating to mergers, consolidations and sales
of assets, to provide for uncertificated notes in addition to or
in place of certificated notes, to provide for the assumption of
the Issuers or any Guarantors obligations to holders
of the notes and any Note Guarantee in the case of a merger,
consolidation or asset sale, to make any change that would
provide any additional rights or benefits to the holders of the
notes or that does not adversely affect the legal rights under
the indenture of any such holder.
Concerning the Trustee
The indenture will contain certain limitations on the rights of
the trustee, should it become a creditor of the Issuers or AREH,
to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on
certain property received in respect of any such claim as
security or otherwise. The trustee will be permitted to engage
in other transactions; however, if it acquires any conflicting
interest it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days or
resign.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
then outstanding notes will have the right to direct the time,
method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any
remedy available to the trustee, subject to certain exceptions.
The indenture will provide that in case an Event of Default
shall occur (which shall not be cured), the trustee will be
required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of
care of a prudent person in the conduct of his own affairs.
Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no
obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the
indenture at the request of any holder of notes, unless such
holder shall have offered to the trustee security and indemnity
satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.
Governing Law
The indenture and the notes will be, subject to certain
exceptions, governed by and construed in accordance with the
internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the
choice of law rules thereof.
59
The issuance of the notes and the Note Guarantee will also be
subject to a certain extent to the laws of the jurisdiction of
formation of AREP.
Additional Information
Any holder of the notes may obtain a copy of the indenture
without charge by writing to American Real Estan Partners, L.P.,
Attn: Chief Financial Officer at 100 South Bedford Road, Mt.
Kisco, New York 10549.
Book-Entry, Delivery and Form
The new notes will be issued in one or more notes in global form
or Global Notes. Except as set forth below, the notes will be
issued in registered, global form in minimum denominations of
$1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess of $1,000. The
Global Notes will be deposited upon issuance with the trustee as
custodian for DTC or its nominee, in each case for credit to
account of a direct or indirect participant in DTC, as described
below.
Except as set forth below, the Global Notes may be transferred,
in whole and not in part, only to another nominee of DTC or to a
successor of DTC or its nominee. Beneficial interests in the
Global Notes may not be exchanged for definitive notes in
registered certificated form (Certificated Notes)
except in the limited circumstances described below. See
Exchange of Global Notes for Certificated
Notes. Except in the limited circumstances described
below, owners of beneficial interests in the Global Notes will
not be entitled to receive physical delivery of notes in
certificated form.
In addition, transfers of beneficial interests in the Global
Notes will be subject to the applicable rules and procedures of
DTC and its direct and indirect participants (including, if
applicable, those of Euroclear and Clearstream), which may
change from time to time.
Prospective purchasers are advised that the laws of some states
require that certain Persons take physical delivery in
definitive form of securities that they own. Consequently, the
ability to transfer beneficial interests in a Global Note to
such Persons will be limited to such extent.
So long as the Global Note Holder is the registered owner of any
notes, the Global Note Holder will be considered the sole holder
under the indenture of any notes evidenced by the Global Notes.
Beneficial owners of notes evidenced by the Global Notes will
not be considered the owners of holders of the notes under the
indenture for any purpose, including with respect to the giving
of any directions, instructions or approvals to the trustee
thereunder. Neither the issuers nor the trustee will have any
responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records of DTC
or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any record of DTC
relating to the notes.
Depository Procedures
The following description of the operations and procedures of
DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream are provided solely as a matter
of convenience. These operations and procedures are solely
within the control of the respective settlement systems and are
subject to changes by them. The Issuers take no responsibility
for these operations and procedures and urge investors to
contact the system or their participants directly to discuss
these matters.
DTC has advised the Issuers that DTC is a limited-purpose trust
company created to hold securities for its participating
organizations (collectively, the Participants) and
to facilitate the clearance and settlement of transactions in
those securities between the Participants through electronic
book-entry changes in accounts of its Participants. The
Participants include securities brokers and dealers (including
the initial purchasers), banks, trust companies, clearing
corporations and certain other organizations. Access to
DTCs system is also available to other entities such as
banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through
or maintain a custodial relationship with a Participant, either
directly or indirectly (collectively, the Indirect
Participants). Persons who are not Participants may
beneficially own securities held by or on behalf of DTC only
through the Participants or the Indirect Participants. The
ownership interests in, and transfers of ownership interests in,
each security held by or on behalf of DTC are recorded on the
records of the Participants and Indirect Participants.
60
Except as described below, owners of interests in the Global
Notes will not have notes registered in their names, will not
receive physical delivery of notes in certificated form and will
not be considered the registered owners or holders
thereof under the indenture for any purpose.
Payments in respect of the principal of, and interest and
premium, if any, and Liquidated Damages, if any, on, a Global
Note registered in the name of DTC or its nominee will be
payable to DTC in its capacity as the registered holder under
the indenture. Under the terms of the indenture, the Issuers and
the trustee will treat the Persons in whose names the notes,
including the Global Notes, are registered as the owners of the
notes for the purpose of receiving payments and for all other
purposes. Consequently, neither the Issuers, the trustee nor any
agent of the Issuers or the trustee has or will have any
responsibility or liability for:
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(1) any aspect of DTCs records or any
Participants or Indirect Participants records
relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership
interest in the Global Notes or for maintaining, supervising or
reviewing any of DTCs records or any Participants or
Indirect Participants records relating to the beneficial
ownership interests in the Global Notes; or |
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(2) any other matter relating to the actions and practices
of DTC or any of its Participants or Indirect Participants. |
DTC has advised the Issuers that its current practice, upon
receipt of any payment in respect of securities such as the
notes (including principal and interest), is to credit the
accounts of the relevant Participants with the payment on the
payment date unless DTC has reason to believe that it will not
receive payment on such payment date. Each relevant Participant
is credited with an amount proportionate to its beneficial
ownership of an interest in the principal amount of the relevant
security as shown on the records of DTC. Payments by the
Participants and the Indirect Participants to the beneficial
owners of notes will be governed by standing instructions and
customary practices and will be the responsibility of the
Participants or the Indirect Participants and will not be the
responsibility of DTC, the trustee or the Issuers. Neither the
Issuers nor the trustee will be liable for any delay by DTC or
any of the Participants or the Indirect Participants in
identifying the beneficial owners of the notes, and the Issuers
and the trustee may conclusively rely on and will be protected
in relying on instructions from DTC or its nominee for all
purposes.
Transfers between the Participants will be effected in
accordance with DTCs procedures, and will be settled in
same-day funds, and transfers between participants in Euroclear
and Clearstream will be effected in accordance with their
respective rules and operating procedures.
Cross-market transfers between the Participants, on the one
hand, and Euroclear or Clearstream participants, on the other
hand, will be effected through DTC in accordance with DTCs
rules on behalf of Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be,
by their respective depositaries; however, such cross-market
transactions will require delivery of instructions to Euroclear
or Clearstream, as the case may be, by the counterparty in such
system in accordance with the rules and procedures and within
the established deadlines (Brussels time) of such system.
Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, will, if the
transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver
instructions to its respective depositary to take action to
effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving
interests in the relevant Global Note in DTC, and making or
receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for
same-day funds settlement applicable to DTC. Euroclear
participants and Clearstream participants may not deliver
instructions directly to the depositories for Euroclear or
Clearstream.
DTC has advised the Issuers that it will take any action
permitted to be taken by a holder of notes only at the direction
of one or more Participants to whose account DTC has
credited the interests in the Global Notes and only in respect
of such portion of the aggregate principal amount of the notes
as to which such Participant or Participants has or have given
such direction. However, if there is an Event of Default under
the notes, DTC reserves the right to exchange the Global Notes
for legended notes in certificated form, and to distribute such
notes to its Participants.
