e424b5
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration Statement No.: 333-151355
CALCULATION OF
REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities to be
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Maximum Aggregate
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Amount of
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Registered
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Offering Price
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Registration Fee(1)
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Warrants (expiring January 1, 2013)
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1,811,956,525
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129,192.50
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(1) |
The filing fee of $129,192.50 is calculated in accordance with
Rule 457(g) of the Securities Act of 1933.
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PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT
(To prospectus dated June 2, 2008)
Ford Motor Company
362,391,305 Warrants
Each to Purchase One Share of
Common Stock
UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust (referred to in this
prospectus supplement as the selling security
holder) is offering to sell 362,391,305 warrants, each of
which represents the right to purchase one share of our common
stock, par value $0.01 per share, at an exercise price of $9.20
per share. Both the exercise price and the number of shares that
a warrant confers the right to purchase are subject to
adjustment from time to time in the manner described in this
prospectus supplement. We will not receive any of the proceeds
from the sale of the warrants being sold by the selling security
holder. The warrants expire on January 1, 2013.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the
warrants. The warrants have been approved for listing on the New
York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) under the symbol
F WS. Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under
the symbol F. On March 30, 2010, the last
reported sale price of our common stock on the NYSE was $13.28
per share.
The public offering price and the allocation of the warrants in
this offering will be determined by an auction process. During
the auction period, potential bidders will be able to place bids
at any price (in increments of $0.10) at or above the minimum
bid price of $3.50 per warrant. The minimum size for any bid is
1,000 warrants. The public offering price of the warrants will
be equal to the clearing price set in the auction. If bids are
received for 100% or more of the offered warrants, the clearing
price will be equal to the highest price at which all offered
warrants can be sold in the auction and bidders who submit bids
at the clearing price may experience pro-ration of their bids.
If bids are received for 100% or more of the offered warrants,
the selling security holder will sell all of the offered
warrants at the clearing price. If bids are received for half or
more, but less than all, of the offered warrants, then the
clearing price will be equal to the minimum bid price of $3.50
per warrant, and the selling security holder will sell at the
clearing price all the warrants for which bids were received in
the auction. If bids are received for less than half of the
offered warrants, the selling security holder will not sell any
warrants in this offering. In addition, we may bid, but are not
required to bid, in the auction for some or all of the warrants.
The method for submitting bids and a more detailed description
of this auction process are described in Auction
Process in this prospectus supplement.
You must meet minimum suitability standards in order to
purchase the warrants. You must be able to understand and
bear the risk of an investment in the warrants and should be
experienced with respect to options and option transactions. You
should reach an investment decision only after careful
consideration, with your advisers, of the suitability of the
warrants in light of your particular financial circumstances and
the information in this prospectus supplement. The warrants
involve a high degree of risk, are not appropriate for every
investor and may expire worthless.
INVESTING IN THE WARRANTS AND OUR COMMON STOCK INVOLVES
RISKS. SEE RISK FACTORS BEGINNING ON
PAGE S-8
OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this
prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Per Warrant
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Total
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Public offering price
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$
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5.00
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$
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1,811,956,525.00
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Underwriting discounts and commissions
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$
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0.10
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$
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36,239,130.50
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Proceeds, before expenses, to the selling security holder
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$
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4.90
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$
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1,775,717,394.50
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The underwriters expect to deliver the warrants in book-entry
form only, through the facilities of The Depository
Trust Company, against payment on or about April 6,
2010.
Deutsche Bank
Securities
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Goldman,
Sachs & Co. |
Barclays
Capital |
BofA
Merrill Lynch |
Citi |
J.P. Morgan |
Morgan
Stanley |
RBS |
Prospectus Supplement dated March 30, 2010
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Prospectus
Supplement
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Page
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S-ii
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S-ii
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S-iii
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S-1
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S-8
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S-17
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S-18
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S-19
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S-25
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S-37
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S-42
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S-43
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S-47
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S-52
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S-52
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Prospectus
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You should rely only on the information contained in or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus we
provide to you. None of Ford, the selling security holder or the
underwriters has authorized anyone to provide you with different
information.
We and the selling security holder are not making an offer of
these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not
permitted. You should not assume that the information contained
in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or
the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other
than the respective dates thereof.
S-i
ABOUT THIS
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
The information in this prospectus supplement, which describes
the specific terms of the offering of the warrants, supplements
and should be read together with, the information contained in
the related prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between
the information in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in
this prospectus supplement.
You should read this information together with the financial
statements and related notes thereto incorporated by reference
into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Except as otherwise specified, the words Ford, the
Company, we, our,
ours and us refer to Ford Motor Company
and its subsidiaries and common stock refers to our
common stock, $0.01 par value per share.
This prospectus supplement is an offer to sell only the warrants
offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in
jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information
contained in this prospectus supplement is current only as of
its date.
WHERE YOU CAN
FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and special reports and other
information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
SEC). You may read and copy any document we file at
the SECs public reference room at 100 F Street,
N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330
for further information on the public reference room. Our SEC
filings also are available to you at the SECs web site at
http://www.sec.gov.
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the
information we file with them into this prospectus supplement,
which means that we can disclose important information to you by
referring you to those documents and those documents will be
considered part of this prospectus supplement. Information that
we file later with the SEC will automatically update and
supersede the previously filed information. We incorporate by
reference the documents listed below and any future filings made
with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange
Act), until this offering has been completed.
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Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 (our
Annual Report); and
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Current Reports on
Form 8-K
filed on January 4, 2010, January 5, 2010,
January 28, 2010, February 2, 2010, March 2, 2010
and March 29, 2010.
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In addition, all reports and other documents we subsequently
file pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus supplement (other
than any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or
Item 7.01 of any Current Report on
Form 8-K
unless we specifically state in such Current Report that such
information is to be considered filed under the
Exchange Act or we incorporate it by reference into a filing
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
Securities Act), or the Exchange Act) will be deemed
to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement
and to be part of this prospectus supplement from the date of
the filing of such reports and documents. Any statement
contained in this prospectus supplement or in a document
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein
shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of
this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement
contained in any subsequently filed document which is or is
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 prospectus supplement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we are not incorporating any
document or information deemed to have been furnished and not
filed in accordance with SEC rules. You may obtain a copy of any
or all
S-ii
of the documents referred to above which may have been or may be
incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement
(excluding certain exhibits to the documents) at no cost to you
by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Ford Motor Company
One American Road
Dearborn, MI 48126
Attn: Shareholder Relations Department
800-555-5259
or
313-845-8540
FORWARD LOOKING
STATEMENTS
Statements included or incorporated by reference herein may
constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, forecasts,
and assumptions by our management and involve a number of risks,
uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those stated, including, without
limitation, those set forth in Item 1A
Risk Factors and Item 7
Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations Risk Factors of our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 incorporated
herein by reference.
We cannot be certain that any expectations, forecasts, or
assumptions made by management in preparing these
forward-looking statements will prove accurate, or that any
projections will be realized. It is to be expected that there
may be differences between projected and actual results. Our
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of their
initial issuance, and we do not undertake any obligation to
update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise.
S-iii
SUMMARY
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in
this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. It
does not contain all of the information you should consider
before making an investment decision. You should read the entire
prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the
documents incorporated by reference and the other documents to
which we refer for a more complete understanding of this
offering. Please read the section entitled Risk
Factors herein and additional information contained in our
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement, for more information
about important factors that you should consider before
investing in the warrants. This summary is qualified in its
entirety by the more detailed information and consolidated
financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in
this prospectus supplement or incorporated herein by
reference.
Company
Overview
Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1919. We
acquired the business of a Michigan company, also known as Ford
Motor Company, that had been incorporated in 1903 to produce and
sell automobiles designed and engineered by Henry Ford. We are
one of the worlds largest producers of cars and trucks. We
and our subsidiaries also engage in other businesses, including
financing vehicles. Our headquarters are located at One American
Road, Dearborn, Michigan 48126, and our telephone number is
(313) 322-3000.
Our website address is www.ford.com. Material contained on our
website is not part of and is not incorporated by reference in
this prospectus supplement.
We review and present our business results in two sectors:
Automotive and Financial Services. Within these sectors, our
business is divided into reportable segments based upon the
organizational structure that we use to evaluate performance and
make decisions on resource allocation, as well as availability
and materiality of separate financial results consistent with
that structure. Our Automotive and Financial Services segments
as of December 31, 2009 are described in the table below:
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Business Sector
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Reportable Segments*
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Description
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Automotive:
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Ford North America
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand
vehicles and related service parts in North America (the United
States, Canada and Mexico), together with the associated costs
to design, develop, manufacture and service these vehicles and
parts, as well as, for periods prior to January 1, 2010, the
sale of Mazda6 vehicles produced by our consolidated subsidiary
AutoAlliance International, Inc.
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Ford South America
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford-brand vehicles and related
service parts in South America, together with the associated
costs to design, develop, manufacture and service these vehicles
and parts.
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Ford Europe
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford-brand vehicles and related
service parts in Europe, Turkey and Russia, together with the
associated costs to design, develop, manufacture and service
these vehicles and parts.
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S-1
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Business Sector
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Reportable Segments*
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Description
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Automotive continued
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Ford Asia Pacific Africa
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford-brand vehicles and related
service parts in the Asia Pacific region and South Africa,
together with the associated costs to design, develop,
manufacture and service these vehicles and parts.
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Volvo
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Primarily includes the sale of Volvo-brand vehicles and related
service parts throughout the world (including Europe, North and
South America, and Asia Pacific Africa), together with the
associated costs to design, develop, manufacture and service
these vehicles and parts.
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Financial Services:
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Ford Motor Credit Company
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Primarily includes vehicle-related financing, leasing and
insurance.
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Other Financial Services
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Includes a variety of businesses including holding companies,
real estate, and the financing and leasing of some Volvo
vehicles in Europe.
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We have experienced changes to our reportable segments in recent
years, including: |
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As first reported in our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the period ended March 31, 2009, Volvo currently is
held for sale. We announced the execution of a definitive
agreement to sell Volvo on March 28, 2010.
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During the fourth quarter of 2008, we sold a portion of our
equity in Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda), reducing
our ownership percentage from approximately 33.4% at the time of
sale to about 11% ownership currently. As a result, beginning
with the fourth quarter of 2008, we account for our interest in
Mazda as a marketable security and no longer report Mazda as an
operating segment.
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As reported in our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2008, we sold our Jaguar Land
Rover operations on June 2, 2008.
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As reported in our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the period ended June 30, 2007, we sold Aston Martin on
May 31, 2007.
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S-2
Recent
Developments
March Sales. We expect to announce our
U.S. sales for the month of March 2010 on April 1,
2010. We presently expect that U.S. sales of Ford, Lincoln
and Mercury brand vehicles in March 2010 will be higher than in
March 2009 by a percentage amount that is consistent with the
year-over-year
percentage increases in sales we have experienced in the last
few months. March is not yet complete, and our sales estimate is
therefore preliminary, based on information available to us as
of the date of this prospectus supplement and subject to change.
Planned Credit Facility Paydown. Due to
concerns about instability in the capital markets and the
uncertain state of the global economy, on February 3, 2009,
we borrowed all available committed loans under our senior
secured revolving credit facility to ensure access to these
funds. At December 31, 2009, our revolving credit facility
totaled $8.1 billion, of which $7.9 billion was
utilized (including $418 million to support letters of
credit). In light of the improved state of the capital markets
and global economic conditions, we have notified JPMorgan Chase
Bank, N.A., as administrative agent under our amended and
restated credit agreement, that we will prepay $3.0 billion
of revolving loans in April 2010, although such amounts will
remain available for borrowing as the commitments of the
revolving lenders will not be reduced.
Sale of Volvo and Related Assets. On March
28, 2010, Ford announced it entered into a definitive agreement
to sell Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Cars of North America,
LLC, and their respective subsidiaries (collectively,
Volvo Cars) and related assets to Zhejiang Geely
Holding Group Company Limited and certain of its affiliates. The
sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010, and is
subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of
applicable regulatory approvals.
The purchase price for Volvo Cars and related assets (primarily
intellectual property) is U.S. $1.8 billion, which
will be paid in the form of a note in the amount of U.S
$200 million, and the remainder in cash. The cash portion
of the purchase price will be adjusted at close for customary
purchase price adjustments relating to Volvo Cars pension
deficits, debt, cash and working capital, the net effect of
which could be a significant decrease in the cash proceeds to
Ford.
Ford will not retain any ownership in Volvo Cars. Following
completion of the sale, Ford will continue to supply Volvo Cars
with, for differing periods, powertrains, stampings and other
vehicle components. As part of the sale, Ford also has committed
to provide engineering support, information technology, access
to tooling for common components, and other selected services
for a transition period to ensure a smooth separation process.
Ford and Geely have established agreements to govern the use of
intellectual property; these agreements will allow both Volvo
Cars and Ford to deliver their business plans and provide
appropriate safeguards against misuse. These agreements also
will allow Volvo Cars to grant sublicenses to certain portions
of Fords intellectual property used by Volvo Cars to third
parties, including Geely.
For more information regarding Fords sale of Volvo Cars,
see Fords Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the SEC on March 29, 2010.
S-3
The
Offering
The following information about the warrants, our common
stock and the auction process summarizes, and should be read in
conjunction with, the information contained in this prospectus
supplement and the attached prospectus.
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Issuer |
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Ford Motor Company |
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Selling Security Holder |
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UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust |
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Warrants Offered by the Selling Security Holder
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362,391,305 warrants, each of which represents the right to
purchase one share of our common stock, par value $0.01 per
share, at an initial exercise price of $9.20 per share, subject
to adjustment. As used in this prospectus supplement, the
number of underlying shares means the number of
shares of our common stock that a warrant confers the right to
purchase, which is initially one share. See Auction
Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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The warrants can be exercised at any time prior to
5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 1, 2013.
Because the expiration date of January 1, 2013 is not a trading
day, you will need to contact your broker or DTC and have it
exercise your warrants on your behalf no later than December 31,
2012. |
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Upon exercise, a warrantholder will receive, on the settlement
date for the warrants being exercised, a number of shares of our
common stock equal to the product of (i) the aggregate
number of underlying shares with respect to such warrants and
(ii) (A) the last reported sale price of our common stock
on the relevant exercise date, minus the applicable exercise
price, divided by (B) such last reported sale price,
together with cash in lieu of any fractional shares. The
economic result of this formula is the same as if the exercise
price of a warrant was paid by our netting out a number of
shares of our common stock otherwise issuable upon exercise of
the warrant equal to the value of the exercise price of such
warrant. See Description of Warrants. |
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Common Stock Outstanding After this Offering
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3,299,284,320 shares of common stock and
70,852,076 shares of Class B stock. |
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The number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately
after the closing of this offering is based on the number of
shares of common stock outstanding as of February 28, 2010.
Each outstanding share of common stock is entitled to one vote
on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders. Each holder
of Class B stock is entitled to a number of votes per share
derived by a formula contained in our restated certificate of
incorporation. As long as at least approximately
60.7 million shares of Class B stock remain
outstanding, the formula will result in holders of Class B
stock having 40% of the general voting power and holders of |
S-4
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common stock and, if issued, any preferred stock with voting
power having 60% of the general voting power. Unless otherwise
indicated, the number of shares of common stock outstanding
after this offering excludes up to 362,391,305 shares
initially issuable upon exercise of the warrants offered by this
prospectus supplement, 534,827,725 shares of our common
stock issuable upon conversion of our outstanding convertible
securities and 319,862,251 shares of our common stock
issuable upon the exercise of stock options and restricted stock
awards and units outstanding as of December 31, 2009. |
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Auction Process
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The selling security holder and the underwriters will determine
the public offering price and the allocation of the warrants in
this offering through an auction process conducted by Deutsche
Bank Securities Inc., the sole book-running manager, in its
capacity as the auction agent. The auction will entail a
modified Dutch auction mechanic in which bids may be
submitted through the auction agent or one of the other
underwriters that agrees to be a network broker (each, a
network broker, and together, the network
brokers) in connection with the auction process. Each
broker will make suitability determinations with respect to its
own customers wishing to participate in the auction process.
During the auction process, the auction agent will not provide
bidders, including us if we decide to bid, with any information
about the bids of other bidders or auction trends, or with
advice regarding bidding strategies, in connection with the
auction. We may bid, but we are not required to bid, in the
auction for some or all of the warrants. We encourage you to
discuss any questions regarding the bidding process and
suitability determinations applicable to your bids with your
broker. For more information about the auction process, see
Auction Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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Minimum Bid Price and Price Increments
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This offering will be made using an auction process in which
prospective purchasers are required to bid for the warrants.
During the auction period, bids may be placed by qualifying
bidders at any price (in increments of $0.10) at or above the
minimum bid price of $3.50 per warrant. See Auction
Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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Minimum Bid Size
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1,000 warrants |
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Bid Submission Deadline
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The auction will commence at 8:00 a.m., New York City time,
on the date specified by the auction agent in a press release
issued prior to such time, and will close at 6:30 p.m., New
York City time, on that same day (the submission
deadline). |
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Irrevocability of Bids
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Bids that have not been modified or withdrawn by the time of the
submission deadline are final and irrevocable, and bidders who
submit successful bids will be obligated to purchase the
warrants allocated to them. The auction agent is under no
obligation to reconfirm bids for any reason; however, the
auction agent may require that bidders confirm their bids at its |
S-5
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discretion before the auction process closes. See Auction
Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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Clearing Price
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The price at which the warrants will be sold to the public will
be the clearing price set by the auction process. The clearing
price will be determined based on the valid, irrevocable bids at
the time of the submission deadline as follows: |
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If valid bids are received and not revoked for 100%
or more of the number of warrants being offered, the clearing
price will be equal to the highest price in the auction at which
the quantity of all bids at or above such price equals 100% or
more of the number of warrants being offered in the auction.
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If valid bids are received and not revoked for half
or more, but less than all, of the offered warrants, the
clearing price will be equal to the minimum bid price of $3.50
per warrant.
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Unless bids are received for less than half the warrants (in
which case no warrants will be sold), the warrants will be sold
to bidders at the clearing price. After the clearing price is
determined, the auction agent and each network broker that has
submitted bids will notify successful bidders that the auction
has closed and that their bids have been accepted (subject in
some cases to pro-ration, as described below). The clearing
price and number of warrants being sold are also expected to be
announced by press release prior to the opening of the equity
markets on the business day following the end of the auction.
See Auction Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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Number of Warrants Sold
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362,391,305 |
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Number of Warrants to be Sold
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If bids are received for all of the offered warrants, the
selling security holder will sell all of the offered warrants.
If bids are received for half or more, but less than all, of the
offered warrants, then the selling security holder will sell at
the minimum bid price in the auction (which will be deemed to be
the clearing price) all the warrants for which bids were
received in the auction. If bids are received for less than half
of the offered warrants, the selling security holder will not
sell any warrants in this offering. See Auction
Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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Allocation; Pro-Ration
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If bids for all the warrants offered in this offering are
received, then any bids submitted in the auction above the
clearing price will receive allocations in full, while any bids
submitted at the clearing price may experience pro-rata
allocation. If bids for half or more, but less than all, of the
warrants offered in this offering are received, then all bids
will be satisfied without any pro-rata allocation. See
Auction Process in this prospectus supplement. |
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Our Participation in the Auction
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We are permitted to participate in the auction by submitting
bids for the warrants. Although we are under no obligation to
participate in the auction, if we elect to participate, we will
not receive preferential treatment of any kind. We would
participate on the same basis as all other bidders, except that
we are required to submit any final bid we may enter by |
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6:00 p.m., New York City time, on the day on which the
auction is conducted, while other bidders may submit bids by
6:30 p.m., New York City time, on such day. You will not be
notified whether we have bid in the auction or, if we elect to
participate in the auction, the terms of any bid or bids we may
place. |
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Use of Proceeds
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We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of any of the
warrants offered by the selling security holder. |
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Risk Factors
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See Risk Factors and other information included or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the
attached prospectus for a discussion of factors you should
consider carefully before deciding to invest in the warrants. |
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Listing
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The warrants have been approved for listing on the NYSE under
the symbol F WS. Our common stock is listed on the
NYSE under the symbol F. |
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Warrant Agent
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Computershare Trust Company, N.A. |
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Auction Agent
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Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. |
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Network Brokers
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No underwriters agreed to act as network brokers for purposes of
this auction. |
S-7
RISK
FACTORS
Your investment in the warrants involves risks. This
prospectus supplement does not describe all of those risks.
In consultation with your own financial and legal advisors,
you should consider carefully the following risks before
deciding whether an investment in the warrants is suitable for
you. The warrants are not an appropriate investment for you if
you are not knowledgeable about significant features of the
warrants, our common stock, or financial matters in general. You
should not purchase the warrants unless you understand and know
that you can bear all of the risks associated with the warrants
and with owning our common stock.
You should review carefully the information in this
prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus about the
warrants, our common stock and our other securities. For more
information regarding risks that may materially affect our
business and results, please refer to the information under the
captions Item 1A Risk Factors and
Item 7 Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations Risk Factors of our Annual Report
on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2009, and any risks
discussed in our subsequent filings that are incorporated by
reference into this prospectus supplement, as well as other
information included or incorporated by reference into this
prospectus supplement or the attached prospectus. Additional
risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we
currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating
results. If any of the risks actually occur, our business,
financial condition and operating results could be materially
adversely affected, which, in turn, could adversely affect the
trading price of the warrants
and/or our
common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you
may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to
the Auction Process
The price of
the warrants could decline rapidly and significantly following
this offering.
The public offering price of the warrants, which will be the
clearing price, will be determined through an auction process
conducted by the selling security holder and the auction agent.
Although the warrants have been approved for listing on the
NYSE, prior to this offering there has been no public market for
the warrants, and the public offering price may bear no relation
to market demand for the warrants once trading begins. We have
been informed by both the selling security holder and Deutsche
Bank Securities Inc., as the auction agent, that they believe
that the bidding process will result in a clearing price for the
warrants offered in the auction, which will be either the
highest price at which all of the warrants offered may be sold
to bidders, if bids are received for 100% or more of the offered
warrants, or the minimum bid price of $3.50, if bids are
received for half or more, but less than all, of the offered
warrants. If there is little or no demand for the warrants at or
above the public offering price once trading begins, the price
of the warrants would likely decline following this offering.
Limited or
less-than-expected
liquidity in the warrants, including decreased liquidity due to
a sale of less than all of the warrants being offered or a
purchase of warrants by us in the auction, if any, could also
cause the trading price of the warrants to decline. In addition,
the auction process may lead to more volatility in, or a decline
in, the trading price of the warrants after the initial sales of
the warrants in this offering. You should not assume you will be
able to make a short-term profit by selling the warrants you
purchase in the offering shortly after trading begins.
