This Master Participation Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into on by and among LNS Group LLC, with
its
place of
business at 11 S. Main Street, Suite 2, Marlboro, NJ +1-(732)-977-5448. (the “Lead”) and
, with its place of
business at
(the
“Participant”)
and
LNS Group LLC, with its place of business at
11 S. Main Street, Suite 2,
Marlboro, NJ, +1-(732)-977-5448 (the “Servicer”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Lead may enter into a Merchant Agreement (as defined below) with
one
or more merchants pursuant to which Lead may purchase future credit card receivables
and/or gross sales receipts from the merchant (the “Purchases”). From time to
time, Lead may become assigned to a Merchant Agreement with one or more merchants
pursuant to which a party other than the Lead has purchased future credit card
receivables and/or gross sales receipts from the merchant. For the purposes of this
Master Participation Agreement, the assignment of a Merchant Agreement to the Lead
will
be treated the same as when the Lead enters into a Merchant Agreement directly; and
WHEREAS, the Lead, at its sole discretion, may sell
to
Participant, and Participant may purchase, a participation in Lead’s Purchases (a
“Participation”) as set forth in the offer prepared by the Servicer on behalf
of
the Lead and delivered to the Participant in the form of Exhibit A (the
“Offer”
or “Offer to Sell”), annexed hereto.
WHEREAS, the Servicer is responsible for
originating
and servicing all Purchases and Transactions in accordance with a separate agreement
between the Servicer and Lead, as may be amended and modified from time to time.
WHEREAS, the Servicer is responsible for
facilitating
the Offers contemplated by this Agreement and making any payments to Participants as
contemplated by this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, it is hereby agreed by and between
the
Lead and the Participant (collectively referred to as the “Parties”) as
follows:
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, it is hereby agreed as follows:
AGREEMENT
1. DEFINITIONS. As used herein the following terms have the following
meanings.
“ACH”- The electronic transfer of funds to or from
designated bank accounts through an Automated Clearing House (ACH) method.
“Add On Purchase”- A secondary purchase of credit
card
receivables or gross sales receipts made by Lead in addition to the original
Merchant
Agreement, with specific rights for Participant.
“Client” - A Merchant who sells future credit card
receivables or gross sales receipts to Lead pursuant to a specific Merchant
Agreement.
“Client Obligations”- All obligations owing by
Client
to the Lead under Merchant Agreement(s).
“Collateral”- All collateral and guarantees
received by
or granted to Lead pursuant to a Merchant
agreement or otherwise securing a Client’s
Obligations.
“Collections”– Proceeds of Purchased Receivables
received by the Lead, a portion of which may be passed on to the Participant
pursuant to
the Participant’s Share of Collections.
“Extraordinary Expenses”- Attorneys' fees and
disbursements, court costs and fees of any outside agency incurred subsequent to the
Lead declaring a Transaction to be in Liquidation (as defined and set forth below),
in
connection with the enforcement of any of Lead's rights and remedies under a
Merchant
Agreement, or in defending a Transaction Related Claim.
“Funding”– The transfer of the proceeds of the
purchase
to the Merchant.
“Liquidation Date”– The date on which Lead declares
the
Transaction to be in Liquidation (as defined and set forth below)
“Merchant Agreement”– That certain Merchant
Agreement
described in the Recitals between the Lead and Client and related documents.
“Participant’s Investment”– With respect to any
Participation, the unpaid principal balance of Participants Percentage of the
Purchase
Price.
“Participant’s Share of Collections”– The
Participant’s
pro-rata share of the Collections based upon Participant’s Percentage.
“Participation Amount”– Represents the Participants
Percentage of the Purchase Price PLUS any pro-rata share of Upfront Commission due
to a
Referral Partner where applicable as set forth in a fully executed Offer.
“Purchase Price”– The funded amount of a Merchant
Agreement set forth in an Offer.
“Purchased Receivables”– Credit card receivables or
gross sales receipts purchased by Lead from a Client as described in an Offer.
“Residual Commission”– The percentage of each
Collection distributed to the Referral Partner as a commission according to the
terms of
the Referral Partners Agreement. Lead and Participant shall contribute its pro-rata
portion of the collected Residual Commission to be distributed to the Referral
Partner.
“Referral Partner”– the independent sales agent
which
submitted the Client to the Lead in return for collecting Upfront and Residual
Commissions. The Referral Partner has entered into a separate Referral Partner
Agreement
with the Lead describing the Residual Commission for all Transactions.