Although DTC, Euroclear and Clearstream have agreed to the
foregoing procedures to facilitate transfers of interests in the
Global Notes among participants in DTC, Euroclear and
Clearstream, they are under no obligation to perform or to
continue to perform such procedures, and may discontinue such
procedures at any
61
time. None of the Issuers, the trustee and any of their
respective agents will have any responsibility for the
performance by DTC, Euroclear or Clearstream or their respective
participants or indirect participants of their respective
obligations under the rules and procedures governing their
operations.
Exchange of Global Notes for Certificated Notes
A Global Note is exchangeable for Certificated Notes if:
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(1) DTC (a) notifies the Issuers that it is unwilling
or unable to continue as depositary for the Global Notes or
(b) has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the
Exchange Act and, in either case, the Issuers fail to appoint a
successor depositary; |
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(2) the Issuers, at their option, notify the trustee in
writing that it elects to cause the issuance of the Certificated
Notes; or |
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(3) there has occurred and is continuing a Default or Event
of Default with respect to the notes. |
In addition, beneficial interests in a Global Note may be
exchanged for Certificated Notes upon prior written notice given
to the trustee by or on behalf of DTC in accordance with the
indenture. In all cases, Certificated Notes delivered in
exchange for any Global Note or beneficial interests in Global
Notes will be registered in the names, and issued in any
approved denominations, requested by or on behalf of the
depositary (in accordance with its customary procedures).
Exchange of Certificated Notes for Global Notes
Certificated Notes may not be exchanged for beneficial interests
in any Global Note unless the transferor first delivers to the
trustee a written certificate (in the form provided in the
indenture) to the effect that such transfer will comply with the
appropriate transfer restrictions applicable to such notes.
Same Day Settlement and Payment
The Issuers will make payments in respect of the notes
represented by the Global Notes (including principal, premium,
if any, interest and Liquidated Damages, if any) by wire
transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts
specified by DTC or its nominee. The Issuers will make all
payments of principal, interest and premium, if any, and
Liquidated Damages, if any, with respect to Certificated Notes
by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts
specified by the holders of the Certificated Notes or, if no
such account is specified, by mailing a check to each such
holders registered address. The notes represented by the
Global Notes are expected to be eligible to trade in DTCs
Same-Day Funds Settlement System, and any permitted secondary
market trading activity in such notes will, therefore, be
required by DTC to be settled in immediately available funds.
The Issuers expect that secondary trading in any Certificated
Notes will also be settled in immediately available funds.
Because of time zone differences, the securities account of a
Euroclear or Clearstream participant purchasing an interest in a
Global Note from a Participant will be credited, and any such
crediting will be reported to the relevant Euroclear or
Clearstream participant, during the securities settlement
processing day (which must be a business day for Euroclear and
Clearstream) immediately following the settlement date of DTC.
DTC has advised the Issuers that cash received in Euroclear or
Clearstream as a result of sales of interests in a Global Note
by or through a Euroclear or Clearstream participant to a
Participant will be received with value on the settlement date
of DTC but will be available in the relevant Euroclear or
Clearstream cash account only as of the business day for
Euroclear or Clearstream following DTCs settlement date.
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Certain Definitions
Set forth below are certain defined terms used in the indenture.
Reference is made to the indenture for full disclosure of all
such terms, as well as any other capitalized terms used herein
for which no definition is provided.
Acquired Debt means, with respect to any
specified Person:
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(1) Indebtedness of any other Person existing at the time
such other Person is merged with or into or became a Subsidiary
of such specified Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is
incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such other
Person merging with or into, or becoming a Subsidiary of, such
specified Person; and |
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(2) Indebtedness secured by a Lien encumbering any asset
acquired by such specified Person. |
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 purposes of this definition, control, as
used with respect to any Person, means the possession, directly
or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of
the management or policies of such Person, whether through the
ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise;
provided that beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the Voting
Stock of a Person will be deemed to be control. For purposes of
this definition, the terms controlling,
controlled by and under common control
with have correlative meanings.
API means American Property Investors, Inc.
Acquisitions means:
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(1) AREPs purchase of Gascon Partners
membership interest of NEG Holding LLC pursuant to a purchase
agreement with Gascon Partners dated January 21, 2005 or,
alternatively, if AREP does not obtain the consent of NEG
Operatings bank lenders or refinance such debt,
AREPs purchase of all of the general partnership interests
of Gascon Partners; |
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(2) National Onshore LPs merger with TransTexas
Gas Corporation pursuant to an agreement and plan of Merger
dated January 21, 2005; |
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(3) National Offshore LPs merger with Panaco,
Inc. pursuant to an agreement and plan of merger dated
January 21, 2005; |
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(4) AREPs purchase of approximately 41.2% of the
outstanding common stock of GB Holdings, Inc. and warrants to
purchase approximately 11.3% of the fully diluted common stock
of Atlantic Coast Entertainment Holdings, Inc. pursuant to a
purchase agreement with Cyrus, LLC dated January 21, 2005;
and |
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(5) the transactions contemplated by clauses (1) through
(4), above, including but not limited to the registration rights
agreement to be entered into between AREP and the other
signatories thereto. |
AREH means American Real Estate Holdings
Limited Partnership.
AREP means American Real Estate Partners, L.P.
AREP Finance means American Real Estate
Finance Corp.
AREP Partnership Agreement means AREPs
Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated
May 12, 1987 as amended February 22, 1995 and
August 16, 1996.
Bad Boy Guarantees means the Indebtedness of
any specified Person attributable to bad boy
indemnification or Guarantees, which Indebtedness would be
non-recourse to AREP and AREH other than recourse relating to
the specific events specified therein, which such events shall
be usual and customary exceptions typically found in
non-recourse financings at such time as determined by management
in its reasonable judgment.
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Beneficial Owner has the meaning assigned to
such term in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the
Exchange Act, except that in calculating the beneficial
ownership of any particular person (as that term is
used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such
person will be deemed to have beneficial ownership
of all securities that such person has the right to
acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether
such right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only after
the passage of time. The terms Beneficially Owns and
Beneficially Owned have a corresponding meaning.
Board of Directors means:
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(1) with respect to a corporation, the board of directors
of the corporation or any committee thereof duly authorized to
act on behalf of such board; |
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(2) with respect to a partnership, the Board of Directors
of the general partner of the partnership; |
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(3) with respect to a limited liability company, the
managing member or members or any controlling committee of
managing members thereof or the Board of Directors of the
managing member; and |
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(4) with respect to any other Person, the board or
committee of such Person serving a similar function. |
Business Day means any day excluding
Saturday, Sunday and any day which is a legal holiday under the
laws of the State of New York or is a day on which banking
institutions located in such jurisdictions are authorized or
required by law or other governmental action to close.
Capital Lease Obligation means, at the time
any determination is to be made, the amount of the liability in
respect of a capital lease that would at that time be required
to be capitalized on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with
GAAP, and the Stated Maturity thereof shall be the date of the
last payment of rent or any other amount due under such lease
prior to the first date upon which such lease may be prepaid by
the lessee without payment of a penalty.
