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| MS > SEC Filings for MS > Form 8-K on 16-Jan-2009 | All Recent SEC Filings |
16-Jan-2009
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Financial Statements and Exhibits
On January 13, 2009, Morgan Stanley ("Morgan Stanley") and Citigroup Inc. ("Citi") entered into a Joint Venture Contribution and Formation Agreement (the "Contribution Agreement"). Pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, Citi will contribute its retail brokerage and futures business operated under the name Smith Barney in the United States and Australia and under the name Quilter in the United Kingdom into a newly formed joint venture entity, to be a Delaware limited liability company (the "Joint Venture"), and Morgan Stanley will contribute its global wealth management and private wealth management businesses on a worldwide basis into the Joint Venture. Following the respective contributions to the Joint Venture and a cash payment of $2.7 billion from Morgan Stanley to Citi in exchange for a portion of the Joint Venture interests held by Citi, Citi will own a 49% interest in the Joint Venture and Morgan Stanley will own a 51% interest in the Joint Venture. Citi will retain the retail brokers employed in Citi bank branches.
The consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement is subject to customary conditions, including the accuracy of each party's representations and warranties and the performance of each party's obligations under the Contribution Agreement, absence of legal restraints and prohibitions, expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, receipt of applicable approvals from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the effectiveness of registration of the Joint Venture's broker-dealer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Subject to certain limitations, Citi and Morgan Stanley have agreed to use their respective reasonable best efforts to do all things necessary, proper or advisable to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement. The Contribution Agreement includes limited representations and warranties of each party and covenants of each party that are customary for a transaction of this nature. In addition, each party has agreed to indemnify the other party and the Joint Venture for losses arising out of breaches of its representations, warranties and covenants and for certain excluded liabilities retained by Citi and Morgan Stanley, respectively. The Contribution Agreement may be terminated under certain circumstances, including by either party if the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement has not occurred by March 31, 2010 (subject to a 60-day extension if necessary for regulatory approval), by either party if an order is entered prohibiting or disapproving the transaction and the order has become final and non-appealable, by either party upon a material uncured breach by the other party that would cause the closing conditions not to be satisfied, or by either party if the other party undergoes a change of control (or enters into a definitive agreement with respect to a change of control) within six months of the date of the Contribution Agreement.
The foregoing description of the Contribution Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Contribution Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 hereto.
The LLC Agreement will provide Morgan Stanley with call rights exercisable
(i) following the 3rd anniversary of the consummation of the transaction for a
portion of Citi's Joint Venture interest representing 14% of the outstanding
Joint Venture interests, (ii) following the 4th anniversary of the consummation
of the transaction for a portion of Citi's Joint Venture interest representing
an additional 15% of the outstanding Joint Venture interests and (iii) following
the 5th anniversary of the consummation of the transaction for the remainder of
Citi's Joint Venture interest. In addition, Morgan Stanley may call all of
Citi's Joint Venture interest upon a change in control of Citi. Citi may put all
of its Joint Venture interest to Morgan Stanley upon a change in control of
Morgan Stanley, or following the later of the 6th anniversary of the
consummation of the transaction and the 1-year anniversary of Morgan Stanley's
exercise of the call described in clause (ii) of the first sentence of this
paragraph. Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley also has the right to trigger an
initial public offering of the Joint Venture beginning on the 6th anniversary of
the consummation of the transaction. The purchase price for the call and put
rights described above is the fair market value of the purchased interests,
based on fully distributed trading value and other assumptions and determined
pursuant to an appraisal process. The purchase price is payable in cash, except
that the purchase price for a put exercised upon a change in control of Morgan
Stanley is payable either in cash or in Morgan Stanley common stock (or common
stock of Morgan Stanley's parent), at Morgan Stanley's option.
Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley will agree in the LLC Agreement not to compete in the retail brokerage business in the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom (in the case of Citi) and globally, other than Japan (in the case of Morgan Stanley), for the period commencing upon consummation of the transaction until the earliest to occur of (x) an initial public offering, (y) the 6th anniversary of the consummation of the transaction and (z) the date on which either Citi or Morgan Stanley no longer beneficially owns 10% or more of the outstanding Joint Venture interests. The non-compete restriction is subject to certain exceptions, including exceptions for businesses being retained by Citi (including its private bank and its brokers-in-branches program), exceptions for certain activities between Morgan Stanley and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. and exceptions for certain brokerage businesses that may be acquired by either Citi or Morgan Stanley in the future.
Citi, Morgan Stanley and the Joint Venture will enter into a Deposit Sweep Agreement providing for the allocation of deposits associated with deposit sweep accounts of Joint Venture customers between Citi and Morgan Stanley. Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley will retain the deposits associated with deposit sweep accounts of the customers of their respective contributed businesses existing as of the consummation of the transaction and any new accounts opened by one of these existing account holders or a member of such account holder's household following consummation of the transaction, except for those customers with deposit sweep accounts at both contributed businesses. Deposits associated with deposit sweep accounts of customers with accounts at both contributed businesses and deposit sweep accounts of Joint Venture customers who become customers of the Joint Venture after closing will be allocated to Citi and Morgan Stanley pro rata according to their relative ownership interest in the Joint Venture at that time. Upon a reduction in Citi's ownership percentage upon the exercise of any put or call rights pursuant to the LLC Agreement, balances in deposit sweep accounts of Joint Venture customers who had deposit sweep accounts at both contributed businesses or became customers of the Joint Venture after the consummation of the transaction will be rebalanced between Citi and Morgan Stanley to reflect the new relative ownership percentages. Citi's rights and obligations under the Deposit Sweep Agreement may be terminated by any party upon consummation of a call or put pursuant to the LLC Agreement that results in Citi ceasing to own any common equity interest in the Joint Venture. Following termination of the Deposit Sweep Agreement, deposits associated with deposit sweep accounts of Joint Venture customers then held by Citi will be transferred to Morgan Stanley over a two-year transition period. Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, the consideration payable to Citi upon exercise of the applicable call or put will include a payment for the fair market value of the applicable deposits transferred to Morgan Stanley.
Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley will enter into a Distribution Agreement with the Joint Venture that will provide for Citi and Morgan Stanley to use the Joint Venture as their preferred channel for distribution of certain product offerings to retail customers. The Distribution Agreements will terminate after 5 years, subject to earlier termination under certain circumstances.
Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley will enter into a Research Agreement with the Joint Venture that will provide for Citi and Morgan Stanley to provide research in accordance with current practice to the Joint Venture for use by the Joint Venture's financial advisors and customers. Each Research Agreement will terminate concurrently with the termination of the Distribution Agreement between the Joint Venture and Citi or Morgan Stanley, as applicable.
Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley will enter into an Order Flow Agreement with the Joint Venture that will provide for the Joint Venture to route orders generated by the Joint Venture to each of Citi and Morgan Stanley for execution based on the levels that Citi and Morgan Stanley currently receive from their respective contributed businesses, subject to applicable best execution
Each of Citi and Morgan Stanley will enter into a Transition Services Agreement with the Joint Venture that will provide for Citi and Morgan Stanley to provide certain transition services to the Joint Venture, and for the Joint Venture to provide certain transition services to Citi and Morgan Stanley. Transition services will generally be provided for up to 3 years, subject to certain exceptions.
Citi and Morgan Stanley have agreed to certain general principles regarding the parties' intended treatment of Citi and Morgan Stanley employees who transfer to the Joint Venture with respect to compensation and benefits, including the manner of allocating the cost of compensation and benefits and that the Joint Venture will bear such costs accrued after the Closing. Citi, Morgan Stanley and the Joint Venture will enter into an Employee Matters Agreement pursuant to which the parties will take specified actions to reflect such agreed upon principles.
(d) Exhibits
10.1 Joint Venture Contribution and Formation Agreement by and between Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley, dated as of January 13, 2009
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