Item 1.01. |
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
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As previously disclosed, on September 29, 2020, Summit
Midstream Partners Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (“SMP Holdings”), and Summit Midstream Partners, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (“Summit Investments”),
subsidiaries of Summit Midstream Partners, LP, a Delaware limited
partnership (the “Partnership”), and, for limited purposes, the
Partnership, entered into a Transaction Support Agreement (the
“TSA”) with an ad hoc group of SMP Holdings’ lenders under the Term
Loan Agreement, dated as of March 21, 2017 (the “Term Loan”),
among SMP Holdings, as borrower, the lenders party thereto (the
“Term Loan Lenders”) and Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch,
as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent (the “Term Loan
Agent”) with respect to a consensual debt discharge and Term Loan
restructuring transaction (the “TL Restructuring”). In addition to
the ad hoc group of Term Loan Lenders, each of the other Term Loan
Lenders either became party to the TSA (thereby becoming a
Directing Lender as defined therein) or otherwise provided its
consent to the TL Restructuring.
On November 17, 2020 (the “Closing Date”), the TL
Restructuring closed, all claims under the Term Loan (the “Term
Loan Claims”), including the approximately $155.2 million in
principal amount outstanding and all accrued interest thereon under
the Term Loan were satisfied and the Term Loan was fully discharged
and ceased to exist.
Notice of Default and Strict
Foreclosure
On November 16, 2020, the Directing Lenders directed the Term
Loan Agent to deliver a notice of default and acceleration (the
“Notice of Default”) to SMP Holdings, indicating that a default
occurred as a result of SMP Holdings’ failure to pay the
amortization payment due on September 30, 2020, as required
under Section 2.07(a) of the Term Loan. The Notice of Default
declared that the obligations under the Term Loan, totaling
approximately $157.6 million, were immediately due and
payable. The delivery of the Notice of Default was contemplated by
the TSA.
As a result of SMP Holdings’ failure to pay the amounts due upon
such acceleration, pursuant to the terms of the TSA and the Strict
Foreclosure Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, between SMP
Holdings, Summit Investments and the Term Loan Agent (the “Strict
Foreclosure Agreement”), the Directing Lenders directed the Term
Loan Agent to execute a strict foreclosure (the “Strict
Foreclosure”) on behalf of the Term Loan Lenders on the 2,306,972
common units representing limited partner interests in the
Partnership (34,604,581 common units prior to the Partnership’s
1-for-15 reverse unit split on
its common units, effective November 9, 2020) held by SMP
Holdings and pledged as collateral under the Term Loan (the
“Specified Collateral”). Pursuant to the Strict Foreclosure
Agreement, on the Closing Date, SMP Holdings and Summit Investments
entered into a General Assignment and Bill of Sale, pursuant to
which, under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, SMP Holdings
and Summit Investments assigned, transferred and conveyed to the
Term Loan Lenders all of their rights and interest in the Specified
Collateral.
Pursuant to the Strict Foreclosure, on the Closing Date, the
Specified Collateral was distributed to each of the respective Term
Loan Lenders on a pro rata basis. In addition, pursuant to the TSA,
SMP Holdings paid to each of the Term Loan Lenders its pro rata
share of a consent premium of $20.0 million in cash (the
“Consent Premium”) and additional consideration of
$6.5 million in cash (the “Additional Consideration”). The
Specified Collateral, Consent Premium and Additional Consideration
were paid to the Term Loan Lenders in full satisfaction of all of
SMP Holdings’ obligations under the Term Loan. In exchange, all
Term Loan Claims, as well as any claims arising under the DPPO (as
defined below), were satisfied, the non-economic general partner interest
was released from the collateral package under the Term Loan, and
the Term Loan was fully discharged and ceased to exist.
Also on the Closing Date, in connection with the consummation of
the TL Restructuring, SMP Holdings, Summit Investments, the Term
Loan Agent and the Term Loan Lenders entered into a Mutual Release
Agreement (the “Mutual Release”), pursuant to which the parties
provided customary mutual releases of all Term Loan Claims, the TL
Restructuring, the DPPO and any actions related thereto.
The foregoing descriptions of the Strict Foreclosure Agreement, the
General Assignment and Bill of Sale and the Mutual Release do not
purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by
reference to the Strict Foreclosure Agreement, the General
Assignment and Bill of Sale and the Mutual Release, copies of which
are attached hereto as Exhibits 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3, respectively,
and are incorporated herein by reference.