Capital Stock means:
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(1) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock; |
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(2) in the case of an association or business entity, any
and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other
equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock; |
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(3) in the case of a partnership or limited liability
company, partnership interests (whether general or limited) or
membership interests; and |
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(4) any other interest or participation that confers on a
Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses
of, or distributions of assets of, the issuing Person but
excluding from all of the foregoing any debt securities
convertible into Capital Stock, whether or not such debt
securities include any right of participation with Capital Stock. |
Cash Equivalents means:
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(1) United States dollars; |
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(2) securities issued or directly and fully guaranteed or
insured by the United States government or any agency or
instrumentality of the United States government (provided that
the full faith and credit of the United States is pledged in
support of those securities) having maturities of not more than
one year from the date of acquisition; |
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(3) certificates of deposit and eurodollar time deposits
with maturities of one year or less from the date of
acquisition, bankers acceptances with maturities not
exceeding one year and overnight bank deposits, in each case,
with any domestic commercial bank having capital and surplus in
excess of $500.0 million and a Thomson Bank Watch Rating of
B or better; |
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(4) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than
seven days for underlying securities of the types described in
clauses (2) and (3) above entered into with any
financial institution meeting the qualifications specified in
clause (3) above; |
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(5) commercial paper having one of the two highest ratings
obtainable from Moodys Investors Service, Inc. or
Standard & Poors Rating Services and, in each
case, maturing within one year after the date of acquisition; and |
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(6) money market funds at least 95% of the assets of
which constitute Cash Equivalents of the kinds described in
clauses (1) through (5) of this definition. |
Cash Flow of AREP and the Guarantors means,
with respect to any period, the Net Income of AREP and the
Guarantors for such period plus, without duplication:
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(1) provision for taxes based on income or profits of AREP
and the Guarantors or any payments of Tax Amounts by AREP for
such period, to the extent that such provision for taxes or such
payments of Tax Amounts were deducted in computing such Net
Income of AREP or any Guarantor; plus |
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(2) the Fixed Charges of AREP or any Guarantor for such
period, to the extent that such Fixed Charges of AREP and such
Guarantor were deducted in computing such Net Income of AREP and
such Guarantor; plus |
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(3) depreciation, amortization (including amortization of
intangibles but excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses
that were paid in a prior period) and other non-cash expenses
(excluding any such non-cash expense to the extent that it
represents an accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any
future period or amortization of a prepaid cash expense that was
paid in a prior period) of AREP and any Guarantor for such
period to the extent that such depreciation, amortization and
other non-cash expenses were deducted in computing such Net
Income of AREP and any Guarantor; minus |
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(4) non-cash items increasing such Net Income of AREP and
any Guarantor for such period, other than the accrual of revenue
in the ordinary course of business, |
in each case, consolidating such amounts for AREP and any
Guarantor but excluding any net income, provision for taxes,
fixed charges, depreciation, amortization or other amounts of
any of the Subsidiaries of AREP (other than any Guarantor) and
otherwise determined in accordance with GAAP; provided, further,
that the Net Income of AREP and any Guarantor shall include
income from investments or Subsidiaries of AREP (other than any
Guarantor) but only to the extent such income is realized in
Cash Equivalents by AREP or any Guarantor.
Change of Control means the occurrence of any
of the following:
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(1) the sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other
disposition by AREP or AREH (other than by way of merger or
consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of
all or substantially all of the properties or assets of AREP or
AREH to any person (as that term is used in
Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) other than the Principal
or a Related Party; provided, however, that (x) if AREP or
AREH receives consideration in Cash Equivalents and marketable
securities with an aggregate Fair Market Value determined at the
time of the execution of each relevant agreement of at least
$1.0 billion for such sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or
other disposition of properties or assets, then such transaction
shall not be deemed a Change of Control and (y) any sale,
assignment, transfer or other disposition of Cash Equivalents,
including, without limitation, any investment or capital
contribution of Cash Equivalents or purchase of property, assets
or Capital Stock with Cash Equivalents, will not constitute a
sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of
all or substantially all of the properties or assets for
purposes of this clause (1); |
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(2) the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation or
dissolution of AREP; |
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(3) the consummation of any transaction (including, without
limitation, any merger or consolidation), the result of which is
that any person (as defined above), other than the
Principal or the Related |
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Parties, becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly,
of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of a Controlling
Entity of AREP, measured by voting power rather than number of
shares; |
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(4) the first day on which a majority of the members of the
Board of Directors of the Controlling Entity are not Continuing
Directors; or |
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(5) for so long as AREP is a partnership, upon any general
partner of AREP ceasing to be an Affiliate of the Principal or a
Related Party. |
Change of Control Offer has the meaning
assigned to that term in the indenture governing the notes.
Consolidated Net Income means, with respect
to any specified Person for any period, the aggregate of net
income (loss) of such Person, on a consolidated basis with its
Subsidiaries, determined in accordance with GAAP and before any
reduction in respect of preferred stock dividends; provided that:
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(1) the Net Income of any Person that is accounted for by
the equity method of accounting or that is a Subsidiary will be
included only to the extent of the amount of dividends or
similar distributions paid in cash to the specified Person or a
Subsidiary of the Person; |
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(2) the Net Income of any of its Subsidiaries will be
excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of
dividends or similar distributions by that Subsidiary of that
Net Income is not at the date of determination permitted without
any prior governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or,
directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter
or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute,
rule or governmental regulation applicable to that Subsidiary or
its stockholders; and |
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(3) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting
principles will be excluded. |
Continuing Directors means, as of any date of
determination, any member of the Board of Directors of AREP who:
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(1) was a member of such Board of Directors on the date of
the indenture; or |
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(2) was nominated for election or elected to such Board of
Directors with the approval of the Principal or any of the
Related Parties or with the approval of a majority of the
Continuing Directors who were members of such Board of Directors
at the time of such nomination or election. |
Control means the possession, directly or
indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of
management and policies of a Person, whether through the
ownership of Voting Stock, by agreement or otherwise.
Controlling Entity means (1) for so long
as AREP is a partnership, any general partner of AREP,
(2) if AREP is a limited liability company, any managing
member of AREP or (3) if AREP is a corporation, AREP.
Default means any event that is, or with the
passage of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an
Event of Default.
Disqualified Stock means any Capital Stock
that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which
it is convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each
case, at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock), or upon
the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily
redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise,
or redeemable at the option of the holder of the Capital Stock,
in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is
91 days after the date on which the notes mature.
Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any Capital Stock that
would constitute Disqualified Stock solely because the holders
of the Capital Stock have the right to require AREP or any
Guarantor to repurchase such Capital Stock upon the occurrence
of a change of control, event of loss, an asset sale or other
special redemption event will not constitute Disqualified Stock
if the terms of such Capital Stock provide that AREP or any
Guarantor may not repurchase or redeem any such Capital Stock
pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or redemption
complies with the covenant described above under the caption
Certain Covenants Restricted
Payments or where the funds to pay for such repurchase was
from the net cash proceeds of such
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Capital Stock and such net cash proceeds was set aside in a
separate account to fund such repurchase. Furthermore, any
Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified Stock solely
because the holders of the Capital Stock have the right to
require AREP or any Guarantor to redeem such Capital Stock,
including, without limitation, upon maturity will not constitute
Disqualified Stock if the terms of such Capital Stock provide
that AREP or any Guarantor may redeem such Capital Stock for
other Capital Stock that is not Disqualified Stock. The amount
of Disqualified Stock deemed to be outstanding at any time for
purposes of the indenture will be the maximum amount that AREP
and its Subsidiaries (including any Guarantor) may become
obligated to pay upon the maturity of, or pursuant to any
mandatory redemption provisions of, such Disqualified Stock,
exclusive of accrued dividends. For the avoidance of doubt, and
by way of example, the Preferred Units, as in effect on the date
of the indenture, do not constitute Disqualified Stock.
Equity Interests means Capital Stock and all
warrants, options or other rights to acquire Capital Stock (but
excluding any debt security that is convertible into, or
exchangeable for, Capital Stock).
Equity Offering means an offer and sale of
Capital Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of AREP (other
than an offer and sale relating to equity securities issuable
under any employee benefit plan of AREP) or a capital
contribution in respect of Capital Stock (other than
Disqualified Stock) of AREP.
Existing Indebtedness means up to
$394.4 million in aggregate principal amount of
Indebtedness of AREP and any Guarantor, in existence on the
Issuance Date, until such amounts are repaid.
Fair Market Value means the value that would
be paid by a willing buyer to an unaffiliated willing seller in
a transaction not involving distress or necessity of either
party, determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of
AREP (unless otherwise provided in the indenture).