The minimum
bid price that the auction agent has set for the warrants in
this offering may bear no relation to the price of the warrants
after the offering.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the
warrants. The minimum bid price set forth in this prospectus
supplement was determined by Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., the
sole book-running manager of this offering, and the selling
security holder. An analysis of the value of complex securities
like the warrants is necessarily uncertain as it may depend on
several key variables, including, for example, the volatility of
the trading prices of the underlying security. The
S-8
difficulty associated with determining the value of the warrants
is further increased by the time period during which the
warrants can be exercised. We cannot assure you that the price
at which the warrants will trade after completion of this
offering will exceed this minimum bid price, or that the selling
security holder will succeed in selling any or all of the
warrants at a price equal to or in excess of the minimum bid
price.
The auction
process for this offering may result in a phenomenon known as
the winners curse, and, as a result, investors
may experience significant losses.
The auction process for this offering may result in a phenomenon
known as the winners curse. At the conclusion
of the auction, successful bidders that receive allocations of
warrants in this offering may infer that there is little
incremental demand for the warrants above or equal to the public
offering price. As a result, successful bidders may conclude
that they paid too much for the warrants and could seek to
immediately sell their warrants to limit their losses should the
price of the warrants decline in trading after the auction is
completed. In this situation, other investors that did not
submit successful bids may wait for this selling to be
completed, resulting in reduced demand for the warrants in the
public market and a significant decline in the price of the
warrants. Therefore, we caution investors that submitting
successful bids and receiving allocations may be followed by a
significant decline in the value of their investment in the
warrants shortly after this offering.
The auction
process for this offering may result in a situation in which
less price-sensitive investors play a larger role in the
determination of the public offering price and constitute a
larger portion of the investors in this offering, and, as a
result, the public offering price may not be sustainable once
trading of warrants begins.
In a typical public offering of securities, a majority of the
securities sold to the public are purchased by professional
investors that have significant experience in determining
valuations for companies in connection with such offerings.
These professional investors typically have access to, or
conduct their own, independent research and analysis regarding
investments in such offerings. Other investors typically have
less access to this level of research and analysis, and as a
result, may be less sensitive to price when participating in the
auction. Because of the auction process, these less
price-sensitive investors may have a greater influence in
setting the public offering price (because a larger number of
higher bids may cause the clearing price in the auction to be
higher than it would otherwise have been absent such bids) and
may represent a higher level of participation in this offering
than is normal for other public offerings. This, in turn, could
cause the auction to result in a public offering price that is
higher than the price professional investors are willing to pay
for the warrants. As a result, the price of the warrants may
decrease once trading of the warrants begins. Also, because
professional investors may have a substantial degree of
influence on the trading price of the warrants over time, the
price of the warrants may decline and not recover after this
offering. In addition, if the public offering price of the
warrants is above the level that investors determine is
reasonable for the warrants, some investors may attempt to short
sell the warrants after trading begins, which would create
additional downward pressure on the trading price of the
warrants.
We are
permitted, but are not required, to participate in the auction
for the warrants and, if we do so, that could have the effect of
raising the clearing price and decreasing liquidity in the
market for the warrants.
We are permitted, but are not required, to submit bids in the
auction. You will not be notified whether we have bid in the
auction or, if we elect to participate in the auction, the terms
of any bid or bids we may place. We will not receive
preferential treatment of any kind. We would participate on the
same basis as all other bidders, except that we are required to
submit any final bid we may enter by 6:00 p.m., New York
City time, on the day on which the auction is conducted, while
other bidders may submit bids by 6:30 p.m., New York City
time, on such day. In some cases the submission of bids by us,
if any, could cause the clearing price in the auction to be
higher than it would otherwise have been (although in such a
case we would still be required to purchase warrants for which
we had submitted
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bids at the clearing price, subject to pro-ration). In addition,
to the extent we purchase any warrants, the liquidity of any
market for the warrants may decrease, particularly if our
purchases represent a significant percentage of the outstanding
warrants.
If this offering proceeds and is completed, we may from time to
time repurchase and retire the warrants in open market purchases
or on a privately negotiated basis. Any repurchases would also
decrease liquidity in any market for the warrants.
The clearing
price for the warrants may bear little or no relationship to the
price for the warrants that would be established using
traditional valuation methods or the market price of our common
stock and, as a result, the trading price of the warrants may
decline significantly following the issuance of the
warrants.
The public offering price of the warrants will be equal to the
clearing price. The clearing price of the warrants may have
little or no relationship to, and may be significantly higher
than, the price for the warrants that otherwise would be
established using traditional indicators of value, such as our
future prospects and those of our industry in general; our
revenues, earnings, and other financial and operating
information; multiples of revenue, earnings, cash flows, and
other operating metrics; market prices of securities and other
financial and operating information of companies engaged in
activities similar to ours; and the views of research analysts.
The trading price of the warrants may vary significantly from
the public offering price. Potential investors should not submit
a bid in the auction for this offering unless they are willing
to take the risk that the price of the warrants could decline
significantly.
No maximum
price or set price range has been established in connection with
the auction, and any bids submitted as market bids
will be included at the highest bid received from any
bidder.
Although the auction agent has established a minimum bid in
connection with the auction, no maximum price or set price range
has been implemented, meaning that there is no ceiling on the
per-warrant amount that an investor can bid in the auction. If a
bidder submits a market bid, which is a bid that specifies the
number of warrants the bidder is willing to purchase without
specifying the price it is willing to pay, that bid will be
treated as a bid at the highest price received from any other
bidder in the auction. Because market bids will increase the
number of warrants that are covered by bids at the highest price
received, the submission of market bids could cause the clearing
price in the auction to be higher than it would otherwise have
been absent any market bids. Since the only information being
provided in connection with the auction is the minimum bid price
and the auction agent is under no obligation to reconfirm bids
for any reason, potential investors should carefully evaluate
all factors that may be relevant about us, our operations, the
warrants and the auction process in determining the
appropriateness of any bids they may submit.
Successful
bidders may receive the full number of warrants subject to their
bids, so potential investors should not make bids for more
warrants than they are prepared to purchase.
Each bidder may submit multiple bids. However, as bids are
independent, each bid may result in an allocation of the
warrants. Allocation of the warrants will be determined by,
first, allocating warrants to any bids made above the clearing
price, and second, allocating warrants on a pro-rata basis among
bids made at the clearing price. If bids for all the warrants
offered in this offering are received, the bids of successful
bidders that are above the clearing price will be allocated all
of the warrants represented by such bids, and only bids
submitted at the clearing price may experience any pro-rata
allocation. Bids that have not been modified or withdrawn by the
time of the submission deadline are final and irrevocable, and
bidders who submit successful bids will be obligated to purchase
the warrants allocated to them. Accordingly, the sum of a
bidders bid sizes as of the submission deadline should be
no more than the total number of warrants the bidder is willing
to purchase, and we caution investors against submitting a bid
that does not accurately represent the number of warrants that
they are willing and prepared to purchase.
S-10
Submitting a
bid does not guarantee an allocation of warrants, even if a
bidder submits a bid at or above the public offering price of
the warrants.
The auction agent may require, at its discretion, that bidders
confirm their bids before the auction closes, although the
auction agent is under no obligation to reconfirm bids for any
reason. If a bidder is requested to confirm a bid and fails to
do so within the permitted time period, that bid may be deemed
to have been withdrawn and, accordingly, that bidder may not
receive an allocation of warrants even if the bid is at or above
the clearing price. The auction agent may, however, choose to
accept any such bid even if it has not been reconfirmed. In
addition, the auction agent may determine in some cases to
impose size limits on the aggregate size of bids that it chooses
to accept, and may reject any bid that it determines, in its
discretion, has a potentially manipulative, disruptive or other
adverse effect on the auction process. Furthermore, if bids for
all the warrants offered in this offering are received, each bid
submitted at the clearing price will be allocated a number of
warrants approximately equal to the pro-rata allocation
percentage multiplied by the number of warrants represented by
such bid, rounded to the nearest whole number of warrants
(subject to rounding to eliminate odd-lots). As a result of
these factors, you may not receive an allocation for all the
warrants for which you submit a bid.
We cannot
assure you that the auction will be successful or that the full
number of offered warrants will be sold.
If sufficient bids are received and accepted by the auction
agent to enable the selling security holder to sell all of the
warrants in this offering, the public offering price will be set
at the clearing price. If, however, bids are received for half
or more, but less than all, of the offered warrants, then the
selling security holder will sell at the minimum bid price in
the auction (which will be deemed the clearing price) all the
warrants for which bids were received in the auction. If bids
are received for less than half of the offered warrants, the
selling security holder will not sell any warrants in this
offering. The liquidity of the warrants may be limited if less
than all of the offered warrants are sold by the selling
security holder, or if we decide to bid and are a winning bidder
in the auction and, as a result, a significant number of the
warrants cease to be outstanding following allocation. Possible
future sales of the selling security holders remaining
warrants, if any are held following this offering, could affect
the trading price of the warrants sold in this offering.
Submitting
bids through a network broker or any other broker that is not
the auction agent may in some circumstances lead to earlier
deadlines for potential investors to submit, modify or withdraw
their bids.
In order to participate in the auction, bidders must have an
account with, and submit bids to purchase warrants through,
either the auction agent or a network broker. Brokers that are
not network brokers will need to submit their bids, either for
their own account or on behalf of their customers, through the
auction agent or a network broker. Potential investors and
brokers that wish to submit bids in the auction and do not have
an account with the auction agent or a network broker must
either establish such an account prior to bidding in the auction
or cause a broker that has such an account to submit a bid
through that account. Network brokers and other brokers will
impose earlier submission deadlines than that imposed by the
auction agent in order to have sufficient time to aggregate bids
received from their respective customers and to transmit the
aggregate bid to the auction agent (or, in the case of
non-network
brokers submitting bids through a network broker, to such
network broker to transmit to the auction agent) before the
auction closes. As a result of such earlier submission
deadlines, potential investors who submit bids through a network
broker, or brokers that submit bids through the auction agent or
a network broker, will need to submit or withdraw their bids
earlier than other bidders, and it may in some circumstances be
more difficult for such bids to be submitted, modified or
withdrawn.
S-11
Risks Related to
the Warrants
The warrants
are a risky investment. You may not be able to recover the value
of your investment in the warrants, and the warrants may expire
worthless.
On March 30, 2010, the last reported sale price of our
common stock on the NYSE was $13.28 per share. This is above the
exercise price of the warrants but below the amount equal to the
exercise price of $9.20 plus the clearing price. In order for
you to recover the value of your investment in the warrants,
either a trading market must develop for the warrants and the
market price of the warrants must exceed the public offering
price, or our common stock price must increase to more than the
sum of the exercise price of the warrants and the public
offering price of the warrants for you to have an opportunity to
exercise the warrants and achieve a positive return on your
investment.
The warrants are exercisable only until January 1, 2013.
Generally, a component of the value of option securities such as
the warrants is time until expiration and, as the period of time
until expiration of the warrants decreases, the market price of
the warrants will, holding other variables constant, likely
decline. In the event our common stock price does not increase
to the level discussed above during the period when the warrants
are exercisable, you will likely not be able to recover the
value of your investment in the warrants. In addition, if our
common stock price falls and remains below the exercise price of
the warrants, the warrants may not have any value and may expire
without being exercised, in which case you will lose your entire
investment. There can be no assurance that the market price of
our common stock will exceed the exercise price or the price
required for you to achieve a positive return on your investment
at any point during the warrant exercise period. In addition,
upon exercise of the warrants, you will receive a number of
shares of stock calculated based on the last reported sale price
of our common stock on that day. Accordingly, the number of
shares and the value of the common stock you receive upon
exercise of the warrants will depend on the last reported sale
price of our common stock on the day on which you choose to
exercise those warrants. You should be prepared to sustain a
total loss of the purchase price of your warrants.
There is no
existing market for the warrants, and you cannot be certain that
an active market will be established.
Prior to this offering, there has been no existing trading
market for the warrants. The public offering price for the
warrants will be determined by an auction process, and may not
be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading
market following this offering. The market price for the
warrants may decline below the public offering price and may be
volatile. The liquidity of any market for the warrants will
depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to:
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the number of warrants, if any, that we
and/or
investors purchase in the auction;
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the number of warrants that the selling security holder sells in
this offering;
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the number of holders of the warrants;
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our performance;
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the market for similar securities;
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the interest of securities dealers in making a market in the
warrants; and
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the market price of our common stock.
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In addition, many of the risks that are described elsewhere in
this Risk Factors section and under the heading
Risk Factors in our most recently filed Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
could materially and adversely affect the price of the warrants.
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The warrants
are not suitable for all investors.
The warrants are complex financial instruments for which there
is no established trading market. Accordingly, the auction
agent, each network broker and any other broker that submits
bids through the auction agent or any network broker will be
required to establish and enforce client suitability standards,
including eligibility, account status and size, to evaluate
whether an investment in the warrants is appropriate for any
particular investor. Each broker will individually apply its own
standards in making that determination, but in each case those
standards will be implemented in accordance with the applicable
requirements and guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc. (FINRA). If you do not meet the
relevant suitability requirements of the auction agent or
another broker, you will not be able to bid in the auction.
Recent
governmental actions regarding short sales may adversely affect
the market value of the warrants.
Governmental actions that interfere with the ability of warrant
investors to effect short sales of the underlying common stock
could significantly affect the market value of the warrants.
Such government actions could make the arbitrage strategy that
certain warrant investors employ more difficult to execute for
the outstanding warrants offered hereby. At an open meeting on
February 24, 2010 the SEC adopted a new short sale price
test, which will take effect through amendment to Rule 201
of Regulation SHO. The new Rule 201 will restrict
short selling only when a stock price has triggered a circuit
breaker by falling at least 10 percent in one day, at which
point short sale orders can be displayed or executed only if the
order price is above the current national best bid, subject to
certain limited exceptions. If such new price test precludes
warrant investors from executing the arbitrage strategy that
they employ or other limitations are instituted by the SEC or
any other regulatory agencies, the market value of the warrants
could be adversely affected. The warrant agreement does not
contain any provisions to afford holders protection in the event
of a decline in the market value of the warrants due to such new
price test or other limitations, and holders will not be
entitled to any exercise price reduction or increase to the
number of underlying shares except under the limited
circumstances described in Description of Warrants.
The warrants
do not automatically exercise, and any warrant not exercised
prior to the expiration date will expire
unexercised.
The warrants do not automatically exercise upon expiration. You
are entitled to exercise the full number of warrants registered
in your name or any portion thereof. Any warrant that you do not
exercise prior to the expiration date will expire unexercised
and you will not receive any shares of our common stock.
Purchasers of
warrants who exercise their warrants for shares of our common
stock will incur immediate and future dilution.
Upon exercise of your warrants for shares of our common stock,
you could experience immediate and substantial dilution if the
exercise price of your warrants at the time were higher than the
net tangible book value per share of the outstanding common
stock. In addition, you will experience dilution, except in
limited circumstances pursuant to the anti-dilution protections
contained in the warrants and described in this prospectus
supplement, when we issue additional shares of our common stock
that we are permitted or required to issue in any future
offerings or under our outstanding convertible securities and
warrants and under our stock option plans or other employee or
director compensation plans.
The market
price of the warrants will be directly affected by the market
price of our common stock, which may be volatile.
To the extent a secondary market develops for the warrants, the
market price of our common stock will significantly affect the
market price of the warrants. This may result in greater
volatility in the
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market price of the warrants than would be expected for warrants
to purchase securities other than our common stock. The market
price of our common stock could be subject to significant
fluctuations due to factors described below under Risks
Related to Our Common Stock Volatility in the market
price and trading volume of our common stock could adversely
impact the trading price of the warrants and
Future sales of shares of our common stock may
depress its market price, and we cannot predict how shares
of our common stock will trade in the future. Increased
volatility could result in a decline in the market price of our
common stock, and, in turn, in the market price of the warrants.
The price of our common stock also could be affected by possible
sales of common stock by investors who view the warrants as a
more attractive means of equity participation in us and by
hedging or arbitrage activity involving our common stock. The
hedging or arbitrage of our common stock could, in turn, affect
the market price of the warrants.
Holders of the
warrants will have no rights as common stockholders until they
acquire our common stock.
Until you become holder of record of the shares of our common
stock issued upon settlement of your warrants, you will have no
rights with respect to our common stock, including rights to
dividend payments, if any, rights to vote or rights to respond
to tender offers. Upon exercise of your warrants, you will be
entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as
to matters for which the record date occurs after the date you
become holder of record of such shares as described under
Description of Warrants No Rights as
Stockholders.
The exercise
price and the number of underlying shares may not be adjusted
for all dilutive events.
The exercise price and the number of underlying shares are
subject to adjustment for certain events, including, but not
limited to, the issuance of stock dividends on our common stock,
the issuance of certain rights or warrants, subdivisions,
combinations, distributions of capital stock, indebtedness or
assets, certain cash dividends and certain issuer tender or
exchange offers as described below under Description of
Warrants Adjustments to the Warrants. The
exercise price and the number of underlying shares will not be
adjusted, however, for other events, such as a third-party
tender or exchange offer, a merger or reorganization in which
our common stock is acquired for cash or an issuance of common
stock for cash, that may adversely affect the market price of
the warrants or our common stock except under limited
circumstances as described under Description of
Warrants Exercise of Warrants upon a Designated
Event. Other events that adversely affect the value of the
warrants may occur that do not result in an adjustment to the
exercise price or the number of underlying shares.
The warrant
agreement is not an indenture qualified under the
Trust Indenture Act, and the obligations of the warrant
agent are limited.
The warrant agreement is not an indenture qualified under the
Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the
TIA), and the warrant agent is not a trustee
qualified under the TIA. Accordingly, warrantholders will not
have the benefits of the protections of the TIA. Under the terms
of the warrant agreement, the warrant agent will have only
limited obligations to the warrantholders. Accordingly, it may
in some circumstances be difficult for warrant holders, acting
individually or collectively, to take actions to enforce their
rights under the warrants or the warrant agreement.
Hedging
arrangements relating to the warrants may affect the value of
our common stock.
In order to hedge their positions, holders of our warrants may
enter into derivative transactions with respect to our common
stock, may unwind or adjust derivative transactions and may
purchase or sell our common stock in secondary market
transactions. The effect, if any, of any of these activities on
the market price of our common stock will depend in part on
market conditions and cannot be ascertained in advance, but any
of these activities could adversely affect the value of our
common stock.
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The exercise
price reduction and the adjustment to the number of underlying
shares for warrants exercised in connection with a designated
event occurring prior to January 1, 2011 may not
adequately compensate you for the lost option time value as a
result of such designated event.
If you elect to exercise your warrant in connection with a
designated event occurring prior to January 1,
2011, we may be required to reduce the exercise price and
increase the number of underlying shares with respect to such
exercised warrants as described under Description of
Warrants Exercise of Warrants upon a Designated
Event. While the exercise price reduction and the increase
to the number of underlying shares with respect to such
exercised warrants are designed to compensate you for the lost
option time value of your warrants as a result of a designated
event, they are only an approximation of such lost value and may
not adequately compensate you for such loss. In addition, if the
applicable price (as such term is defined under
Description of Warrants Exercise of Warrants
upon a Designated Event) of our common stock with respect
to a designated event is greater than $40.00 per share or less
than $8.00 per share (in each case, subject to anti-dilution
adjustments), the exercise price will not be reduced (and there
will be no corresponding increase to the number of underlying
shares) upon exercise of any warrant in connection with such
designated event. Moreover, in no event will we reduce the
exercise price if the reduction would cause the exercise price
to fall below $8.00 (subject to anti-dilution adjustments). Our
obligation to reduce the exercise price and increase the number
of underlying shares with respect to such exercised warrants
could be considered a penalty, in which case the enforceability
of this obligation would be subject to general principles of
reasonableness of economic remedies.
The
significant number of shares of our common stock issuable upon
exercise of the warrants and our existing convertible securities
could adversely affect the trading prices of our common stock
and, as a result, the value of the warrants.
As of December 31, 2009, we had outstanding
4.25% senior convertible notes due 2036, 6.50% junior
subordinated convertible debentures due 2032 and
4.25% senior convertible notes due 2016, convertible at
initial conversion prices of $9.20, $17.70 and $9.30 per share,
respectively, into an aggregate of approximately
534.8 million shares of our common stock (subject to
anti-dilution adjustment). In addition, we have issued an
amortizing guaranteed secured note (which could be settled
either in cash or our common stock at our election) to the
selling security holder. Finally, the warrants being offered
hereby could be exercised and result in the issuance of a
significant number of shares. In addition, in certain
circumstances upon a designated event we may be required to
deliver significantly more shares of our common stock upon
exercise of the warrants. Conversion of our outstanding
convertible securities, exercise of the warrants, and the sale
in the market of our common stock issued upon such conversion or
exercise or the perception that our outstanding convertible
securities and the warrants will be converted or exercised could
depress the market price of our common stock and, as a result,
the value of the warrants. In addition, the price of our common
stock could be adversely affected by possible sales, including
short sales, of our common stock by investors in our warrants
and other securities who engage in hedging and arbitrage
activities.
You could be
subject to significant dilution if you acquire beneficial
ownership of 4.99% or more of our outstanding common
stock.
Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code
restricts the ability of a corporation that undergoes an
ownership change to use its tax attributes, including net
operating losses and tax credits (Tax Attributes).
At December 31, 2009, we had Tax Attributes that would
offset $17 billion of taxable income (representing about
$6 billion of our $17.5 billion in deferred tax assets
subject to valuation allowance). An ownership change occurs if
5 percent shareholders of an issuers outstanding
common stock, collectively, increase their ownership percentage
by more than 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year
period. For this purpose, 5 percent shareholders do not
include certain institutional holders, such as mutual fund
companies, that hold our common stock on behalf of several
individual mutual funds where no single fund owns 5 percent
or more of our stock. Restructuring actions we took in 2009,
including our exchange of our common stock for convertible debt
and our public issuance of additional
S-15
common stock, contributed significantly to the collective
increase in ownership by 5 percent shareholders. At
present, 5 percent shareholders may have collectively
increased their ownership in us by more than 30 percentage
points. In September 2009, we implemented a tax benefit
preservation plan (the Plan) to reduce the risk of
an ownership change under Section 382. Under the Plan,
shares held by any person (including any warrantholder) who
acquires, without the approval of our board of directors,
beneficial ownership of 4.99% or more of our outstanding common
stock could be subject to significant dilution. You may be
subject to significant dilution as a result of such plan upon
exercise of your warrants if your aggregate beneficial ownership
(or the aggregate beneficial ownership of a group of which you
are a part) of our common stock is 4.99% or more of our
outstanding common stock. See Description of Capital
Stock Preferred Share Purchase Rights.
You may be
subject to tax upon an adjustment to the exercise price or the
number of underlying shares even though you do not receive a
corresponding cash distribution.
