Exhibit 99.(k)(4)
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of April 16, 2026, is by and between Citizens JMP Securities, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Investor”), and Ellington Credit Company, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”).
RECITALS
A. The Fund, Ellington Credit Company Management LLC, Ellington Credit Company Administration LLC and the Investor have entered into that certain Common Share Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Fund may issue, from time to time, to the Investor up to the lesser of (i) $35,000,000 in aggregate gross purchase price of newly issued common shares of beneficial interest, no par value, of the Fund (“Common Shares”), and (ii) the Exchange Cap (to the extent applicable under Section 3.4 of the Purchase Agreement), as provided for therein.
B. Pursuant to the terms of, and in consideration for the Investor entering into the Purchase Agreement, and to induce the Investor to execute and deliver the Purchase Agreement, the Fund has agreed to provide the Investor with certain registration rights with respect to the Registrable Securities (as defined herein) as set forth herein.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained herein and in the Purchase Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, intending to be legally bound hereby, the Fund and the Investor hereby agree as follows:
| 1. | Definitions. |
Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.
(b) “Allowable Grace Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3(o).
(c) “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which commercial banks in New York, New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed.
(d) “Claims” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(a).
(e) “Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor entity.
(f) “Common Stock” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to this Agreement.
(g) “Effective Date” means the date that the applicable Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission or otherwise become effective.
(h) “Effectiveness Deadline” means (i) with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), the earlier of (A) the ninetieth (90th) calendar day immediately after the Filing Deadline with respect to the Initial Registration Statement, if the Initial Registration Statement is subject to review by the Commission, and (B) if the Fund is notified (orally or in writing) by the Commission that the Initial Registration Statement will not be reviewed by the Commission, the fifth (5th) calendar day after the date the Fund is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the Commission that the Initial Registration Statement will not be reviewed by the Commission, and (ii) with respect to any New Registration Statements that may be required to be filed by the Fund pursuant to this Agreement, the earlier of (A) the ninetieth (90th) calendar day immediately after the Filing Deadline with respect to such New Registration Statement, if such New Registration Statement is subject to review by the Commission, and (B) if the Fund is notified (orally or in writing) by the Commission that such New Registration Statement will not be reviewed by the Commission, the fifth (5th) calendar day after the date the Fund is notified (orally or in writing, whichever is earlier) by the Commission that such New Registration Statement will not be reviewed by the Commission; provided, that each deadline determined pursuant to clause (i) or clause (ii) above (including each of sub-clauses (A) and (B) thereof) shall be automatically extended by a number of calendar days equal to the total number of calendar days during which a shutdown of the United States federal government is continuing (a “Government Shutdown”) that commences on or before, and ends on or after, the applicable deadline (as extended pursuant to this proviso), with such extension taking effect automatically and without any further action by any party.
(i) “Filing Deadline” means (i) with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), the tenth (10th) Business Day after the date of this Agreement and (ii) with respect to any New Registration Statements that may be required to be filed by the Fund pursuant to this Agreement, the twentieth (20th) Business Day following the sale of substantially all of the Registrable Securities included in the Initial Registration Statement or the most recent prior New Registration Statement, as applicable, or such other date as permitted by the Commission.
(j) “FINRA Filing” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Purchase Agreement.
(k) “Fund” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.
(l) “Fund Party” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(b).
(m) “Indemnified Damages” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(a).
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(n) “Initial Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(a).
(o) “Investor” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.
(p) “Investor Party” and “Investor Parties” shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in Section 6(a).
(q) “Legal Counsel” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(b).
(r) “New Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(c).
(s) “Person” means any person or entity, whether a natural person, trustee, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, business association, firm, joint venture, governmental agency or authority.
(t) “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form included in the Registration Statement at the applicable Effective Date of the Registration Statement, as supplemented from time to time by any Prospectus Supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference therein.
(u) “Prospectus Supplement” means any prospectus supplement to the Prospectus filed with the Commission from time to time pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including the documents incorporated by reference therein.
(v) “Purchase Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to this Agreement.
(w) “register,” “registered,” and “registration” refer to a registration effected by preparing and filing one or more Registration Statements in compliance with the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415 and the declaration of effectiveness of such Registration Statement(s) by the Commission.
(x) “Registrable Securities” means all of (i) the Common Shares and (ii) any capital stock of the Fund issued or issuable with respect to such Shares, including (1) as a result of any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, exchange or similar event or otherwise and (2) shares of capital stock of the Fund into which the shares of Common Stock are converted or exchanged and shares of capital stock of a successor entity into which the shares of Common Stock are converted or exchanged, in each case until such time as such securities cease to be Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2(f).
(y) “Registration Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3(a).
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(z) “Registration Statement” means a registration statement or registration statements of the Fund filed under the Securities Act covering the resale by the Investor of Registrable Securities, as such registration statement or registration statements may be amended and supplemented from time to time, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein.
(aa) “Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission that may at any time permit the Investor to sell securities of the Fund to the public without registration.
(bb) “Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission providing for offering securities on a delayed or continuous basis.
(cc) “Staff” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(c).
(dd) “Transfer Agent” shall mean Equiniti Trust Company, LLC or any successor thereof as the Fund’s transfer agent.
(ee) “Violations” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(a).
| 2. | Registration. |
(a) Mandatory Registration. The Fund shall prepare and, as soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, but in no event later than the Filing Deadline, file with the Commission a Registration Statement on Form N-2 (or any successor form) covering the resale by the Investor of the maximum number of Registrable Securities as shall be permitted to be included thereon in accordance with applicable Commission rules, regulations and interpretations so as to permit the resale of such Registrable Securities by the Investor under Rule 415 under the Securities Act at then prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) (the “Initial Registration Statement”). The Initial Registration Statement shall contain the “Selling Stockholder” and “Plan of Distribution” sections in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B. The Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the Initial Registration Statement declared effective by the Commission by the applicable Effectiveness Deadline.
(b) Legal Counsel. Subject to Section 5 hereof, the Investor shall have the right to select one legal counsel to review, solely on its behalf, any registration pursuant to this Section 2 (“Legal Counsel”), which shall be Duane Morris LLP, or such other counsel as thereafter designated by the Investor. Except as provided under Section 11.1(i) of the Purchase Agreement, the Fund shall have no obligation to reimburse the Investor for any and all legal fees and expenses of the Legal Counsel incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby.