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of AREP and the
Guarantors means the ratio of the Cash Flow of AREP
and the Guarantors for such period to the Fixed Charges of AREP
and the Guarantors for such period. In the event that AREP, the
Guarantors or any Guarantor incurs, assumes, guarantees, repays,
repurchases, redeems, defeases or otherwise discharges any
Indebtedness (other than ordinary working capital borrowings) or
issues, repurchases or redeems preferred stock subsequent to the
commencement of the period for which the Fixed Charge Coverage
Ratio of AREP and the Guarantors is being calculated and on or
prior to the Quarterly Determination Date for which the
calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of AREP and the
Guarantors is being made (the Calculation Date),
then the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of AREP and the Guarantors
will be calculated giving pro forma effect to such incurrence,
assumption, Guarantee, repayment, repurchase, redemption,
defeasance or other discharge of Indebtedness, or such issuance,
repurchase or redemption of preferred stock, and the use of the
proceeds therefrom, as if the same had occurred at the beginning
of the applicable four-quarter reference period.
In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio:
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(1) acquisitions that have been made by the specified
Person, including through mergers or consolidations, or any
Person acquired by the specified Person, and including any
related financing transactions, during the four-quarter
reference period or subsequent to such reference period and on
or prior to the Calculation Date will be given pro forma effect
(in accordance with Regulation S-X under the Securities
Act) as if they had occurred on the first day of the
four-quarter reference period; |
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(2) the Cash Flow of AREP and the Guarantors attributable
to discontinued operations, as determined in accordance with
GAAP, and operations or businesses (and ownership interests
therein) disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will be
excluded; |
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(3) the Fixed Charges of AREP and the Guarantors
attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in
accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses (and
ownership interests therein) disposed of prior to the
Calculation Date, will be excluded, but only to the extent that
such Fixed Charges of AREP and the Guarantors are equal to or
less than the Cash Flow of AREP and the Guarantors from the
related discontinued operation excluded under clause (3)
for such period; and |
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(4) if any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest,
the interest expense on such Indebtedness will be calculated as
if the rate in effect on the Calculation Date had been the
applicable rate for the |
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entire period (taking into account any Hedging Obligation
applicable to such Indebtedness if such Hedging Obligation has a
remaining term as at the Calculation Date in excess of
12 months). |
Fixed Charges of AREP and the Guarantors
means, with respect to any period, the sum, without
duplication, of:
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(1) the interest expense of AREP, and any Guarantor for
such period, whether paid or accrued, including, without
limitation, amortization of debt issuance costs and original
issue discount, non-cash interest payments, the interest
component of any deferred payment obligations, the interest
component of all payments associated with Capital Lease
Obligations, commissions, discounts and other fees and charges
incurred in respect of letter of credit or bankers
acceptance financings, and net of the effect of all payments
made or received pursuant to Hedging Obligations in respect of
interest rates; plus |
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(2) the interest expense of AREP and any Guarantor that was
capitalized during such period; plus |
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(3) any interest on Indebtedness of another Person that is
guaranteed by AREP or any Guarantor (other than Bad Boy
Guarantees unless such Bad Boy Guarantee is called upon) or
secured by a Lien on assets of AREP or any additional Guarantor,
whether or not such Guarantee or Lien is called upon; provided
that for purposes of calculating interest with respect to
Indebtedness that is Guaranteed or secured by a Lien, the
principal amount of Indebtedness will be calculated in
accordance with the last two paragraphs of the definition of
Indebtedness; plus |
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(4) the product of (a) all dividends, whether paid or
accrued and whether or not in cash, on any series of preferred
equity of AREP, other than dividends on preferred stock to the
extent payable in Equity Interests of AREP (other than
Disqualified Stock) or dividends on preferred equity payable to
AREP, times (b) a fraction, the numerator of which is one
and the denominator of which is one minus the then current
combined federal, state and local statutory income tax rate of
AREP (however, for so long as AREP is a partnership or otherwise
a pass-through entity for federal income tax purposes, the
combined federal, state and local income tax rate shall be the
rate that was utilized to calculate the Tax Amount of AREP to
the extent that the Tax Amount was actually distributed with
respect to such period (and if less than the Tax Amount is
distributed, such rate shall be proportionately reduced) and if
no Tax Amount was actually distributed with respect to such
period, such combined federal, state and local income tax rate
shall be zero), expressed as a decimal; provided that this
clause (4) will not include any Preferred Unit Distribution
paid in additional Preferred Units, |
in each case, determined on a consolidated basis between AREP
and any Guarantor but on a non-consolidated basis with the
Subsidiaries of AREP (other than any Guarantor) and otherwise in
accordance with GAAP.
GAAP means generally accepted accounting
principles in the United States set forth in the statements and
pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in
such other statements by such other entity as have been approved
by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are
in effect on the Issuance Date. For the purposes of the
indenture, the term consolidated with respect to any
Person shall mean such Person consolidated with its Subsidiaries.
Gaming Authority means any agency, authority,
board, bureau, commission, department, office or instrumentality
of any nature whatsoever of the United States or other national
government, any state, province or any city or other political
subdivision, including, without limitation, the State of Nevada
or the State of New Jersey, whether now or hereafter existing,
or any officer or official thereof and any other agency with
authority thereof to regulate any gaming operation (or proposed
gaming operation) owned, managed or operated by the Principal,
its Related Parties, the Issuers or any of their respective
Subsidiaries or Affiliates.
Gaming Law means any gaming law or regulation
of any jurisdiction or jurisdictions to which the Issuers or any
of their Subsidiaries (including AREH) is, or may at any time
after the issue date be, subject.
GB Securities means the 11% notes due
2005 issued by GB Property Funding Corp.
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Government Instrumentality means any
national, state or local government (whether domestic or
foreign), any political subdivision thereof or any other
governmental, quasi-governmental, judicial, public or statutory
instrumentality, authority, body, agency, court, tribunal,
commission, bureau or entity or any arbitrator with authority to
bind a party at law.
Government Securities means securities that
are (1) direct obligations of the United States of America
for the timely payment of which its full faith and credit is
pledged or (2) obligations of a Person controlled or
supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the
United States of America the timely payment of which is
unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation
by the United States of America, which, in either case, are not
callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and
shall also include a depository receipt issued by a bank (as
defined in Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act), as
custodian with respect to any such Government Security or a
specific payment of principal of or interest on any such
Government Security held by such custodian for the account of
the holder of such depository receipt; provided, that (except as
required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any
deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such
depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in
respect of the Government Security or the specific payment of
principal of or interest on the Government Security evidenced by
such depository receipt.
Guarantee means a guarantee (other than by
endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the
ordinary course of business), direct or indirect, in any manner
(including, without limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or
through letters of credit or reimbursement agreements in respect
thereof), of all or any part of any Indebtedness (whether
arising by virtue of partnership arrangements, or by agreements
to keep-well, to purchase assets, goods, securities or services,
to take or pay or to maintain financial statement conditions or
otherwise).
Guarantor means any Subsidiary of AREP
(initially only AREH) that executes a Note Guarantee in
accordance with the provisions of the indenture, and their
respective successors and assigns, in each case, until the Note
Guarantee of such Person has been released in accordance with
the provisions of the indenture.
Hedging Obligations means, with respect to
any specified Person, the obligations of such Person under:
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(1) interest rate swap agreements (whether from fixed to
floating or from floating to fixed), interest rate cap
agreements and interest rate collar agreements; |
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(2) other agreements or arrangements designed to manage
interest rates or interest rate risk; and |
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(3) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect
such Person against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or
commodity prices. |
Indebtedness means, with respect to any
specified Person, any indebtedness of such Person (excluding
accrued expenses and trade payables), whether or not contingent:
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(1) in respect of borrowed money; |
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(2) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures or similar
instruments or letters of credit (or reimbursement agreements in
respect thereof); |
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(3) in respect of bankers acceptances; |
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(4) representing Capital Lease Obligations; |
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(5) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the
purchase price of any property or services due more than six
months after such property is acquired or such services are
completed; or |
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(6) representing any Hedging Obligations, |
if and to the extent any of the preceding items (other than
letters of credit and Hedging Obligations) would appear as a
liability upon a balance sheet of the specified Person prepared
in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the term
Indebtedness includes all Indebtedness of others
secured by a Lien on any asset of the
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specified Person (whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by
the specified Person) and, to the extent not otherwise included,
the Guarantee by the specified Person of any Indebtedness of any
other Person.