“Referral Partner Agreement”– an agreement between
an
independent sales agent and the Lead which sets forth the Residual Commission for
each
Transaction.
“Settlement Day”– the business day following Lead's
receipt of Collections or other payments on account of the Transaction.
“Standard of Care”– Servicer will manage the
Transaction (i) in accordance with the provisions in the Merchant Agreement as to
matters described therein, and (ii) as to all other aspects of the Transaction, with
the
same degree of care that Servicer follows in similar transactions with its other
clients
“Transaction”– An accepted Offer, and related
Merchant
Agreement, Client Obligations, Collateral, and other sources of repayment thereof
associated with the Offer
“Transaction Expenses”– All Lead’s direct
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with the Transaction, including but not limited to
the
commissions due to any Referral Partner.
“Transaction Related Claim”– any legal, regulatory
or
other type of action that is threatened, enacted or filed against the Lead due to
its
involvement in the specific Transaction.
“Upfront Commission” - The percentage of the
Purchased
Receivable which is paid by the Lead to the Referral Partner at the time of Funding
as a
commission according to the terms of the Referral Partners Agreement. Lead and
Participant shall contribute their pro-rata portion of the Upfront Commission to be
ADDED TO the Participation Amount prior to the date of Funding.
2. SALES OF PARTICIPATIONS.
2.1. From time to time, Lead shall, at its own discretion, deliver the Offer
through the Servicer to Participant, whereby Lead offers to sell to Participant an
interest in Lead’s purchase of future Purchased Receivables from a Client.
2.2. Participant shall indicate its acceptance or
declination of the Offer to the Servicer within one (1) business day, or by such
other
time as indicated in the Offer, by signing or e-signing and returning the Offer to
Lead
via the Servicer.
2.3. Upon payment by Participant to Lead of the
Participant’s Percentage of the Purchase Price, plus any applicable Upfront
Commissions,
the Lead shall have sold to Participant, without recourse, and Participant shall
have
purchased from Lead, an undivided interest in the Transaction
2.4. Lead shall grant to the Participant a right of first refusal for
participation in future renewals and any Add-On Purchases for Merchant Agreements in
which Participant has an existing Participation, unless Lead is not accepting any
participations in such renewal or Add-On Purchase. Participant acknowledges and
accepts
that Add-On Purchases may result in a dilution of Participant’s Share of Collections
from a given Client.
2.5. The relationship between the Parties is and
shall
be that of seller and purchaser. This is a non-exclusive agreement such that either
party may enter into similar agreements with third party, provided that no party
shall
interfere or permit a third party to interfere in any Transaction.
2.6. Participant shall bear all risk of loss with
respect to this Agreement, including but not limited to the Participation, the
Transaction(s) and the Merchant Agreement(s), without recourse to Lead and Lead
shall
have no obligation to reacquire Participant’s Participation or Participant’s
Investments. The Servicer shall exercise the Standard of Care with respect to the
Participation. Participant understands that the Servicer is fully responsible for
managing and servicing the Transactions and the Merchant Agreements, including any
Participation in the Transactions and Merchants Agreements by Participant or
payments related thereto. Except as set forth herein, the Lead owes no duty of any
kind
to Participant; provided nothing herein shall be interpreted to allow Lead to
prohibit
any payments due to Participant in accordance with this Agreement unless otherwise
required by law.
2.7. If Lead is required at any time to return
pursuant
to any bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation or reorganization law, court order, or
otherwise, any portion of the payments made in connection with Merchant
Agreement(s),
Participant shall, on demand of Lead or the Servicer, forthwith return to Lead any
such
amounts received by Participant, but without interest thereon unless Lead is
required to
pay interest on such amounts to the person recovering such payment, in which case
with
interest thereon, computed at the same rate that Lead is required to pay.
2.8. Neither party shall have any interest, by
virtue
of this Agreement, under any other present or future purchases by or on behalf of
the
other party concerning Merchant Agreements with Client(s), except as set forth in
section 2.3.
2.9. Upon request by 4articipant, the Servicer
shall
provide a copy of the specific Merchant Agreement, along with all related documents,
in
connection with any Offer.
3. WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS BY PARTICIPANT.
3.1. Participant warrants and represents to Lead and Servicer that:
3.1.1. It has made its own full and complete credit
investigation relating to Lead, the Client, the Transaction, the Purchase and the
Merchant Agreement;
3.1.2. It has received the Merchant Agreement and
all
related documents and conducted its own documentary due diligence to its complete
satisfaction;
3.1.3. It is not relying in any way on the credit
advice or judgment of Lead in determining whether or not to purchase the
Participation
hereunder.