(c) Sufficient Number of Shares Registered. If at any time all Registrable Securities are not covered by the Initial Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 2(a) as a result of Section 2(e) or otherwise, the Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission one or more additional Registration Statements so as to cover all of the Registrable Securities not covered by the Initial Registration Statement, in each case, as soon as practicable (taking into account any position of the staff of the Commission (“Staff”) with respect to the date on which the Staff will permit such additional Registration Statement(s) to be filed with the Commission and the rules and regulations of the Commission) (each such additional Registration Statement, a “New Registration Statement”), but in no event later than the applicable Filing Deadline for such New Registration Statement(s). The Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause each such New Registration Statement to become effective by the applicable Effectiveness Deadline.
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(d) No Inclusion of Other Securities. In no event shall the Fund include any securities other than Registrable Securities on any Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) or Section 2(c) without consulting the Investor and Legal Counsel prior to filing such Registration Statement with the Commission.
(e) Offering. If the Staff or the Commission seeks to characterize any offering pursuant to a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Agreement as constituting an offering of securities that does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices), or if after the filing of any Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) or Section 2(c), the Fund is otherwise required by the Staff or the Commission to reduce the number of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, then the Fund shall reduce the number of Registrable Securities to be included in such Registration Statement (after consultation with the Investor and Legal Counsel as to the specific Registrable Securities to be removed therefrom) until such time as the Staff and the Commission shall so permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used as aforesaid. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if after giving effect to the actions referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, the Staff or the Commission does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices), the Fund shall not request acceleration of the Effective Date of such Registration Statement, the Fund shall promptly (but in no event later than 48 hours) request the withdrawal of such Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 477 under the Securities Act, and the Effectiveness Deadline shall automatically be deemed to have elapsed with respect to such Registration Statement at such time as the Staff or the Commission has made a final and non-appealable determination that the Commission will not permit such Registration Statement to be so utilized (unless prior to such time the Fund has received assurances from the Staff or the Commission that a New Registration Statement filed by the Fund with the Commission promptly thereafter may be so utilized). In the event of any reduction in Registrable Securities pursuant to this paragraph, the Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file one or more New Registration Statements with the Commission in accordance with Section 2(c) until such time as all Registrable Securities have been included in Registration Statements that have been declared effective and the Prospectuses contained therein are available for use by the Investor.
(f) Any Registrable Security shall cease to be a “Registrable Security” at the earliest of the following: (i) when a Registration Statement covering such Registrable Security becomes or has been declared effective by the Commission and such Registrable Security has been sold or disposed of pursuant to such effective Registration Statement; (ii) when such Registrable Security is held by the Fund or one of its Subsidiaries; and (iii) the date that is the later of (A) the first (1st) anniversary of the effective date of termination of the Purchase Agreement in accordance with Article IX of the Purchase Agreement and (B) the first (1st) anniversary of the date of the last sale of any Registrable Securities by the Fund to the Investor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement.
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| 3. | Related Obligations. |
The Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method of disposition thereof, and, pursuant thereto, during the term of this Agreement, the Fund shall have the following obligations:
(a) Subject to Allowable Grace Periods, the Fund shall keep each Registration Statement effective (and the Prospectus contained therein available for use) pursuant to Rule 415 for resales by the Investor on a continuous basis at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) at all times until the earlier of (i) the date on which the Investor shall have sold all of the Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement and (ii) the date of termination of the Purchase Agreement if as of such termination date the Investor holds no Registrable Securities (or, if applicable, the date on which such securities cease to be Registrable Securities after the date of termination of the Purchase Agreement) (the “Registration Period”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement (but subject to the provisions of Section 3(o) hereof), the Fund shall ensure that, on the date it is filed with the Commission, on the date it is declared effective by the Commission and on each Purchase Date, each Registration Statement (including all amendments and supplements thereto) shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including, without limitation, Rule 415 under the Securities Act) and shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto, when taken together), on its date and on each Purchase Date, shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including, without limitation, Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act) and shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading. The Fund shall submit to the Commission, as soon as reasonably practicable after the date that the Fund learns that no review of a particular Registration Statement will be made by the Staff or that the Staff has no further comments on a particular Registration Statement (as the case may be), a request for acceleration of effectiveness of such Registration Statement to a time and date as soon as reasonably practicable in accordance with Rule 461 under the Securities Act.
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(b) Subject to Section 3(o) of this Agreement, the Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and file with the Commission such amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to each Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection with each such Registration Statement, which Prospectus is to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act, as may be necessary to keep each such Registration Statement effective (and the Prospectus contained therein current and available for use) at all times during the Registration Period for such Registration Statement, and, during such period, comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities of the Fund required to be covered by such Registration Statement until such time as all of such Registrable Securities shall have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the Investor. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Fund covenants and agrees that (i) at or before 8:30 a.m., New York City time, on the Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of the Initial Registration Statement and any New Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto), the Fund shall file with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act the final Prospectus to be used in connection with sales pursuant to such Registration Statement (or post-effective amendment thereto), and (ii) if the transactions contemplated by any one or more VWAP Purchases and/or any one or more Intraday VWAP Purchases are material to the Fund (individually or collectively), the material terms of which have not previously been described in the Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement filed with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (or in any periodic report, statement, schedule or other document filed by the Fund with the Commission under the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus), or if otherwise required under the Securities Act (or the public written interpretive guidance of the Staff of the Commission relating thereto), in each case as reasonably and mutually determined by the Fund and the Investor, then, no later than (i) 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Purchase Date for such VWAP Purchase and (ii) as soon as reasonably practicable on the Purchase Date for such Intraday VWAP Purchase(s), the Fund shall file with the Commission a Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act with respect to such VWAP Purchase(s) and such Intraday VWAP Purchase(s) (as applicable) requiring such filing, disclosing the total number of Shares that are to be issued and sold to the Investor pursuant to such VWAP Purchase(s) and Intraday VWAP Purchase(s) (as applicable), the total purchase price for the Shares subject thereto, the applicable purchases price(s) for such Shares and the estimated net proceeds that to be received by the Fund from the sale of such Shares. To the extent not previously disclosed in the Prospectus or a Prospectus Supplement, the Fund shall disclose in its interim reports on Form N-30B-2, semi-annual reports on Form N-CSRS and Annual Reports on Form N-CSR the information described in the immediately preceding sentence relating to all VWAP Purchase(s) and all Intraday VWAP Purchase(s) (as applicable) effected and settled during the relevant fiscal quarter and shall file such interim reports on Form N-30B-2, semi-annual reports on Form N-CSRS and Annual Reports on Form N-CSR with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such report under the Exchange Act and/or the Investment Company Act. In the case of amendments and supplements to any Registration Statement on Form N-2 or Prospectus related thereto which are required to be filed pursuant to this Agreement (including pursuant to this Section 3(b)) by reason of the Fund filing a report on Form 8-K, Form N-30B-2, Form N-CSRS or Form N-CSR or any analogous report under the Exchange Act and/or the Investment Company Act, the Fund shall have incorporated such report by reference into such Registration Statement and Prospectus, if applicable, or shall promptly file such amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus with the Commission, for the purpose of including or incorporating such report into such Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Fund consents to the use of the Prospectus (including any supplement thereto) included in each Registration Statement in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act and with the securities laws of the jurisdictions in which the Registrable Securities may be sold by the Investor, in connection with the resale of the Registrable Securities and for such period of time thereafter as such Prospectus (including any supplement thereto) (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required by the Securities Act to be delivered in connection with resales of Registrable Securities.
