e424b5
This prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus relate to an
effective registration statement under the Securities Act of
1933, but are not complete and may be changed. This prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to
sell these securities and they are not soliciting an offer to
buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not
permitted.
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FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 424(b)(5)
REGISTRATION NO. 333-121505
Subject to Completion, dated
December 6, 2005.
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT TO PROSPECTUS DATED DECEMBER 6, 2005
$1,250,000,000*
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC
Issuer
Senior Secured Transition Bonds, Series A
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Initial | |
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Underwriting | |
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Proceeds | |
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Scheduled | |
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Final | |
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Principal | |
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Interest | |
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Price to | |
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Discounts and | |
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to the | |
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Final Payment | |
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Maturity | |
Tranche* | |
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Balance* | |
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Rate | |
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Public | |
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Commissions | |
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Issuer | |
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Date* | |
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Date* | |
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A-1 |
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$ |
166,250,000 |
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% |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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2/1/09 |
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2/1/11 |
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A-2 |
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$ |
253,750,000 |
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% |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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8/1/12 |
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8/1/14 |
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A-3 |
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$ |
166,250,000 |
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% |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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2/1/14 |
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8/1/15 |
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A-4 |
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$ |
351,250,000 |
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% |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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8/1/17 |
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8/1/19 |
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A-5 |
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$ |
312,500,000 |
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% |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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8/1/19 |
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8/1/20 |
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The total
price to the public is
$ .
The total amount of the underwriting discounts and commissions
is
$ .
The total amount of proceeds to the issuer before deduction of
expenses (estimated to be
$ )
is
$ .
Investing
in the Senior Secured Transition Bonds, Series A involves
risks. See Risk Factors on page S-8 of this
prospectus supplement and on page 14 of the accompanying
prospectus.
CenterPoint
Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC is issuing
$1,250,000,000* of Senior Secured Transition Bonds,
Series A, or the Bonds, in multiple tranches.
The Bonds are senior secured obligations of the issuer and will
be supported by transition charges paid by all retail electric
customers in CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLCs
service territory as discussed herein. Transition charges are
required to be adjusted annually, and semi-annually as
necessary, to ensure the expected recovery of amounts sufficient
to timely provide all scheduled payments of principal, interest
and other required amounts and charges in connection with the
Bonds. There currently is no secondary market for the Bonds, and
we cannot assure you that one will develop.
The Bonds
represent obligations only of the issuer, CenterPoint Energy
Transition Bond Company II, LLC, and are secured only by the
assets of the issuer, consisting principally of the transition
property and funds on deposit in the collection account for the
Bonds and related subaccounts. For a description of the
transition property, please read The BondsThe
Transition Property in this prospectus supplement. The
transition property includes the right to impose, collect and
receive from retail electric customers, including the State of
Texas and other governmental entities, through a transition
charge, amounts sufficient to make payments on the Bonds, as
described further in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus. CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric,
LLC and its affiliates, other than the issuer, are not liable
for any payments on the Bonds. The Bonds are not a debt or
obligation of the State of Texas, the Public Utility Commission
of Texas or any other governmental agency or instrumentality and
are not a charge on the full faith and credit or the taxing
power of the State of Texas or any governmental agency or
instrumentality. However, the State of Texas and other
governmental entities, as retail electric customers, will be
obligated to pay transition charges securing the Bonds. Except
in their capacity as retail electric customers, neither the
State of Texas nor any political subdivision, agency, authority
or instrumentality of the State of Texas, nor any other entity,
will be obligated to provide funds for the payment of the Bonds.
The Public
Utility Commission of Texas guaranteed that it will take
specific actions pursuant to its irrevocable financing order,
dated March 16, 2005, as expressly authorized by the
utility restructuring provisions of the Public Utility
Regulatory Act to ensure that expected transition charge
revenues are sufficient to timely pay scheduled principal and
interest on the Bonds. The Public Utility Commission of
Texas obligations relating to the Bonds, including the
specific actions that it has guaranteed to take, are direct,
explicit, irrevocable and unconditional upon issuance of the
Bonds, and are legally enforceable against the Public Utility
Commission of Texas, a United States public sector entity.
All
matters relating to the structuring and pricing of the Bonds
have been considered jointly by CenterPoint Energy Houston
Electric, LLC and the Public Utility Commission of Texas, acting
through its financial advisor. The financial advisor to the
Public Utility Commission of Texas is
Saber Partners, LLC
Additional
information is contained in the accompanying prospectus. You
should read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus carefully before you decide to invest in the Bonds.
This prospectus supplement may not be used to offer or sell the
Bonds unless accompanied by the prospectus.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or
determined if this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus are truthful or complete. Any representation to the
contrary is a criminal offense.
The
underwriters expect to deliver the Bonds through the book-entry
facilities of The Depository Trust Company against payment
in New York, New York on December ,
2005.
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Lehman Brothers |
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Credit Suisse First Boston |
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RBS Greenwich Capital |
Barclays Capital |
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Deutsche Bank Securities |
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Goldman, Sachs & Co. |
First Albany Capital |
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Loop Capital Markets, LLC |
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M.R. Beal & Company |
Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., L.L.C. |
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Ramirez & Co., Inc. |
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Suntrust Robinson Humphrey |
The date of this prospectus supplement
is .
* The principal amount of Bonds offered hereby and the
tranches, initial principal balances, scheduled final payment
dates and final maturity dates described in this preliminary
prospectus supplement are subject to change based on market
conditions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
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S-1 |
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S-2 |
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S-8 |
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S-9 |
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S-9 |
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S-10 |
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S-11 |
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S-12 |
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S-12 |
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S-15 |
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S-16 |
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S-16 |
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S-17 |
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S-17 |
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S-18 |
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S-22 |
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S-22 |
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S-22 |
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S-24 |
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S-26 |
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S-26 |
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S-28 |
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S-29 |
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S-29 |
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S-29 |
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S-30 |
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S-30 |
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S-31 |
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S-32 |
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S-32 |
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S-32 |
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PROSPECTUS
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108 |
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Appendix A Glossary
of Defined Terms
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A-1 |
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Financial Statements of
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC.
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F-1 |
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i
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus
provide information about us, CenterPoint Energy Houston
Electric, LLC and the transition bonds. This prospectus
supplement describes the specific terms of the Bonds. The
accompanying prospectus describes terms that apply to all series
of transition bonds we may issue, including the Bonds offered
hereby.