The exercise price and the number of underlying shares are
subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. To the extent
any such adjustment or failure to adjust results in an increase
in your proportionate interest in our assets or our earnings and
profits, you will be deemed to have received for
U.S. federal income tax purposes a taxable dividend to the
extent deemed paid out of our earnings and profits without the
receipt of any cash. If you are a
non-U.S. holder,
such deemed dividend generally will be subject to
U.S. federal withholding tax (currently at a 30% rate, or
such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable treaty),
which may be set off against shares of our common stock to be
delivered upon exercise of warrants. See Material United
States Federal Income Tax Considerations in this
prospectus supplement.
Risks Related to
Our Common Stock
Future sales
of shares of our common stock may depress its market
price.
In the future, we may sell additional shares of our common stock
to raise capital, including pursuant to our equity distribution
program, and may issue substantial amounts of additional shares
of our common stock, including shares issuable upon exercise of
outstanding options. We may also sell shares in connection with
future acquisitions or for other purposes, including to finance
our operations and business strategy or to adjust our ratio of
debt to equity. Such sales or the perception that such sales
could occur, may have a harmful effect on prevailing market
prices for our common stock and our ability to raise additional
capital in the financial markets at a time and price favorable
to us. The price of our common stock could also be affected by
possible sales of our common stock by investors who view the
warrants being offered in this offering as a more attractive
means of equity participation in our company and by hedging or
arbitrage trading activity that we expect will develop involving
our common stock.
Volatility in
the market price and trading volume of our common stock could
adversely impact the trading price of the
warrants.
The stock market in recent years has experienced significant
price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated to
the operating performance of companies. The market price of our
common stock could fluctuate significantly for many reasons,
including in response to the risks described in this section,
elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying
prospectus or the documents we have incorporated by reference in
this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or for
reasons unrelated to our operations, such as reports by industry
analysts, investor perceptions or negative announcements by our
customers, competitors, trading counterparties or suppliers
regarding their own performance, as well as regulatory changes
or developments, government actions or announcements, industry
conditions and general financial, economic and political
instability. A decrease in the market price of our common stock
would likely adversely impact the trading price of the warrants.
The price of our common stock could also be affected by possible
sales of our common stock by investors who view the warrants as
a more attractive means of equity participation in us and by
hedging or arbitrage trading activity that we expect to develop
involving our common stock. This trading activity could, in
turn, affect the trading prices of the warrants.
S-16
USE OF
PROCEEDS
The warrants offered by this prospectus supplement are being
sold for the account of the selling security holder named in
this prospectus supplement. Any proceeds from the sale of the
warrants will be received by the selling security holder for its
own account, and we will not receive any proceeds from the sale
of any of the warrants offered by this prospectus supplement.
S-17
PRICE RANGE OF
COMMON STOCK AND DIVIDEND POLICY
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol
F. The following table sets forth, for the quarters
shown, the range of high and low composite prices of our common
stock on the NYSE and the cash dividends declared on the common
stock. The last reported sales price of our common stock on the
NYSE on March 30, 2010 was $13.28 per share.
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Dividends
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High*
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Low*
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Declared
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2010
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First quarter (through March 30, 2010)
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$
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14.54
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$
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10.05
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$
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2009
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Fourth quarter
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$
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10.37
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$
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6.61
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$
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Third quarter
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8.86
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5.24
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Second quarter
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6.54
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2.40
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First quarter
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2.99
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1.50
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2008
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Fourth quarter
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$
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5.47
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$
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1.01
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$
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Third quarter
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6.33
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4.17
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Second quarter
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8.79
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4.46
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First quarter
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6.94
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4.95
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New York Stock Exchange composite interday prices as provided by
the www.NYSEnet.com price history database. |
Our Board of Directors has not declared dividends on our common
stock or Class B stock since the third quarter of 2006.
Furthermore, our senior secured credit facility and our
Department of Energy ATVM loan facility contain a covenant
limiting our ability to pay dividends (other than dividends
payable solely in stock) on our common stock and Class B
stock. Additionally, as announced on March 4, 2009, we
deferred future interest payments on our 6.50% Junior
Subordinated Convertible Debentures due January 15, 2032
beginning with the April 15, 2009 quarterly interest
payment and the terms of the debentures prohibit us from paying
dividends with respect to our common stock or Class B stock
during such deferral period. As a result, it is unlikely that we
will pay any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future. In any event, the declaration and payment of future
dividends by our Board of Directors will be dependent upon our
earnings and financial condition, economic and market conditions
and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.
Therefore, no assurance can be given as to the amount or timing
of the declaration and payment of future dividends.
S-18
AUCTION
PROCESS
The following describes the auction process used to determine
the public offering price of the warrants. The auction process
differs from methods traditionally used in other underwritten
offerings. The selling security holder and the sole book-running
manager, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., will determine the
public offering price and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. will
determine the allocation of the warrants in this offering by an
auction process conducted by it in its capacity as the
auction agent. This process will involve a modified
Dutch auction mechanic in which the auction agent,
working with a number of other brokers, will receive and accept
bids from bidders at either the minimum bid price of $3.50 or at
price increments of $0.10 in excess of the minimum bid price. We
may bid, but are not required to bid, in the auction for some or
all of the warrants. After the auction closes and bids become
irrevocable, which will occur automatically at the submission
deadline to the extent bids have not been modified or withdrawn
by that time, the auction agent will determine the clearing
price for the sale of the warrants offered by this prospectus
supplement and, if bids are received for half or more of the
offered warrants, the sole book-running manager will allocate
warrants to the winning bidders. The auction agent has reserved
the right to round allocations to eliminate odd-lots. The
clearing price for the warrants may bear little or no
relationship to the price that would be established using
traditional valuation methods. You should carefully consider the
risks described under Risk Factors Risks
Related to the Auction Process elsewhere in this
prospectus supplement.
Eligibility and
Account Status
In order to participate in the auction, bidders must have an
account with, and submit bids to purchase warrants through,
either the auction agent or an underwriter that has agreed to
act as a network broker. Brokers that are not network brokers
will need to submit their bids, either for their own account or
on behalf of their customers, through the auction agent or a
network broker. If you wish to bid in the auction and do not
have an account with the auction agent or a network broker, you
will either need to establish such an account prior to bidding
in the auction, which may be difficult to do before the
submission deadline, or contact your existing broker and request
that it submit a bid through the auction agent or a network
broker. Network brokers and other brokers will have deadlines
relating to the auction that are earlier than those imposed by
the auction agent, as described below under
The Auction Process The Bidding
Process.
No underwriters agreed to act as network brokers for purposes of
this auction.
Each network broker, if any, will also act as an underwriter in
this offering and will share in the underwriting discounts or
fees paid by the selling security holder in connection with this
offering of the warrants. Subject to applicable FINRA and SEC
rules, the network brokers may charge a separate commission to
their own customers.
Because the warrants are complex financial instruments for which
there is no established trading market, the auction agent, each
network broker and any other broker that submits bids through
the auction agent or any network broker will be required to
establish and enforce client suitability standards, including
eligibility, account status and size, to evaluate whether an
investment in the warrants is appropriate for any particular
investor. Each of them will individually apply its own standards
in making that determination, but in each case those standards
will be implemented in accordance with the applicable
requirements and guidelines of FINRA. If you do not meet the
relevant suitability requirements of the auction agent or
another broker, you will not be able to bid in the auction.
Accounts at the auction agent or any other broker, including
broker accounts, are also subject to the customary rules of
those institutions. You should contact your brokerage firm to
better understand how you may submit bids in the auction.
The auction agent or network brokers may require bidders,
including any brokers that may be bidding on behalf of their
customers, to submit additional information, such as tax
identification
S-19
numbers, a valid
e-mail
address and other contact information, and other information
that may be required to establish or maintain an account.
The auction agent and the network brokers, upon request, will
provide certain information to you in connection with this
offering, including this prospectus supplement and the attached
prospectus and any forms used by the auction agent or network
brokers to submit bids. Additionally, you should understand that:
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before submitting a bid in the auction, you should read this
prospectus supplement, including all the risk factors and the
documents incorporated by reference herein;
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if bids are received for 100% or more of the offered warrants,
the public offering price will be set at the clearing price and
the selling security holder will sell all the warrants offered
hereby;
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if bids are received for half or more, but less than all, of the
offered warrants, then the selling security holder will sell, at
the minimum bid price in the auction, which will be deemed the
clearing price, all the warrants for which bids were received in
the auction;
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if bids are received for less than half of the offered warrants,
the selling security holder will not sell any warrants in this
offering;
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if there is little or no demand for the warrants at or above the
clearing price once trading begins, the market price of the
warrants may decline;
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we will be allowed, but are not required, to bid in the auction,
and, if we do participate, we will not receive preferential
treatment of any kind. We would participate on the same basis as
all other bidders, except that we are required to submit any
final bid we may enter by 6:00 p.m., New York City time, on
the day on which the auction is conducted, while other bidders
may submit bids by 6:30 p.m., New York City time, on such
day;
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the liquidity of any market for the warrants may be affected by
the number of warrants that the selling security holder sells in
this offering and the number of warrants, if any, that we
purchase in the auction, and the price of the warrants may
decline if the warrants are illiquid;
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the auction agent has the right to reconfirm any bid at its
discretion by contacting the purported bidder directly and to
impose size limits on the aggregate size of bids that it chooses
to accept from any bidder, including network brokers, although
the auction agent is under no obligation to reconfirm bids for
any reason. If you are requested to reconfirm a bid and fail to
do so in a timely manner, the auction agent may deem your bid to
have been withdrawn, but alternatively may, in its discretion,
choose to accept any such bid even if it has not been
reconfirmed;
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the auction agent may reject any bid that it determines, in its
discretion, has a potentially manipulative, disruptive or other
adverse effect on the auction process; and
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during the auction process, the auction agent will not provide
bidders, including us, if we decide to bid, with any information
about the bids of other bidders or auction trends, or with
advice regarding bidding strategies, in connection with the
auction.
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None of the underwriters, the selling security holder, or we
have undertaken any efforts to qualify the warrants for sale in
any jurisdiction outside the United States. Except to the
limited extent that this offering will be open to certain
non-U.S. investors
under private placement exemptions in certain countries other
than the United States, investors located outside the United
States should not expect to be eligible to participate in this
offering.
Even if a bidder places a bid in the auction, it may not receive
an allocation of the warrants in this offering for a number of
reasons described below. You should consider all the information
in this prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus in
determining whether to submit a bid, the number of warrants you
seek to purchase and the price per warrant you are willing to
pay.
S-20
The Auction
Process
The following describes how the auction agent will conduct the
auction:
General
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The auction will commence at 8:00 a.m., New York City time,
on the date specified by the auction agent in a press release
issued prior to such time, and will end at 6:30 p.m., New
York City time, on that same day. Unless you submit your bids
through the auction agent, your broker will have an earlier
deadline for accepting bids. If a malfunction, technical or
mechanical problem, calamity, crisis or other similar event
occurs that the auction agent believes may interfere with the
auction, the auction agent may, in consultation with the selling
security holder, decide to extend the auction or cancel and
reschedule the auction. The auction agent and the network
brokers will advise bidders of any such decision to extend or
cancel
and/or
reschedule the auction using
e-mail,
telephone or facsimile, and will attempt to make such
notification prior to the time the auction is scheduled to
close. If the auction is extended such that it closes at a later
time on the same business day, any bids previously submitted
will continue to be valid unless amended or cancelled by the
bidder, but if the auction is extended such that it closes on
the following business day or later, or is cancelled, all bids
will be cancelled at the time of such extension or cancellation.
We may bid, but are not required to bid, in the auction in the
manner described in the last bullet point under
The Bidding Process below.
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During the auction period, bids may be placed at any price (in
increments of $0.10) at or above the minimum bid price of $3.50
per warrant.
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The underwriters will contact potential investors with
information about the auction and how to participate and will
solicit bids from prospective investors via electronic message,
telephone and facsimile. The minimum size of any bid is 1,000
warrants.
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The Bidding
Process
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The auction agent and the network brokers will only accept bids
in the auction at the minimum bid price and above the minimum
bid price at increments of $0.10.
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No maximum price or price range has been established in
connection with the auction, which means that there is no
ceiling on the price per warrant that you or any other bidder
can bid in the auction. If you submit a market bid, which is a
bid that specifies the number of warrants you are willing to
purchase without specifying the price you are willing to pay,
that bid will be treated as a bid at the highest price received
from any other bidder in the auction.
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Once the auction begins, you may submit your bids either
directly through the auction agent or any network broker. Bids
through the network brokers will be aggregated and submitted to
the auction agent as single bids at each price increment by
those brokers. Bids will only be accepted if they are made on an
unconditional basis, which means that no
all-or-none
bids will be accepted.
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In connection with submitting a bid, you will be required to
provide the following information:
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the number of warrants that you want to purchase;
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the price per warrant you are willing to pay; and
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any additional information that may be required to enable the
auction agent
and/or
network broker to identify you, confirm your eligibility and
suitability for participating in this offering, and, if you
submit a successful bid, consummate a sale of warrants to you.
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You may submit multiple bids. Canceling one bid does not cancel
any other bid. However, as bids are independent, each bid may
result in an allocation of warrants. Consequently, the sum of
your bid sizes should be no more than the total number of
warrants you are willing to purchase. In addition, the auction
agent may impose size limits on the aggregate size of bids
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S-21
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that it chooses to accept, although the auction agent is under
no obligation to do so or to reconfirm bids for any reason.
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At any time prior to the submission deadline, you may modify
your bids to increase or decrease the number of warrants bid for
or the price bid per warrant (subject in all cases to the
minimum bid price, the price increment and the bid size
requirements described in this prospectus supplement) and may
withdraw your bid and reenter the auction. Network brokers,
however, will impose earlier submission deadlines than that
imposed by the auction agent in order to have sufficient time to
aggregate bids received from their respective customers and to
transmit the aggregate bid to the auction agent before the
auction closes. If you are bidding through a network broker, or
another broker that is submitting bids through the auction agent
or a network broker, you should be aware of any earlier
submission deadlines that may be imposed by your broker.
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A bid received by the auction agent or any network broker
involves no obligation or commitment of any kind prior to the
submission deadline. Therefore, you will be able to withdraw a
bid at any time prior to the submission deadline, or any
deadline imposed by a network broker, if you are bidding through
a network broker. Following the submission deadline, however,
all bids that have not been modified or withdrawn by you prior
to the submission deadline will be considered final and
irrevocable and may be accepted. The auction agent and the
selling security holder will rely on your bid in setting the
public offering price and in sending notices of acceptance to
successful bidders.
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If you are requested to reconfirm a bid and fail to do so in a
timely manner, the auction agent may deem your bid to have been
withdrawn. The auction agent may, however, choose to accept your
bid even if it has not been reconfirmed.
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The auction agent may reject any bid that it determines, in its
discretion, has a potentially manipulative, disruptive or other
adverse effect on the auction process.
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During the auction process, the auction agent will not provide
bidders, including us, if we decide to bid, with any information
about the bids of other bidders or auction trends, or with
advice regarding bidding strategies, in connection with the
auction.
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Conditions for valid bids, including eligibility standards and
account funding requirements, may vary from broker to broker.
The auction agent or any network broker may require you to
deposit funds or securities in your brokerage accounts with
value sufficient to cover the aggregate dollar amount of your
bids. No funds will be transferred to the underwriters until the
acceptance of the bid and allocation of warrants. Bids may be
rejected if you do not provide the required funds or securities
within the required time. The auction agent or any network
broker may, however, decide to accept successful bids regardless
of whether you have deposited funds or securities in your
brokerage accounts. In any case, if you are a successful bidder,
you will be obligated to purchase the warrants allocated to you
in the allocation process and will be required to deposit funds
in your brokerage accounts prior to settlement, which is
expected to occur three or four business days after the notices
of acceptance are sent to you.
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We will be allowed, but we are not required, to bid in the
auction. If we decide to bid, we will not receive preferential
treatment of any kind. We would participate on the same basis as
all other bidders, except that we are required to submit any
final bid we may enter by 6:00 p.m., New York City time, on
the day on which the auction is conducted, while other bidders
may submit bids by 6:30 p.m., New York City time, on such
day. You will not be notified whether we have bid in the auction
or, if we elect to participate in the auction, the terms of any
bid or bids we may place. We will be required to submit any bids
we make through the auction agent. The submission of bids by us
may cause the clearing price in the auction to be higher than it
would otherwise have been absent such bids.
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S-22
Pricing and
Allocation
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Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. will manage the master order book
that will aggregate all bids and will include the identity of
the bidders, or their brokers, in the case of bids submitted
through a network broker. During the auction process, the master
order book will not be available for viewing by bidders,
including us, if we decide to bid. Bidders whose bids are
accepted will be informed about the result of their bids.
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If valid bids are received and not revoked for all or more of
the warrants being offered, the clearing price will equal the
highest price in the auction at which all aggregated bids at or
above such price equals 100% or more of the number of warrants
being offered.
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If valid bids are received and not revoked for at least 50% but
less than 100% of the warrants being offered, the clearing price
will equal the minimum bid price of $3.50.
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All warrants will be sold to bidders at the clearing price.
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If the number of warrants for which bids are received in the
auction is:
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100% or more of the number of warrants offered in this offering
as disclosed on the cover of this prospectus supplement (the
Number of Offered Warrants), then all warrants sold
in the offering will be sold at the clearing price and the
selling security holder will sell all the warrants offered
hereby;
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50% or more but less than 100% of the Number of Offered
Warrants, then the selling security holder will sell, at the
minimum bid price of $3.50, all the warrants for which bids were
received in the auction; or
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less than 50% of the Number of Offered Warrants, then the
selling security holder will not sell any warrants in this
offering.
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Promptly after the auction agent determines the clearing price,
it will communicate that clearing price to the selling security
holder and the auction agent will then confirm allocations of
warrants to all bidders and the network brokers. The
underwriters will sell all warrants at the same price per
warrant, which will be the clearing price.
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If bids for all the warrants offered in this offering are
received, allocation of the warrants will be determined by,
first, allocating warrants to any bids made above the clearing
price, and second, allocating warrants on a pro-rata basis among
bids made at the clearing price. The pro-rata allocation
percentage for bids made at the clearing price will be
determined by dividing the number of warrants to be allocated at
the bidding increment equal to the clearing price by the number
of warrants represented by bids at that bidding increment. Each
bid submitted at the clearing price will be allocated a number
of warrants approximately equal to the pro-rata allocation
percentage multiplied by the number of warrants represented by
its bid, rounded to the nearest whole number of warrants;
provided that bids at the clearing price that are
pro-rated may be rounded to the nearest 100 warrants. In no
case, however, will any rounded amount exceed the original bid
size.
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If bids for half or more, but fewer than all, of the warrants
offered in this offering are received, then all bids will be
allocated a number of warrants equal to the number of warrants
represented by its bid.
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After the auction agent determines the clearing price, the
auction agent or a network broker that has submitted bids will
notify you, in the event your bids have been accepted, by
electronic message, telephone, facsimile or otherwise that the
auction has closed and that your bids have been accepted
(subject in some cases to pro-ration, as described in this
prospectus supplement). They may also provide you with a
preliminary allocation estimate, which will be subsequently
followed by a final allocation and confirmation of sale. In the
event your bids are not accepted, you may be notified that your
bids have not been accepted. As a result of the
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S-23
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varying delivery times involved in sending
e-mails over
the Internet and other methods of delivery, you may receive
notices of acceptance before or after other bidders.
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The clearing price and number of warrants being sold are
expected to be announced by press release prior to the opening
of the equity markets on the business day following the end of
the auction. The price will also be included in the notice of
acceptance and the confirmation of sale that will be sent to
successful bidders and will also be included in the final
prospectus supplement for the offering.
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Sales to investors bidding directly through the auction agent
will be settled through their accounts with Deutsche Bank
Securities Inc., while sales through network brokers will be
settled through your account with the broker through which your
bid was submitted.
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If you submit successful bids, you will be obligated to purchase
the warrants allocated to you regardless of whether you are
aware that the notice of acceptance of your bid has been sent.
Once the auction agent or a network broker has sent out a notice
of acceptance and confirmation of sale, it will not cancel or
reject your bid. The auction agent and the selling security
holder will rely on your bid in setting the public offering
price and in sending notices of acceptance to successful
bidders. As a result, you will be responsible for paying for all
of the warrants that are finally allocated to you at the public
offering price.
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You should carefully review the procedures of, and
communications from, the institution through which you bid to
purchase warrants.
Auction
Developments
You should keep in contact with the institution through which
your bid has been submitted and monitor your relevant
e-mail
accounts, telephone and facsimile for notifications related to
this offering, which may include:
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Potential Request for Reconfirmation. The
auction agent may ask you to reconfirm your bid at its
discretion by directly contacting you, or your broker, if you
submitted your bid through a broker other than the auction
agent, although the auction agent is under no obligation to
reconfirm bids for any reason. If you are requested to reconfirm
a bid and fail to do so in a timely manner, the auction agent
may deem your bid to have been withdrawn. The auction agent may,
however, choose to accept your bid even if it has not been
reconfirmed.
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Notice of Additional Information Conveyed by Free Writing
Prospectus. Notification that additional
information relating to this offering is available in a free
writing prospectus.
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Notice of Acceptance. Notification as to
whether any of your bids are successful and have been accepted.
This notification will include the final clearing price. If your
bids have been accepted, you will be informed about the results
of the auction.
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S-24
DESCRIPTION OF
WARRANTS
The following is a brief description of the terms of the
warrants being sold by the selling security holder. This summary
does not purport to be complete in all respects. This
description is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by
reference to, the warrant certificates and warrant agreement,
copies of which will be filed with the SEC. You should read the
form of warrant certificate and the warrant agreement as it will
be in effect upon closing of this offering, because they, and
not this description, define your rights in respect of the
warrants.
General
Each warrant initially represents the right to purchase one
share of our common stock. The number of shares of our common
stock that a warrant confers a right to purchase, which we refer
to as the number of underlying shares, is subject to
the adjustments described below under the headings
Adjustments to the Warrants and
Exercise of Warrants upon a Designated
Event.
Form and
Book-Entry Procedures
The warrants will be issued in the form of one or more global
warrants as specified in the warrant agreement. Each global
warrant will be registered in the name of The Depository Trust
Company (DTC), or its nominee, and delivered by the
warrant agent to DTC, or its custodian, for crediting to the
accounts of its participants pursuant to the DTC procedures. A
global warrant registered in the name of DTC or its nominee will
be exchanged for certificated warrants only if (i) DTC
(A) has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to
continue as or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under
Section 17A of the Exchange Act and (B) a successor to
DTC registered as a clearing agency under Section 17A of
the Exchange Act is not able to be appointed by the Company
within 90 days or (ii) DTC is at any time unwilling or
unable to continue as depositary and a successor to DTC is not
able to be appointed by us within 90 days.