(c) The Fund shall (A) permit Legal Counsel an opportunity to review and comment upon (i) each Registration Statement at least two (2) Business Days prior to its filing with the Commission and (ii) all amendments and supplements to each Registration Statement (including the Prospectus contained therein) (except for Annual Reports on Form N-CSR, semi-annual reports on Form N-CSRS, interim reports on Form N30B-2, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any similar or successor reports or Prospectus Supplements the contents of which is limited to that set forth in such reports) within a reasonable number of days prior to their filing with the Commission, and (B) shall reasonably consider any comments of the Investor and Legal Counsel on any such Registration Statement or amendment or supplement thereto or to any Prospectus contained therein. The Fund shall promptly furnish to Legal Counsel, without charge electronic copies of any correspondence from the Commission or the Staff to the Fund or its representatives relating to each Registration Statement (which correspondence shall be redacted to exclude any material, non-public information regarding the Fund or any of its Subsidiaries).
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(d) Without limiting any obligation of the Fund under the Purchase Agreement, the Fund shall promptly furnish to the Investor and Legal Counsel, without charge, (i) after the same is prepared and filed with the Commission, at least one (1) electronic copy of each Registration Statement and any amendment(s) and supplement(s) thereto, including financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated therein by reference, if requested by the Investor, all exhibits thereto, (ii) upon the effectiveness of each Registration Statement, one (1) electronic copy of the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto (or such other number of copies as the Investor may reasonably request from time to time) and (iii) such other documents, including copies of any final Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, as the Investor may reasonably request from time to time in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by the Investor; provided, however, the Fund shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus, which may be provided in .PDF format) to the Investor and Legal Counsel to the extent such document is available on EDGAR).
(e) The Fund shall notify Legal Counsel and the Investor in writing of the happening of any event, as promptly as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of such event, as a result of which the Prospectus included in a Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (provided that in no event shall such notice contain any material, non-public information regarding the Fund or any of its Subsidiaries), and, subject to Section 3(o), promptly prepare a supplement or amendment to such Registration Statement and such Prospectus contained therein to correct such untrue statement or omission and deliver one (1) electronic copy of such supplement or amendment to Legal Counsel and the Investor (or such other number of copies as Legal Counsel or the Investor may reasonably request). The Fund shall also promptly notify Legal Counsel and the Investor in writing (i) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment has been filed, when a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment has become effective (notification of such effectiveness shall be delivered to Legal Counsel and the Investor by facsimile or e-mail on the same day of such effectiveness), and when the Fund receives written notice from the Commission that a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment will be reviewed by the Commission, (ii) of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or related Prospectus or related information, (iii) of the Fund’s reasonable determination that a post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement would be appropriate and (iv) of the receipt of any request by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority for any additional information relating to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto or any related Prospectus. The Fund shall also advise the Investor promptly (but in no event later than 24 hours) and shall confirm such advice in writing of the Fund becoming aware of the happening of any event, which makes any statement made in the FINRA Filing untrue or which requires the making of any additions to or changes to the statements then made in the FINRA Filing in order to comply with FINRA Rules 5110. The Fund shall respond as promptly as reasonably practicable to any comments received from the Commission with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto. Nothing in this Section 3(e) shall limit any obligation of the Fund under the Purchase Agreement.
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(f) The Fund shall (i) use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of a Registration Statement or the use of any Prospectus contained therein, or the suspension of the qualification, or the loss of an exemption from qualification, of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction and, if such an order or suspension is issued, to obtain the withdrawal of such order or suspension at the earliest possible time and (ii) notify Legal Counsel and the Investor of the issuance of such order and the resolution thereof or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding.
(g) The Fund shall hold in confidence and not make any disclosure of information concerning the Investor provided to the Fund unless (i) disclosure of such information is necessary to comply with federal or state securities laws or a request in connection with a routine supervisory examination, (ii) the disclosure of such information is necessary to avoid or correct a misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement or is otherwise required to be disclosed in such Registration Statement pursuant to the Securities Act, (iii) the release of such information is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other final, non-appealable order from a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction, or (iv) such information has been made generally available to the public other than by disclosure in violation of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document. The Fund agrees that it shall, upon learning that disclosure of such information concerning the Investor is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or through other means, give prompt written notice to the Investor and allow the Investor, at the Investor’s expense, to undertake appropriate action to prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective order for, such information.
(h) Without limiting any obligation of the Fund under the Purchase Agreement, the Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts either to (i) cause all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement to be listed on the Trading Market, or (ii) secure designation and quotation of all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement on another Eligible Market. The Fund shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligation under this Section 3(h).