References in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying
prospectus to the terms we, us,
our or the issuer mean CenterPoint
Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC. References to
CenterPoint Houston or the seller mean
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC, and references to the
integrated utility mean Reliant Energy,
Incorporated, the legal predecessor to CenterPoint Houston, as
it existed prior to its restructuring and the onset of
competition in the retail electric services market in Texas on
January 1, 2002, as mandated by the 1999 utility
restructuring amendments to the Public Utility Regulatory Act,
which we refer to as the Restructuring Act. Unless
the context otherwise requires, the term customer
means a retail end user of electricity and related services
provided by a retail electric provider via the transmission and
distribution system of an electric utility such as CenterPoint
Houston. We also refer to the Public Utility Commission of Texas
as the Texas commission. You can find a glossary of
some of the other defined terms we use in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus on page A-1 of
the accompanying prospectus.
We have included cross-references to sections in this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus where you can find
further related discussions. You can also find references to key
topics in the table of contents on the previous page.
You should rely only on the information contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus. Neither we nor any underwriter, agent,
dealer, salesperson, the Texas commission or CenterPoint Houston
has authorized anyone else to provide you with any different
information. If anyone provides you with different or
inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not
offering to sell the Bonds in any jurisdiction where the offer
or sale is not permitted. The information in this prospectus
supplement is current only as of the date of this prospectus
supplement.
S-1
SUMMARY OF TERMS
The following section is only a summary of selected information
and does not provide you with all the information you will need
to make your investment decision. There is more detailed
information in this prospectus supplement and in the
accompanying prospectus. To understand all of the terms of the
offering of the Bonds, carefully read this entire document and
the accompanying prospectus.
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Issuer and Capital Structure: |
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CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC, a special
purpose, bankruptcy-remote limited liability company
wholly-owned by CenterPoint Houston. We have no commercial
operations. We were formed solely to purchase and own transition
property, to issue transition bonds and to perform activities
incidental thereto. Please read The Issuer in the
accompanying prospectus. |
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In addition to the transition property, we will be capitalized
with an upfront deposit of 0.5% of the Bonds initial
principal amount (to be held in the capital subaccount) and will
have an excess funds subaccount to retain, until the next
payment date, any amounts collected and remaining after all
payments on the Bonds have been timely made. |
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We are responsible to the State of Texas and the Texas
commission. Specifically, pursuant to the financing order of the
Texas commission relating to the Bonds, |
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our organizational documents and transaction
documents prohibit us from engaging in any activities other than
acquiring transition property, issuing transition bonds and
performing other activities as specifically authorized by the
financing order, |
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we must respond to representatives of the Texas
commission throughout the process of offering the Bonds, with
the financing order directing the Texas commissions
financial advisor to veto any proposal that does not comply with
all criteria established in the financing order, and |
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all required true-up adjustments must be filed by
the servicer on our behalf. |
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We have also agreed that certain reports will be submitted to
the Texas commission by us or on our behalf. |
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Securities offered: |
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$1,250,000,000* Senior Secured Transition Bonds, Series A,
scheduled to pay principal semi-annually and sequentially in
accordance with the expected sinking fund schedule. |
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Expected ratings: |
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Aaa/AAA/AAA by Moodys, S&P and Fitch, respectively.
Please read Ratings for the Bonds in this prospectus
supplement. |
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Issuers address: |
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1111 Louisiana, Suite 4655B, Houston, Texas 77002 |
* Subject to change, based on market conditions.
S-2
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Issuers telephone number: |
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(713) 207-5222 |
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Payment dates and interest accrual: |
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Fixed rate Bonds: interest payable semi-annually,
February 1 and August 1. Interest will be calculated
on a 30/360 basis. The first scheduled interest and principal
payment date is August 1, 2006. |
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Floating rate Bonds: interest payable quarterly,
February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1.
Interest will be calculated on an actual/360 basis. The first
scheduled interest payment date is May 1, 2006 and the
first scheduled principal payment date is August 1, 2006. |
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Interest is due on each payment date and principal is due upon
the final maturity date for each tranche. |
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Optional redemption: |
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None. Non-call for the life of the Bonds. |
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Average life: |
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Stable. There is no prepayment risk. Extension risk is possible,
but the risk is statistically insignificant. Please read
Weighted Average Life Sensitivity in this prospectus
supplement and Weighted Average Life and Yield
Considerations for the Transition Bonds in the
accompanying prospectus. |
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Credit/ security: |
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Pursuant to the financing order issued by the Texas commission,
the irrevocable right to impose, collect and receive a
non-bypassable electricity consumption-based transition charge
from all retail electric customers (approximately
1.9 million customers), including the State of Texas and
other governmental entities, in CenterPoint Houstons
service territory. Transition charges are set and adjusted to
collect amounts equal to payments of principal, interest and
other required amounts and charges on a timely basis. Please
refer to Statutorily Guaranteed True-Up Mechanism for
Payment of Scheduled Principal and Interest in this
prospectus supplement, as well as the chart entitled
Parties to Transaction and Responsibilities,
The Restructuring Act and CenterPoint
Houstons Financing Order in the accompanying
prospectus. For information regarding consumption of electricity
by the State of Texas and other governmental entities, please
read The BondsThe Transition Property in this
prospectus supplement and The Servicer of the Transition
PropertyCustomer Classes in the accompanying
prospectus. |
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The transition property securing the Bonds is not a pool of
receivables. It consists of all of CenterPoint Houstons
rights and interests under the financing order transferred to us
in connection with the issuance of the Bonds, including the
irrevocable right to impose, collect and receive non- bypassable
transition charges and the right to implement the true-up
mechanism. Transition property is a present property right
created by the Restructuring Act and the financing order and is
protected by the state pledge in the Restructuring Act described
below. |
S-3
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The Bonds are secured only by our assets, consisting principally
of the transition property relating to the Bonds and funds on
deposit in the collection account for the Bonds and related
subaccounts. For a description of the transition property,
please read The BondsThe Transition Property
in this prospectus supplement. |
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Non-bypassable transition charges: |
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The statutorily guaranteed right from the government of the
State of Texas to collect transition charges from all existing
and future retail electric customers located within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory, subject to certain limitations
specified in the Restructuring Act, even if those customers
elect to purchase electricity from another supplier or choose to
operate new on-site generation or if the utility goes out of
business and its service area is acquired by another utility or
is municipalized. Please read Risk FactorsOther
Risks Associated with an Investment in the Transition
BondsTechnological change might make alternative energy
sources more attractive in the future in the accompanying
prospectus. The transition charges are applied to retail
electric customers individually and are adjusted and reallocated
among all customers as necessary under the statutorily
guaranteed true-up mechanism. Please read The Transition
Charges in this prospectus supplement and
CenterPoint Houstons Financing Order and
The Servicing AgreementsThe Statutorily Guaranteed
Transition Charge Adjustment Process in the accompanying
prospectus. |
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Statutorily guaranteed true-up mechanism for payment of
scheduled principal and interest: |
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The Restructuring Act and the irrevocable financing order
guarantee that transition charges on all retail electric