The amount of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date
attributable to a Guarantee shall be the maximum principal
amount guaranteed by such specified Person as of such date.
The amount of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date shall
be (a) the accreted value thereof, in the case of any
Indebtedness with original issue discount, (b) the
principal amount thereof, together with any interest thereon
that is more than 30 days past due, in the case of any
other Indebtedness and (c) in respect of Indebtedness of
another Person secured by a Lien on the assets of the specified
Person, the lesser of (x) the Fair Market Value of such
assets at the date of determination and (y) the amount of
the Indebtedness of the other Person to the extent so secured.
Notwithstanding anything in the indenture to the contrary,
Indebtedness of AREP, AREH or any Note Guarantor shall not
include any Indebtedness that has been either satisfied and
discharged or defeased through covenant defeasance or legal
defeasance.
Issuance Date means the closing date for the
sale and original issuance of the notes.
Issuers means AREP and AREP Finance,
collectively.
Lien means, with respect to any asset, any
mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance
of any kind in respect of such asset, whether or not filed,
recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including
any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any
lease in the nature thereof, any option or other agreement to
sell or give a security interest in and any filing of or
agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform
Commercial Code (or equivalent statutes) of any jurisdiction.
Liquidated Damages means all liquidated
damages then owing pursuant to the registration rights agreement.
NEG means National Energy Group, Inc.
NEG Credit Agreement means the credit
agreement, dated as of December 29, 2003, among NEG
Operating LLC, certain commercial lending institutions party
thereto, including Mizuho Corporate Bank, Ltd. as the
administrative agent, Bank of Texas N.A. and Bank of Nova Scotia
as co-agents.
NEG Management Agreements means the
management agreement dated September 12, 2001, between NEG
and NEG Operating LLC, the management agreement dated
August 28, 2003, between NEG and TransTexas Gas Corporation
and the management agreement dated November 16, 2004,
between NEG and Panaco, Inc., each as in effect on the date
hereof.
Net Income means, with respect to any
specified Person for any four consecutive fiscal quarter period,
the net income (loss) of such Person determined in accordance
with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of preferred stock
dividends.
Note Guarantee means the Guarantee by any
Subsidiary of AREP of the Issuers obligations under the
indenture and the notes, executed pursuant to the provisions of
the indenture which initially will only be by AREH.
notes means AREPs
71/8% senior
notes issued under the indenture, including any Additional Notes
issued.
Obligations means any principal, interest,
penalties, fees, indemnifications, reimbursements, damages and
other liabilities payable under the documentation governing any
Indebtedness.
Offering Memorandum means this offering
memorandum dated February 1, 2005.
Officer means with respect to any Person, the
Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the
President, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial
Officer, the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Controller,
the Secretary or any Vice President of such Person.
Officers Certificate means a
certificate signed on behalf of API or AREP Finance by two
Officers (or if a limited liability company, two Officers of the
managing member of such limited liability company) of API
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or AREP Finance, one of whom must be the principal executive
officer, the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the
principal accounting officer of API or AREP Finance that meets
the requirements set forth in the indenture.
Other Liquidated Damages means liquidated
damages arising from a registration default under a registration
rights agreement with respect to the registration of
subordinated Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under the
indenture.
Partners Equity with respect to any
Person means as of any date, the partners equity as of
such date shown on the consolidated balance sheet of such Person
and its Subsidiaries or if such Person is not a partnership, the
comparable line-item on a balance sheet, each prepared in
accordance with GAAP.
Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness means any
Indebtedness of AREP or any Guarantor issued in exchange for, or
the net proceeds of which are used to renew, refund, refinance,
replace, defease or discharge other Indebtedness of AREP or any
Guarantor (other than intercompany Indebtedness); provided that:
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(1) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable)
of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the
principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of the
Indebtedness renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced, defeased
or discharged (plus all accrued interest on the Indebtedness and
the amount of all fees and expenses, including premiums, and
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(2) in the case of any Indebtedness other than notes
redeemed in accordance with Mandatory
Disposition Pursuant to Gaming Laws, such Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity date later than
the final maturity date of, and has a Weighted Average Life to
Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to
Maturity of, the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded,
refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged; and |
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(3) if the Indebtedness being renewed, refunded,
refinanced, replaced, defeased or discharged is subordinated in
right of payment to the notes, such Permitted Refinancing
Indebtedness has a final maturity date later than the final
maturity date of, and is subordinated in right of payment to,
the notes on terms at least as favorable to the holders of notes
as those contained in the documentation governing the
Indebtedness being renewed, refunded, refinanced, replaced,
defeased or discharged. |
Person means any individual, corporation,
partnership, limited liability company, joint venture,
association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated
organization, government or any agency or political subdivision
thereof or any other entity.
Preferred Stock means any Equity Interest
with preferential right of payment of dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution, or winding up.
Preferred Units means AREPs 5%
Cumulative Pay-in-Kind Redeemable Preferred Units payable on or
before March 31, 2010.
Preferred Unit Distribution means the
scheduled annual Preferred Unit distribution, payable on
March 31 of each year in additional Preferred Units at the
rate of 5% of the liquidation preference of $10.00 per
Preferred Unit.
Principal means Carl Icahn.
Principal Property of a specified Person
means any property, assets or revenue of such Person now owned
or hereafter acquired.
Quarterly Determination Date means, in
connection with AREPs first, second and third fiscal
quarters, the earlier of (i) the date AREP would have been
required to file a quarterly report with the SEC on
Form 10-Q if AREP were required to file such reports and
(ii) the date AREP files its quarterly report with the SEC
on Form 10-Q. In connection with AREPs fourth
fiscal quarter, the earlier of (i) the date AREP would have
been required to file an annual report with the SEC on
Form 10-K if AREP were required to file such a report and
(ii) the date AREP files its annual report with the SEC on
Form 10-K.
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Related Parties means (1) Carl Icahn,
any spouse and any child, stepchild, sibling or descendant of
Carl Icahn, (2) any estate of Carl Icahn or any person
under clause (1), (3) any person who receives a
beneficial interest in any estate under clause (2) to the
extent of such interest, (4) any executor, personal
administrator or trustee who holds such beneficial interest in
AREP for the benefit of, or as fiduciary for, any person under
clauses (1), (2) or (3) to the extent of such
interest and (5) any corporation, partnership, limited
liability company, trust, or similar entity, directly or
indirectly owned or Controlled by Carl Icahn or any other person
or persons identified in clauses (1), (2) or (3).
SEC means the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Secured Indebtedness of any specified Person
means any Indebtedness secured by a Lien upon the property of
such Person.
Securities Act means the Securities Act of
1933, as amended.
Significant Subsidiary means any Subsidiary
which would be a significant subsidiary as defined
in Article 1, Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X,
promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such regulation
is in effect on the Issuance Date.
Stated Maturity means, with respect to any
installment of interest or principal on any series of
Indebtedness, the date on which such payment of interest or
principal was scheduled to be paid in the original documentation
governing such Indebtedness, and shall not include any
contingent obligations to repay, redeem or repurchase any such
interest, accreted value, or principal prior to the date
originally scheduled for the payment or accretion thereof.
Subordinated Indebtedness means any
Indebtedness that by its terms is expressly subordinated in
right of payment in any respect (either in the payment of
principal or interest) to the payment of principal, Liquidated
Damages or interest on the notes.
Subsidiary means, with respect to any
specified Person:
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(1) any corporation, association or other business entity
of which more than 50% of the total Voting Stock is at the time
owned or Controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or
one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a
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(2) any partnership (a) the sole general partner or
the managing general partner of which is such Person or a
Subsidiary of such Person or (b) the only general partners
of which are that Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that
Person (or any combination thereof). |
For the avoidance of doubt, AREH will be deemed to be a
Subsidiary of AREP so long as AREH remains a Guarantor.