(i) The Fund shall cooperate with the Investor and, to the extent applicable, facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of Registrable Securities, as DWAC Shares, to be offered pursuant to a Registration Statement and enable such DWAC Shares to be in such denominations or amounts (as the case may be) as the Investor may reasonably request from time to time and registered in such names as the Investor may request. Investor hereby agrees that it shall cooperate with the Fund, its counsel and its Transfer Agent in connection with any issuances of DWAC Shares, and hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Fund that that it will resell such DWAC Shares only pursuant to the Registration Statement in which such DWAC Shares are included, in a manner described under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in such Registration Statement, and in a manner in compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations, including any applicable prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. DWAC Shares shall be free from all restrictive legends and may be transmitted by the Fund’s Transfer Agent to the Investor by crediting an account at DTC as directed in writing by the Investor.
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(j) Upon the written request of the Investor, the Fund shall as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of notice from the Investor and subject to Section 3(o) hereof, (i) incorporate in a Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment such information as the Investor reasonably requests to be included therein relating to the sale and distribution of Registrable Securities, including information with respect to the number of Registrable Securities being offered or sold, the purchase price being paid therefor and any other terms of the offering of the Registrable Securities to be sold in such offering; (ii) make all required filings of such Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment after being notified of the matters to be incorporated in such Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment; and (iii) supplement or make amendments to any Registration Statement or Prospectus contained therein if reasonably requested by the Investor.
(k) The Fund shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other U.S. governmental agencies or authorities as may be necessary to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities.
(l) The Fund shall make generally available to its security holders (which may be satisfied by making such information available on EDGAR) as soon as practical, but not later than ninety (90) days after the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings statement (in form complying with, and in the manner provided by, the provisions of Rule 158 under the Securities Act) covering a twelve-month period beginning not later than the first day of the Fund’s fiscal quarter next following the applicable Effective Date of each Registration Statement.
(m) The Fund shall otherwise use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission in connection with any registration hereunder.
(n) Within one (1) Business Day after each Registration Statement which covers Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission, the Fund shall cause legal counsel for the Fund to deliver to the Transfer Agent for such Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investor) confirmation that such Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
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(o) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein (but subject to the last sentence of this Section 3(o)), at any time after the Effective Date of a particular Registration Statement, the Fund may, upon written notice to Investor, suspend Investor’s use of any prospectus that is a part of any Registration Statement (in which event the Investor shall discontinue sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement contemplated by this Agreement, but shall settle any previously made sales of Registrable Securities) if the Fund (x) is pursuing an acquisition, merger, tender offer, reorganization, disposition or other similar transaction and the Fund determines in good faith that (A) the Fund’s ability to pursue or consummate such a transaction would be materially adversely affected by any required disclosure of such transaction in such Registration Statement or other registration statement or (B) such transaction renders the Fund unable to comply with Commission requirements, in each case under circumstances that would make it impractical or inadvisable to cause any Registration Statement (or such filings) to be used by Investor or to promptly amend or supplement any Registration Statement contemplated by this Agreement on a post effective basis, as applicable, or (y) has experienced some other material non-public event the disclosure of which at such time, in the good faith judgment of the Fund, would materially adversely affect the Fund (each, an “Allowable Grace Period”); provided, however, that in no event shall the Investor be suspended from selling Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement for a period that exceeds thirty (30) consecutive Trading Days or an aggregate of ninety (90) Trading Days in any 365-day period; provided, further, that for purposes of calculating the thirty (30) consecutive Trading Day and ninety (90) Trading Day limits set forth above, any Trading Days during which a Government Shutdown is continuing that delays the Commission’s declaration of effectiveness of any post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement shall be excluded from such calculation; and provided, further, the Fund shall not effect any such suspension during (A) the first ten (10) consecutive Trading Days after the Effective Date of the particular Registration Statement or (B) the five-Trading Day period commencing on the Purchase Date for each VWAP Purchase and for each Intraday VWAP Purchase (as applicable). Upon disclosure of such information or the termination of the condition described above, the Fund shall provide prompt notice, but in any event within one Business Day of such disclosure or termination, to the Investor and shall promptly terminate any suspension of sales it has put into effect and shall take such other reasonable actions to permit registered sales of Registrable Securities as contemplated in this Agreement (including as set forth in the first sentence of Section 3(e) with respect to the information giving rise thereto unless such material, non-public information is no longer applicable). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3(o), the Fund shall cause its Transfer Agent to deliver DWAC Shares to a transferee of the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which (i) the Fund has made a sale to Investor and (ii) the Investor has entered into a contract for sale, and delivered a copy of the Prospectus included as part of the particular Registration Statement to the extent applicable, in each case prior to the Investor’s receipt of the notice of an Allowable Grace Period and for which the Investor has not yet settled.
| 4. | Obligations of the Investor. |
(a) At least five (5) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of each Registration Statement (or such shorter period to which the parties agree), the Fund shall notify the Investor in writing of the information the Fund requires from the Investor with respect to such Registration Statement. It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Fund to complete the registration pursuant to this Agreement with respect to the Registrable Securities of the Investor that the Investor shall furnish to the Fund such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of the Registrable Securities held by it, as shall be reasonably required to effect and maintain the effectiveness of the registration of such Registrable Securities and shall execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Fund may reasonably request.
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(b) The Investor, by its acceptance of the Registrable Securities, agrees to cooperate with the Fund as reasonably requested by the Fund in connection with the preparation and filing of each Registration Statement hereunder.
(c) The Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Fund of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(o) or the first sentence of 3(e), the Investor shall immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement(s) covering such Registrable Securities until the Investor’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus contemplated by Section 3(o) or the first sentence of Section 3(e) or receipt of notice that no supplement or amendment is required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4(c), the Fund shall cause its Transfer Agent to deliver DWAC Shares to a transferee of the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which the Investor has entered into a contract for sale prior to the Investor’s receipt of a notice from the Fund of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(o) or the first sentence of Section 3(e) and for which the Investor has not yet settled.