customers will be reviewed and adjusted annually, and
semi-annually as necessary, to ensure the expected recovery of
amounts sufficient to timely provide payment of scheduled
principal and interest on the Bonds. Pursuant to the financing
order, adjustments other than the annual adjustments may be made
generally not more than once in any six-month period. In the
financing order, the Texas commission guaranteed that it would
take specific actions pursuant to the financing order as
expressly authorized by the Restructuring Act to ensure that
expected transition charge revenues are sufficient to timely pay
scheduled principal and interest on the Bonds. |
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There is no cap on the level of transition charges
that may be imposed on retail electric customers, including the
State of Texas and other governmental entities, to timely pay
scheduled principal and interest on the Bonds. |
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The financing order provides that the true-up mechanism and all
other obligations of the State of Texas and the Texas commission
set forth in the financing order are direct, explicit,
irrevocable and unconditional upon issuance of the Bonds, and
are legally enforceable against the State of Texas and the Texas
commission. Please read |
S-4
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The Transition Charges in this prospectus supplement
and CenterPoint Houstons Financing Order and
The Servicing AgreementsThe Statutorily Guaranteed
Transition Charge Adjustment Process in the accompanying
prospectus. |
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Initial transition charge as a percentage of customers
total electricity bill: |
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The charge would represent approximately 2% of the total bill
received by a 1,000 kWh residential customer of the largest
retail electric provider in CenterPoint Houstons service
territory as of October 1, 2005. |
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State pledge: |
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The State of Texas has pledged in the Restructuring Act that it
will not take or permit any action that would impair the value
of the transition property, or reduce, alter or impair the
transition charges until the Bonds are fully repaid or
discharged, other than specified true-up adjustments to correct
any overcollections or undercollections. Please read The
Restructuring ActCenterPoint Houston and Other Utilities
May Securitize Qualified Costs in the accompanying
prospectus. |
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Credit risk: |
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The broad-based nature of the true-up mechanism and the state
pledge described above, along with other elements of the Bonds,
will serve to effectively eliminate, for all practical purposes
and circumstances, any credit risk associated with the Bonds
(i.e., that sufficient funds will be available and paid to
discharge all principal and interest obligations when due).
Please refer to the financing order, Finding of Fact 107, as
well as The Restructuring ActCenterPoint Houston and
Other Utilities May Securitize Qualified Costs,
CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True- Ups, Risk
Factors and Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Information in the accompanying prospectus. |
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Tax treatment: |
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Fully taxable; treated as debt for U.S. federal income tax
purposes. Please read Material Federal Income Tax
Consequences for Holders of Floating Rate Bonds in this
prospectus supplement and Material Federal Income Tax
Consequences for the Transition Bondholders in the
accompanying prospectus. |
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ERISA eligible: |
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Yes; please read ERISA Considerations in the
accompanying prospectus. |
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20% risk weighting: |
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If held by financial institutions subject to regulation in
countries (other than the United States) that have adopted the
1988 International Convergence of Capital Measurement and
Capital Standards of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
(as amended, the Basel Accord), the Bonds may
attract the same risk weighting as claims on or
claims guaranteed by non-central government bodies
within the United States, which are accorded a 20% risk
weighting. |
S-5
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We understand the United Kingdoms Financial Services
Authority has issued individual guidance letters to
one or more investors that an investment in Texas transition
bonds issued under the Restructuring Act can be accorded a 20%
risk weighting, which is similar to the risk weighting assigned
to U. S. Agency corporate securities (FNMA, FHLMC, etc.). |
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However, we cannot assure you that the Bonds will attract a 20%
risk weighting treatment under any national law, regulation or
policy implementing the Basel Accord. Investors should consult
their regulators before making any investment. Please read
Risk Weighting of the Bonds Under Certain International
Capital Guidelines in this prospectus supplement and
Risk Weighting Under Certain International Capital
Guidelines in the accompanying prospectus. |
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Enhanced continuing disclosure and dedicated website
(surveillance): |
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A dedicated web site will be established for the Bonds. In
addition, the indenture under which the Bonds will be issued
requires all of the periodic reports that we file with the SEC,
the principal transaction documents and other information
concerning the transition charges and security relating to the
Bonds to be posted on the website associated with our parent
company, located at www.centerpointenergy.com. |
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Furthermore, even if we were otherwise permitted to suspend such
filings, so long as any Bonds are outstanding, we also will
continue filing periodic reports under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and the rules, regulations or orders of the SEC.
Consequently, information will continue to be publicly available
and accessible to bondholders through the SEC or through the
dedicated website. Please read Enhanced Continuing
Disclosure in the accompanying prospectus. |
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Relationship to the Series 2001-1 transition bonds: |
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In October 2001, CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company,
LLC, which we refer to in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus as Transition Bond Company
I, a special purpose wholly owned subsidiary of
CenterPoint Houston, issued and sold $749 million of
Series 2001-1 transition bonds in accordance with a
financing order issued by the Texas commission on May 31,
2000. Transition Bond Company I will have no obligations under
the Bonds, and we have no obligations under the
Series 2001-1 transition bonds. The security pledged to
secure the Bonds will be separate from the security that is
securing the Series 2001-1 transition bonds or that would
secure any other series of transition bonds. The outstanding
Series 2001-1 transition bonds are currently rated
Aaa/AAA/AAA by Moodys, S&P and Fitch, respectively.
Please read Relationship to the Series 2001-1
Transition Bonds in the accompanying prospectus. |
S-6
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Servicer: |
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CenterPoint Houston is a State of Texas fully regulated electric
transmission and distribution utility wholly-owned indirectly by
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. CenterPoint Houston is engaged in the
transmission and distribution of electric energy in a 5,000
square-mile area located along the Texas Gulf Coast that has a
population of approximately five million people. CenterPoint
Houston, acting as the initial servicer, and any successor
servicer, referred to in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus as the servicer, will
service the transition property securing the Bonds under a
servicing agreement with us. Please read The Servicer of
the Transition Property in the accompanying prospectus. |
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CenterPoint Houstons address: |
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1111 Louisiana, Houston, Texas 77002 |
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CenterPoint Houstons telephone number: |
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(713) 207-3000 |
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Texas commission financial advisor: |
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Saber Partners, LLC (co-equal decision maker with us). Certain
financial advisory services, including any activities that may
be considered activities of a broker dealer, will be assigned to
Saber Capital Partners, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saber
Partners, LLC. |
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Indenture trustee: |
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Wilmington Trust Company |
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Expected settlement: |
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December , 2006, settling
flat. DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear. |
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Use of proceeds: |
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Paid to CenterPoint Houston to retire debt or equity only. In
accordance with the financing order, we may not use the net
proceeds from the sale of the Bonds for general corporate
purposes or commercial purposes. Please read Use of
Proceeds in the accompanying prospectus. |
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Risk factors: |
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You should consider carefully the risk factors beginning on
page S-8 of this prospectus supplement and on page 14
of the accompanying prospectus before you invest in the
Bonds. |
S-7
RISK FACTORS
You should consider carefully the risks of investing in the
Bonds. Material risks of investing in the Bonds are discussed
below and in the section entitled Risk Factors
beginning on page 14 of the accompanying prospectus.