Tangible Net Worth of any specified Person as
of any date means, the total shareholders equity (or if
such Person were not a corporation, the equivalent account) of
such Person and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis
determined in conformity with GAAP less any and all goodwill and
other intangible assets reflected on the consolidated balance
sheet of such Person as of the last day of the fiscal quarter
most recently completed before the date of determination for
which financial statements are then available, but taking into
account any change in total shareholders equity (or the
equivalent account) as a result of any (x) Restricted
Payments made, (y) asset sales or (z) contributions to
equity or from the issuance or sale of Equity Interests
(excluding Disqualified Stock) or from the exchange or
conversion (other than to Disqualified Stock) of Disqualified
Stock or debt securities, completed since such fiscal quarter
end.
Tax Amount means, for any period, the
combined federal, state and local income taxes, including
estimated taxes, that would be payable by AREP if it were a
Delaware corporation filing separate tax returns with respect to
its Taxable Income for such period and owned 100% of AREH;
provided, that in determining the Tax Amount, the effect thereon
of any net operating loss carryforwards or other carryforwards
or tax attributes, such as alternative minimum tax
carryforwards, that would have arisen if AREP were a Delaware
corporation shall be taken into account; provided, further that
(i) if there is an adjustment in the amount of the Taxable
Income for any period, an appropriate positive or negative
adjustment shall be made in the Tax
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Amount, and if the Tax Amount is negative, then the Tax Amount
for succeeding periods shall be reduced to take into account
such negative amount until such negative amount is reduced to
zero and (ii) any Tax Amount other than amounts relating to
estimated taxes shall be computed by a nationally recognized
accounting firm (but, including in any event, AREPs
auditors). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Tax
Amount shall not include taxes resulting from AREPs change
in the status to a corporation for tax purposes.
Taxable Income means, for any period, the
taxable income or loss of AREP for such period for federal
income tax purposes.
Total Unencumbered Assets means, as of any
Quarterly Determination Date, the book value of all of the
assets of AREP and any Guarantor (including, without limitation,
the Capital Stock of their Subsidiaries, but excluding goodwill
and intangibles) that do not secure, by a Lien, any portion of
any Indebtedness (other than assets secured by a Lien in favor
of the notes and such assets are not secured by a Lien in favor
of any other Indebtedness) as of such date (determined on a
consolidated basis between AREP and any Guarantor but not on a
consolidated basis with their Subsidiaries and otherwise in
accordance with GAAP).
Unsecured Indebtedness of AREP, AREH and any
additional Guarantor means any Indebtedness of such Person that
is not Secured Indebtedness.
Voting Stock means, with respect to any
Person that is (a) a corporation, any class or series of
capital stock of such Person that is ordinarily entitled to vote
in the election of directors thereof at a meeting of
stockholders called for such purpose, without the occurrence of
any additional event or contingency, (b) a limited
liability company, membership interests entitled to manage, or
to elect or appoint the Persons that will manage the operations
or business of the limited liability company, or (c) a
partnership, partnership interests entitled to elect or replace
the general partner thereof.
Weighted Average Life to Maturity means, when
applied to any Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock, as the case
may be, at any date, the number of years (calculated to the
nearest one-twelfth) obtained by dividing (1) the sum of
the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each
then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or
other required payments of principal or liquidation preference,
including payment at final maturity, in respect thereof, by
(b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest
one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making
of such payment, by (2) the then outstanding principal
amount or liquidation preference, as applicable, of such
Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock, as the case may be.
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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
The following general discussion summarizes certain material
United States federal income tax consequences that apply to
beneficial owners of the private notes who:
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(1) acquired the private notes at their original issue
price for cash, |
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(2) exchange the private notes for new notes in this
exchange offer, and |
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(3) held the private notes and hold the new notes as
capital assets (generally, for investment) as
defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the
Code. |
This summary, however, does not consider state, local or foreign
tax laws. In addition, it does not include all of the rules
which may affect the United States tax treatment of your
investment in the notes. For example, special rules not
discussed here may apply to you if you are:
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A broker-dealer, a dealer in securities or a financial
institution; |
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An S corporation; |
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A bank; |
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A thrift; |
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An insurance company; |
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A tax-exempt organization; |
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A partnership or other pass-through entity; |
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Subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code; |
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Holding the private notes or the new notes as part of a hedge,
straddle or other risk reduction or constructive sale
transaction; |
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A person with a functional currency other than the
U.S. dollar; or |
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A United States expatriate. |
If you are a partner in a partnership which holds the new notes,
you should consult your own tax advisor regarding special rules
that may apply.
This summary is based on the Code and applicable Treasury
Regulations, rulings, administrative pronouncements and
decisions as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to
change or differing interpretations at any time with possible
retroactive effect. We have not sought and will not seek any
rulings from the Internal Revenue Service with respect to the
statements made and the conclusions reached in this summary, and
there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will
agree with such statements and conclusions.
Each holder is urged to consult his tax advisor regarding the
specific federal, state, local, and foreign income and other tax
considerations of participating in this exchange offer and
holding the new notes.
Exchange of Private Notes for New Notes
The exchange of the private notes for the new notes pursuant to
this exchange offer should not be a taxable event for
U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, holders
participating in this exchange offer should not recognize any
income, gain or loss in connection with the exchange. In
addition, immediately after the exchange, any such holder should
have the same adjusted tax basis and holding period in the new
notes as it had in the private notes, immediately before the
exchange.
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Consequences of Holding the New Notes
United States Holders
If you are a United States Holder, as defined below,
this section applies to you. Otherwise, the section
Non-United States Holders, applies to you.
Definition of United States Holder
You are a United States Holder if you are the
beneficial owner of a new note and you are, for United States
federal income tax purposes:
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a citizen or resident of the United States; |
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a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or
any political subdivision thereof; |
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an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal
income tax regardless of its sources; or |
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a trust if a court within the United States can exercise primary
supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more
U.S. persons has authority to control all substantial
decisions of the trust, or if the trust was in existence on
August 20, 1996, and treated as a domestic trust on
August 19, 1996, and it has elected to continue to be
treated as a U.S. person. |
Taxation of Stated Interest
Generally, you must include the interest on the new notes in
your gross income as ordinary income:
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when it accrues, if you use the accrual method of accounting for
United States federal income tax purposes; or |
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when you receive it, if you use the cash method of accounting
for United States federal income tax purposes. |
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of the New Notes
You will generally recognize taxable gain or loss on the sale,
exchange, redemption, retirement or other taxable disposition of
a new note. The amount of your gain or loss will equal the
difference between the amount you receive for the new note (in
cash or other property, valued at fair market value), except to
the extent amounts received are attributable to accrued interest
on the note, and your adjusted tax basis in the new note. Your
tax basis in the new note generally will equal the price you
paid for the private note that was exchanged for the new note.
Your gain or loss will generally be long-term capital gain or
loss if your holding period for the new note is more than one
year at the time of the sale, exchange, redemption, retirement
or other taxable disposition. Otherwise, it will be short-term
capital gain or loss. For this purpose, your holding period for
the new note should include your holding period for the private
note that was exchanged for the new note. Long-term capital
gains recognized in years beginning before December 31,
2008 by certain non-corporate holders are generally taxed at a
maximum rate of 15%. The ability to deduct capital losses is
subject to limitations. Payments attributable to accrued
interest which you have not yet included in income will be taxed
as ordinary interest income.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
We will report to certain holders of the new notes and to the
IRS the amount of any interest paid on the new notes in each
calendar year and the amounts of tax withheld, if any, with
respect to such payments. You may be subject to a backup
withholding tax when you receive interest payments on a new note
or proceeds upon the sale or other disposition of the new note.