(d) The Investor covenants and agrees that it shall comply with the prospectus delivery and other requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement.
| 5. | Expenses of Registration. |
Each party shall bear its own fees and expenses related to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund shall pay for all registration, listing and qualification fees, printers and accounting fees, and fees and disbursements of counsel for the Fund; and the Investor shall pay any sales or brokerage commissions and fees and disbursements of counsel for, and other expenses of, the Investor incurred in connection with the registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to Section 2 and 3, and all U.S. federal, state and local stamp and other similar transfer and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the sale of the Securities pursuant hereto.
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| 6. | Indemnification. |
(a) In the event any Registrable Securities are included in any Registration Statement under this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Fund will, and hereby does, indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Investor, each of its directors, officers, stockholders, members, partners, employees, agents, advisors, representatives (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title) and each Person, if any, who controls the Investor within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each of the directors, officers, stockholders, members, partners, employees, agents, advisors, representatives (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling Persons (each, an “Investor Party” and collectively, the “Investor Parties”), against any losses, obligations, claims, damages, liabilities, contingencies, judgments, fines, penalties, charges, costs (including court costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs of defense and investigation), amounts paid in settlement or expenses, joint or several, (collectively, “Claims”) reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending any action, claim, suit, inquiry, proceeding, investigation or appeal taken from the foregoing by or before any court or governmental, administrative or other regulatory agency, body or the Commission, whether pending or threatened, whether or not an Investor Party is or may be a party thereto (“Indemnified Damages”), to which any of them may become subject insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact in a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) or in any Prospectus Supplement or the omission or alleged omission to state therein any material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which the statements therein were made, not misleading (the matters in the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii) being, collectively, “Violations”). Subject to Section 6(e), the Fund shall reimburse the Investor Parties, promptly as such expenses are incurred and are due and payable, for any reasonable, documented out-of-pocket legal fees or other reasonable expenses incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section 6(a): (i) shall not apply to a Claim by an Investor Party arising out of or based upon a Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Fund by such Investor Party for such Investor Party expressly for use in connection with the preparation of such Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement or any such amendment thereof or supplement thereto (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the written information set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto is the only written information furnished to the Fund by or on behalf of the Investor expressly for use in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement); (ii) shall not be available to the Investor to the extent such Claim is based on a failure of the Investor to deliver or to cause to be delivered the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) made available by the Fund (to the extent applicable), including a corrected Prospectus, if such Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) or corrected Prospectus was timely made available by the Fund pursuant to Section 3(d) and then only if, and to the extent that, following the receipt of the corrected Prospectus no grounds for such Claim would have existed; and (iii) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Fund, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Investor Party and shall survive the transfer of any of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to Section 9.
(b) In connection with any Registration Statement in which the Investor is participating, the Investor agrees to severally and not jointly indemnify, hold harmless and defend, to the same extent and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 6(a), the Fund, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who controls the Fund within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (each, a “Company Party”), against any Claim or Indemnified Damages to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim or Indemnified Damages arise out of or are based upon any Violation, in each case, to the extent, and only to the extent, that such Violation occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to the Investor furnished to the Fund by the Investor expressly for use in connection with such Registration Statement, the Prospectus included therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the written information set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto is the only written information furnished to the Fund by or on behalf of the Investor expressly for use in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement); and, subject to Section 6(e) and the below provisos in this Section 6(b), the Investor shall reimburse a Company Party any reasonable, documented out-of-pocket legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Company Party in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim; provided, however, the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6(b) and the agreement with respect to contribution contained in Section 7 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Investor, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; and provided, further that the Investor shall be liable under this Section 6(b) for only that amount of a Claim or Indemnified Damages as does not exceed the net proceeds to the Investor as a result of the applicable sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Company Party and shall survive the transfer of any of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to Section 9.
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(c) Promptly after receipt by an Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including any governmental action or proceeding) involving a Claim, such Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) shall, if a Claim in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under this Section 6, deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof, and the indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the indemnifying party and the Investor Party or the Fund Party (as the case may be); provided, however, an Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the reasonable, documented fees and expenses of such counsel to be paid by the indemnifying party if: (i) the indemnifying party has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses; (ii) the indemnifying party shall have failed promptly to assume the defense of such Claim and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) in any such Claim; or (iii) the named parties to any such Claim (including any impleaded parties) include both such Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) and the indemnifying party, and such Investor Party or such Company Party (as the case may be) shall have been advised by counsel that a conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent such Investor Party or such Company Party and the indemnifying party (in which case, if such Investor Party or such Company Party (as the case may be) notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, then the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense thereof on behalf of the indemnified party and such counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party, provided further that in the case of clause (iii) above the indemnifying party shall not be responsible for the fees and expenses of more than one (1) separate legal counsel for all Investor Parties or Company Parties (as the case may be). The Fund Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) shall reasonably cooperate with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any such action or Claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Fund Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) which relates to such action or Claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Fund Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) reasonably apprised at all times as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its prior written consent; provided, however, the indemnifying party shall not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition its consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the Fund Party or Investor Party (as the case may be), consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or other compromise which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) of a release from all liability in respect to such Claim or litigation, and such settlement shall not include any admission as to fault on the part of the Fund Party or Investor Party (as the case may be). For the avoidance of doubt, the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to Sections 6(a) and 6(b) hereof. Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be subrogated to all rights of the Fund Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the matter for which indemnification has been made. The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such action shall not relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) under this Section 6, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is materially and adversely prejudiced in its ability to defend such action.
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(d) No Person involved in the sale of Registrable Securities who is guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) in connection with such sale shall be entitled to indemnification from any Person involved in such sale of Registrable Securities who is not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e) The indemnification required by this Section 6 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or Indemnified Damages are incurred; provided that any Person receiving any payment pursuant to this Section 6 shall promptly reimburse the Person making such payment for the amount of such payment to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such Person receiving such payment was not entitled to such payment.