A swap counterpartys default may cause a delay in our
ability to make payments on the Bonds.
If, on any payment date where the interest payable on any
tranche of floating rate Bonds exceeds the fixed amount payable
to the swap counterparty under a related interest rate swap
agreement, the swap counterparty defaults in its obligation to
make any payment required to be made under such related interest
rate swap agreement, we may have insufficient funds available in
the related tranche subaccount to make the full scheduled
interest payment on the affected tranche of floating rate Bonds.
In that event, we would apply toward the scheduled interest
payment the fixed amount in such tranche subaccount and, after
payment of fixed-rate interest or fixed swap payments, as
applicable, with respect to all tranches, amounts otherwise
applicable to principal payments on any tranche and amounts on
deposit in the capital and excess funds subaccounts. To the
extent that any shortfall exists after applying these amounts,
we would defer the payment of the remainder of the interest
payment but would expect to recover, through transition charges,
amounts sufficient to enable us to pay such shortfall, with
interest thereon. A swap counterpartys default may
nonetheless temporarily impair our ability to make interest
payments on the affected tranche of floating rate Bonds. See
The BondsInterest Rate Swap Agreements in this
prospectus supplement. Moreover, because we can make floating
rate interest payments from amounts that would otherwise be
applied toward payments of principal (including amounts in the
capital and excess fund subaccounts), a swap counterpartys
default may impair our ability to make payments of scheduled
principal on the Bonds at the rate set forth in the Expected
Sinking Fund Schedule in this prospectus supplement.
S-8
THE BONDS
We will issue the Bonds and secure their payment under an
indenture that we will enter into with Wilmington Trust Company,
as trustee, referred to in this prospectus supplement and the
accompanying prospectus as the trustee. Deutsche
Bank Trust Company Americas will serve as administrative agent
for the Bonds. We will issue the Bonds in denominations of
integral multiples of $1,000, except that we may issue one Bond
in each tranche in a smaller denomination. The initial principal
balance, scheduled final payment date, final maturity date and
interest rate for each tranche of the Bonds are stated in the
table below.
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expected | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average Life | |
|
Initial Principal | |
|
Scheduled Final | |
|
Final Maturity | |
|
Interest | |
Tranche* | |
|
(Years)* | |
|
Balance* | |
|
Payment Date* | |
|
Date* | |
|
Rate | |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
A-1 |
|
|
|
2.0 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
|
2/1/09 |
|
|
|
2/1/11 |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
A-2 |
|
|
|
5.0 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
|
8/1/12 |
|
|
|
8/1/14 |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
A-3 |
|
|
|
7.5 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
|
2/1/14 |
|
|
|
8/1/15 |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
A-4 |
|
|
|
10.0 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
|
8/1/17 |
|
|
|
8/1/19 |
|
|
|
% |
|
|
A-5 |
|
|
|
12.7 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
|
|
8/1/19 |
|
|
|
8/1/20 |
|
|
|
% |
|
The financing order relating to the Bonds authorizes the
issuance by us of up to approximately $1,857,000,000 (as of
December 15, 2005) aggregate principal amount of transition
bonds in one or more series. Based on market conditions, we may
issue less than the $1.25 billion aggregate principal
amount set forth on the cover of this preliminary prospectus
supplement, or more, up to the maximum amount authorized by the
financing order. We also may offer the Bonds in fewer or more
than five tranches. If the aggregate principal amount offered by
us were to change, the size and/or number of tranches of Bonds
offered would also change, as would the expected amortization
and sinking fund payment schedules and other terms of the Bonds.
The final aggregate principal amount of Bonds to be offered by
us and the final tranches and other terms will be set forth in
the final prospectus supplement for this offering. If we do not
issue all of the transition bonds authorized in the financing
order in this offering, we may offer the remaining authorized
amount in one or more subsequent offerings. Please read
Risk FactorsWe may issue additional series of
transition bonds in the accompanying prospectus. For
additional information regarding the financing order, please
read The BondsThe Financing Order in this
prospectus supplement and CenterPoint Houstons
Financing Order in the accompanying prospectus.
The scheduled final payment date for each tranche of the Bonds
is the date when the outstanding principal balance of that
tranche will be reduced to zero if we make payments according to
the expected amortization schedule for that tranche. The final
maturity date for each tranche of the Bonds is the date when we
are required to pay the entire remaining unpaid principal
balance, if any, of all outstanding Bonds of that tranche. The
failure to pay principal of any tranche of Bonds by the final
maturity date for that tranche is an event of default, but the
failure to pay principal of any tranche of Bonds by the
respective scheduled final payment date will not be an event of
default. Please refer to The Transition
BondsPayments of Interest and Principal on the Transition
Bonds and What Constitutes an Event of Default
on the Transition Bonds in the accompanying prospectus.
The Collateral
The Bonds will be secured under the indenture by the
indentures trust estate. The principal asset of the
indentures trust estate for the Bonds is the transition
property relating to the Bonds, which is a present property
right created under the Restructuring Act enacted by the Texas
legislature in June 1999 by the financing order issued by the
Texas commission on March 16, 2005, referred to in this
prospectus supplement as the financing order. The
indentures trust estate also consists of:
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|
our rights under the sale agreement pursuant to which we will
acquire the transition property relating to the Bonds, under the
administration agreement and under all bills of sale delivered
by CenterPoint Houston pursuant to the sale agreement, |
* Subject to change, based on market conditions.