Certain holders (including, among others, corporations,
financial institutions and certain tax-exempt organizations) are
generally not subject to information reporting or backup
withholding. In addition, the backup withholding tax will not
apply to you if you provide to us or our
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paying agent your correct social security or other taxpayer
identification number, or TIN, in the prescribed manner unless:
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the IRS notifies us or our paying agent that the TIN you
provided is incorrect; |
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you underreport interest and dividend payments that you receive
on your tax return and the IRS notifies us or our paying agent
that withholding is required; or |
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you fail to certify under penalties of perjury that you are not
subject to backup withholding. |
The backup withholding tax rate is currently 28%. Any amounts
withheld from a payment to you under the backup withholding
rules may be credited against your United States federal income
tax liability, and may entitle you to a refund, provided the
required information is properly furnished to the Internal
Revenue Service on a timely basis.
You should consult your tax advisor as to your qualification for
exemption from backup withholding and the procedures for
obtaining such exemption.
Non-United States Holders
The following general discussion is limited to the United States
federal income tax consequences relevant to a Non-United
States Holder. A Non-United States Holder is
any beneficial owner of a new note if such owner is, for United
States federal income tax purposes, a nonresident alien, or a
corporation, estate, or trust that is not a United States Holder.
Interest
Portfolio Interest Exemption. You will generally not be
subject to United States federal income tax or withholding tax
on interest paid or accrued on the new notes if:
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you do not own, actually or constructively, 10% or more of our
capital or profits interests; |
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you are not a controlled foreign corporation with respect to
which we are a related person within the meaning of
Section 864(d)(4) of the Code; |
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you are not a bank receiving interest described in
Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code; |
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such interest is not effectively connected with the conduct by
you of a trade or business in the United States; and |
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either (i) you represent that you are not a United States
person for United States federal income tax purposes and you
provide your name and address to us or our paying agent on a
properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN (or a suitable substitute
form) signed under penalties of perjury, or (ii) a
securities clearing organization, bank, or other financial
institution that holds customers securities in the
ordinary course of its business holds the new note on your
behalf, certifies to us or our paying agent under penalties of
perjury that it has received IRS Form W-8BEN (or a suitable
substitute form) from you or from another qualifying financial
institution intermediary, and provides a copy of the
Form W-8BEN (or a suitable substitute form) to us or our
paying agent. |
United States Federal Income or Withholding Tax If Interest
Is Not Portfolio Interest. If you do not claim, or do not
qualify for, the benefit of the portfolio interest exemption
described above, you may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on
the gross amount of interest payments, unless reduced or
eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty.
However, income from payments or accruals of interest that is
effectively connected with the conduct by you of a trade or
business in the United States will be subject to United States
federal income tax on a net basis at a rate applicable to United
States persons generally (and, if paid to corporate holders, may
also be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% or
lower applicable treaty rate). If payments are subject to United
States federal income tax on a net basis in accordance with the
rules described in the preceding sentence, such payments will
not be subject to United States withholding tax so long as you
provide us or our paying agent with a properly executed IRS
Form W-8ECI.
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Non-United States Holders should consult any applicable income
tax treaties, which may provide for a lower rate of withholding
tax, exemption from or reduction of the branch profits tax, or
other rules different from those described above. Generally, in
order to claim any treaty benefits you must submit a properly
executed IRS Form W-8BEN.
Reporting. We may report annually to the IRS and to you
the amount of interest paid to you, and the tax withheld, if
any, with respect to you.
Sale or Other Disposition of New Notes
You will generally not be subject to United States federal
income tax or withholding tax on gain recognized on a sale,
exchange, redemption, retirement, or other disposition of a new
note unless such gain is effectively connected with the conduct
by you of a trade or business within the United States. Any gain
that is effectively connected with the conduct by you of a trade
or business within the United States will be subject to United
States federal income tax on a net basis at the rates generally
applicable to United States persons as described above.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
Payments From United States Office. If you receive
payment of interest or principal directly from us or through the
United States office of a custodian, nominee, agent or broker,
you may be subject to both backup withholding and information
reporting.
With respect to interest payments made on the new notes,
however, backup withholding and information reporting will not
apply if you certify, generally on a Form W-8BEN (or
Form W-8ECI) or suitable substitute form, that you are not
a United States person in the manner described above under the
heading Non-United States Holders
Interest, or you otherwise establish an exemption.
Moreover, with respect to proceeds received on the sale,
exchange, redemption, or other disposition of a new note, backup
withholding or information reporting generally will not apply if
you properly provide, generally on Form W-8BEN (or
Form W-8ECI) or a suitable substitute form, a statement
that you are an exempt foreign person for purposes
of the broker reporting rules, and other required information.
If you are not subject to United States federal income or
withholding tax on the sale or other disposition of a new note,
as described above under the heading Non-United States
Holders-Interest Sale or Other Disposition of New
Notes, you will generally qualify as an exempt
foreign person for purposes of the broker reporting rules.
Payments From Foreign Office. If payments of principal
and interest are made to you outside the United States by or
through the foreign office of your foreign custodian, nominee or
other agent, or if you receive the proceeds of the sale of a new
note through a foreign office of a broker, as
defined in the pertinent United States Treasury Regulations, you
will generally not be subject to backup withholding or
information reporting. You will however, be subject to backup
withholding and information reporting if the foreign custodian,
nominee, agent or broker has actual knowledge or reason to know
that you are a United States person. You will also be subject to
information reporting, but not backup withholding, if the
payment is made by a foreign office of a custodian, nominee,
agent or broker that has certain relationships to the United
States unless the broker has in its records documentary evidence
that you are a Non-United States Holder and certain other
conditions are met.
Refunds. Any amounts withheld from a payment to you under
the backup withholding rules may be credited against your United
States federal income tax liability, and may entitle you to a
refund, provided the required information is properly furnished
to the Internal Revenue Service on a timely basis.
The information reporting requirements may apply regardless of
whether withholding is required. Copies of the information
returns reporting interest and withholding also may be made
available to the tax authorities in the country in which a
Non-United States Holder is a resident under the provisions of
an applicable income tax treaty or other agreement.
The preceding summary is for general information only and is not
tax advice. Please consult your own tax advisor to determine the
tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of the
notes under your particular circumstances.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Each broker-dealer that receives new notes for its own account
pursuant to the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will
deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such new
notes. This prospectus, as it may be amended or supplemented
from time to time, may be used by a broker-dealer in connection
with resales of new notes received in exchange for old notes
where such old notes were acquired as a result of market-making
activities or other trading activities. We have agreed that,
starting on the expiration date and ending on the close of
business 270 days after the expiration date (or such
shorter period during which participating broker-dealers are
required by law to deliver such prospectus), we will make this
prospectus, as amended or supplemented, available to any
broker-dealer for use in connection with any such resale. In
addition, until March 9, 2006, all dealers effecting
transactions in the new notes may be required to deliver a
prospectus.
We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of new notes by
broker-dealers. New notes received by broker-dealers for their
own account pursuant to the exchange offer may be sold from time
to time in one or more transactions in the over-the-counter
market, in negotiated transactions, through the writing of
options on the new notes or a combination of such methods of
resale, at market prices prevailing at the time of resale, at
prices related to such prevailing market prices or negotiated
prices. Any such resale may be made directly to purchasers or to
or through brokers or dealers who may receive compensation in
the form of commissions or concessions from any such
broker-dealer and/or the purchasers of any such new notes. Any
broker-dealer that resells new notes that were received by it
for its own account pursuant to the exchange offer and any
broker or dealer that participates in a distribution of such new
notes may be deemed to be an underwriter within the
meaning of the Securities Act and any profit of any such resale
of new notes and any commissions or concessions received any
such persons may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under
the Securities Act. The letter of transmittal states that by
acknowledging that it will deliver, and by delivering a
prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it
is an underwriter within the meaning of the
Securities Act.