(f) The indemnity and contribution agreements contained herein shall be in addition to (i) any cause of action or similar right of the Fund Party or Investor Party against the indemnifying party or others, and (ii) any liabilities the indemnifying party may be subject to pursuant to the law.
| 7. | Contribution. |
To the extent any indemnification by an indemnifying party is prohibited or limited by law, the indemnifying party agrees to make the maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it would otherwise be liable under Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided, however: (i) no contribution shall be made under circumstances where the maker would not have been liable for indemnification under the fault standards set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement, (ii) no Person involved in the sale of Registrable Securities which Person is guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) in connection with such sale shall be entitled to contribution from any Person involved in such sale of Registrable Securities who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation; and (iii) contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities shall be limited in amount to the amount of net proceeds received by such seller from the applicable sale of such Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, the Investor shall not be required to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds actually received by the Investor from the applicable sale of the Registrable Securities subject to the Claim exceeds the amount of any damages that the Investor has otherwise been required to pay, or would otherwise be required to pay under Section 6(b), by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
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| 8. | Reports Under the Exchange Act. |
With a view to making available to the Investor the benefits of Rule 144, the Fund agrees to:
(a) use its commercially reasonable efforts to make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144;
(b) use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Fund under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so long as the Fund remains subject to such requirements (it being understood that nothing herein shall limit any of the Fund’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement) and the filing of such reports and other documents is required for the applicable provisions of Rule 144;
(c) furnish to the Investor so long as the Investor owns Registrable Securities, promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Fund, if true, that it has complied with the reporting, submission and posting requirements of Rule 144 and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual or semi-annual report of the Fund and such other reports and documents so filed by the Fund with the Commission if such reports are not publicly available via EDGAR, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Investor to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration; and
(d) take such additional action as is reasonably requested by the Investor to enable the Investor to sell the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144, including delivering all such legal opinions, consents, certificates, resolutions and instructions to the Fund’s Transfer Agent as may be reasonably requested from time to time by the Investor and otherwise fully cooperate with Investor and Investor’s broker to effect such sale of securities pursuant to Rule 144.
| 9. | Assignment of Registration Rights. |
Neither the Fund nor the Investor shall assign this Agreement or any of their respective rights or obligations hereunder; provided that any transaction, whether by merger, reorganization, restructuring, consolidation, financing or otherwise, whereby the Fund remains the surviving entity immediately after such transaction shall not be deemed an assignment.
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| 10. | Amendment or Waiver. |
No provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived by the parties from and after the date that is one (1) Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Initial Registration Statement is initially filed with the Commission. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, no provision of this Agreement may be (i) amended other than by a written instrument signed by both parties hereto or (ii) waived other than in a written instrument signed by the party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought. Failure of any party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.
| 11. | Miscellaneous. |
(a) Solely for purposes of this Agreement, a Person is deemed to be a holder of Registrable Securities whenever such Person owns or is deemed to own of record such Registrable Securities. If the Fund receives conflicting instructions, notices or elections from two or more Persons with respect to the same Registrable Securities, the Fund shall act upon the basis of instructions, notice or election received from such record owner of such Registrable Securities.
(b) Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement shall be given in accordance with Section 11.4 of the Purchase Agreement.
(c) Failure of any party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof. The Fund and the Investor acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that either party shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent or cure breaches of the provisions of this Agreement by the other party and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof (without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required), this being in addition to any other remedy to which either party may be entitled by law or equity.
(d) All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any law or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
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(e) The Transaction Documents set forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties solely with respect to the subject matter thereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations and understandings between the parties, both oral and written, solely with respect to such matters. There are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by either party relative to subject matter hereof not expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary and without implication that the contrary would otherwise be true, nothing contained in this Agreement shall limit, modify or affect in any manner whatsoever (i) the conditions precedent to a VWAP Purchase and an Intraday VWAP Purchase contained in Article VIII of the Purchase Agreement or (ii) any of the Fund’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement.
(f) This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors. This Agreement is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any Person, other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and the Persons referred to in Sections 6 and 7 hereof.
(g) The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each pronoun herein shall be deemed to include the masculine, feminine, neuter, singular and plural forms thereof. The terms “including,” “includes,” “include” and words of like import shall be construed broadly as if followed by the words “without limitation.” The terms “herein,” “hereunder,” “hereof” and words of like import refer to this entire Agreement instead of just the provision in which they are found.
(h) This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party; provided that a facsimile signature or signature delivered by e-mail in a “.pdf” format data file, including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com, www.echosign.adobe.com, etc., shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original signature.
(i) Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents as any other party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
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(j) The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party.
[Signature Pages Follow]
19
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Fund and the Investor have caused their respective signature page to this Registration Rights Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
THE FUND: |
||||
| ELLINGTON CREDIT COMPANY | ||||
By: |
/s/ Laurence E. Penn | |||
| Name: | Laurence E. Penn | |||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |||
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| THE INVESTOR: | ||||
| CITIZENS JMP SECURITIES, LLC | ||||
By: |
/s/ Gianpaolo Arpaia | |||
| Name: | Gianpaolo Arpaia | |||
| Title: | Managing Director | |||
[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
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EXHIBIT A
FORM
OF NOTICE OF EFFECTIVENESS
OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
[●]
[●]
[●]
| Re: | Ellington Credit Company |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Ellington Credit Company, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Fund”), in connection with that certain Common Share Purchase Agreement, dated April 16, 2026 (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and between the Fund, Ellington Credit Company Management LLC, Ellington Credit Company Administration LLC and the Investor named therein (the “Holder”), pursuant to which the Fund may issue to the Holder from time to time the Fund’s common shares of beneficial interest, no par value (the ”Common Shares”). Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Fund also has entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of April 16, 2026, with the Holder (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Fund agreed, among other things, to register the offer and sale by the Holder of the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In connection with the Fund’s obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, on April 16, 2026, the Fund filed a Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File Nos. 333-[●] and 811-24071) (the “Registration Statement”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) relating to the resale by the Holder of Registrable Securities and which names the Holder as an underwriter and a selling stockholder thereunder.
In connection with the foregoing, we advise you that the Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act; and no stop order suspending its effectiveness has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose are pending or threatened by the Commission. The statement with respect to effectiveness of the Registration Statement under the Securities Act is based solely on the Notice of Effectiveness relating to the Registration Statement issued by the Commission or published by the Commission on its website, as applicable. The statement with respect to no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement having been issued and no proceedings for that purpose being pending or threatened by the Commission is based solely on the review, by lawyers in our firm actively engaged in our representation of the Fund in this matter, of the Commission’s “Stop Orders” web page (http://sec.gov/litigation/stoporders.shtml) at [●], Eastern Time, on the date hereof.