Exercise and
Settlement of the Warrants
The initial exercise price applicable to each warrant is $9.20
per share of our common stock, subject to adjustment as
described below under the headings Adjustments
to the Warrants and Exercise of Warrants
upon a Designated Event. The warrants may be exercised, in
whole or in part, at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York
City time, on January 1, 2013 (the expiration
date). Any warrants not exercised prior to such time will
expire unexercised and worthless. Because the expiration date of
January 1, 2013 is not a trading day, you will need to
contact your broker or DTC and have it exercise your warrants on
your behalf no later than December 31, 2012.
To exercise a warrant, the warrantholder must surrender the
warrant certificate evidencing such warrant to the warrant
agent, complete and manually sign the exercise notice on the
back of the warrant, deliver this notice to the warrant agent
and pay any applicable transfer taxes. If the warrants are in
global form, any exercise notice will be delivered to the
warrant agent through and in accordance with the procedures of
DTC. The date on which a warrantholder complies with the
requirements for exercise in respect of a warrant is the
exercise date for such warrant, unless such day is
not a trading day in which case it will be the next trading day
or, if such date is the expiration date, the prior trading day.
For each warrant exercised, net share settlement
will apply. This means that an exercising warrantholder will be
entitled to receive, on the settlement date for the warrants
being exercised, a number of shares of our common stock equal to
the product of (i) the aggregate number of underlying
shares with respect to such warrants and (ii) (A) the last
reported sale price of our common stock on the relevant exercise
date, minus the applicable exercise price, divided by
(B) such last reported sale price, together with cash
in lieu of any fractional shares as described below. The
settlement date for an exercised warrant will be the third
trading day following the exercise date of such warrant except
to the extent otherwise specified herein.
S-25
We will not issue fractional shares of our common stock upon any
exercise of the warrants. If any fractional share of our common
stock would be issuable upon exercise by any warrantholder, we
will pay the warrantholder cash in lieu of the fractional share
of our common stock issuable based on the last reported sale
price of our common stock on the relevant exercise date. We will
at all times aggregate the number of shares of our common stock
deliverable for the warrants exercised by the same warrantholder
on the same day.
In connection with the delivery of shares of our common stock to
an exercising warrantholder, the warrant agent will, at the
option of the warrant holder:
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deliver common stock by electronic transfer to such
warrantholders account, or any other account as such
warrantholder may designate, at DTC or the relevant DTC
participant; or
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requisition from the transfer agent of our common stock and
deliver to or upon the order of such warrantholder certificates
for the number of full shares of our common stock to which such
warrantholder is entitled, registered in such name or names as
may be directed by such warrantholder.
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A holder will not be required to pay any documentary, stamp or
similar issue or transfer taxes relating to the issue or
delivery of our common stock upon exercise of the warrants but
will be required to pay such tax relating to any transfer
involved in the issue or delivery of our common stock in a name
other than of such holder. Certificates representing shares of
our common stock will not be issued or delivered unless all
taxes, if any, payable by a holder have been paid.
The warrants and the shares of our common stock issuable upon
exercise of the warrants have been approved for listing on the
NYSE under the symbol F WS.
No Rights as
Stockholders
Warrantholders will not be entitled, by virtue of holding
warrants, to vote, to consent, to receive dividends, if any, to
receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of
stockholders for the election of our directors or any other
matter, or to exercise any rights whatsoever as our stockholders
until such holders become holders of record of the shares of our
common stock issued upon settlement of the warrants.
Each person in whose name any shares of common stock are issued
will be deemed to have become the holder of record of such
shares as of the exercise date. However, if any such date is a
date when our stock transfer books are closed, such person will
be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares at the
close of business on the next succeeding date on which our stock
transfer books are open.
Adjustments to
the Warrants
The exercise price for the warrants will be subject to
adjustment (without duplication) upon the occurrence of any of
the following events:
(a) The issuance of our common stock as a dividend or
distribution to all holders of our common stock, or a
subdivision or combination of our common stock, in which event
the exercise price will be adjusted based on the following
formula:
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where:
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EP0
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution,
or immediately prior to the open of business on the effective
date for such subdivision or combination, as the case may be;
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S-26
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EP1
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately after the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution,
or immediately after the open of business on the effective date
for such subdivision or combination, as the case may be;
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OS0
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=
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the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately
prior to the close of business on the record date for such
dividend or distribution, or immediately prior to the open of
business on the effective date for such subdivision or
combination, as the case may be; and
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OS1
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=
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the number of shares of our common stock that would be
outstanding immediately after, and solely as a result of, such
dividend, distribution, subdivision or combination.
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Such adjustment will become effective immediately after the
close of business on the record date for such dividend or
distribution, or immediately after the open of business on the
effective date for such subdivision or combination, as the case
may be. If any dividend or distribution or subdivision or
combination of the type described in this clause (a) is
declared or announced but not so paid or made, the exercise
price will again be adjusted to the exercise price that would
then be in effect if such dividend or distribution or
subdivision or combination had not been declared or announced,
as the case may be.
(b) The issuance to all holders of our common stock of
rights or warrants entitling them for a period expiring
60 days or less from the date of issuance of such rights or
warrants to purchase shares of our common stock (or securities
convertible into our common stock) at less than (or having a
conversion price per share less than) the current market price
of our common stock, in which event the exercise price will be
adjusted based on the following formula:
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EP1
=
EP0 ×
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OS0 +
Y
OS0 +
X
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where:
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EP0
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the close of
business on the record date for such issuance;
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EP1
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately after the close of
business on the record date for such issuance;
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OS0
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=
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the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately
prior to the close of business on the record date for such
issuance;
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X
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=
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the total number of shares of our common stock issuable pursuant
to such rights, warrants or convertible securities; and
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Y
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=
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the aggregate price payable to exercise such rights, warrants or
convertible securities divided by the current market
price.
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Such adjustment will become effective immediately after the
close of business on the record date for such issuance. In the
event that the issuance of such rights, warrants or convertible
securities is announced but such rights, warrants or convertible
securities are not so issued, the exercise price will again be
adjusted to be the exercise price that would then be in effect
if the record date for such issuance had not occurred. To the
extent that such rights or warrants are not exercised prior to
their expiration or shares of common stock are otherwise not
delivered pursuant to such rights, warrants or convertible
securities, upon the expiration, termination or maturity of such
rights, warrants or convertible securities, the exercise price
will be readjusted to the exercise price that would then be in
effect had the adjustments made upon the issuance of such
rights, warrants or convertible securities been made on the
basis of the delivery of only the number of shares of common
stock actually delivered. In determining the aggregate price
payable for such shares of common stock, there will be taken
into account any consideration received for such rights or
warrants, as well as any consideration received in connection
with the conversion of any convertible securities issued upon
exercise of such rights or warrants, and the value of such
consideration, if other than cash, will be determined in good
faith by our board of directors or a duly authorized committee
thereof.
S-27
(c) The dividend or other distribution to all holders of
our common stock of shares of our capital stock (other than our
common stock) or evidences of our indebtedness, rights or
warrants to purchase our securities, or our assets (excluding
any dividend, distribution or issuance covered by
clauses (a) or (b) above or (d) or
(e) below), in which event the exercise price will be
adjusted based on the following formula:
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EP1
=
EP0 ×
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SP0 − FMV
SP0
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where:
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EP0
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution;
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EP1
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately after the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution;
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SP0
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=
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the current market price; and
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FMV
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=
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the fair market value (as determined in good faith by our board
of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof), on the
record date for such dividend or distribution, of the shares of
capital stock, evidences of indebtedness or assets so
distributed, expressed as an amount per share of our common
stock.
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Such decrease will become effective immediately after the close
of business on the record date for such dividend or
distribution. In the event that such dividend or distribution is
declared or announced but not so paid or made, the exercise
price will again be adjusted to be the exercise price which
would then be in effect if such distribution had not been
declared or announced.
However, if the transaction that gives rise to an adjustment
pursuant to this clause (c) is one pursuant to which the
payment of a dividend or other distribution on our common stock
consists of shares of capital stock of, or similar equity
interests in, a subsidiary or other business unit of ours (i.e.,
a spin-off) that are, or, when issued, will be, traded or quoted
on the NYSE or any other national or regional securities
exchange or market, then the exercise price will instead be
adjusted based on the following formula:
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EP1
=
EP0 ×
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MP0
MP0
+ FMV
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where:
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EP0
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution;
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EP1
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately after the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution;
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FMV
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=
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the average of the last reported sale prices of the capital
stock or similar equity interests distributed to holders of our
common stock applicable to one share of our common stock over
the 10 consecutive trading days commencing on, and including,
the third trading day after the ex-date for such dividend or
distribution (the valuation period); and
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MP0
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=
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the average of the last reported sale prices of our common stock
over the valuation period for such dividend or distribution.
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Such decrease will be made immediately after the close of
business on the last trading day of the valuation period for
such dividend or distribution, but will be given effect
immediately after the close of business on the record date for
such dividend or distribution. To the extent that the exercise
date for any warrant occurs during the valuation period for such
dividend or distribution, the settlement date for such warrants
will be postponed to the third business day immediately
following the last trading day of such valuation period. In the
event that such dividend or distribution is declared or
announced but not so paid or made, the exercise price will again
be adjusted to be the exercise price which would then be in
effect if such distribution had not been declared or announced.
S-28
(d) Dividends or other distributions consisting exclusively
of cash to all holders of our common stock, in which event the
exercise price will be adjusted based on the following formula:
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where:
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EP0
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution;
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EP1
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately after the close of
business on the record date for such dividend or distribution;
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SP0
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=
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the current market price; and
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C
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=
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the amount in cash per share that we distribute to holders of
our common stock for such dividend or distribution.
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Such adjustment will become effective immediately after the
close of business on the record date for such dividend or
distribution. In the event that such dividend or distribution
declared or announced but is not so paid or made, the exercise
price will again be adjusted to be the exercise price which
would then be in effect if such dividend or distribution had not
been declared or announced.
(e) We or one or more of our subsidiaries make purchases of
our common stock pursuant to a tender offer or exchange offer
(other than offers not subject to
Rule 13e-4
under the Exchange Act) by us or one or more of our subsidiaries
for our common stock, to the extent that the cash and value of
any other consideration included in the payment per share of our
common stock validly tendered or exchanged exceeds the last
reported sale price per share of our common stock on the trading
day next succeeding the last date on which tenders or exchanges
may be made pursuant to such tender or exchange offer (the
offer expiration date), in which event the exercise
price will be adjusted based on the following formula:
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EP1
=
EP0 ×
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OS0
×
SP1
FMV +
(SP1
×
OS1)
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where:
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EP0
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the close of
business on the trading day next succeeding the offer expiration
date;
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EP1
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=
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the exercise price in effect immediately after the close of
business on the trading day next succeeding the offer expiration
date;
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FMV
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=
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the fair market value (as determined by our board of directors
or a duly authorized committee thereof), on the offer expiration
date, of the aggregate value of all cash and any other
consideration paid or payable for shares of our common stock
validly tendered or exchanged and not withdrawn as of the offer
expiration date (the purchased shares);
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OS1
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=
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the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of the
last time tenders or exchanges may be made pursuant to such
tender or exchange offer (the offer expiration time)
less any purchased shares;
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OS0
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=
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the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of the
offer expiration time, including any purchased shares; and
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SP1
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=
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the last reported sale price of our common stock on the trading
day next succeeding the offer expiration date.
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An adjustment, if any, to the exercise price pursuant to
clause (e) above will become effective immediately prior to
the open of business on the second trading day immediately
following the offer expiration date. In the event that we or one
of our subsidiaries is obligated to purchase shares of our
common stock pursuant to any such tender offer or exchange
offer, but we or such subsidiary is permanently prevented by
applicable law from effecting any such purchases, or all such
purchases are rescinded, then the exercise price will again be
adjusted to be the exercise price which would then
S-29
be in effect if such tender offer or exchange offer had not been
made. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, if the
application of clause (e) above to any tender offer or
exchange offer would result in an increase in the exercise
price, no adjustment will be made for such tender offer or
exchange offer under clause (e) above.
For purposes of this Adjustment to the
Warrants section, the following definitions will apply:
Last reported sale price means, as of any
date, the last reported per share sales price of a share of our
common stock or any other security on such date (or, if no last
reported sale price is reported, the average of the bid and ask
prices or, if more than one in either case, the average of the
average bid and the average ask prices on such date) as reported
on the NYSE, or if our common stock or such other security is
not listed on the NYSE, as reported by the principal
U.S. national or regional securities exchange or quotation
system on which our common stock or such other security is then
listed or quoted; provided, however, that in the absence
of such quotations, our board of directors or a duly authorized
committee thereof will make a good faith determination of the
last reported sale price. If during a period applicable for
calculating the last reported sale price, an issuance,
distribution, subdivision, combination or other transaction or
event occurs that requires an adjustment to the exercise price
or number of underlying shares pursuant to
Adjustment to the Warrants, the last
reported sale price will be calculated for such period in a
manner determined by us in good faith to appropriately reflect
the impact of such issuance, distribution, subdivision or
combination on the price of our common stock during such period.
Current market price means, in connection
with a dividend, issuance or distribution, the average of the
last reported sale prices of our common stock for each of the 10
consecutive trading days ending on, but excluding, the earlier
of the date in question and the trading day immediately
preceding the ex-date for such dividend, issuance or
distribution.
Record date means, with respect to any
dividend, distribution or other transaction or event in which
the holders of our common stock have the right to receive any
cash, securities or other property or in which our common stock
(or other applicable security) is exchanged for or converted
into any combination of cash, securities or other property, the
date fixed for determination of holders of our common stock
entitled to receive such cash, securities or other property
(whether such date is fixed by our board of directors or a duly
authorized committee thereof or by statute, contract or
otherwise).
Ex-date means, in connection with any
dividend, issuance or distribution, the first date on which the
shares of our common stock trade on the applicable exchange or
in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to
receive such dividend, issuance or distribution.
For the avoidance of doubt, our common stock in the
Description of Warrants means the common stock, par
value $0.01, of Ford Motor Company and shall not include
Class B stock, par value $0.01, of Ford Motor Company.
Concurrently with any adjustment to the exercise price described
in clauses (a) to (e) above, the number of underlying
shares will be adjusted such that the number of underlying
shares in effect immediately following the effectiveness of such
adjustment will be equal to the number of underlying shares in
effect immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by
a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is the exercise
price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment and
(ii) the denominator of which is the exercise price in
effect immediately following such adjustment.
We may from time to time, to the extent permitted by law and
subject to applicable rules of the NYSE, decrease the exercise
price and/or
increase the number of underlying shares by any amount for any
period of at least 20 days. In that case, we will give the
warrantholders at least 15 days prior notice of such
increase or decrease, and such notice will state the decreased
exercise price
and/or
increased number of underlying shares and the period during
which the decrease
and/or
increase will be in effect. We may make such decreases in the
exercise price
and/or
increases in the number of underlying shares, in addition to
those set forth above, as our board of directors (or a duly
authorized
S-30
committee thereof) deems advisable, including to avoid or
diminish any income tax to holders of our common stock resulting
from any dividend or distribution of stock (or rights to acquire
stock) or from any event treated as such for income tax purposes.
Neither the exercise price nor the number of underlying shares
will be adjusted:
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upon the issuance of any shares of our common stock pursuant to
any present or future plan providing for the reinvestment of
dividends or interest payable on our securities and the
investment of additional optional amounts in shares of our
common stock under any plan; or
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for a change in the par value of our common stock;
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In no event will we adjust the exercise price or the number of
underlying shares, if the adjustment would reduce the exercise
price:
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below the par value per share of our common stock; or
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below $8.00 (such price subject to adjustment in the same manner
and at the same time as adjustments to the exercise price set
forth above).
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No adjustment will be made to the exercise price or the number
of underlying shares for any of the transactions described above
if we make provisions for the warrantholders to participate in
any such transaction without exercising their warrants on a
basis and with notice that our board of directors, or a duly
authorized committee thereof, determines in good faith to be
fair and appropriate.
No adjustment will be made to the exercise price, nor will any
corresponding adjustment be made to the number of underlying
shares, unless the adjustment would result in a change of at
least 1% of the exercise price; provided that any
adjustments that are less than 1% of the exercise price will be
carried forward and such carried forward adjustments, regardless
of whether the aggregate adjustment is less than 1% of the
exercise price, will be made (i) annually, on December 11 of
each year and (ii) five business days prior to the
expiration date, unless such adjustment has already been made.
If we take a record of the holders of our common stock for the
purpose of entitling them to receive a dividend or other
distribution, and thereafter (and before the dividend or
distribution has been paid or delivered to stockholders) legally
abandon our plan to pay or deliver such dividend or
distribution, then thereafter no adjustment to the exercise
price or the number of underlying shares then in effect will be
required by reason of the taking of such record.
If we have a shareholder rights plan (including our existing tax
benefit preservation plan) under which any rights are issued and
it provides that each share of our common stock issued upon
exercise of warrants at any time prior to the distribution of
separate certificates representing such rights will be entitled
to receive such rights, then, prior to the separation of such
rights from our common stock, the exercise price and the number
of underlying shares will not be adjusted as described above.
If, however, prior to any exercise of a warrant, such rights
have separated from our common stock, the exercise price and the
number of underlying shares will be adjusted at the time of
separation as if we dividended or distributed to all holders of
our common stock, our capital stock, evidences of our
indebtedness, certain rights or warrants to purchase our
securities or our other assets as described in clause (c)
above.
In addition, except as set forth in the preceding paragraph, in
the event of any distribution (or deemed distribution) of rights
or warrants, or any trigger event or other event with respect
thereto that was counted for purposes of calculating a
distribution amount for which an adjustment to the exercise
price and the number of underlying shares under
Adjustment of the Warrants was made
(including any adjustment contemplated in the preceding
paragraph): (i) in the case of any such rights or warrants
that will all have been redeemed or repurchased without exercise
by the holders thereof, the exercise price and the number of
underlying shares will be readjusted upon such final redemption
or repurchase to give effect to such distribution or trigger
event, as the case may be, as though it were a cash
distribution, equal to the per share redemption or repurchase
price received by a holder
S-31
or holders of common stock with respect to such rights or
warrants (assuming such holder had retained such rights or
warrants), made to all holders of common stock as of the date of
such redemption or repurchase; and (ii) in the case of such
rights or warrants that will have expired or been terminated
without exercise by the holders thereof, the exercise price and
the number of underlying shares will be readjusted as if such
rights and warrants had not been issued.
In any case in which an adjustment to the exercise price under
clauses (a) to (e) above provides that an adjustment
will become effective immediately after (i) a record date
for an event, (ii) the effective date (in the case of a
subdivision or combination of our common stock) or
(iii) the offer expiration date for any tender or exchange
offer pursuant to clause (e) above (each a
determination date), we may elect to defer, until
the later of the date the adjustment to the exercise price and
number of underlying shares can be definitively determined and
the occurrence of the applicable adjustment event (as defined
below), (A) issuing to the warrantholder of any warrant
exercised after such determination date and before the
occurrence of such adjustment event, the additional shares of
our common stock or other securities or assets issuable upon
such exercise by reason of the adjustment required by such
adjustment event over and above our common stock issuable upon
such exercise before giving effect to such adjustment and
(B) paying to such warrantholder any amount in cash in lieu
of any fractional share of our common stock. For purpose of this
paragraph, adjustment event means (A) in any
case referred to in clause (i) or clause (ii) hereof,
the occurrence of such event, (B) in any case referred to
in clause (iii) hereof, the date a sale or exchange of our
common stock pursuant to such tender or exchange offer is
consummated and becomes irrevocable.
Whenever the exercise price or the number of underlying shares
is adjusted, we will promptly notify the warrantholders of such
adjustment.
We will be responsible for making all calculations called for
under the warrants. These calculations include, but are not
limited to, the exercise date, the current market price, the
last reported sale price, the exercise price and the number of
underlying shares (yielding the number of shares of our common
stock or units of reference property (as defined below), if any,
to be issued upon exercise of any warrants). We will make the
foregoing calculations in good faith and, absent manifest error,
our calculations will be final and binding on the warrantholders.
Exercise of
Warrants upon a Designated Event
If a designated event (as defined below) occurs prior to
January 1, 2011 and a warrantholder elects to exercise
warrants in connection with such designated event, we will
reduce the exercise price for the warrants exercised by an
amount (the exercise price reduction) and increase
the number of underlying shares with respect to such exercised
warrants as described below. An exercise of a warrant will be
deemed to be in connection with a designated event
if the exercise date for such warrant falls during the period
commencing on the effective date of the relevant designated
event (the effective date) and ending on the
30th calendar day following the effective date for such
designated event.
Designated event means any of the following:
(i) more than 50% of the voting power of our voting stock
being held by a person or persons (other than permitted holders)
who act as a partnership, limited partnership, syndicate
or other group for the purpose of acquiring, holding or
disposing of securities of ours (within the meaning of
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act);
(ii) more than 50% of the voting power of our voting stock
being held by a person or persons who act as a
partnership, limited partnership, syndicate or other group for
the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of
securities of ours (within the meaning of
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), where such person or
persons are permitted holders, resulting in our common stock (or
other securities or property for which the warrants are then
exercisable) no longer being listed or approved for trading on
the NYSE or on any other U.S. national securities exchange
or other similar market; or
S-32
(iii) we consolidate or merge with or into another person
(other than any of our subsidiaries), or convey, sell, transfer
or lease all or substantially all of our assets to another
person (other than one of our subsidiaries), or any person
(other than any of our subsidiaries) merges into or consolidates
with us, and our outstanding common stock is reclassified into,
converted for or converted into the right to receive any
property or security; provided that no such transaction
will constitute a designated event if persons that beneficially
own (as determined in accordance with
Rules 13d-3
and 13d-5
under the Exchange Act or any successor provisions) our common
stock immediately prior to the transaction beneficially own,
directly or indirectly, common stock representing at least a
majority of the voting power of all the common stock of the
surviving person after the transaction in substantially the same
proportion as their voting power immediately prior to the
transaction.
Permitted holders means holders of our
Class B stock, par value $0.01 per share, on
January 1, 2008 and such other holders of our Class B
stock from time to time; provided that any such holder
satisfies the qualification set forth in clauses (i)
through (vii) of subsection 2.2 of Article Fourth of
our restated certificate of incorporation as in effect on
January 1, 2008.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the exercise price will not be
reduced (and the number of underlying shares with respect to
such exercised warrants will not be correspondingly increased)
in the case of any designated event if at least 90% of the
consideration, excluding cash payments for fractional shares of
our common stock and cash payments made pursuant to
dissenters appraisal rights, in a transaction otherwise
constituting a designated event consists of shares of common
stock, depositary receipts or other certificates representing
common equity interests traded on a U.S. national
securities exchange, or will be so traded immediately following
such transaction, and as a result of such transaction the
warrants become exercisable solely for such consideration.