S-9
|
|
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|
|
our rights under the servicing agreement and any subservicing,
agency, intercreditor or collection agreements executed in
connection with the servicing agreement, |
|
|
|
the collection account and all subaccounts of the collection
account, |
|
|
|
our rights under any interest rate swap agreement entered into
with respect to the
tranche floating
rate Bonds, |
|
|
|
our rights in the deposits of retail electric providers required
under the financing order, |
|
|
|
all of our other property, other than any cash released to us by
the trustee on any payment date from earnings on the capital
subaccount, |
|
|
|
all present and future claims, demands, causes and choses in
action in respect of any or all of the foregoing, and |
|
|
|
all payments on or under and all proceeds in respect of any or
all of the foregoing. |
The Transition Property
In general terms, the portion of all of the rights and interests
of CenterPoint Houston that relate to the Bonds under the
financing order, upon transfer to us pursuant to the sale
agreement, are referred to in this prospectus supplement as the
transition property. The transition property
includes the right to impose, collect and receive, through the
applicable transition charges payable by retail electric
customers within CenterPoint Houstons service territory
which, subject to certain limitations specified in the
Restructuring Act, continue to consume electricity that is
delivered through the distribution system or produced in new
on-site generation, including the State of Texas and other
governmental entities, an amount sufficient to pay principal and
interest and to make other deposits in connection with the
Bonds. During the twelve months ended September 30, 2005,
approximately 41% of CenterPoint Houstons total deliveries
were to industrial customers, approximately 26% were to
commercial customers and approximately 33% were to residential
customers, with the State of Texas and other governmental
entities included in all categories and comprising approximately
5% of CenterPoint Houstons total deliveries. Except in
their capacity as retail electric customers, neither the State
of Texas nor any political subdivision, agency, authority or
instrumentality of the State of Texas, nor any other entity,
will be obligated to provide funds for the payment of the Bonds.
The transition property is not a receivable, and the principal
collateral securing the Bonds is not a pool of receivables.
Transition charges authorized in the financing order that relate
to the Bonds are irrevocable and not subject to reduction,
impairment, or adjustment by further action of the Texas
commission, except for annual and interim true-up adjustments to
correct overcollections or undercollections and to provide the
expected recovery of amounts sufficient to timely provide all
payments of debt service and other required amounts and charges
in connection with the Bonds. See Credit
EnhancementStatutorily Guaranteed True-Up Mechanism for
Payment of Scheduled Principal and Interest in this
prospectus supplement. All revenues and collections resulting
from transition charges provided for in the financing order that
relate to the Bonds are part of the transition property.
CenterPoint Houstons qualified costs authorized in the
financing order approving the issuance of the Bonds include:
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|
|
|
|
CenterPoint Houstons stranded cost balance as of
August 31, 2004, which is an amount associated with the
transition to competitive retail electric markets in Texas
determined by the Texas commission to be recoverable under the
Restructuring Act, plus: |
|
|
|
|
|
excess mitigation credits provided on the bills of
retail electric customers (as required by prior order of the
Texas commission) from August 31, 2004 through the date the
Bonds are issued or the date of the termination of such excess
mitigation credits, whichever is earlier, |
|
|
|
interest on stranded costs accrued from August 31, 2004
through the date the Bonds are issued, |
S-10
|
|
|
|
|
costs of issuing, supporting and servicing the Bonds, and |
|
|
|
any costs of retiring and refunding CenterPoint Houstons
existing debt and equity securities in connection with the
issuance of the Bonds (excluding costs of retiring or refunding
debt or equity securities held by an affiliate of CenterPoint
Houston). |
The transition property relating to the Bonds and other
transition property that may be transferred to us under the
financing order in connection with the issuance of another
series of transition bonds or in connection with one or more
separate financing orders providing for separate series of
transition bonds are described in more detail under The
Sale AgreementsCenterPoint Houstons Sale and
Assignment of the Transition Property in the accompanying
prospectus.
We will purchase the transition property from CenterPoint
Houston to support the issuance of $1,250,000,000* in principal
amount of the Bonds. The servicer will bill and collect
transition charges allocable to the Bonds from retail
electric providers, which are entities certified under
state law that provide electricity and related services to
retail electric customers within CenterPoint Houstons
service territory, and will remit the collections to the
trustee. The retail electric providers will in turn bill and
collect the transition charges from retail electric customers in
CenterPoint Houstons service territory. Each retail
electric provider will include the transition charges in its
bill to its retail electric customers but is not required to
show the transition charges as a separate line item or footnote.
However, each retail electric provider will be required to
provide annual written notice to its customers that transition
charges have been included in the customers bills.
Each retail electric provider will be required to pay the
transition charges on or before the 35th day after it receives
the bill from the servicer, less an agreed allowance for
expected uncollectible amounts, whether or not the retail
electric provider has collected all amounts owed to it by its
retail electric customers. Prior to the date on which the retail
electric provider remits the transition charges to the servicer,
the transition charges may be commingled with the retail
electric providers other funds. Please refer to Risk
FactorsRisks Associated With Potential Bankruptcy
Proceedings of Retail Electric Providers, Retail
Electric Providers and How a Bankruptcy May Affect
Your InvestmentBankruptcy of a Retail Electric
Provider in the accompanying prospectus.
The servicer will have only limited rights to collect the
transition charges directly from retail electric customers if a
retail electric provider does not remit such payments to the
servicer but will have certain rights against the retail
electric provider. Please refer to Retail Electric
Providers in the accompanying prospectus. For information
on how electric service to retail electric customers may be
terminated, see Risk FactorsServicing
RisksLimits on rights to terminate service might make it
more difficult to collect the transition charges in the
accompanying prospectus. Because the amount of transition charge
collections will depend largely on the amount of electricity
consumed by customers within CenterPoint Houstons service
territory, the amount of collections may vary substantially from
year to year. Please refer to The Servicer of the
Transition Property in the accompanying prospectus.
Under the Restructuring Act and the indenture, the trustee or
the holders of the Bonds have the right to foreclose or
otherwise enforce the lien on the transition property. However,
in the event of foreclosure, there is likely to be a limited
market, if any, for the transition property. Therefore,
foreclosure might not be a realistic or practical remedy. Please
refer to Risk FactorsRisks Associated with the
Unusual Nature of the Transition PropertyForeclosure of
the trustees lien on the transition property for a series
of transition bonds might not be practical, and acceleration of
the transition bonds of such series before maturity might have
little practical effect in the accompanying prospectus.
The Financing Order
On March 16, 2005, the Texas commission issued the
financing order relating to the Bonds to CenterPoint Houston.
The financing order authorizes CenterPoint Houston to cause us
to issue transition bonds in one or more series in an aggregate
amount not to exceed $1,493,747,264 plus (a) the principal
portion of excess mitigation
* Subject to change, based on market conditions.
S-11
credits (which are credits on the bills of retail electric
customers that were required by prior order of the Texas
commission) provided by CenterPoint Houston after
August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance of the
transition bonds or the date of the termination of such excess
mitigation credits, whichever is earlier, (b) interest on
stranded costs accrued after August 31, 2004 through the
date of issuance of the transition bonds, and (c) up-front
qualified costs as set forth in the financing order. The
financing order also authorizes transition charges in amounts
sufficient to recover the principal and interest on the Bonds
plus an additional amount of ongoing qualified costs. Our
ability to recover certain of our ongoing costs through
transition charges is subject to caps imposed by the financing
order. The Texas commission guaranteed that it will take
specific actions pursuant to the irrevocable financing order as
expressly authorized by the Restructuring Act to ensure that
expected transition charge revenues are sufficient to timely pay
scheduled principal and interest on the Bonds. The financing
order provides that the true-up mechanism and all other
obligations of the State of Texas and the Texas commission set
forth in the financing order are direct, explicit, irrevocable
and unconditional upon issuance of the Bonds, and are legally
enforceable against the State of Texas and the Texas commission.
Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
Order in the accompanying prospectus.
Payment and Record Dates and Payment Sources
Beginning August 1, 2006, we will make payments of interest
on the fixed rate Bonds semi-annually on February 1 and
August 1 of each year, or, if that day is not a business
day, the following business day (each, a semi-annual
payment date). In addition, beginning May 1, 2006, we
will make payments of interest on all floating rate Bonds on
February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1
of each year or, if that day is not a business day, the
following business day (each, a quarterly payment
date). We refer to each of these dates as a payment
date. So long as the Bonds are in book-entry form, on each
payment date, we will make interest and principal payments to
the persons who are the holders of record as of the business day
immediately prior to that payment date, which is referred to as
the record date. If we issue certificated transition
bonds to beneficial owners of the Bonds as described in
The Transition BondsDefinitive Certificated
Transition Bonds in the accompanying prospectus, the
record date will be the last business day of the calendar month
immediately preceding the payment date. On each payment date, we
will pay amounts on outstanding Bonds from amounts available in
the collection account and the related subaccounts held by the
trustee in the priority set forth under Credit
EnhancementHow Funds in the Collection Account Will Be
Allocated in this prospectus supplement. These available
amounts, which will include amounts collected by the servicer
for us with respect to the transition charges, are described in
greater detail under The Transition BondsThe
Collection Account for the Transition Bonds in the
accompanying prospectus.
Principal Payments
On each semi-annual payment date, we will pay principal of the
Bonds to the bondholders equal to the sum, without duplication,
of:
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|
|
the unpaid principal amount of any Bond whose final maturity
date is on that payment date, plus |
|
|
|
the unpaid principal amount of any Bond upon acceleration
following an event of default relating to the Bonds, plus |
|
|
|
any overdue payments of principal, plus |
|
|
|
any unpaid and previously scheduled payments of principal, plus |
|
|
|
the principal scheduled to be paid on any Bond on that payment
date, |
but only to the extent funds are available in the collection
account after payment of certain of our fees and expenses and
after payment of interest as described below under
Interest Payments Generally. To the extent
funds are so available, we will make scheduled payments of
principal of the Bonds in the following order:
|
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|
1. |
to the holders of the tranche A-1 Bonds, until the
principal balance of that tranche has been reduced to zero, |
S-12
|
|
|
|
2. |
to the holders of the tranche A-2 Bonds, until the
principal balance of that tranche has been reduced to zero, |
|
|
3. |
to the holders of the tranche A-3 Bonds, until the
principal balance of that tranche has been reduced to zero, |
|
|
4. |
to the holders of the tranche A-4 Bonds, until the
principal balance of that tranche has been reduced to zero, and |
|
|
5. |
to the holders of the tranche A-5 Bonds, until the
principal balance of that tranche has been reduced to zero. |
However, we will not pay principal of any tranche of Bonds on
any semi-annual payment date if making the payment would reduce
the principal balance of that tranche to an amount lower than
the amount specified in the expected amortization schedule below
for that tranche on that semi-annual payment date. Any excess
funds remaining in the collection account after payment of
principal, interest, applicable fees and expenses and payments
to the applicable subaccounts of the collection account will be
retained in the excess funds subaccount until applied on a
subsequent semi-annual payment date. The entire unpaid principal
balance of each tranche of the Bonds will be due and payable on
the final maturity date for the tranche.
If an event of default under the indenture has occurred and is
continuing, the trustee or the holders of a majority in
principal amount of the transition bonds of each affected series
then outstanding may declare the unpaid principal balance of
each such affected series of the transition bonds, together with
accrued interest, to be due and payable. However, the nature of
our business will result in payment of principal upon an
acceleration of the Bonds being made as funds become available.
See Risk FactorsRisks Associated With the Unusual
Nature of the Transition PropertyForeclosure of the
trustees lien on the transition property for a series of
transition bonds might not be practical, and acceleration of the
transition bonds of such series before maturity might have
little practical effect and You may experience
material payment delays or incur a loss on your investment in
the transition bonds because the source of funds for payment is
limited in the accompanying prospectus. If there is a
shortfall in the amounts available to make principal payments on
transition bonds of a series that are due and payable, including
upon an acceleration following an event of default, the trustee
will distribute principal from the collection account for that
series pro rata to each tranche of transition bonds of that
series based on the principal amount then due and payable on the
semi-annual payment date; and if there is a shortfall in the
remaining amounts available to make principal payments on
transition bonds of a series that are scheduled to be paid, the
trustee will distribute principal from the collection account
for that series pro rata to each tranche of transition bonds of
that series based on the principal amount then scheduled to be
paid on the payment date.
The expected amortization schedule below sets forth the
principal balance that is scheduled to remain outstanding on
each semi-annual payment date for each tranche of the Bonds from
the issuance date to the scheduled final payment date.
Similarly, the expected sinking fund schedule below sets forth
the corresponding principal payment that is scheduled to be made
on each semi-annual payment date for each tranche of the Bonds
from the issuance date to the scheduled final payment date. In
establishing these schedules, we have made the assumptions
specified in the bullet points under the weighted average life
sensitivity table below under Weighted Average Life
Sensitivity, among other assumptions.
S-13
Expected Amortization Schedule*
Outstanding Principal Balance Per Tranche
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Semi-Annual |
|
Tranche | |
|
Tranche | |
|
Tranche | |
|
Tranche | |
|
Tranche | |
Payment Date |
|
A-1 Balance | |
|
A-2 Balance | |
|
A-3 Balance | |
|
A-4 Balance | |
|
A-5 Balance | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Issuance Date
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/06
|
|
$ |
153,653,884 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/07
|
|
$ |
118,828,792 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/07
|
|
$ |
94,993,210 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/08
|
|
$ |
58,025,356 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/08
|
|
$ |
31,692,972 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/09
|
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
245,674,318 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
216,697,898 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/10
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
173,969,770 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/10
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
142,353,883 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/11
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
96,726,448 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/11
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
62,313,795 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
13,618,322 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
142,504,333 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
90,567,530 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
50,048,942 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
345,913,824 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
302,050,145 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
243,003,072 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
195,547,255 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
132,601,200 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
81,321,898 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
2/1/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
14,231,674 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
271,413,769 |
|
2/1/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
199,936,866 |
|
8/1/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
140,293,068 |
|
2/1/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
64,140,785 |
|
8/1/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
* |
Subject to change, based on market conditions. |
On each semi-annual payment date, the trustee will make
principal payments to the extent the principal balance of each
tranche of the Bonds exceeds the amount indicated for that
payment date in the table above and to the extent of funds
available in the collection account after payment of certain of
our fees and expenses and after payment of interest. If
sufficient funds are available on each semi-annual payment date,
principal payments will be in the amounts indicated for each
payment date in the schedule below.