Furthermore, any broker-dealer that acquired any of its old
notes directly from us:
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may not rely on the applicable interpretation of the staff of
the Commissions position contained in Exxon Capital
Holdings Corp., SEC no-action letter (May 13, 1988),
Morgan, Stanley & Co. Inc., SEC no-action letter
(June 5, 1991) and Shearman & Sterling, SEC
no-action letter (July 2, 1983); and |
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must also be named as a selling noteholder in connection with
the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the
Securities Act relating to any resale transaction. |
For a period of 270 days after the expiration date, we will
promptly send additional copies of this prospectus and any
amendment or supplement to this prospectus to any broker-dealer
that requests such documents in the letter of transmittal. We
have agreed to pay all expenses incident to the exchange offer
(including the expenses of one counsel for the holder of the old
notes) other than commissions or concessions of any brokers or
dealers and will indemnify the holders of the old notes
(including any broker-dealers) against certain liabilities,
including liabilities under the Securities Act.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the notes offered by this prospectus will be
passed upon for us by DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP, New
York, New York.
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EXPERTS
American Real Estate Partners, L.P. and American Real
Estate Holdings Limited Partnership
The consolidated historical and restated financial statements of
AREP as of December 31, 2004 and for the year ended
December 31, 2004 and the consolidated historical and
restated financial statements of AREH as of December 31,
2004 and for the year ended December 31, 2004 incorporated
by reference in this prospectus have each been audited by Grant
Thornton LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as
stated in its reports with respect thereto, and are incorporated
by reference herein in reliance upon the authority of said firm
as experts in accounting and auditing in giving said reports.
The consolidated financial statements of American Real Estate
Partners, L.P. as of December 31, 2003 and for each of the
years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2003
incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the current
report on Form 8-K filed by AREP on December 2, 2005
have been incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports
of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm,
incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit report
covering the December 31, 2003 consolidated financial
statements refers to a change in the method of accounting for
asset retirement obligations.
Financial statements of American Real Estate Holdings Limited
Partnership as of December 31, 2003 and for each of the
years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2003,
incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the current
report on Form 8-K filed by AREP on December 2, 2005,
have been incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports
of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm,
incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit report
covering the December 31, 2003 consolidated financial
statements refers to a change in the method of accounting for
asset retirement obligations.
American Property Investors, Inc.
The balance sheet of American Property Investors, Inc., as of
December 31, 2004, incorporated by reference in this
prospectus has been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, independent
accountants, as stated in its report with respect thereto, and
are incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the
authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing in
giving said report.
WestPoint Stevens Inc.
The consolidated financial statements of WestPoint Stevens Inc.
as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 and for each of the three
years in the period ended December 31, 2004, appearing in
American Real Estate Partners, L.P.s Form 8-K/A dated
October 21, 2005 have been audited by Ernst & Young
LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth
in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph
describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about
WestPoint Stevens Inc.s ability to continue as a going
concern as described in Note 2 to the consolidated
financial statements) included therein and incorporated herein
by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are
incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report
given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and
auditing.
GB Holdings, Inc.
On June 15, 2005, KPMG LLP advised GB Holdings,
Inc. that it has resigned, and that the client-auditor
relationship between GB Holdings Inc. and KPMG had ceased.
The consolidated financial statements of GB Holdings, Inc.
and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 and for
each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 31, 2004 have been audited by KPMG LLP as set
forth in the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered
public accounting firm, and such report has been incorporated by
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reference herein upon the authority of said firm as experts in
accounting and auditing. The audit report covering the
December 31, 2004 consolidated financial statements
contains an explanatory paragraph that states that
GB Holdings recurring net losses, net working capital
deficiency and significant debt obligations which are due within
one year raise substantial doubt about the entitys ability
to continue as a going concern. The consolidated financial
statements do not include any adjustments that might result from
the outcome of that uncertainty. During the three year period
ended December 31, 2004 and the interim period proceeding
receipt of KPMGs letter, there were no
(1) disagreements with KPMG on any matters of accounting
principles or practices, financial statement disclosures, or
auditing scope or procedures, which disagreements, if not
resolved to the satisfaction of KPMG would have caused it to
make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in
connection with its report or (2) reportable
events as such item is defined in
Item 304 (a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Panaco, Inc.
The balance sheet of Panaco, Inc. as of December 31, 2004
has been audited by Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C.,
independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its
report. Such report has been incorporated by reference herein.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
AREP files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy
statements and other information with the SEC under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Exchange Act file number
for its SEC filings is 1-9516. You may read any document AREP
files at the SECs public reference room at 100 F
Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549.
Please call the SEC toll free at 1-800-SEC-0330 for information
about its public reference rooms. AREP files information
electronically with the SEC. AREPs SEC filings are
available from the SECs Internet site at http:
//www.sec.gov. AREPs SEC filings are also available at
AREPs website at www.areplp.com. Information
contained on our website is not part of this prospectus. AREH
filed an annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2004 since it was required to file such report
under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we
filed with the SEC. The registration statement, including the
attached exhibits and schedules, contains additional relevant
information about us and our common stock. The rules and
regulations of the SEC allow us to omit some of the information
included in the registration statement from this prospectus. You
may inspect the registration statement, including exhibits, at
the SECs public reference facilities or internet site. Our
statements in this prospectus about the contents of any contract
or other document are not necessarily complete. You should refer
to the copy of each contract or other document we have filed as
an exhibit to the registration statement for complete
information.
INCORPORATION OF AREP AND AREH DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows AREP and AREH to incorporate by
reference into this prospectus the information AREP and
AREH file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose
important information to you by referring you to those
documents. The information incorporated by reference is
considered to be part of this prospectus, and information in
documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically
update and supersede information in this prospectus. We
incorporate by reference the documents listed below, and they
shall be deemed to be a part hereof:
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AREH Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2004, filed on March 31, 2005. |
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AREH Current Report on Form 8-K/A, filed on January 5,
2005. |
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AREP Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2004, filed on March 16, 2005. |
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AREP Amended Annual Report on Form 10-K/ A for the year
ended December 31, 2004, filed on April 14, 2005. |
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AREP Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
March 31, 2005, filed on May 10, 2005; for the year
ended June 30, 2005, filed on August 9, 2005; and for
the quarter ended September 30, 2005, filed on
November 14, 2005. |
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AREP Current Reports on Form 8-K or Form 8-K/A, filed
by AREP on January 5, 2005, January 21, 2005,
January 27, 2005, February 2, 2005, February 10,
2005, April 7, 2005, April 29, 2005, May 10, 2005
(only the Form 8-K containing Item 8.01 and 9.01
information), May 27, 2005, June 3, 2005,
June 21, 2005, June 23, 2005, July 1, 2005,
July 6, 2005, August 12, 2005, September 15,
2005, October 21, 2005, November 16, 2005,
November 23, 2005, and December 2, 2005(4). |
All documents and reports filed by AREP and AREH with the SEC
under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination
of this offering shall be deemed incorporated herein by
reference and shall be deemed to be part hereof from the date of
filing of such documents and reports. Unless specifically stated
to the contrary, none of the information that is disclosed under
Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any current report on Form 8-K
that was, or may from time to time be, furnished to the SEC will
be incorporated by reference to, or otherwise included in, this
prospectus. Any statement contained in a document incorporated
or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus
shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of
this document to the extent that a statement contained herein or
in any subsequently filed document or report that also is or
deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or
superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or
superseded, to constitute a part of this document. We will
provide copies of these documents, free of charge, to any
person, including any beneficial owner, who receives this
prospectus upon written or oral request of such person. To
request a copy, you should contact AREP at its headquarters
which are located at 100 South Bedford Road, Mt. Kisco, New York
10549, Attention: Chief Financial Officer.
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Until March 9, 2006, all dealers that effect transactions
in these securities, whether or not participating in this
exchange offer, may be required to deliver a prospectus. Each
broker-dealer that receives new notes for its own account
pursuant to the exchange offer must acknowledge that it will
deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such new
notes.
PROSPECTUS
American Real Estate Partners, L.P.
American Real Estate Finance Corp.
Offer to exchange our
71/8% Senior
Notes due 2013, which have been registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, for any and all of our
outstanding
71/8%
Senior Notes due 2013.