Within 15 calendar days after the effective date of any
designated event, we will notify the warrant agent and each
warrantholder of such designated event. The notice will state
the events causing, and the effective date of, such designated
event. If we fail to provide such notice within 15 calendar days
of the effective date, the period during which warrantholders
may exercise their warrants and receive the relevant exercise
price reduction (and the corresponding increase in the number of
underlying shares) will be extended by the number of calendar
days that such notification is delayed or not otherwise provided
to warrantholders beyond the specified notice deadline. We will
notify the warrantholders and issue a press release no later
than 10 days prior to the anticipated effective date for
any designated event. The failure to deliver such notice or
issue such press release will not affect the validity of such
transaction.
The amount of the exercise price reduction with respect to
warrants exercised in connection with any designated event will
be determined by reference to the table below and will be based
on the effective date of, and the applicable price for, such
designated event. Applicable price means, for
any designated event, (i) if the consideration paid to
holders of our common stock in connection with such designated
event consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per
share of our common stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the
average of the last reported sale prices of our common stock for
the five consecutive trading days immediately preceding the
effective date of such designated event.
The applicable prices set forth in the first row of the table
below (i.e., the column headers), and the exercise price
reduction amounts set forth in the table below, will each be
adjusted at the same time and in the manner as the exercise
price as set forth under Adjustments to the
Warrants.
The following table sets forth the amount of the exercise price
reduction for given applicable prices and effective dates:
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Applicable Prices
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Effective Date
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$8.00
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$9.00
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$10.00
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$12.00
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$14.00
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$16.00
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$18.00
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$20.00
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$25.00
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$30.00
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$40.00
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January 1, 2010
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$
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1.2000
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$
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1.2000
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$
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1.2000
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$
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1.1508
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$
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0.9098
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$
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0.7491
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$
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0.6362
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$
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0.5531
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$
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0.4171
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$
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0.3337
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$
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0.2339
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January 1, 2011
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$
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1.2000
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$
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1.2000
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$
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1.2000
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$
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0.8830
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$
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0.6670
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$
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0.5353
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$
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0.4491
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$
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0.3886
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$
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0.2935
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$
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0.2360
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$
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0.1665
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S-33
If the exact applicable price
and/or
effective date are not set forth in the table above, then:
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if the actual applicable price is between two applicable prices
in the table or the effective date is between two effective
dates in the table, the exercise price reduction will be
determined by a straight-line interpolation between the exercise
price reduction set forth for the higher and lower applicable
prices
and/or the
earlier and later effective dates in the table, based on a
365-day
year, as applicable;
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if the actual applicable price is equal to or in excess of
$40.00 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth under
Adjustments to the Warrants, the
exercise price will not be reduced (and there will be no
corresponding increase to the number of underlying shares) upon
exercise of any warrant in connection with the relevant
designated event; and
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if the applicable price is equal to or less than $8.00 per
share, subject to adjustment as set forth under
Adjustments to the Warrants, the
exercise price will not be reduced (and there will be no
corresponding increase to the number of underlying shares) upon
exercise of any warrant in connection with the relevant
designated event.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will we reduce the
exercise price if the reduction would cause the exercise price
to fall below $8.00, such price subject to adjustment at the
same time and in the same manner as the exercise price as set
forth under Adjustments to the Warrants.
If the exercise price for any warrants that are exercised in
connection with a designated event is reduced as set forth
above, the number of underlying shares with respect to each such
warrant will concurrently be increased by multiplying the
number of underlying shares with respect to each such warrant
prior to such increase by a fraction, (i) the numerator of
which is the exercise price prior to giving effect to such
exercise price reduction and (ii) the denominator of which
is the exercise price after giving effect to such exercise price
reduction.
Recapitalizations,
Reclassifications and Other Changes
If any of the following events occur:
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any recapitalization;
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any reclassification or change of the outstanding shares of our
common stock (other than changes resulting from a subdivision or
combination);
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any consolidation, merger or combination involving us;
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any sale or conveyance to a third party of all or substantially
all of our assets; or
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any statutory share exchange,
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(each such event, a reorganization event), in each
case as a result of which our common stock would be converted
into, or exchanged for, stock, other securities, other property
or assets (including cash or any combination thereof) (the
reference property), then, following the effective
time of the transaction, the right to receive shares of our
common stock upon exercise of a warrant will be changed to a
right to receive, upon exercise of such warrant, with respect to
each share of common stock that such warrant confers the right
to purchase, the kind and amount of shares of stock, other
securities or other property or assets (including cash or any
combination thereof) that a holder of one share of our common
stock would have owned or been entitled to receive in connection
with such reorganization event (such kind and amount of
reference property per share of our common stock, a unit
of reference property). In the event holders of our common
stock have the opportunity to elect the form of consideration to
be received in a reorganization event, the type and amount of
consideration into which the warrants will be exercisable from
and after the effective time of such reorganization event will
be deemed to be the weighted average of the types and amounts of
consideration received by the holders of our common stock in
such reorganization event. We agree not to become a party to any
reorganization event unless its terms are consistent with the
forgoing.
S-34
Consolidation,
Merger and Sale of Assets
We may, without the consent of the warrantholders, consolidate
with, merge into or sell, lease or otherwise transfer in one
transaction or a series of related transactions the consolidated
assets of us and our subsidiaries substantially as an entirety
to any corporation, limited liability company, partnership or
trust organized under the laws of the United States or any of
its political subdivisions so long as:
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the successor assumes all of our obligations under the warrant
agreement and the warrants; and
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an officers certificate and an opinion of counsel, each
stating that the consolidation, merger, sale, lease or other
transfer complies with the provisions of the warrant agreement,
have been delivered to the warrant agent.
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Modification,
Waiver and Meetings
The warrant agreement contains provisions for convening meetings
of the warrantholders to consider matters affecting their
interests.
The warrant agreement may be modified or amended by us and the
warrant agent without the consent of the holder of any warrant
for the purposes of, among other things:
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adding covenants for the benefit of the warrantholders;
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adding a guarantor or other security for the benefit of the
warrantholders;
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surrendering any right or power conferred upon us;
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providing for the settlement upon exercise of warrants if any
reclassification or change of our common stock or any
consolidation, merger, sale, lease or other transfer of the
consolidated assets of us and our subsidiaries substantially as
an entirety occurs;
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providing for the assumption of our obligations under the
warrant agreement in the case of a merger, consolidation,
conveyance, sale, lease or other transfer;
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adjusting the exercise price or the number of underlying shares
in the manner described in the warrant agreement as discussed in
this Description of Warrants;
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curing any ambiguity or correcting or supplementing any
defective provision contained in the warrant agreement so long
as such modification or amendment does not adversely affect the
interests of the warrantholders in any material respect; and
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adding or modifying any other provisions that we may deem
necessary or desirable and which will not adversely affect the
interests of the warrantholders in any material respect.
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Noncompliance with any provision of the warrant agreement or the
warrants may be waived, either:
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with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority
of warrants at the time outstanding; or
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by the adoption of a resolution at a meeting of warrantholders
at which a quorum is present by at least a majority of the
number of warrants represented at such meeting.
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However, no such modification, amendment or waiver may, without
the written consent or the affirmative vote of each
warrantholder affected:
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change the expiration date;
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increase the exercise price or decrease the number of underlying
shares (except as explicitly set forth under
Adjustments to the Warrants);
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S-35
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impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any
payment or delivery with respect to the settlement of any
warrant;
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except as otherwise expressly permitted by provisions of the
warrant agreement concerning specified reclassifications or
corporate reorganizations, impair or adversely affect the
exercise rights of warrantholders, including any change to the
calculation or payment of the number of shares of our common
stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants;
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reduce the percentage of warrants outstanding necessary to
modify or amend the warrant agreement or to waive any past
default; or
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reduce the percentage in warrants outstanding required for any
other waiver under the warrant agreement.
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The quorum at any meeting called to adopt a resolution will be
persons holding or representing a majority of the warrants at
the time outstanding.
Reservation of
Shares
Our board of directors has authorized and reserved
362,391,305 shares of our common stock for issuance upon
the exercise of all warrants offered hereby and will continue to
reserve for the issuance of any additional shares of our common
stock that become issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding
warrants as a result of the adjustments described above until
the expiration date of the warrants. All such shares will be
duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
We May Acquire
Warrants
We may, except as limited by applicable law, at any time
purchase or otherwise acquire warrants at such times, in such
manner and for such consideration as we may deem appropriate and
will have agreed with the holder of such warrants.
Governing
Law
The warrants and the warrant agreement will be governed by New
York law.
Information
Regarding the Warrant Agent
Under the warrant agreement, Computershare Trust Company,
N.A. is appointed to act as the warrant agent on our behalf in
connection with the transfer, exchange, substitution, exercise
and cancellation of the warrants and required to maintain a
register recording the names and addresses of all registered
holders of warrants. The warrant agent will receive a fee in
exchange for performing these duties under the warrant agreement
and will be indemnified by us for liabilities not involving
negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith and arising out of
its service as warrant agent. The warrant agent and its
affiliates may from time to time in the future provide banking
and other services to us in the ordinary course of their
business.
S-36
DESCRIPTION OF
CAPITAL STOCK
This section contains a description of our capital stock. This
description includes not only our common stock, but also our
Class B stock and preferred stock, certain terms of which
affect the common stock, and the preferred share purchase
rights, one of which is attached to each share of our common
stock, including shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants
offered hereby. The following summary of the terms of our
capital stock is not meant to be complete and is qualified by
reference to our restated certificate of incorporation and the
preferred share rights plan. See Where You Can Find More
Information.
Our authorized capital stock currently consists of
6,000,000,000 shares of common stock,
530,117,376 shares of Class B stock and
30,000,000 shares of preferred stock.
As of February 28, 2010, we had outstanding
3,299,284,320 shares of common stock and
70,852,076 shares of Class B stock.
Common Stock and
Class B Stock
Rights to Dividends and on
Liquidation. Each share of common stock and
Class B stock is entitled to share equally in dividends
(other than dividends declared with respect to any outstanding
preferred stock) when and as declared by our board of directors,
except as stated below under the subheading Stock
Dividends. Our senior secured credit facility and our
Department of Energy ATVM loan facility contain a covenant
restricting us from paying dividends (other than dividends
payable solely in stock) on our common stock and Class B
stock. Additionally, as announced on March 4, 2009, we
deferred future interest payments on our 6.50% Junior
Subordinated Convertible Debentures due January 15, 2032
beginning with the April 15, 2009 quarterly interest
payment and the terms of the debentures prohibit us from paying
dividends with respect to our common stock or Class B stock
during such deferral period.
Upon liquidation, subject to the rights of any other class or
series of stock having a preference on liquidation, each share
of common stock will be entitled to the first $.50 available for
distribution to common and Class B stockholders, each share
of Class B stock will be entitled to the next $1.00 so
available, each share of common stock will be entitled to the
next $.50 available and each share of common and Class B
stock will be entitled to an equal amount after that. Any
outstanding preferred stock would rank senior to the common
stock and Class B stock in respect of liquidation rights
and could rank senior to that stock in respect of dividend
rights.
Voting General. All general
voting power is vested in the holders of common stock and the
holders of Class B stock, voting together without regard to
class, except as stated below in the subheading Voting by
Class. The voting power of the shares of stock is
determined as described below. However, we could in the future
create series of preferred stock with voting rights equal to or
greater than our common stock or Class B stock.
Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote per share,
and each holder of Class B stock is entitled to a number of
votes per share derived by a formula contained in our restated
certificate of incorporation. As long as at least
60,749,880 shares of Class B stock remain outstanding,
the formula will result in holders of Class B stock having
40% of the general voting power and holders of common stock and,
if issued, any preferred stock with voting power having 60% of
the general voting power.
If the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock falls
below 60,749,880, but remains at least 33,749,932, then the
formula will result in the general voting power of holders of
Class B stock declining to 30% and the general voting power
of holders of common stock and, if issued, any preferred stock
with voting power increasing to 70%.
If the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock falls
below 33,749,932, then each holder of Class B stock will be
entitled to only one vote per share.
Based on the number of shares of Class B stock and common
stock outstanding as of March 18, 2009 each holder of
Class B stock is entitled to 21.952 votes per share. Of the
outstanding Class B
S-37
stock as of March 18, 2009, 52,016,831 shares were
held in a voting trust. The trust requires the trustee to vote
all the shares in the trust as directed by holders of a
plurality of the shares in the trust.
Right of Preferred Stock to Elect a Maximum of Two
Directors in Event of Default. It would be
customary for any preferred stock that we may issue to provide
that if at any time we are delinquent in the payment of six or
more quarters worth of dividends (whether or not
consecutive), the holders of the preferred stock, voting as a
class, would be entitled to elect two directors (who would be in
addition to the directors elected by the stockholders
generally). These voting rights are required to be provided if
the preferred stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and
are provided for in our Series B preferred stock.
Non-Cumulative Voting Rights. Our
common stock and Class B stock, as well as any preferred
stock with voting power we may issue, do not and will not have
cumulative voting rights. This means that the holders who have
more than 50% of the votes for the election of directors can
elect 100% of the directors if they choose to do so.
Voting by Class. If we want to take any
of the following actions, we must obtain the vote of the holders
of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B stock,
voting as a class:
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issue any additional shares of Class B stock (with certain
exceptions);
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reduce the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock
other than by holders of Class B stock converting Class B
stock into common stock or selling it to the Company;
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change the capital stock provisions of our restated certificate
of incorporation;
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merge or consolidate with or into another corporation;
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dispose of all or substantially all of our property and assets;
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transfer any assets to another corporation and in connection
therewith distribute stock or other securities of that
corporation to our stockholders; or
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voluntarily liquidate or dissolve.
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Voting Provisions of Delaware Law. In
addition to the votes described above, any special requirements
of Delaware law must be met. The Delaware General Corporation
Law contains provisions on the votes required to amend
certificates of incorporation, merge or consolidate, sell, lease
or exchange all or substantially all assets, and voluntarily
dissolve.
Ownership and Conversion of Class B
Stock. In general, only members of the Ford
family or their descendants or trusts or corporations in which
they have specified interests can own or be registered as record
holders of shares of Class B stock, or can enjoy for their
own benefit the special rights and powers of Class B stock.
A holder of shares of Class B stock can convert those
shares into an equal number of shares of common stock for the
purpose of selling or disposing of those shares. Shares of
Class B stock acquired by the Company or converted into
common stock cannot be reissued by the Company.
Preemptive and Other Subscription
Rights. Holders of common stock do not have
any right to purchase additional shares of common stock if we
sell shares to others. If, however, we sell Class B stock
or obligations or shares convertible into Class B stock
(subject to the limits on who can own Class B stock
described above), then holders of Class B stock will have a
right to purchase, on a ratable basis and at a price just as
favorable, additional shares of Class B stock or those
obligations or shares convertible into Class B stock.
In addition, if shares of common stock (or shares or obligations
convertible into such stock) are offered to holders of common
stock, then we must offer to the holders of Class B stock
shares of Class B stock (or shares or obligations
convertible into such stock), on a ratable basis, and at the
same price per share.
S-38
Stock Dividends. If we declare and pay
a dividend in our stock, we must pay it in shares of common
stock to holders of common stock and in shares of Class B
stock to holders of Class B stock.
Ultimate Rights of Holders of Class B
Stock. If and when the number of outstanding
shares of Class B stock falls below 33,749,932, the
Class B stock will become freely transferable and will
become substantially equivalent to common stock. At that time,
holders of Class B stock will have one vote for each share
held, will have no special class vote, will be offered common
stock if common stock is offered to holders of common stock,
will receive common stock if a stock dividend is declared, and
will have the right to convert such shares into an equal number
of shares of common stock irrespective of the purpose of
conversion.
Miscellaneous; Dilution. If we increase
the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock (by, for
example, doing a stock split or stock dividend), or if we
consolidate or combine all outstanding shares of Class B
stock so that the number of outstanding shares is reduced, then
the threshold numbers of outstanding Class B stock (that
is, 60,749,880 and 33,749,932) that trigger voting power changes
will automatically adjust by a proportionate amount.
Preferred
Stock
We may issue preferred stock from time to time in one or more
series, without stockholder approval. Subject to limitations
prescribed by law, our board of directors is authorized to fix
for any series of preferred stock the number of shares of such
series and the designation, relative powers, preferences and
rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of
such series. All shares of preferred stock that we may issue
will be identical and of equal rank except as to the particular
terms thereof that may be fixed by our board of directors, and
all shares of each series of preferred stock will be identical
and of equal rank except as to the dates from which cumulative
dividends, if any, thereon will be cumulative.
As described below, we have authorized a series of preferred
stock in connection with our rights plan. See Preferred
Share Purchase Rights.
Preferred Share
Purchase Rights
On September 11, 2009, we entered into a Tax Benefit
Preservation Plan with Computershare Trust Company, N.A.,
as rights agent, and our Board of Directors declared a dividend
of one preferred share purchase right (the Rights)
for each outstanding share of common stock, and each outstanding
share of Class B stock under the terms of the Plan. Each
share of common stock issued upon exercise of warrants sold in
this offering will be accompanied by a Right. Each Right
entitles the registered holder to purchase from us one
one-thousandth of a share of our Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock, par value $1.00 per share at a
purchase price of $35.00 per one one-thousandth of a share of
Preferred Stock, subject to adjustment. The description and
terms of the Rights are set forth in the Plan.
Until the earlier to occur of (i) the close of business on
the tenth business day following the public announcement that a
person or group has become an Acquiring Person by
acquiring beneficial ownership of 4.99% or more of the
outstanding shares of common stock (or the Board becoming aware
of an Acquiring Person, as defined in the Plan) or (ii) the
close of business on the tenth business day (or, except in
certain circumstances, such later date as may be specified by
the Board) following the commencement of, or announcement of an
intention to make, a tender offer or exchange offer the
consummation of which would result in the beneficial ownership
by a person or group (with certain exceptions) of 4.99% or more
of the outstanding shares of common stock (the earlier of such
dates being called the Distribution Date), the
Rights will be evidenced, with respect to common stock and
Class B stock certificates outstanding as of the Record
Date (or any book-entry shares in respect thereof), by such
common stock or Class B stock certificate (or registration
in book-entry form) together with the summary of rights
(Summary of Rights) describing the Plan and mailed
to stockholders of record on the Record Date, and the Rights
will be transferable only in connection with
S-39
the transfer of common stock or Class B stock. Any person
or group that beneficially owns 4.99% or more of the outstanding
shares of common stock on September 11, 2009 will not be
deemed an Acquiring Person unless and until such person or group
acquires beneficial ownership of additional shares of common
stock representing one-half of one percent (.5%) or more of the
shares of common stock then outstanding. Under the Plan, the
Board may, in its sole discretion, exempt any person or group
from being deemed an Acquiring Person for purposes of the Plan
if the Board determines that such persons or groups
ownership of common stock will not jeopardize or endanger our
availability, or otherwise limit in any way the use of, our net
operating losses, tax credits and other tax assets (the
Tax Attributes).
The Plan provides that, until the Distribution Date (or earlier
expiration or redemption of the Rights), the Rights will be
attached to and will be transferred with and only with the
common stock and Class B stock. Until the Distribution Date
(or the earlier expiration or redemption of the Rights), new
shares of common stock and Class B stock issued after the
Record Date upon transfer or new issuances of common stock and
Class B stock (including in connection with the conversion
of warrants offered hereby) will contain a notation
incorporating the Plan by reference (with respect to shares
represented by certificates) or notice thereof will be provided
in accordance with applicable law (with respect to
uncertificated shares). Until the Distribution Date (or earlier
expiration of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any
certificates representing shares of common stock and
Class B stock outstanding as of the Record Date, even
without such notation or a copy of the Summary of Rights, or the
transfer by book-entry of any uncertificated shares of common
stock and Class B stock, will also constitute the transfer
of the Rights associated with such shares. As soon as
practicable following the Distribution Date, separate
certificates evidencing the Rights (Right
Certificates) will be mailed to holders of record of the
common stock and Class B stock as of the close of business
on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates
alone will evidence the Rights.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The
Rights will expire upon the earliest of the close of business on
September 11, 2012 (unless that date is advanced or
extended by the Board), the time at which the Rights are
redeemed or exchanged under the Plan, the final adjournment of
our 2010 annual meeting of stockholders if stockholder approval
of the Plan has not been received prior to that time, the repeal
of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended, or any successor statute if the Board determines that
the Plan is no longer necessary for the preservation of our Tax
Attributes, or the beginning of our taxable year to which the
Board determines that no Tax Attributes may be carried forward.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of
Preferred Stock or other securities or property issuable, upon
exercise of the Rights is subject to adjustment from time to
time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock
dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification
of, the Preferred Stock, (ii) upon the grant to holders of
the Preferred Stock of certain rights or warrants to subscribe
for or purchase Preferred Stock at a price, or securities
convertible into Preferred Stock with a conversion price, less
than the then-current market price of the Preferred Stock or
(iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Preferred
Stock of evidences of indebtedness or assets (excluding regular
periodic cash dividends or dividends payable in Preferred Stock)
or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred
to above).
The number of outstanding Rights is subject to adjustment in the
event of a stock dividend on the common stock and Class B
stock payable in shares of common stock or Class B stock or
subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the common stock
occurring, in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
Shares of Preferred Stock purchasable upon exercise of the
Rights will not be redeemable. Each share of Preferred Stock
will be entitled, when, as and if declared, to a minimum
preferential quarterly dividend payment of the greater of
(a) $10.00 per share, and (b) an amount equal to 1,000
times the dividend declared per share of common stock. In the
event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders
of the Preferred Stock will be entitled to a minimum
preferential payment of the greater of (a) $1.00 per share
(plus any accrued but unpaid dividends), and (b) an amount
equal to 1,000
S-40
times the payment made per share of common stock. Each share of
Preferred Stock will have 1,000 votes, voting together with the
common stock and Class B stock. Finally, in the event of
any merger, consolidation or other transaction in which
outstanding shares of common stock are converted or exchanged,
each share of Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive 1,000
times the amount received per share of common stock. These
rights are protected by customary antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preferred Stocks dividend,
liquidation and voting rights, the value of the one
one-thousandth interest in a share of Preferred Stock
purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate the
value of one share of common stock.
In the event that any person or group becomes an Acquiring
Person, each holder of a Right, other than Rights beneficially
owned by the Acquiring Person (which will thereupon become null
and void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon
exercise of a Right (including payment of the Purchase Price)
that number of shares of common stock having a market value of
two times the Purchase Price.