3.1.4. Neither the Lead nor the Servicer has made and does not make any
representations or warranties, express or implied, to Participant except as
specifically
set forth herein.
3.1.5. (a) Participant does not consider the
acceptance
of its Participation hereunder to constitute the “purchase” or “sale” of a
“security”
within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 or
Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the securities
laws
of the State of Florida, any other applicable securities statute or law, or any rule
or
regulation under any of the foregoing; (b) Participant acknowledges that it
may
not derive profits from the efforts of Lead or any third party in respect of the
acquisition of Participation; (c) this Participation constitutes a commercial
transaction by Participant with Lead regarding the obligations of the Client(s)
under
the Merchant Agreement(s) and does not represent a common joint venture with Lead or
an
“investment” (as the term is commonly understood) in Lead or any Client, (d)
Participant is accepting the Participation for its own account in respect of a
commercial transaction made in the ordinary course of its commercial business and
not
with a view to or in connection with any subdivision, resale, or distribution there
of,
and (e) Participant is engaged in the business of entering into commercial
transactions (including
transactions of the nature contemplated herein), can bear the economic risk related
to
its Participation in the Merchant Agreement(s), and has had access to all
information
deemed necessary by it in making its decision whether or not to participate in the
Merchant Agreement(s)
4. PROCEDURE AND PAYMENTS.
4.1. On each Settlement Day, the Servicer on behalf of the Lead shall pay to
Participant, its Participant’s Share of Collections, less the 4mounts to be paid to
Lead, including but not limited to service fees, hereunder, via ACH or Wire transfer
to
a bank account designated by the Participant to receive payments. Until that payment
is
made, Participant’s Share of Collections shall be held in trust by Lead and
Servicer.
4.2. All payments due hereunder shall be made by
ACH or
Wire transfer.
4.3. The Servicer on behalf of the Lead shall
provide
Participant with online reporting as to all Merchant Agreements and Client
Obligations
and the status of all payments there under.
5. MANAGEMENT DUTIES OF SERVICER
5.1. The Servicer shall administer the Transaction and the Merchant Agreements
in
accordance with the Standard of Care to both the Lead and Participant. The
Participant
understands and agrees that the Lead is not providing any services to the
Participant.
The management and servicing of all Transactions and the Merchant Agreements are the
sole responsibility of the Servicer. Participant shall look solely to the Servicer
with
respect to any claims it may have for breach under this Agreement except to the
extent
caused by the Lead’s negligence or willful misconduct.
6. IN LIQUIDATION.
6.1. Lead in
consultation with the Servicer may declare the Transaction to be in liquidation
(“Liquidation”) at any time that a default has occurred under the Merchant
Agreement, by so advising the Participant in writing
6.2. Participant shall pay to Lead, on demand, and
upon
its receipt of supporting documentation, any outstanding Extraordinary Expenses due.
6.3. Lead and Participant acknowledge that the
Participation Percentage of Participant is a payment intangible and that its sale by
operation of law excludes that Participation Percentage from the liens or other
security
held by any creditors to Lead or any other entity
6.4. If an event of default occurs under a Merchant
Agreement by Client and, for whatever reason, Lead does not take action against the
Client, then on written request by Participant, without prejudice to Lead’s rights,
Lead
shall at its option either (i) assign a right of action versus the Client
under
the Merchant Agreement to Participant so that Participant can collect amounts owing
from
the Client or (ii) make a legal assignment to the Participant of the
Participation Percentage of the 4lient Obligations to the extent an assignment is
permitted by the Merchant Agreement. In the case of an assignment of right of action
pursuant to clause (i) above, Participant shall coordinate legal strategy
with
the Lead’s counsel and Participant shall share with Lead, in proportion to Lead’s
Participation Interest, in any recoveries from the Client less all fees incurred by
Participant in the collections effort.
6.5. Notwithstanding anything else in this
Agreement
and specifically in this Section, Participant may, at any time and at its sole
discretion, elect to forfeit its Participation Amount as well Participant’s Share of
Collections in exchange for being released from any outstanding Extraordinary
Expenses
due.
6. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
7.1. The Agreement supersedes all other agreements and understandings between
the
Parties, verbal or written, express or implied, relating to the subject matter
hereof.
No course of dealing, course of performance or trade usage, and no parole evidence
of
any nature, shall be used to supplement or modify any terms of the Agreement.