S-14
Expected Sinking Fund Schedule*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Semi-Annual |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payment Date |
|
Tranche A-1 | |
|
Tranche A-2 | |
|
Tranche A-3 | |
|
Tranche A-4 | |
|
Tranche A-5 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Tranche Size
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
8/1/06
|
|
$ |
12,596,116 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/07
|
|
$ |
34,825,091 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/07
|
|
$ |
23,835,583 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/08
|
|
$ |
36,967,854 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/08
|
|
$ |
26,332,384 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/09
|
|
$ |
31,692,972 |
|
|
$ |
8,075,682 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
28,976,419 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/10
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
42,728,128 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/10
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
31,615,887 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/11
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
45,627,435 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/11
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
34,412,653 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
48,695,473 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
13,618,323 |
|
|
$ |
23,745,667 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
51,936,804 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
40,518,588 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
50,048,941 |
|
|
$ |
5,336,176 |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
43,863,679 |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
59,047,073 |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
47,455,817 |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
62,946,055 |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
51,279,303 |
|
|
|
- |
|
2/1/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
67,090,223 |
|
|
|
- |
|
8/1/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
14,231,674 |
|
|
$ |
41,086,231 |
|
2/1/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
71,476,904 |
|
8/1/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
59,643,798 |
|
2/1/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
76,152,282 |
|
8/1/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
64,140,785 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Payments
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
253,750,000 |
|
|
$ |
166,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
351,250,000 |
|
|
$ |
312,500,000 |
|
|
|
* |
Subject to change, based on market conditions. |
We cannot assure you that principal payments will be made or
that the principal balance of any tranche of the Bonds will be
reduced at the rates indicated in the schedules above. Principal
payments and the actual reduction in tranche principal balances
may occur more slowly. Principal payments and the actual
reduction in tranche principal balances will not occur more
quickly than indicated in the above schedules, except that the
total outstanding principal balance of and interest accrued on
the Bonds are accelerated upon an event of default under the
indenture. The Bonds will not be in default if principal is not
paid as specified in the schedules above unless the principal of
any tranche is not paid in full on or before the final maturity
date of that tranche.
Weighted Average Life Sensitivity
Weighted average life refers to the average amount of time from
the date of issuance of a security until each dollar of
principal of the security has been repaid to the investor. The
rate of principal payments on each tranche of Bonds, the
aggregate amount of each interest payment on each tranche of
Bonds and the actual final payment date of each tranche of Bonds
will depend on the timing of the servicers receipt of
transition charges from retail electric providers. See
Weighted Average Life and Yield Considerations for the
Transition Bonds in the accompanying prospectus for
further information. Changes in the expected weighted average
lives of the tranches of the Bonds in relation to variances in
actual energy consumption levels (retail electric sales) from
forecast levels are
S-15
shown below. Severe stress cases on electricity consumption
result in insignificant changes (approximately six weeks), if
any, in the weighted average lives of each tranche.
Weighted Average Life Sensitivity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expected |
|
-5% |
|
-15% |
|
|
Weighted |
|
(4.8 Standard Deviations from Mean) |
|
(11.6 Standard Deviations from Mean) |
|
|
Avg. Life |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(WAL) |
|
WAL |
|
Change |
|
WAL |
|
Change |
Tranche |
|
(yrs) |
|
(yrs) |
|
(days) |
|
(yrs) |
|
(days) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A-1
|
|
2.0 |
|
2.0 |
|
0 |
|
2.1 |
|
29 |
A-2
|
|
5.0 |
|
5.0 |
|
0 |
|
5.1 |
|
40 |
A-3
|
|
7.5 |
|
7.5 |
|
0 |
|
7.6 |
|
29 |
A-4
|
|
10.0 |
|
10.0 |
|
0 |
|
10.1 |
|
29 |
A-5
|
|
12.7 |
|
12.7 |
|
0 |
|
12.8 |
|
26 |
For the purposes of preparing the above table, we have assumed,
among other things, that:
|
|
|
|
|
the forecast error stays constant over the life of the Bonds and
is equal to an overestimate of electricity consumption of 5%
(4.8 Standard Deviations From Mean) or 15% (11.6 Standard
Deviations From Mean) as stated in the chart above; |
|
|
|
the servicer makes timely and accurate filings to true-up the
transition charges semi-annually in years one through thirteen
and quarterly in the fourteenth and fifteenth years; |
|
|
|
retail electric providers remit all transition charges
35 days after such charges are billed; and |
|
|
|
if floating rate Bonds are issued, each interest rate swap
counterparty makes timely payments of any amount owed by it
under the related interest rate swap agreement. |
There can be no assurance that the weighted average lives of the
various tranches of the Bonds will be as shown in the above
table.
Distribution Following Acceleration
Upon an acceleration of the maturity of the Bonds, the total
outstanding principal balance of and interest accrued on the
Bonds will be payable without priority of interest over
principal or principal over interest and without regard to
tranche. Although principal will be due and payable upon
acceleration, the nature of our business will result in
principal being paid as funds become available. See Risk
FactorsRisks Associated with the Unusual Nature of the
Transition PropertyForeclosure of the trustees lien
on the transition property for a series of transition bonds
might not be practical, and acceleration of the transition bonds
of such series before maturity might have little practical
effect and You may experience material payment
delays or incur a loss on your investment in the transition
bonds because the source of funds for payment is limited
in the accompanying prospectus. Also see The Restructuring
ActCenterPoint Houston and Other Utilities May Securitize
Qualified CostsThe State Pledge and
Constitutional Matters in the accompanying
prospectus.
Interest Payments Generally
Holders of transition bonds in each tranche of Bonds will
receive interest at the rate for that tranche as set forth in
the table on page S-9.