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring
Person but prior to the acquisition by such Acquiring Person of
beneficial ownership of 50% or more of the voting power of the
shares of common stock and Class B stock then outstanding,
the Board may exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by
such Acquiring Person, which will have become null and void), in
whole or in part, for shares of common stock or Preferred Stock
(or a series of our preferred stock having equivalent rights,
preferences and privileges), at an exchange ratio of one share
of common stock or Class B stock, or a fractional share of
Preferred Stock (or other stock) equivalent in value thereto,
per Right (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock
dividends and similar transactions).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price
will be required until cumulative adjustments require an
adjustment of at least 1% in such Purchase Price. No fractional
shares of Preferred Stock, common stock or Class B stock
will be issued (other than fractions of Preferred Stock which
are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of
Preferred Stock, which may, at our election, be evidenced by
depositary receipts), and in lieu thereof an adjustment in cash
will be made based on the current market price of the Preferred
Stock, the common stock or Class B stock.
At any time prior to the time an Acquiring Person becomes such,
the Board may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a
price of $.001 per Right (the Redemption Price)
payable, at our option, in cash, shares of common stock or such
other form of consideration as the Board shall determine. The
redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on
such basis and with such conditions as the Board in its sole
discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the
Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the
only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the
Redemption Price.
For so long as the Rights are then redeemable, we may, except
with respect to the Redemption Price, amend the Plan in any
manner. After the Rights are no longer redeemable, we may,
except with respect to the Redemption Price, amend the Plan
in any manner that does not adversely affect the interests of
holders of the Rights (other than the Acquiring Person).
Until a Right is exercised or exchanged, the holder thereof, as
such, will have no rights as our stockholder, including, without
limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.
S-41
SELLING SECURITY
HOLDER; CERTAIN ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
On December 11, 2009, we issued the warrants to VEBA-F
Holdings LLC, our then-wholly owned subsidiary. On
December 31, 2009, we transferred our ownership interest in
VEBA-F Holdings LLC (which was subsequently dissolved and
distributed its assets to the selling security holder) and
certain other assets to the selling security holder pursuant to
a settlement agreement among us, the International Union, United
Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of
America (UAW) and certain class representatives. On
January 1, 2010, the selling security holder assumed the
obligations to provide retiree health care benefits to eligible
active and retired UAW Ford hourly employees and their eligible
spouses, surviving spouses and dependents.
Employee benefit plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), are
prohibited under Section 406 of ERISA from engaging in
certain transactions with entities that are parties in
interest to the plan, including entities that may be (or
may be affiliates of) service providers or fiduciaries to the
selling security holder, unless an exemption, whether statutory
(including Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA relating to
transactions between a plan and certain service providers) or
regulatory, is applicable to the transaction. Prospective
purchasers of the warrants that may be parties in
interest to the selling security holder should consult
with their counsel regarding the potential applicability of
Section 406 of ERISA and the potential availability of an
exemption, and there can be no assurance that any exemption, if
required, will be available with respect to any particular
transaction involving the warrants.
We are registering the warrants offered by this prospectus
supplement and the attached prospectus on behalf of the selling
security holder. Further information about the selling security
holder, the Settlement Agreement and the relationship between
the selling security holder and Ford is included in our Current
Report on
Form 8-K
dated January 4, 2010, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
The table below sets forth information with respect to the
beneficial ownership of the warrants being offered by this
prospectus supplement held as of February 28, 2010 by the
selling security holder, the number of warrants being offered by
this prospectus supplement, and information with respect to
warrants to be beneficially owned by the selling security holder
assuming all the warrants offered by this prospectus supplement
are sold.
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Warrants
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Warrants Beneficially
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Offered in
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Warrants Beneficially
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Owned Prior to this
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this
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Owned after this
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Offering
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Offering
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Offering
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Selling Security Holder
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Number
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Percentage
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Number
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Number
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Percentage
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UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust
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362,391,305
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100
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%
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362,391,305
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0
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0
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%
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The warrants being offered by this prospectus supplement
currently are exercisable for 362,391,305 shares of our
common stock, which represent approximately 11% of our common
stock outstanding as of February 28, 2010. However, because
the warrants offered hereby must be exercised on a net
share settlement or cashless basis (as if the exercise
price of a warrant was paid by our netting out a number of
shares of our common stock otherwise issuable upon exercise of
the warrant equal to the value of the exercise price of such
warrant), the actual number of shares that could be issued upon
exercise of the warrants will depend upon the market price of
our common stock at the time of exercise and other factors,
including the adjustment provisions described above under
Description of Warrants Adjustments to the
Warrants and Description of Warrants
Exercise of Warrants Upon a Designated Event, and cannot
be determined at this time.
Other than the relationships described in the Current Report on
Form 8-K
referred to above, we have no material contractual relationships
with the selling security holder.
S-42
MATERIAL UNITED
STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of the material United States federal
income tax consequences of the ownership, exercise, and
disposition of the warrants, as of the date hereof. Except where
noted, this summary deals only with a warrant held as a capital
asset, and does not represent a detailed description of the
United States federal income tax consequences applicable to you
if you are subject to special treatment under the United States
federal income tax laws, including if you are:
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a dealer in securities or currencies;
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a financial institution;
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a regulated investment company;
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a real estate investment trust;
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a tax-exempt organization;
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an insurance company;
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a person holding the notes as part of a hedging, integrated,
conversion or constructive sale transaction or a straddle;
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a trader in securities that has elected the
mark-to-market
method of accounting for your securities;
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a person liable for alternative minimum tax;
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a person who is an investor in a pass-through entity; or
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a United States expatriate.
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The summary is based upon the provisions of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and
regulations, rulings and judicial decisions as of the date
hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively,
so as to result in United States federal income tax consequences
different from those summarized below. This summary does not
address all aspects of United States federal income taxes and
does not deal with all tax considerations that may be relevant
to holders in light of their personal circumstances.
For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. holder
is a beneficial owner of a warrant that is:
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an individual citizen or resident of the United States;
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a corporation (or any other entity treated as a corporation for
United States federal income tax purposes) created or organized
in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or
the District of Columbia;
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an estate the income of which is subject to United States
federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
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a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of
a court within the United States and one or more United States
persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions
of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under
applicable United States Treasury regulations to be treated as a
United States person.
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The term
non-U.S. holder
means a beneficial owner of a warrant (other than an entity
classified as a partnership for United States federal income tax
purposes) that is not a U.S. holder.
If an entity classified as a partnership for United States
federal income tax purposes holds the warrants, the tax
treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of
the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a
partner of a partnership holding the warrants, you should
consult your own tax advisors. If you are considering the
purchase of warrants, you should consult your own tax advisors
concerning the particular United States federal income tax
consequences to
S-43
you of the ownership of the warrants, as well as the
consequences to you arising under the laws of any other taxing
jurisdiction.
U.S.
Holders
Exercise of
Warrants
The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the exercise of
warrants that require net share settlement are not entirely
clear. Exercise of the warrants may be treated as a
non-recognition event (except with respect to any cash received
in lieu of a fractional share), either because (i) the
warrants are treated as options to receive a variable number of
shares of our common stock or (ii) the exchange of warrants
for stock pursuant to net share settlement is treated as a
recapitalization. In either case, a U.S. holders tax
basis in the common stock received would equal the
U.S. holders tax basis in the warrants, less any
amount attributable to any fractional share. If the warrants are
treated as options, the holding period of common stock received
upon the exercise of a warrant will commence on the day after a
warrant is exercised. If the exchange of warrants for stock
pursuant to net share settlement is treated as a
recapitalization, the holding period of common stock received
upon the exercise of a warrant will include the
U.S. holders holding period for the warrant.
It is also possible that exercise of the warrants could be
treated as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be
recognized. The amount of gain or loss recognized on such
exchange and its character as short-term or long-term would
depend on the characterization of that exchange. If a
U.S. holder is treated as selling a portion of the warrants
or underlying shares of our common stock for cash that is used
to pay the exercise price for the warrants, the amount of gain
or loss will be the difference between that exercise price and
such U.S. holders basis attributable to the warrants
or shares of our common stock deemed to have been sold. If the
U.S. holder is treated as selling warrants, such
U.S. holder would have long-term capital gain or loss if it
has held the warrants for more than one year. If the
U.S. holder is treated as selling underlying shares of our
common stock, such U.S. holder would have short-term
capital gain or loss. In either case, a U.S. holder of a
warrant would also recognize gain or loss in respect of the cash
received in lieu of a fractional share of our common stock
otherwise issuable upon exercise in an amount equal to the
difference between the amount of cash received and the portion
of such U.S. holders tax basis attributable to such
fractional share. The ability of U.S. holders to deduct
capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.
Alternatively, if the U.S. holder is treated as exchanging,
in a taxable exchange, the warrants for shares of our common
stock received on exercise, the amount of gain or loss will be
the difference between the fair market value of our common stock
and cash in lieu of fractional shares received on exercise and
the holders basis in the warrants. In that case, the
U.S. holder would have long-term capital gain or loss if it
has held the warrants for more than one year and such
U.S. holder will have a tax basis in the shares of our
common stock received equal to their fair market value.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income
tax treatment of the exercise of warrants that require net share
settlement, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the
alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above
would be adopted by the IRS or a court. Accordingly,
U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding
the tax consequences of the exercise of the warrants.
Sale,
Exchange, or Lapse of Warrants
A U.S. holder of a warrant will recognize gain or loss on
the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of a warrant,
other than by exercise as described above, in an amount equal to
the difference between the amount realized and the
U.S. holders tax basis in the warrant. Such gain or
loss will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if the
U.S. holder held the warrant for more than one year.
If a warrant expires without being exercised, a U.S. holder
generally will recognize a capital loss in an amount equal to
its tax basis in the warrant. Such loss will be a long-term
capital loss if, at the
S-44
time of the expiration, the warrant has been held by the
U.S. holder for more than one year. The ability of
U.S. holders to deduct capital losses is subject to
limitations under the Code.
Constructive
Distributions
To the extent any adjustment to, or failure to adjust, the
number of shares of our common stock underlying the warrants
and/or the
exercise price of the warrants results in an increase in the
proportionate interest of a holder in our assets or our earnings
and profits, such holder will be treated as having received a
distribution of property. Any deemed distributions will be
taxable as a dividend, return of capital, or capital gain in
accordance with the earnings and profits rules under the Code.
It is not clear whether a constructive dividend deemed paid to
you would be eligible for the reduced rates of United States
federal income tax applicable to certain dividends paid to
individuals. It is also unclear whether corporate holders would
be entitled to claim the dividends received deduction with
respect to any such constructive dividends.
Information
Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information returns may be filed with the IRS in connection with
deemed payments of dividends on the warrants and the proceeds
from a sale, exchange or other disposition of the warrants.
Holders may be subject to backup withholding on these payments
unless a holder complies with certification procedures to
establish an exemption from backup withholding. Any amounts
withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a
refund or a credit against a holders U.S. federal
income tax liability provided the required information is timely
furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S.
Holders
Constructive
Dividends
Any deemed dividends resulting from certain adjustments, or
failure to make adjustments, to the conversion rate see
U.S. Holders Constructive
Distributions above) will be subject to United States
federal withholding tax at a 30% rate (or lower applicable
income tax treaty rate). In the case of any constructive
dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from
any amount owed to you, including, but not limited to, shares of
our common stock delivered upon exercise of the warrants.
However, deemed dividends that are effectively connected with
the conduct of a trade or business within the United States and,
where a tax treaty applies, are attributable to a United States
permanent establishment, are not subject to the withholding tax,
but instead are subject to United States federal income tax on a
net income basis at applicable graduated individual or corporate
rates. Certain certification requirements and disclosure
requirements must be complied with in order for effectively
connected income to be exempt from withholding. Any such
effectively connected income received by a foreign corporation
may, under certain circumstances, be subject to an additional
branch profits tax at a 30% rate (or lower applicable income tax
treaty rate).
A
non-U.S. holder
of warrants who wishes to claim the benefit of an applicable
treaty rate is required to satisfy applicable certification and
other requirements. If you are eligible for a reduced rate of
United States withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty,
you may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely
filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.
Exercise or
Sale of Warrants
Subject to the discussions below regarding recent legislation
and backup withholding, a
non-U.S. holder
generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on
any gain recognized on the sale, exchange, or other taxable
disposition of a warrant (including any gain potentially
recognizable on an exercise) unless:
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that gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade
or business in the United States (and, if required by an
applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a United States
permanent establishment);
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S-45
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you are an individual who is present in the United States for
183 days or more in the taxable year of that disposition,
and certain other conditions are met; or
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we are or have been a U.S. real property holding
corporation for United States federal income tax purposes.
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We believe that we are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a
United States real property holding corporation for
United States federal income tax purposes.
If you are an individual and your gain is effectively connected
with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States,
you will be subject to tax on the net gain derived from the
sale, exchange, redemption, conversion or other taxable
disposition under regular graduated United States federal income
tax rates. If you are an individual present in the United States
for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition,
you will be subject to a flat 30% tax on the gain derived from
the sale, exchange, redemption, conversion or other taxable
disposition, which may be offset by United States source capital
losses, even though you are not considered a resident of the
United States. If you are a foreign corporation and your gain is
effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business
in the United States, you will be subject to tax on your net
gain in the same manner as if you were a U.S. person as
defined under the Code and, in addition, you may be subject to
the branch profits tax equal to 30% of your effectively
connected earnings and profits or at such lower rate as may be
specified by an applicable income tax treaty.
Recent
Legislation
Recent legislation generally imposes a withholding tax of 30% on
payments to certain foreign entities, after December 31,
2012, of dividends on and the gross proceeds of dispositions of
U.S. property that can produce dividends (possibly
including instruments such as the warrants), unless various
U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements
have been satisfied.
Non-U.S. holders
should consult their tax advisers regarding the possible
implications of this legislation on their investment in the
warrants.
Information
Reporting and Backup Withholding
Information returns may be filed with the IRS in connection with
deemed payments of dividends on the warrants and the proceeds
from a sale, exchange or other disposition of the warrants.
Holders may be subject to backup withholding on these payments
unless a holder complies with certification procedures to
establish an exemption from backup withholding. Any amounts
withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a
refund or a credit against a holders U.S. federal
income tax liability provided the required information is timely
furnished to the IRS.
S-46
UNDERWRITING
Ford, the selling security holder and the underwriters named
below have entered into an underwriting agreement with respect
to the warrants being offered. Subject to certain conditions,
each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase from the
selling security holder the number of warrants indicated in the
following table. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. is the
representative of the underwriters named below.
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Underwriter
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Number of Warrants
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Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
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226,494,567
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Goldman, Sachs & Co.
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67,948,370
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Barclays Capital Inc.
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11,324,728
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Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
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11,324,728
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Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
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11,324,728
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J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
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11,324,728
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Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
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11,324,728
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RBS Securities Inc.
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11,324,728
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Total
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362,391,305
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The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the
several underwriters to purchase the warrants offered by this
prospectus supplement are subject to certain conditions
precedent and that the underwriters will purchase all of the
warrants sold in accordance with the auction process, if any are
purchased. See Auction Process The Auction
Process Pricing and Allocation.
The underwriters plan to offer the warrants for sale pursuant to
the auction process described above under Auction
Process. Warrants sold by the underwriters to the public
will be sold at the clearing price determined through that
auction process. During the auction period, bids may be placed
at any price (in increments of $0.10) at or above the minimum
bid price of $3.50 per warrant. The offering of the warrants by
the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and
subject to the underwriters right to reject any order in
whole or in part.
The following table shows the public offering price,
underwriting discount and proceeds. The selling security holder
has agreed to pay the underwriters the following discounts and
commissions for warrants that are sold:
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Per Warrant
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Total
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Public offering price
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$
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5.00
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$
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1,811,956,525.00
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Underwriting discounts and commissions
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$
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0.10
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$
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36,239,130.50
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Proceeds, before expenses, to the selling security holder
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$
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4.90
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$
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1,775,717,394.50
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We estimate that our share of the total expenses of the offering
will be approximately $600,000 and the selling security
holders share of the total expenses of offering, excluding
underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately
$20,000. Pursuant to a registration rights agreement, we have
agreed to pay certain expenses of the selling security holder in
connection with this offering, which are reflected as our
expenses in the preceding sentence.
We have agreed for a period of 60 days from the date of
this prospectus supplement, subject to certain exceptions
described below, not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge,
grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise
dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file or cause to be filed
with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act
of 1933 relating to, or enter into any swap, hedge or other
arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the
economic consequences of ownership of, any shares of our common
stock, or any options or warrants to purchase any shares of our
common stock, or any securities convertible into, exchangeable
or
S-47
exercisable for or that represent the right to receive, shares
of our common stock, whether any such aforementioned transaction
is to be settled by delivery of any such securities, in cash, or
otherwise without the prior written consent of Deutsche Bank
Securities Inc. Notwithstanding these restrictions, we may take
such actions with respect to issuances of our common stock
issuable upon conversion or exercise of securities or options
outstanding on the date of this prospectus supplement (including
the warrants), issuances and sales of our common stock as
consideration in future acquisitions, transfers of our common
stock to affiliates, issuances of our common stock or options
under existing employee savings, benefit or compensation plans,
issuances of common stock pursuant to our equity distribution
agreement beginning on the sixth business day following the date
of the final prospectus supplement relating to this offering,
and issuances of our common stock as payment upon our amortizing
guaranteed secured note (which could be settled either in cash
or our common stock at our election) issued to the selling
security holder.
The selling security holder has agreed for a period of
60 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, not to
offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to
purchase, make any short sale or otherwise dispose of, directly
or indirectly, or file or cause to be filed with the SEC a
registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933,
relating to, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement
that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic
consequences of ownership of, any shares of our common stock, or
any options or warrants to purchase any shares of our common
stock, or any securities convertible into, exchangeable or
exercisable for or that represent the right to receive, shares
of our common stock, whether any such aforementioned transaction
is to be settled by delivery of any such securities, in cash, or
otherwise without the prior written consent of Deutsche Bank
Securities Inc.
The warrants are a new issue of securities with no established
trading market. The warrants have been approved for listing on
the NYSE under the symbol F WS. The underwriters may
make a market in the warrants after completion of the offering,
but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any
market-making activities at any time without notice. No
assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market
for the warrants or that an active public market for warrants
will develop. If an active public trading market for the
warrants does not develop, the market price and liquidity of the
warrants may be adversely affected. The warrants may trade at a
discount from their public offering price, depending on
prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities,
our performance and other factors.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase
and sell warrants and our common stock in the open market. These
transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions
and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short
sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number
of warrants than they hold and must be closed out by purchasing
those securities in the open market.
Purchases to cover a short position and stabilizing
transactions, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for
their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or
retarding a decline in the market price of the warrants or our
common stock, and may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect
the market price of the warrants or our common stock. As a
result, the price of the warrants or our common stock may be
higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open
market. If these activities are commenced, they may be
discontinued at any time. These transactions may be effected on
the NYSE, in the
over-the-counter
market or otherwise.
We and the selling security holder have agreed to indemnify each
other and the several underwriters against some specified types
of liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates
have, from time to time, provided, and may in the future
provide, various investment banking and financial advisory
services to us and to the selling security holder, for which
they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.
Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as our financial
advisor in connection with this transaction.
S-48
No Public
Offering Outside the United States
No action has been or will be taken in any jurisdiction outside
of the United States of America that would permit a public
offering of the warrants, or the possession, circulation or
distribution of this prospectus supplement or any material
relating to our, in any jurisdiction where action for that
purpose is required. Accordingly, the warrants included in this
offering may not be offered, sold or exchanged, directly or
indirectly, and neither this prospectus supplement or any other
offering material or advertisements in connection with this
offering may be distributed or published, in or from any such
country or jurisdiction, except in compliance with any
applicable rules or regulations of any such country or
jurisdiction.
European Economic
Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area
which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a
Relevant Member State), each underwriter represents,
warrants and agrees that with effect from and including the date
on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that
Relevant Member State (the Relevant Implementation
Date) it has not made and will not make an offer of
warrants which are the subject of the offering contemplated by
the prospectus supplement to the public in that Relevant Member
State other than:
(a) to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to
operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or
regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in
securities;
(b) to any legal entity which has two or more of
(1) an average of at least 250 employees during the
last financial year, (2) a total balance sheet of more than
43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more
than 50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or
consolidated accounts;
(c) to fewer than 100 natural or legal persons (other than
qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus
Directive); or
(d) in any other circumstances falling within
Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,
provided that no such offer of warrants and the underlying
shares of common stock referred to in (a) to (d) above
shall result in a requirement for the publication by us or any
underwriter of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3(1) of the
Prospectus Directive.
Each purchaser of the warrants described in this prospectus
supplement and the attached prospectus located within a Relevant
Member State will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged
and agreed that it is a qualified investor within
the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an
offer to the public in relation to any securities in
any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form
and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the
offer and the warrants to be offered so as to enable an investor
to decide to purchase or subscribe the warrants, as the same may
be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the
Prospectus Directive in that Member State and the expression
Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/EC and
includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant
Member State.
Hong
Kong
Each underwriter has represented and agreed that:
(a) it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the
Peoples Republic of China (Hong Kong), by
means of any document, any warrants other than (i) to
professional investors as defined in the Securities
and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the
SFO) and any rules made under the SFO; or
(ii) in other circumstances which do not result in the
document being a prospectus as defined in the
S-49
Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (the
CO) or which do not constitute an offer to the
public within the meaning of the CO; and
(b) it has not issued or had in its possession for the
purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession
for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere,
any advertisement, invitation or document relating to the
warrants or the underlying shares of common stock, which is
directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed
or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do
so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with
respect to warrants that are or are intended to be disposed of
(i) only to persons outside Hong Kong or (ii) only to
professional investors as defined in the SFO and any
rules made under the SFO.
Japan
No securities registration statement (SRS) has been
filed under Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Financial
Instruments and Exchange Law of f Japan (Law No. 25 of
1948, as amended) (FIEL) in relation to the warrants.
The warrants are being offered in a private placement to
qualified institutional investors
(tekikaku-kikan-toshika) under Article 10 of the Cabinet
Office Ordinance concerning Definitions provided in
Article 2 of the FIEL (the Ministry of Finance Ordinance
No. 14, as amended) (QIIs), under
Article 2, Paragraph 3, Item 2 i of the FIEL. Any
QII acquiring the warrants in this offer may not transfer or
resell those warrants except to other Oils.
Singapore
This prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus have not
been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of
Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and the
attached prospectus and any other document or material in
connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for
subscription or purchase, of the warrants may not be circulated
or distributed, nor may the warrants be offered or sold, or be
made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase,
whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other
than (i) to an institutional investor under
Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act,
Chapter 289 of Singapore (the SFA),
(ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1),
or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in
accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of
the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance
with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the
SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set
forth in the SFA.