8. INDEMNIFICATIONS
8.1. Participant Indemnification. Participant agrees to indemnify Lead, on
demand,
for and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, obligations, losses,
damages,
penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements (including
reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) of any kind or nature whatsoever which
may
be incurred by Lead with respect to this Agreement caused by the negligence or
willful
misconduct of Participant.
8.2. Servicer Indemnification. The Servicer agrees
to
indemnify the Participant, on demand, for and against any and all claims, demands,
liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits,
costs,
expenses or disbursements (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel)
of
any kind or nature whatsoever which may be incurred by Participant with respect to
this
Agreement caused by the Servicer’s material breach of Section 5.
8.3. Lead Indemnification. Lead agrees to indemnify Participant, on demand,
for
and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, obligations, losses, damages,
penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements (including
reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) of any kind or nature whatsoever which
may
be incurred by Participant with respect to this Agreement caused by the negligence
or
willful misconduct of Lead
8.4. Limitation of Liability. Under no
circumstances
shall any party be liable for any indirect, consequential or punitive damages
hereunder
9. GENERAL
9.1. Amendment. Neither this Agreement nor any provisions hereof may be
changed,
waived, discharged, or terminated, nor may any consent to the departure from the
terms
hereof be given orally (even if supported by new consideration), but only by an
instrument in writing signed by the Parties. Any waiver or consent so given shall be
effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which
given.
9.2. Attorney’s Fees. In the event that either
Party
retains counsel in connection with the interpretation, defense, or enforcement of
this
Agreement, the prevailing party shall recover its reasonable attorney’s fees and
expenses from the unsuccessful party. It shall be presumed (subject to rebuttal only
by
the introduction of competent evidence to the contrary) that the amount recoverable
is
the amount billed to the prevailing party by its counsel and that such amount will
be
reasonable if based on the billing rates charged to the prevailing party by its
counsel
in similar matters.
9.3. No Waiver. No failure to exercise and no delay
in
exercising any right, power, or remedy hereunder shall impair any right, power, or
remedy which Lead may have, nor shall any such delay be construed to be a waiver of
any
of such rights, powers, or remedies, or any acquiescence in any breach or default
hereunder; nor shall any waiver of any breach or default be deemed a waiver of any
default or breach subsequently occurring. All rights and remedies granted to Lead
hereunder shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any single or
partial
exercise of, or any discontinuance of action begun to enforce, any such right or
remedy.
The rights and remedies specified herein are cumulative and not exclusive of each
other
or of any rights or remedies that Lead would otherwise have. Any waiver, permit,
consent, or approval by Lead of any breach or default hereunder must be in writing
and
shall be effective only to the extent set forth in such writing and only as to that
specific instance.
9.4. Governing Law. The Agreement and all
transactions
contemplated hereunder and/or evidenced hereby shall be governed by, construed
under,
and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of Florida State, without regard
to
its principles of conflicts of laws.
9.5. Arbitration. Any controversy or claim arising
out
of or relating to this Agreement, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by
arbitration
administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its
Commercial
Arbitration Rules. The arbitration hearing shall take place in Florida before a
single
arbitrator. Judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any
court
having jurisdiction thereof.
9.6. Further Acts. Each Party agrees to do such further acts and things and
to
execute and deliver such additional agreements, powers and instruments as any other
Party hereto may reasonably request to carry into effect the terms, provisions and
purposes of this Agreement or to better assure and confirm unto such other Party
hereto
its respective rights, powers and remedies hereunder.
9.7. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed
and
delivered in any number of counterparts, all of which taken together shall
constitute
one and the same instrument, and either Party may execute this Agreement by signing
any
such counterpart. A telecopy of the signature of any party on any counterpart shall
be
effective as the signature of the party executing such counterpart for purposes of
effectiveness of this Agreement.
9.8. Notice. All notices required to be given to
either
party hereunder shall be deemed given upon the first to occur of: (a) deposit
thereof in
a receptacle under the control of the United States Postal Service; properly
addressed
and postage prepaid; (b) transmittal by electronic means to a receiver under the
control
of the party to whom notice is being given; or (c) actual receipt by the party to
whom
notice is being given, or an employee or agent of thereof. For purposes hereof, the
addresses of the Parties are as set forth above or as may otherwise be specified
from
time to time in a writing sent by one Party to the other in accordance with the
provisions hereof:
9.9. Recitals. The whereas clauses in the preamble
above are fully incorporated into this Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed
the
day and year first above-written.