This letter is limited in all respects to the federal securities laws of the United States of America.
We assume no obligation to update this letter with respect to matters occurring subsequent to the date hereof.
This letter is addressed to you and is solely for your benefit and made only in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement. This letter may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose or furnished to, circulated, quoted or relied upon by any other person or entity other than you for any purpose without our prior written consent solely for the benefit of the person to whom it is addressed; accordingly, it may not be quoted, filed with any governmental authority or other regulatory agency or otherwise circulated or utilized for any purposes without our prior written consent.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| DECHERT LLP |
cc: Citizens JMP Securities, LLC
EXHIBIT B
SELLING STOCKHOLDER
This prospectus relates to the offer and sale by the Selling Shareholder of up to 7,500,000 common shares that have been or may be issued by the Fund pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. For additional information regarding the common shares covered by this prospectus, see the section titled “Committed Equity Financing” above. The Fund is registering such common shares pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement entered into with the Selling Shareholder on April 16, 2026 in order to permit the Selling Shareholder to offer them for resale from time to time. Except for the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, and as set forth in “Plan of Distribution (Conflict of Interest)” herein, the Selling Shareholder has not had any material relationship with the Fund within the past three years.
The table below presents information regarding the Selling Shareholder and the common shares that may be resold hereunder from time to time. This table is based on information supplied to the Fund by the Selling Shareholder and reflects holdings as of April 8, 2026. The column titled “Maximum Number of Common Shares to be Offered Pursuant to this Prospectus” represents all common shares being offered for resale by the Selling Shareholder hereunder. The Selling Shareholder may sell some, all or none of such shares. The Fund does not know how long the Selling Shareholder will hold the shares before selling them and, except as set forth in “Plan of Distribution (Conflict of Interest)” herein, the Fund is not aware of any existing arrangements between the Selling Shareholder and any other shareholder, broker, dealer, underwriter or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the common shares offered for resale hereunder.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, and includes common shares with respect to which the Selling Shareholder has sole or shared voting or investment power. The percentage shown in the table below is based on 37,579,569 common shares outstanding on March 31, 2026. Because the purchase price per share to be paid by the Selling Shareholder for our common shares, if any, that we may elect to sell to the Selling Shareholder in one or more VWAP Purchases and one or more Intraday VWAP Purchases from time to time under the Purchase Agreement will be determined on the applicable Purchase Dates therefor, the actual number of our common shares that we may sell to the Selling Shareholder under the Purchase Agreement may be fewer than the number of shares being offered for resale under this prospectus. The fourth column assumes the resale by the Selling Shareholder of all of the common shares being offered for resale pursuant to this prospectus.
| Name of Selling Shareholder | Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to Offering (Number)(1) | Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned Prior to Offering (Percent)(2) | Maximum Number of Common Shares to be Offered Pursuant to this Prospectus | Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned After Offering (Number)(3) | Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned After Offering (Percent)(2) |
| Citizens JMP(4) | — | — | 7,500,000 | — | — |
| (1) | In accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) under the Exchange Act, the Fund has excluded from the number of shares beneficially owned prior to the offering all of the common shares that the Selling Shareholder may be required to purchase under the Purchase Agreement, because the issuance of such shares is solely at the Fund’s discretion and is subject to conditions contained in the Purchase Agreement, the satisfaction of which are entirely outside of the Selling Shareholder’s control, including the registration statement that includes this prospectus becoming and remaining effective. Furthermore, the VWAP Purchases and the Intraday VWAP Purchases of common shares under the Purchase Agreement are subject to certain agreed upon maximum amount limitations set forth in the Purchase Agreement. Also, the Purchase Agreement prohibits the Fund from issuing and selling any common shares to the Selling Shareholder to the extent such shares, when aggregated with all other common shares then beneficially owned by the Selling Shareholder, would cause the Selling Shareholder’s beneficial ownership of the Fund’s common shares to exceed the 4.99% Beneficial Ownership Limitation. The Purchase Agreement also prohibits the Fund from issuing or selling common shares under the Purchase Agreement in excess of the 19.99% Exchange Cap, unless the Fund obtains shareholder approval to do so, or unless sales of common shares are made by the Fund to the Selling Shareholder at a price equal to or greater than the base price (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), such that the Exchange Cap limitation would not apply under applicable NYSE rules. Neither the Beneficial Ownership Limitation nor the Exchange Cap (to the extent applicable under NYSE rules) may be amended or waived under the Purchase Agreement. |
| (2) | Applicable percentage ownership is based on 37,579,569 common shares outstanding as of March 31, 2026. |
| (3) | Assumes the sale of all common shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus. |
| (4) | The business address of Citizens JMP is 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. Citizens JMP is a registered broker-dealer and FINRA member. Citizens JMP will act as an executing broker that will effectuate resales of our common stock that have been and may be acquired by Citizens JMP from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement to the public in this offering. See “Plan of Distribution (Conflict of Interest)” for more information. |
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION (Conflict of interest)
The shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus are being offered by the Selling Shareholder, Citizens JMP Securities, LLC (“Citizens JMP”). The shares may be sold or distributed from time to time by the Selling Shareholder directly to one or more purchasers or through brokers, dealers, or underwriters who may act solely as agents at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices, at negotiated prices, or at fixed prices, which may be changed. The sale of the shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus could be effected in one or more of the following methods:
●
ordinary brokers’ transactions;
●
transactions involving cross or block trades;
●
through brokers, dealers, or underwriters who may act solely as agents;
●
“at the market” into an existing market for our common stock;
●
in other ways not involving market makers or established business markets, including direct sales to purchasers or sales effected through agents;
●
in privately negotiated transactions; or
●
any combination of the foregoing.
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the shares may be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states, the shares may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the state or an exemption from the state’s registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.
The Selling Shareholder is an “underwriter” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act.