Where the warrants are subscribed or purchased under
Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
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a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined
in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to
hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned
by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited
investor; or
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a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose
sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the
trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, then
shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that
corporation or the beneficiaries rights and interest
(howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred
within six months after that corporation or that trust has
acquired the warrants pursuant to an offer made under
Section 275 of the SFA except:
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to an institutional investor (for corporations, under
Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in
Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an
offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and
units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such
rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a
consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a
foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is
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to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other
assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the
conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;
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where no consideration is or will be given for the
transfer; or
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where the transfer is by operation of law.
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United Arab
Emirates
Notice to
Prospective Investors in the United Arab Emirates (excluding the
Dubai International Financial Centre)
The warrants and the underlying shares of common stock which are
subject to this prospectus supplement and the attached
prospectus have not been, and are not being, publicly offered,
sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates other
than in compliance with the laws of the United Arab Emirates.
Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre should
have regard to the specific notice to investors in the Dubai
International Financial Centre set out in this prospectus
supplement. The information contained in this prospectus
supplement and the attached prospectus does not constitute a
public offer of securities in the United Arab Emirates in
accordance with the Commercial Companies Law (Federal Law
No. 8 of 1984 of the United Arab Emirates, as amended) or
otherwise and is not intended to be a public offer. Neither this
prospectus supplement nor the attached prospectus has been
approved by or filed with the Central Bank of the United Arab
Emirates, the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority or
the Dubai Financial Services Authority. If you do not understand
the contents of this prospectus supplement and the attached
prospectus, you should consult an authorized financial adviser.
This prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus is
provided for the benefit of the recipient only, and should not
be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person.
Notice to
Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial
Centre
This prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus relate to
an exempt offer in accordance with the Offered
Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. This
prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus are intended
for distribution only to persons of a type specified in those
rules. This prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus
must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The
Dubai Financial Services Authority has no responsibility for
reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with exempt
offers. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has not approved
this prospectus supplement or the attached prospectus nor taken
steps to verify the information set out in it, and has no
responsibility for it. The warrants and the underlying shares of
common stock to which this prospectus supplement and the
attached prospectus relate may be illiquid
and/or
subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers
of the warrants offered should conduct their own due diligence
on the warrants and the underlying shares of common stock. If
you do not understand the contents of this prospectus supplement
and the attached prospectus, you should consult an authorized
financial adviser. For the avoidance of doubt, the warrants and
the underlying shares of common stock are not interests in a
fund or collective investment scheme
within the meaning of either the Collective Investment Law (DIFC
Law No. 1 of 2006) or the Collective Investment
Rules Module of the Dubai Financial Services Authority
Rulebook.
United
Kingdom
This prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus are being
distributed in the United Kingdom in a private placement only
to, and is directed only at, qualified investors as
defined in section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets
Act 2000 as amended (FSMA) or under other
circumstances which do not require the publication of a
prospectus pursuant to section 85(1) of the FSMA (all such
persons together being referred to for purposes of this
paragraph of the restriction under United Kingdom as
Relevant Persons). This prospectus supplement and
the attached prospectus are directed only at Relevant Persons
and must not be acted on or relied on by persons
S-51
who are not Relevant Persons. Any invitation or inducement to
engage in investment activity as defined in section 21 of
the FSMA will only be communicated or caused to be communicated
under circumstances in which Article 21(1) of the FSMA does
not apply.
This prospectus supplement and the attached prospectus are only
being distributed to and are only directed at (a) persons
who are outside the United Kingdom or (b) investment
professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005
(the Order) or (c) high net worth companies,
and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated,
falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order
(all such persons together being referred to for purposes of
this paragraph of the restriction under United Kingdom as
Relevant Persons). The offered warrants and the
underlying shares of common stock are only available to, and any
invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or
otherwise acquire such warrants will be engaged in only with,
Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should
not act or rely on this prospectus supplement and the attached
prospectus or any of their contents.
LEGAL
MATTERS
The validity of the warrants to be offered in this offering will
be passed on for us by Peter J. Sherry, Jr., Esq., our
Associate General Counsel and Secretary, or another of our
lawyers. Mr. Sherry owns, and such other lawyers likely
would own, our common stock and options to purchase shares of
our common stock. Certain legal matters in connection with the
offering will be passed on for the underwriters by
Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, New York and Cleary
Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, New York, New York and
for us by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, New York, New
York. Certain legal matters relating to this offering will be
passed upon for the selling security holder by Proskauer Rose
LLP, New York, New York.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of Ford Motor Company as
of December 31, 2009 and 2008 and for each of the three
years in the period ended December 31, 2009 and
managements assessment of the effectiveness of the
internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2009 (which is included in Managements
Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting on
page 98 of the Annual Report on
Form 10-K
of Ford Motor Company for the year ended December 31,
2009) incorporated in this prospectus supplement by
reference to the Annual Report on
Form 10-K
of Ford Motor Company have been so incorporated in reliance on
the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent
registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of
said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
S-52
Ford Motor Company
Senior Debt Securities,
Subordinated Debt Securities,
Preferred Stock, Depositary
Shares, Common Stock, Warrants,
Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock
Purchase Units
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we
filed with the SEC utilizing a shelf registration
process. Under this shelf process, we may, from time to time,
sell the following types of securities described in this
prospectus in one or more offerings:
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our debt securities, in one or more series, which may be senior
debt securities or subordinated debt securities, in each case
consisting of notes, debentures or other unsecured evidences of
indebtedness;
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shares of our preferred stock;
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depositary shares representing a fraction of a share of our
preferred stock;
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shares of our common stock;
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warrants to purchase debt securities, preferred stock,
depositary shares or common stock;
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stock purchase contracts;
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stock purchase units; or
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any combination of these securities.
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This prospectus provides you with a general description of the
securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will
provide a prospectus supplement or term sheet that will contain
specific information about the terms of that offering. The
prospectus supplement or term sheet may also add, update or
change information contained in this prospectus.
Investments in the Securities involve risks. See Risk
Factors beginning on page 2 of this prospectus.
You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus
supplement or term sheet together with additional information
described under the heading WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION.
Our principal executive offices are located at:
Ford Motor Company
One
American Road
Dearborn,
Michigan 48126
313-322-3000
Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under
the symbol F.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
The date of this prospectus is June 2, 2008.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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Page
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Risk Factors
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2
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Where You Can Find More Information
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2
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Ford Motor Company
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3
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Ratio of Earnings to Combined Fixed Charges and Preferred Stock
Dividends
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4
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Use of Proceeds
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4
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Description of Debt Securities
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4
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Description of Capital Stock
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9
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Common Stock and Class B Stock
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9
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Preferred Stock
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11
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Description of Depositary Shares
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11
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Description of Warrants
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14
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Description of Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock Purchase Units
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15
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Plan of Distribution
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15
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Legal Opinions
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16
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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16
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You should rely only on the
information contained or incorporated by reference in this
prospectus and in any accompanying prospectus supplement. No one
has been authorized to provide you with different
information.
The securities are not being
offered in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.
You should not assume that the
information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is
accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the
documents.
i
Your investment in the securities involves certain risks. In
consultation with your own financial and legal advisers, you
should carefully consider whether an investment in the
securities is suitable for you. The securities are not an
appropriate investment for you if you do not understand the
terms of the securities or financial matters generally. In
addition, certain factors that may adversely affect the business
of Ford Motor Company are discussed in our periodic reports
referred to in Where You Can Find More Information,
below. For example, our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007 contains a discussion
of significant risks that could be relevant to an investment in
the securities. You should not purchase the securities described
in this Prospectus unless you understand and know you can bear
all of the investment risks involved.
We file annual, quarterly and special reports and other
information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
SEC). You may read and copy any document we file at
the SECs public reference room at 450 Fifth Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330
for further information on the public reference room. Our SEC
filings also are available to you at the SECs web site at
http://www.sec.gov.
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the
information we file with them into this prospectus, which means
that we can disclose important information to you by referring
you to those documents and those documents will be considered
part of this prospectus. Information that we file later with the
SEC will automatically update and supersede the previously filed
information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed
below and any future filings made with the SEC under
Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 until this offering has been completed.
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Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007 (our 2007
10-K
Report).
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Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
March 31, 2008 (our
10-Q
Report).
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Current Reports on Form 8-K or
8-K/A dated
and filed on the following dates:
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Dated
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Filed
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January 3, 2008
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January 3, 2008
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January 16, 2008
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January 16, 2008
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January 23, 2008*
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January 24, 2008*
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February 1, 2008
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February 1, 2008
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March 3, 2008
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March 3, 2008
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March 25, 2008
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March 26, 2008
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April 1, 2008
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April 1, 2008
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April 7, 2008
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April 11, 2008
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April 25, 2008
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May 1, 2008
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May 8, 2008
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May 13, 2008
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May 9, 2008
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May 9, 2008
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May 21, 2008
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May 22, 2008
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June 2, 2008
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June 2, 2008
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Other than information that has been furnished to, and not filed
with, the SEC, which information is not incorporated into this
prospectus. |
You may request copies of these filings at no cost, by writing
or telephoning us at the following address:
Ford Motor Company
One American Road
Dearborn, MI 48126
Attn: Shareholder Relations Department
800-555-5259 or 313-845-8540
2
We incorporated in Delaware in 1919. We acquired the business of
a Michigan company, also known as Ford Motor Company, that had
been incorporated in 1903 to produce and sell automobiles
designed and engineered by Henry Ford. We are one of the
worlds largest producers of cars and trucks combined. We
and our subsidiaries also engage in other businesses, including
financing vehicles. Our headquarters are located at One American
Road, Dearborn, Michigan 48126, and our telephone number is
(313) 322-3000.
We review and present our business results in two sectors:
Automotive and Financial Services. Within these sectors, our
business is divided into reportable segments based upon the
organizational structure that we use to evaluate performance and
make decisions on resource allocation, as well as availability
and materiality of separate financial results consistent with
that structure.
Our Automotive and Financial Services businesses by sector are
described generally in the table below:
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Business Sector
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Reportable Segments
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Description
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Automotive
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Ford North America
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand
vehicles and related service parts in North America (the United
States, Canada and Mexico), together with the associated costs
to design, develop, manufacture and service these vehicles and
parts, and the sale of Mazda6 vehicles by our consolidated
subsidiary, Auto Alliance International, Inc.
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Ford South America
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford-brand vehicles and related
service parts in South America, together with the associated
costs to design, develop, manufacture and service these vehicles
and parts.
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Ford Europe
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford-brand vehicles and related
service parts in Europe (including all parts of Turkey and
Russia), together with the associated costs to design, develop,
manufacture and service these vehicles and parts.
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Volvo
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Primarily includes the sale of Volvo-brand vehicles and related
service parts throughout the world (including North and South
America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa), together with the
associated costs to design, develop, manufacture and service
these vehicles and parts.
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Ford Asia Pacific Africa
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Primarily includes the sale of Ford-brand vehicles and related
service parts in the Asia Pacific region and Africa, together
with the associated costs to design, develop, manufacture and
service these vehicles and parts.
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Mazda and Associated Operations
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Includes our share of the results of Mazda Motor Corporation (of
which we own approximately 33.4%) as well as certain of our
Mazda-related investments.
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Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin*
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Primarily includes the sale of Jaguar Land Rover brand vehicles
and related service parts throughout the world (including North
and South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa), together
with the associated costs to design, develop, manufacture and
service these vehicles and parts.
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Financial Services
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Ford Motor Credit Company
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Primarily includes vehicle-related financing,leasing, and
insurance.
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Other Financial Services
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Primarily includes real-estate, and vehicle-related financing,
leasing of Volvo products.
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In May 2007, we completed the sale
of our 100% interest in Aston Martin and, therefore, the sale of
Aston Martin-brand vehicles and related service parts throughout
the world are included within this segment up until the date of
sale. On June 2, 2008, we completed the sale of our 100%
interest in our Jaguar Land Rover Operations.
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The ratio of our earnings to our combined
fixed charges and preferred stock dividends for the
years 2003-2007 and for the three months ended March 31,
2008 are included as an exhibit to our 10-Q Report and future
10-Q Reports and are incorporated in this prospectus by
reference.
We, or our affiliates, will use the net proceeds from the sale
of securities for general corporate purposes, unless we state
otherwise in a prospectus supplement. If we intend to use the
proceeds to repay outstanding debt, we will provide details
about the debt that is being repaid.
We will issue debt securities in one or more series under an
Indenture dated as of January 30, 2002 between us and The
Bank of New York as successor trustee to JPMorgan Chase Bank.
The Indenture may be supplemented from time to time.
The Indenture is a contract between us and The Bank of New York
acting as Trustee. The Trustee has two main roles. First, the
Trustee can enforce your rights against us if an Event of
Default described below occurs. Second, the Trustee
performs certain administrative duties for us.
The Indenture is summarized below. Because it is a summary, it
does not contain all of the information that may be important to
you. We filed the Indenture as an exhibit to the registration
statement, and we suggest that you read those parts of the
Indenture that are important to you. You especially need to read
the Indenture to get a complete understanding of your rights and
our obligations under the covenants described below under
Limitation on Liens, Limitation on Sales and Leasebacks and
Merger and Consolidation. Throughout the summary we have
included parenthetical references to the Indenture so that you
can easily locate the provisions being discussed.
The specific terms of each series of debt securities will be
described in the particular prospectus supplement relating to
that series. The prospectus supplement may or may not modify the
general terms found in this prospectus and will be filed with
the SEC. For a complete description of the terms of a particular
series of debt securities, you should read both this prospectus
and the prospectus supplement relating to that particular series.
General
The Indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that
may be issued under it. Therefore, additional debt securities
may be issued under the Indenture.
The prospectus supplement, which will accompany this prospectus,
will describe the particular series of debt securities being
offered by including:
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the designation or title of the series of debt securities;
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the total principal amount of the series of debt securities;
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the percentage of the principal amount at which the series of
debt securities will be offered;
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the date or dates on which principal will be payable;
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the rate or rates (which may be either fixed or variable) and/or
the method of determining such rate or rates of interest, if any;
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the date or dates from which any interest will accrue, or the
method of determining such date or dates, and the date or dates
on which any interest will be payable;
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the terms for redemption, extension or early repayment, if any;
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the currencies in which the series of debt securities are issued
and payable;
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the provision for any sinking fund;
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any additional restrictive covenants;
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any additional Events of Default;
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whether the series of debt securities are issuable in
certificated form;
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any provisions modifying the defeasance and covenant defeasance
provisions;
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any special tax implications, including provisions for original
issue discount;
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any provisions for convertibility or exchangeability of the debt
securities into or for any other securities;
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whether the debt securities are subject to subordination and the
terms of such subordination; and
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any other terms.
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The debt securities will be our unsecured obligations. Senior
debt securities will rank equally with our other unsecured and
unsubordinated indebtedness (parent company only). Subordinated
debt securities will be unsecured and subordinated in right of
payment to the prior payment in full of all of our unsecured and
unsubordinated indebtedness. See
Subordination.
Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, principal
(and premium, if any) and interest, if any, will be paid by us
in immediately available funds.
The Indenture does not contain any provisions that give you
protection in the event we issue a large amount of debt or we
are acquired by another entity.
Limitation on
Liens
The Indenture restricts our ability to pledge some of our assets
as security for other debt. Unless we secure the debt securities
on an equal basis, the restriction does not permit us to have or
guarantee any debt that is secured by (1) any of our
principal U.S. plants or (2) the stock or debt of any of
our subsidiaries that own or lease one of these plants. This
restriction does not apply until the total amount of our secured
debt plus the discounted value of the amount of rent we must pay
under sale and leaseback transactions involving principal U.S.
plants exceeds 5% of our consolidated net tangible automotive
assets. This restriction also does not apply to any of the
following:
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liens of a company that exist at the time such company becomes
our subsidiary;
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liens in our favor or in the favor of our subsidiaries;
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certain liens given to a government;
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liens on property that exist at the time we acquire the property
or liens that we give to secure our paying for the property; and
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any extension or replacement of any of the above. (Section 10.04)
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Limitation on
Sales and Leasebacks
The Indenture prohibits us from selling and leasing back any
principal U.S. plant for a term of more than three years. This
restriction does not apply if:
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we could create secured debt in an amount equal to the
discounted value of the rent to be paid under the lease without
violating the limitation on liens provision discussed above;
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the lease is with or between any of our subsidiaries; or
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within 120 days of selling the U.S. plant, we retire our funded
debt in an amount equal to the net proceeds from the sale of the
plant or the fair market value of the plant, whichever is
greater.
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5
Merger and
Consolidation
The Indenture prohibits us from merging or consolidating with
any company, or selling all or substantially all of our assets
to any company, if after we do so the surviving company would
violate the limitation on liens or the limitation on sales and
leasebacks discussed above. This does not apply if the surviving
company secures the debt securities on an equal basis with the
other secured debt of the company. (Sections 8.01 and 8.03)
Events of Default
and Notice Thereof
The Indenture defines an Event of Default as being
any one of the following events:
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failure to pay interest for 30 days after becoming due;
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failure to pay principal or any premium for five business days
after becoming due;
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failure to make a sinking fund payment for five days after
becoming due;
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failure to perform any other covenant applicable to the debt
securities for 90 days after notice;
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certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization; and
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any other Event of Default provided in the prospectus supplement.
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An Event of Default for a particular series of debt securities
will not necessarily constitute an Event of Default for any
other series of debt securities issued under the Indenture.
(Section 5.01.)
If an Event of Default occurs and continues, the Trustee or the
holders of at least 25% of the total principal amount of the
series may declare the entire principal amount (or, if they are
Original Issue Discount Securities (as defined in the
Indenture), the portion of the principal amount as specified in
the terms of such series) of all of the debt securities of that
series to be due and payable immediately. If this happens,
subject to certain conditions, the holders of a majority of the
total principal amount of the debt securities of that series can
void the declaration. (Section 5.02.)
The Indenture provides that within 90 days after default under a
series of debt securities, the Trustee will give the holders of
that series notice of all uncured defaults known to it. (The
term default includes the events specified above
without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice.)
The Trustee may withhold notice of any default (except a default
in the payment of principal, interest or any premium) if it
believes that it is in the interest of the holders.
(Section 6.01.)
Annually, we must send to the Trustee a certificate describing
any existing defaults under the Indenture. (Section 10.06.)
Other than its duties in case of a default, the Trustee is not
obligated to exercise any of its rights or powers under the
Indenture at the request, order or direction of any holders,
unless the holders offer the Trustee reasonable protection from
expenses and liability. (Section 6.02.) If they provide this
reasonable indemnification, the holders of a majority of the
total principal amount of any series of debt securities may
direct the Trustee how to act under the Indenture.
(Section 5.12.)
Defeasance and
Covenant Defeasance
Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, we will have
two options to discharge our obligations under a series of debt
securities before their maturity date. These options are known
as defeasance and covenant defeasance.
Defeasance means that we will be deemed to have paid the entire
amount of the applicable series of debt securities and we will
be released from all of our obligations relating to that series
(except for certain obligations, such as registering transfers
of the securities). Covenant defeasance means that as to the
applicable series of debt securities we will not have to comply
with the covenants described above under Limitation on Liens,
Limitation on Sales and Leasebacks and Merger and Consolidation.
In addition, if the prospectus supplement states that any
additional covenants relating to that series of debt securities
are subject to the covenant
6
defeasance provision in the Indenture, then we also would not
have to comply with those covenants. (Sections 14.01, 14.02
and 14.03.)
To elect either defeasance or covenant defeasance for any series
of debt securities, we must deposit with the Trustee an amount
of money and/or U.S. government obligations that will be
sufficient to pay principal, interest and any premium or sinking
fund payments on the debt securities when those amounts are
scheduled to be paid. In addition, we must provide a legal
opinion stating that as a result of the defeasance or covenant
defeasance you will not be required to recognize income, gain or
loss for federal income tax purposes and you will be subject to
federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and
at the same times as if the defeasance or covenant defeasance
had not occurred. For defeasance, that opinion must be based on
either an Internal Revenue Service ruling or a change in law
since the date the debt securities were issued. We must also
meet other conditions, such as there being no Events of Default.
The amount deposited with the Trustee can be decreased at a
later date if in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of
independent public accountants the deposits are greater than the
amount then needed to pay principal, interest and any premium or
sinking fund payments on the debt securities when those amounts
are scheduled to be paid. (Sections 14.04 and 14.05.)
Our obligations relating to the debt securities will be
reinstated if the Trustee is unable to pay the debt securities
with the deposits held in trust, due to an order of any court or
governmental authority. (Section 14.06.) It is possible
that a series of debt securities for which we elect covenant
defeasance may later be declared immediately due in full because
of an Event of Default (not relating to the covenants that were
defeased). If that happens, we must pay the debt securities in
full at that time, using the deposits held in trust or other
money. (Section 14.03.)
Modification of
the Indenture
With certain exceptions, our rights and obligations and your
rights under a particular series of debt securities may be
modified with the consent of the holders of not less than
two-thirds of the total principal amount of those debt
securities. No modification of the principal or interest payment
terms, and no modification reducing the percentage required for
modifications, will be effective against you without your
consent. (Section 9.02.)
Subordination
The extent to which a particular series of subordinated debt
securities is subordinated to our Senior Indebtedness (as
defined below) will be set forth in the prospectus supplement
for that series and the Indenture may be modified by a
supplemental indenture to reflect such subordination provisions.
The particular terms of subordination of an issue of
subordinated debt securities may supersede the general
provisions of the Indenture summarized below.
The Indenture provides that any subordinated debt securities
will be subordinate and junior in right of payment to all of our
Senior Indebtedness. This means that in the event we become
subject to any insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership,
liquidation, reorganization or similar proceeding or we
voluntarily liquidate, dissolve or otherwise wind up our
affairs, then the holders of all Senior Indebtedness will be
entitled to be paid in full, before the holders of any
subordinated debt securities are paid. In addition, (a) if
we default in the payment of any Senior Indebtedness or if any
event of default exists and all grace periods with respect
thereto have expired under any Senior indebtedness, then, so
long as any such default continues, no payment can be made on
the subordinated debt securities; and (b) if any series of
subordinated debt securities are declared due and payable before
their stated maturity because of the occurrence of an Event of
Default under the Indenture (other than because of our
insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation,
reorganization or the like), then no payment on the subordinated
debt securities can be made unless holders of the Senior
Indebtedness are paid in full.
The term Senior Indebtedness means (a) the
principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all of our
indebtedness, whether presently outstanding or later created,
(i) for money we borrow, (ii) constituting obligations
of others that we either assume or guarantee, (iii) in
respect of letters of
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credit and acceptances issued or made by banks, or
(iv) constituting purchase money indebtedness, which means
indebtedness, the proceeds of which we use to acquire property
or which we issue as all or part of our payment for such
property, (b) all deferrals, renewals, extensions and
refundings of, and amendments, modifications and supplements to,
any such indebtedness, and (c) all of our other general
unsecured obligations and liabilities, including trade payables.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Senior Indebtedness does not
include any of our indebtedness that by its terms is subordinate
in right of payment to or of equal rank with the subordinated
debt securities.
Global
Securities
Unless otherwise stated in a prospectus supplement, the debt
securities of a series will be issued in the form of one or more
global certificates that will be deposited with The Depository
Trust Company, New York, New York (DTC), which will
act as depositary for the global certificates. Beneficial
interests in global certificates will be shown on, and transfers
of global certificates will be effected only through, records
maintained by DTC and its participants. Therefore, if you wish
to own debt securities that are represented by one or more
global certificates, you can do so only indirectly or
beneficially through an account with a broker, bank
or other financial institution that has an account with DTC
(that is, a DTC participant) or through an account directly with
DTC if you are a DTC participant.
While the debt securities are represented by one or more global
certificates:
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You will not be able to have the debt securities registered in
your name.
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You will not be able to receive a physical certificate for the
debt securities.
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Our obligations, as well as the obligations of the Trustee and
any of our agents, under the debt securities will run only to
DTC as the registered owner of the debt securities. For example,
once we make payment to DTC, we will have no further
responsibility for the payment even if DTC or your broker, bank
or other financial institution fails to pass it on so that you
receive it.
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Your rights under the debt securities relating to payments,
transfers, exchanges and other matters will be governed by
applicable law and by the contractual arrangements between you
and your broker, bank or other financial institution, and/or the
contractual arrangements you or your broker, bank or financial
institution has with DTC. Neither we nor the Trustee has any
responsibility for the actions of DTC or your broker, bank or
financial institution.
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You may not be able to sell your interests in the debt
securities to some insurance companies and others who are
required by law to own their debt securities in the form of
physical certificates.
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Because the debt securities will trade in DTCs Same-Day
Funds Settlement System, when you buy or sell interests in the
debt securities, payment for them will have to be made in
immediately available funds. This could affect the
attractiveness of the debt securities to others.
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A global certificate generally can be transferred only as a
whole, unless it is being transferred to certain nominees of the
depositary or it is exchanged in whole or in part for debt
securities in physical form. (Section 2.05.) If a global
certificate is exchanged for debt securities in physical form,
they will be in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples
thereof, or another denomination stated in the prospectus
supplement.
8
This section contains a description of our capital stock. This
description includes not only our common stock, but also our
Class B stock and preferred stock, certain terms of which
affect the common stock. The following summary of the terms of
our capital stock is not meant to be complete and is qualified
by reference to our restated certificate of incorporation. See
Where You Can Find More Information.
Our authorized capital stock currently consists of 6,000,000,000
shares of common stock, 530,117,376 shares of Class B stock
and 30,000,000 shares of preferred stock.
As of May 1, 2008, we had outstanding
2,171,147,986 shares of common stock and 70,852,076 shares
of Class B stock.
Common Stock and
Class B Stock
Rights to Dividends and on Liquidation. Each
share of common stock and Class B stock is entitled to
share equally in dividends (other than dividends declared with
respect to any outstanding preferred stock) when and as declared
by our board of directors, except as stated below under the
subheading Stock Dividends. Under the terms of a
secured credit agreement that we entered into on
December 15, 2006, which credit agreement provides for a
seven-year $7 billion term-loan facility and a five-year
revolving credit facility of $11.5 billion, we are
prohibited from paying dividends (other than dividends payable
solely in stock) on our common and Class B stock, subject
to certain limited exceptions. See Note 16 of the Notes to
Financial Statements of our 2007 10-K Report for more
information regarding our secured credit agreement.
Upon liquidation, subject to the rights of any other class or
series of stock having a preference on liquidation, each share
of common stock will be entitled to the first $.50 available for
distribution to common and Class B stockholders, each share
of Class B stock will be entitled to the next $1.00 so
available, each share of common stock will be entitled to the
next $.50 available and each share of common and Class B
stock will be entitled to an equal amount after that. Any
outstanding preferred stock would rank senior to the common
stock and Class B Stock in respect of liquidation rights
and could rank senior to that stock in respect of dividend
rights.
Voting General. All general
voting power is vested in the holders of common stock and the
holders of Class B stock, voting together without regard to
class, except as stated below in the subheading Voting by
Class. The voting power of the shares of stock is
determined as described below. However, we could in the future
create series of preferred stock with voting rights equal to or
greater than our common stock or Class B stock.
Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote per share,
and each holder of Class B stock is entitled to a number of
votes per share derived by a formula contained in our restated
certificate of incorporation. As long as at least 60,749,880
shares of Class B stock remain outstanding, the formula
will result in holders of Class B stock having 40% of the
general voting power and holders of common stock and, if issued,
any preferred stock with voting power having 60% of the general
voting power.
If the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock falls
below 60,749,880, but remains at least 33,749,932, then the
formula will result in the general voting power of holders of
Class B stock declining to 30% and the general voting power
of holders of common stock and, if issued, any preferred stock
with voting power increasing to 70%.
If the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock falls
below 33,749,932, then each holder of Class B stock will be
entitled to only one vote per share.
Based on the number of shares of Class B stock and common
stock outstanding as of May 1, 2008, each holder of
Class B stock is entitled to 20.429 votes per share. Of the
outstanding Class B stock as of April 4, 2008,
52,016,831 shares were held in a voting trust. The trust
requires the trustee to vote all the shares in the trust as
directed by holders of a plurality of the shares in the trust.
9
Right of Preferred Stock to Elect a Maximum of Two
Directors in Event of Default. It would be
customary for any preferred stock that we may issue to provide
that if at any time we are delinquent in the payment of six or
more quarters worth of dividends (whether or not
consecutive), the holders of the preferred stock, voting as a
class, would be entitled to elect two directors (who would be in
addition to the directors elected by the stockholders
generally). These voting rights are required to be provided if
the preferred stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and
are provided for in our Series B preferred stock.
Non-Cumulative Voting Rights. Our common
stock and Class B stock, as well as any preferred stock
with voting power we may issue, do not and will not have
cumulative voting rights. This means that the holders who have
more than 50% of the votes for the election of directors can
elect 100% of the directors if they choose to do so.
Voting by Class. If we want to take any of
the following actions, we must obtain the vote of the holders of
a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B stock,
voting as a class:
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issue any additional shares of Class B stock (with certain
exceptions);
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reduce the number of outstanding shares of Class B stock
other than by holders of Class B stock converting
Class B stock into common stock or selling it to the
Company;
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change the capital stock provisions of our restated certificate
of incorporation;
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merge or consolidate with or into another corporation;
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dispose of all or substantially all of our property and assets;
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transfer any assets to another corporation and in connection
therewith distribute stock or other securities of that
corporation to our stockholders; or
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voluntarily liquidate or dissolve.
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Voting Provisions of Delaware Law. In
addition to the votes described above, any special requirements
of Delaware law must be met. The Delaware General Corporation
Law contains provisions on the votes required to amend
certificates of incorporation, merge or consolidate, sell, lease
or exchange all or substantially all assets, and voluntarily
dissolve.
Ownership and Conversion of Class B
Stock. In general, only members of the Ford family
or their descendants or trusts or corporations in which they
have specified interests can own or be registered as record
holders of shares of Class B stock, or can enjoy for their
own benefit the special rights and powers of Class B stock.
A holder of shares of Class B stock can convert those
shares into an equal number of shares of common stock for the
purpose of selling or disposing of those shares. Shares of
Class B stock acquired by the Company or converted into
common stock cannot be reissued by the Company.
Preemptive and Other Subscription
Rights. Holders of common stock do not have any
right to purchase additional shares of common stock if we sell
shares to others. If, however, we sell Class B stock or
obligations or shares convertible into Class B stock
(subject to the limits on who can own Class B stock
described above), then holders of Class B stock will have a
right to purchase, on a ratable basis and at a price just as
favorable, additional shares of Class B stock or those
obligations or shares convertible into Class B stock.
In addition, if shares of common stock (or shares or obligations
convertible into such stock) are offered to holders of common
stock, then we must offer to the holders of Class B stock
shares of Class B stock (or shares or obligations
convertible into such stock), on a ratable basis, and at the
same price per share.
Stock Dividends. If we declare and pay a
dividend in our stock, we must pay it in shares of common stock
to holders of common stock and in shares of Class B stock
to holders of Class B stock.
10
Ultimate Rights of Holders of Class B
Stock. If and when the number of outstanding shares
of Class B stock falls below 33,749,932, the Class B
stock will become freely transferable and will become
substantially equivalent to common stock. At that time, holders
of Class B stock will have one vote for each share held,
will have no special class vote, will be offered common stock if
common stock is offered to holders of common stock, will receive
common stock if a stock dividend is declared, and will have the
right to convert such shares into an equal number of shares of
common stock irrespective of the purpose of conversion.
Miscellaneous; Dilution. If we increase the
number of outstanding shares of Class B stock (by, for
example, doing a stock split or stock dividend), or if we
consolidate or combine all outstanding shares of Class B
stock so that the number of outstanding shares is reduced, then
the threshold numbers of outstanding Class B stock (that
is, 60,749,880 and 33,749,932) that trigger voting power changes
will automatically adjust by a proportionate amount.
Preferred
Stock
We may issue preferred stock from time to time in one or more
series, without stockholder approval. Subject to limitations
prescribed by law, our board of directors is authorized to fix
for any series of preferred stock the number of shares of such
series and the designation, relative powers, preferences and
rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of
such series.
For any series of preferred stock that we may issue, our board
of directors will determine and the prospectus supplement
relating to such series will describe:
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The designation and number of shares of such series;
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The rate and time at which, and the preferences and conditions
under which, any dividends will be paid on shares of such
series, as well as whether such dividends are cumulative or
non-cumulative and participating or non-participating;
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Any provisions relating to convertibility or exchangeability of
the shares of such series;
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The rights and preferences, if any, of holders of shares of such
series upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our
affairs;
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The voting powers, if any, of the holders of shares of such
series;
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Any provisions relating to the redemption of the shares of such
series;
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Any limitations on our ability to pay dividends or make
distributions on, or acquire or redeem, other securities while
shares of such series are outstanding;
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Any conditions or restrictions on our ability to issue
additional shares of such series or other securities;
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Any other relative power, preferences and participating,
optional or special rights of shares of such series, and the
qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof.
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All shares of preferred stock that we may issue will be
identical and of equal rank except as to the particular terms
thereof that may be fixed by our board of directors, and all
shares of each series of preferred stock will be identical and
of equal rank except as to the dates from which cumulative
dividends, if any, thereon will be cumulative.
We may elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock
rather than full shares of preferred stock. In that event, we
will issue to the public receipts for depositary shares, and
each of these depositary shares will represent a fraction (to be
set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement) of a share of
a particular series of preferred stock.
11
The shares of any series of preferred stock underlying the
depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement
between us and a bank or trust company selected by us. The
depositary will have its principal office in the United States
and a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.
Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a
depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the
applicable fraction of a share of preferred stock underlying the
depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the
preferred stock underlying that depositary share. Those rights
may include dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and
liquidation rights.
The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts
issued under a deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be
distributed to those persons purchasing the fractional shares of
preferred stock underlying the depositary shares, in accordance
with the terms of the offering. The following description of the
material terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary shares
and the depositary receipts is only a summary and you should
refer to the forms of the deposit agreement and depositary
receipts that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the
offering of the specific depositary shares.
Pending the preparation of definitive engraved depositary
receipts, the depositary may, upon our written order, issue
temporary depositary receipts substantially identical to the
definitive depositary receipts but not in definitive form. These
temporary depositary receipts entitle their holders to all the
rights of definitive depositary receipts. Temporary depositary
receipts will then be exchangeable for definitive depositary
receipts at our expense.
Dividends and Other Distributions. The
depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash
distributions received with respect to the underlying stock to
the record holders of depositary shares in proportion to the
number of depositary shares owned by those holders.
If there is a distribution other than in cash, the depositary
will distribute property received by it to the record holders of
depositary shares that are entitled to receive the distribution,
unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make
the distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our
approval, sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from
the sale to the applicable holders.
Withdrawal of Underlying Preferred
Stock. Unless we say otherwise in a prospectus
supplement, holders may surrender depositary receipts at the
principal office of the depositary and, upon payment of any
unpaid amount due to the depositary, be entitled to receive the
number of whole shares of underlying preferred stock and all
money and other property represented by the related depositary
shares. We will not issue any partial shares of preferred stock.
If the holder delivers depositary receipts evidencing a number
of depositary shares that represent more than a whole number of
shares of preferred stock, the depositary will issue a new
depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary
shares to that holder.
Redemption of Depositary Shares. If a series
of preferred stock represented by depositary shares is subject
to redemption, the depositary shares will be redeemed from the
proceeds received by the depositary resulting from the
redemption, in whole or in part, of that series of underlying
stock held by the depositary. The redemption price per
depositary share will be equal to the applicable fraction of the
redemption price per share payable with respect to that series
of underlying stock. Whenever we redeem shares of underlying
stock that are held by the depositary, the depositary will
redeem, as of the same redemption date, the number of depositary
shares representing the shares of underlying stock so redeemed.
If fewer than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the
depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or
proportionately or other equitable method, as may be determined
by the depositary.
Voting. Upon receipt of notice of any meeting
at which the holders of the underlying stock are entitled to
vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the
notice to the record holders of the depositary shares underlying
the preferred stock. Each record holder of the depositary shares
on the record date (which will be the same date as the record
date for the underlying stock) will be entitled to instruct the
depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to
the amount of the
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underlying stock represented by that holders depositary
shares. The depositary will then try, as far as practicable, to
vote the number of shares of preferred stock underlying those
depositary shares in accordance with those instructions, and we
will agree to take all actions which may be deemed necessary by
the depositary to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary
will not vote the underlying shares to the extent it does not
receive specific instructions with respect to the depositary
shares representing the preferred stock.
Conversion or Exchange of Preferred Stock. If
the deposited preferred stock is convertible into or
exchangeable for other securities, the following will apply. The
depositary shares, as such, will not be convertible into or
exchangeable for such other securities. Rather, any holder of
the depositary shares may surrender the related depositary
receipts, together with any amounts payable by the holder in
connection with the conversion or the exchange, to the
depositary with written instructions to cause conversion or
exchange of the preferred stock represented by the depositary
shares into or for such other securities. If only some of the
depositary shares are to be converted or exchanged, a new
depositary receipt or receipts will be issued for any depositary
shares not to be converted or exchanged.
Amendment and Termination of the Deposit
Agreement. The form of depositary receipt
evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the
deposit agreement may at any time be amended by agreement
between us and the depositary. However, any amendment which
materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of
depositary shares will not be effective unless the amendment has
been approved by the holders of at least a majority of the
depositary shares then outstanding. The deposit agreement may be
terminated by us upon not less than 60 days notice
whereupon the depositary shall deliver or make available to each
holder of depositary shares, upon surrender of the depositary
receipts held by such holder, the number of whole or fractional
shares of preferred stock represented by such receipts. The
deposit agreement will automatically terminate if (a) all
outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed or converted
into or exchanged for any other securities into or for which the
underlying preferred stock is convertible exchangeable or
(b) there has been a final distribution of the underlying
stock in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding
up and the underlying stock has been distributed to the holders
of depositary receipts.
Charges of Depositary. We will pay all
transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely
from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will also
pay charges of the depositary in connection with its duties
under the deposit agreement. Holders of depositary receipts will
pay other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and
those other charges, including a fee for any permitted
withdrawal of shares of underlying stock upon surrender of
depositary receipts, as are expressly provided in the deposit
agreement to be for their accounts.
Reports. The depositary will forward to
holders of depositary receipts all reports and communications
from us that we deliver to the depositary and that we are
required to furnish to the holders of the underlying stock.
Limitation on Liability. Neither we nor the
depositary will be liable if either of us is prevented or
delayed by law or any circumstance beyond our control in
performing our respective obligations under the deposit
agreement. Our obligations and those of the depositary will be
limited to performance in good faith of our respective duties
under the deposit agreement. Neither we nor the depositary will
be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in
respect of any depositary shares or underlying stock unless
satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary may
rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, or upon
information provided by persons presenting underlying stock for
deposit, holders of depositary receipts or other persons
believed to be competent and on documents believed to be genuine.
In the event the depositary receives conflicting claims,
requests or instructions from any holders of depositary shares,
on the one hand, and us, on the other, the depositary will act
on our claims, requests or instructions.
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Resignation and Removal of Depositary. The
depositary may resign at any time by delivering notice to us of
its election to resign. We may remove the depositary at any
time. Any resignation or removal will take effect upon the
appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of the
appointment. The successor depositary must be appointed within
60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or
removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal
office in the United States and having a combined capital and
surplus of at least $50,000,000.
DESCRIPTION OF
WARRANTS
The following is a general description of the terms of the
warrants we may issue from time to time. Particular terms of any
warrants we offer will be described in the prospectus supplement
relating to such warrants.
General
We may issue warrants to purchase debt securities, preferred
stock, depositary shares, common stock or any combination
thereof. Such warrants may be issued independently or together
with any such securities and may be attached or separate from
such securities. We will issue each series of warrants under a
separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a
warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent
and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency for
or with holders or beneficial owners of warrants.
A prospectus supplement will describe the particular terms of
any series of warrants we may issue, including the following:
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the title of such warrants;
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the aggregate number of such warrants;
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the price or prices at which such warrants will be issued;
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the currency or currencies, including composite currencies, in
which the price of such warrants may be payable;
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the designation and terms of the securities purchasable upon
exercise of such warrants and the number of such securities
issuable upon exercise of such warrants;
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the price at which and the currency or currencies, including
composite currencies, in which the securities purchasable upon
exercise of such warrants may be purchased;
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the date on which the right to exercise such warrants shall
commence and the date on which such right will expire;
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whether such warrants will be issued in registered form or
bearer form;
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if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants
which may be exercised at any one time;
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if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with
which such warrants are issued and the number of such warrants
issued with each such security;
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if applicable, the date on and after which such warrants and the
related securities will be separately transferable;
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information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;
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if applicable, a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax
considerations; and
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any other terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures
and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of such
warrants.
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Amendments and
Supplements to Warrant Agreement
We and the warrant agent may amend or supplement the warrant
agreement for a series of warrants without the consent of the
holders of the warrants issued thereunder to effect changes that
are not inconsistent with the provisions of the warrants and
that do not materially and adversely affect the interests of the
holders of the warrants.
DESCRIPTION OF
STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS
AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS
The following is a general description of the terms of the stock
purchase contracts and stock purchase units we may issue from
time to time. Particular terms of any stock purchase contracts
and/or stock purchase units we offer will be described in the
prospectus supplement relating to such stock purchase contracts
and/or stock purchase units.
We may issue stock purchase contracts, including contracts
obligating holders to purchase from us, and obligating us to
sell to holders, a specified number of shares of common stock,
preferred stock or depositary shares at a future date. The
consideration per share of common stock, preferred stock or
depositary shares may be fixed at the time that the stock
purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference
to a specific formula set forth in the stock purchase contracts.
Any stock purchase contract may include anti-dilution provisions
to adjust the number of shares issuable pursuant to such stock
purchase contract upon the occurrence of certain events.
The stock purchase contracts may be issued separately or as a
part of units (stock purchase units), consisting of
a stock purchase contract and debt securities, trust preferred
securities or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S.
Treasury securities, in each case securing holders
obligations to purchase common stock, preferred stock or
depositary shares under the stock purchase contracts. The stock
purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to
holders of the stock purchase units, or vice versa, and such
payments may be unsecured or prefunded. The stock purchase
contracts may require holders to secure their obligations
thereunder in a specified manner.
We may sell the securities to or through agents or underwriters
or directly to one or more purchasers. Securities also may be
sold by or through broker-dealers in connection with, or upon
the termination or expiration of, equity derivative contracts
between us or our affiliates and such broker-dealers or their
affiliates.
We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or
sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties
in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable
prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those
derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by
this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement,
including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may
use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to
settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings
of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement
of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of
stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an
underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be
identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a
post-effective amendment).
By
Agents
We may use agents to sell the securities. The agents will agree
to use their reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for
the period of their appointment.
By
Underwriters
We may sell the securities to underwriters. The underwriters may
resell the securities in one or more transactions, including
negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at
varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations
of the underwriters to purchase the securities
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will be subject to certain conditions. Each underwriter will be
obligated to purchase all the securities allocated to it under
the underwriting agreement. The underwriters may change any
initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions
they give to dealers.
Direct
Sales
We may sell securities directly to you. In this case, no
underwriters or agents would be involved.
As one of the means of direct issuance of securities, we may
utilize the services of any available electronic auction system
to conduct an electronic dutch auction of the
offered securities among potential purchasers who are eligible
to participate in the auction of those offered securities, if so
described in the prospectus supplement.
General
Information
Any underwriters or agents will be identified and their
compensation described in a prospectus supplement.
We may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers and agents
to indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribute
to payments they may be required to make.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions
with, or perform services for, us or our subsidiaries in the
ordinary course of their businesses.
Peter J. Sherry, Jr., Esq., who is our Associate General
Counsel and Secretary, or another of our lawyers, will give us
an opinion about the legality of the securities. Mr. Sherry
owns, and such other lawyer likely would own, our common stock
and options to purchase shares of our common stock.
The financial statements and financial statement schedule
incorporated in the Prospectus by reference to Ford Motor
Companys Current Report on
Form 8-K
dated June 2, 2008 and managements assessment of the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting
(which is included in Managements Report on Internal
Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this
prospectus by reference to Ford Motor Companys Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2007 have been so
incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on
the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
With respect to the unaudited financial information of Ford
Motor Company for the three-month periods ended March 31,
2008 and 2007, incorporated by reference in this Prospectus,
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP reported that they have applied
limited procedures in accordance with professional standards for
a review of such information. However, their separate report
dated May 7, 2008 incorporated by reference herein, states
that they did not audit and they do not express an opinion on
that unaudited financial information. Accordingly, the degree of
reliance on their report on such information should be
restricted in light of the limited nature of the review
procedures applied. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is not subject to
the liability provisions of Section 11 of the Securities
Act of 1933 for their report on the unaudited financial
information because that report is not a report or a
part of the registration statement prepared or
certified by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP within the meaning of
Sections 7 and 11 of the Act.
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Ford Motor Company
362,391,305 Warrants
Each to Purchase One Share of
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
March 30, 2010
Deutsche Bank
Securities
Goldman, Sachs &
Co.
Barclays Capital
BofA Merrill Lynch
Citi
J.P. Morgan
Morgan Stanley
RBS