The Selling Shareholder has informed us that it, as a registered broker-dealer and FINRA member, presently anticipates acting, but is not required to act, as a broker to effectuate resales, if any, of our common stock that it may acquire from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, and that it may also engage one or more other registered broker-dealers to effectuate resales, if any, of such common stock that it may acquire from us. Such resales will be made at prices and at terms then prevailing or at prices related to the then current market price. Each such registered broker-dealer will be an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. The Selling Shareholder has informed us that each such broker-dealer it engages to effectuate resales of our common stock on its behalf, may receive commissions from the Selling Shareholder for executing such resales for the Selling Shareholder and, if so, such commissions will not exceed customary brokerage commissions.
The Selling Shareholder is a registered broker-dealer and FINRA member, and will act as an executing broker that will effectuate resales of our common stock that may be acquired by the Selling Shareholder from us pursuant to the Purchase Agreement to the public in this offering. Because the Selling Shareholder will receive all the net proceeds from such resales of our common stock made to the public through the Selling Shareholder, the Selling Shareholder is deemed to have a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. Pursuant to that rule, the appointment of a “qualified independent underwriter” is not required in connection with this offering, as a “bona fide public market,” as defined in Rule 5121, exists for the securities offered. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, the Selling Shareholder is not permitted to sell shares of our common stock in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder.
Except as set forth above, we know of no existing arrangements between the Selling Shareholder and any other stockholder, broker, dealer, underwriter or agent relating to the sale or distribution of the shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus.
Brokers, dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus may receive compensation in the form of commissions, discounts, or concessions from the purchasers, for whom the broker-dealers may act as agent, of the shares sold by the Selling Shareholder through this prospectus. The compensation paid to any such particular broker-dealer by any such purchasers of shares of our common stock sold by the Selling Shareholder may be less than or in excess of customary commissions. Neither we nor the Selling Shareholder can presently estimate the amount of compensation that any agent will receive from any purchasers of shares of our common stock sold by the Selling Shareholder.
We may from time to time file with the SEC one or more supplements to this prospectus or amendments to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part to amend, supplement or update information contained in this prospectus, including, if and when required under the Securities Act, to disclose certain information relating to a particular sale of shares offered by this prospectus by the Selling Shareholder, including with respect to any compensation paid or payable by the Selling Shareholder to any brokers, dealers, underwriters or agents that participate in the distribution of such shares by the Selling Shareholder, and any other related information required to be disclosed under the Securities Act.
We will pay the expenses incident to the registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus by the Selling Shareholder.
In addition, we have agreed to reimburse the Selling Shareholder for the reasonable legal fees and disbursements of the Selling Shareholder’s legal counsel in an amount not to exceed (i) $37,500 upon our execution of the Purchase Agreement and Registration Rights Agreement and (ii) $5,000 per fiscal quarter for the maximum three-year term of the Purchase Agreement, in each case in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110, these reimbursed fees and expenses are deemed to be underwriting compensation in connection with sales of our common stock by the Selling Shareholder to the public. Moreover, in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110, the discount (which may range from 1.75% to 3.00%, as a function of the VWAP Purchase Share Amount or Intraday VWAP Purchase Share Amount, as the case may be) to current market prices of our common stock reflected in the purchase prices payable by the Selling Shareholder for our common stock that we may require it to purchase from us from time to time under the Purchase Agreement is deemed to be underwriting compensation in connection with sales of our common stock by the Selling Shareholder to the public.
We also have agreed to indemnify the Selling Shareholder and certain other persons against certain liabilities in connection with the offering of shares of our common stock offered hereby, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act or, if such indemnity is unavailable, to contribute amounts required to be paid in respect of such liabilities. The Selling Shareholder has agreed to indemnify us against liabilities under the Securities Act that may arise from certain written information furnished to us by the Selling Shareholder specifically for use in this prospectus or, if such indemnity is unavailable, to contribute amounts required to be paid in respect of such liabilities. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore, unenforceable.
We estimate that the total expenses for the offering will be approximately $0.2 million.
The Selling Shareholder has represented to us that at no time prior to the date of the Purchase Agreement has the Selling Shareholder, its members, any of their respective officers, or any entity managed or controlled by the Selling Shareholder or its members, engaged in or effected, in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, for its own account or for the account of any of its affiliates, any short sale (as such term is defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO of the Exchange Act) of our common stock or any hedging transaction, which establishes a net short position with respect to our common stock. The Selling Shareholder has agreed that during the term of the Purchase Agreement, none of the Selling Shareholder, its members, any of their respective officers, or any entity managed or controlled by the Selling Shareholder or its members, will enter into or effect, directly or indirectly, any of the foregoing transactions for its own account or for the account of any other such person or entity.
We have advised the Selling Shareholder that it is required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes the Selling Shareholder, any affiliated purchasers, and any broker-dealer or other person who participates in the distribution from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also prohibits any bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the securities offered by this prospectus.
This offering will terminate on the date that all shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus have been sold by the Selling Shareholder.
Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE under the symbol “EARN”.
The Selling Shareholder acts as a sales agent in connection with the Company’s “at the market” offering program, for which it receives a customary commission from the sale of any common shares sold through it under the Equity Distribution Agreement between it and the Fund.
The Selling Shareholder and/or one or more of its affiliates has provided, currently provides and/or from time to time in the future may provide various investment banking and other financial services for us and/or one or more of our affiliates that are unrelated to the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the offering of shares for resale by the Selling Shareholder to which this prospectus relates, for which investment banking and other financial services they have received and may continue to receive customary fees, commissions and other compensation from us, aside from any discounts, fees and other compensation that the Selling Shareholder has received and may receive in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, including (i) the discount (which may range from 1.75% to 3.00%, as a function of the VWAP Purchase Share Amount or Intraday VWAP Purchase Share Amount, as the case may be) to current market prices of our common stock reflected in the purchase prices payable by the Selling Shareholder for our common stock that we may require it to purchase from us from time to time under the Purchase Agreement, and (iii) our reimbursement of up to an aggregate of $97,500 of the Selling Shareholder’s legal fees ($37,500 upon execution of the Purchase Agreement and $5,000 per fiscal quarter assuming a three-year term for the Purchase Agreement) in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.