Interest on each tranche of Bonds will accrue from and including
the date of issuance to but excluding the first payment date,
and thereafter from and including the previous payment date to
but excluding the applicable payment date until the Bonds have
been paid in full, at the interest rate indicated in the table
on page S-9. Each of those periods is referred to as an
interest accrual period. On each payment date, we
will pay interest on each tranche of the Bonds equal to the
following amounts (other than as described under
Interest Rate Swap
S-16
AgreementsAmounts Payable Under Interest Rate Swap
Agreements in this prospectus supplement with respect to
floating rate interest):
|
|
|
|
|
any interest payable but unpaid on any prior payment date,
together with interest on such unpaid interest, if any, and |
|
|
|
accrued interest on the principal balance of each tranche of the
Bonds as of the close of business on the preceding semi-annual
payment date, or the date of the original issuance of the Bonds,
after giving effect to all payments of principal made on the
preceding semi-annual payment date, if any. |
We will pay interest on the Bonds before we pay principal on the
Bonds. Please refer to The Transition BondsPayments
of Interest and Principal on the Transition Bonds in the
accompanying prospectus. If there is a shortfall in the amounts
available in the collection account to make interest payments on
the Bonds, the trustee will distribute interest pro rata to each
tranche of Bonds based on the amount of interest payable on each
such outstanding tranche, subject to additional limitations
applicable to any floating rate Bonds. Please read Credit
EnhancementCollection Account and Subaccounts in
this prospectus supplement. We will calculate interest on
tranches of the Bonds paying interest at a fixed rate on the
basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
Interest Payments on Floating Rate Transition Bonds
Interest on any floating rate Bonds will be paid, for all
interest accrual periods, at a rate equal to the sum of
(a) the London interbank offered rate, referred to as
LIBOR, for three-month United States dollar
deposits, except that with respect to the first interest accrual
period the rate will be based on interpolated LIBOR as more
fully described below, in each case determined on the applicable
floating rate interest determination date, as described below,
and (b) the percentage spread above or below LIBOR
applicable to that tranche. The spread above or below LIBOR for
any floating rate Bonds is referred to as the floating
rate spread. LIBOR plus or minus the floating rate spread
payable on floating rate Bonds of any tranche is referred to as
the floating rate.
The floating rate spread for the tranche
[ ] floating rate Bonds will be
[ ]%
per annum.
There will be no minimum or maximum interest rate on the
floating rate Bonds of any tranche. Interest on any floating
rate Bonds will be paid quarterly, on May 1, August 1,
November 1 and February 1 of each year, beginning
May 1, 2006. Interest on any floating rate Bonds will be
calculated on the basis of the actual number of days from and
including the preceding payment date, or, for the first payment
date, from and including the date of issuance of that tranche,
to but excluding the next payment date, divided by 360.
With respect to the floating rate Bonds included within any
tranche, if the interest rate swap agreement relating to those
Bonds is terminated for any reason, interest on those Bonds will
continue to be paid at the floating rate for those Bonds, as
described below, subject to possible partial deferral, and any
additional amounts required to make such payments will be
included in the true-up adjustments with the Texas commission.
If the swap counterparty defaults on its obligation to make
floating rate payments due under the interest rate swap
agreement, the interest rate swap agreement may terminate under
the circumstances described under Interest Rate Swap
AgreementsAmounts Payable Under Interest Rate Swap
Agreements in this prospectus supplement.
Floating Rate Interest Determination
The interest determination date for each payment date on the
floating rate Bonds of any tranche will be the day two London
banking days prior to (1) the preceding payment date or
(2) in the case of the first payment date, the settlement
date. A London banking day is a day on which commercial banks in
London are open for general business.
Interest on the floating rate Bonds of any tranche will be paid
at the rate equal to LIBOR as determined on each interest
determination date, plus or minus, as applicable, the floating
rate spread for those Bonds. The trustee will determine LIBOR in
accordance with the following provisions:
|
|
|
|
(1) |
On each interest determination date subsequent to the first, the
trustee will determine LIBOR based on the offered rate for
three-month deposits in United States dollars, referred to as
three-month |
S-17
|
|
|
|
|
LIBOR, that appears on the Moneyline Telerate Service
page 3750 as of 11:00 a.m., London time, on that
interest determination date. That display page is referred to as
the Telerate page. If no offered rate appears on
that Telerate page, LIBOR for that period will be determined as
described in paragraph (2) below. |
|
|
(2) |
With respect to an interest determination date on which no
offered rate appears on the Telerate page, the trustee will
request each of four major banks in the London interbank market,
selected by the trustee, to provide the trustee with that
banks offered quotation for deposits in United States
dollars for the applicable period, commencing on the second
London banking day immediately following that interest
determination date, to prime banks in the London interbank
market at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, on that
interest determination date and in a principal amount that is
representative for a single transaction in United States dollars
in that market at that time. The applicable period is three
months. If at least two such quotations are provided, LIBOR will
be the arithmetic mean of those quotations. If fewer than two
quotations are provided, LIBOR for that period will be the
arithmetic mean of the rates quoted at approximately
11:00 a.m. in The City of New York on that interest
determination date by major banks in The City of New York
selected by the trustee for loans in United States dollars to
leading European banks, for the period commencing on the second
London banking day immediately following that interest
determination date and in a principal amount that is
representative for a single transaction in United States dollars
in that market at that time. |
|
|
(3) |
On the first interest determination date, the trustee will
determine three-month LIBOR as described above and will also
determine LIBOR based on the offered rate for six-month deposits
in United States dollars, referred to as a six-month
LIBOR, that appears on the Telerate page or, if no such
offered rate appears on the Telerate page, in the manner
described in paragraph (2) above (except that the
applicable period will be six months). The
interpolated LIBOR applicable to the first interest accrual
period will be equal to the sum of (a) three-month LIBOR
and (b) the LIBOR increment. The LIBOR increment will be
equal to the product of (x) a fraction, the numerator of
which is the actual number of days from and including the
three-month anniversary of the closing date to but excluding the
first payment date and the denominator of which is 90, and
(y) the excess, if any, of six-month LIBOR over three-month
LIBOR. |
If LIBOR cannot be determined in accordance with
paragraphs (1), (2) or (3) above, then that rate will
be determined to be the same as the rate which applied during
the previous period or, in the case of a failure to determine
LIBOR for the first payment date, on the date of issuance.
On each interest determination date, the trustee will notify the
servicer, us and the swap counterparty of LIBOR for the
applicable period as determined by the trustee.
Interest Rate Swap Agreements
We will enter into one or more interest rate swap agreements
with one or more swap counterparties for the floating rate Bonds
of each applicable tranche, on or before the date of issuance of
that tranche. The purpose of each interest rate swap agreement
is to convert the cash flows allocable to those floating rate
Bonds, which for purposes of the transition charges are based on
the gross fixed rate for that tranche, into cash flows that are
based on a floating rate of interest.
Any such interest rate swap will be either a scheduled
balance swap or an actual balance swap. A
scheduled balance swap is an interest rate swap in
which the notional amount on each payment date is equal to the
principal amount of the applicable tranche after giving effect
to all payments (if any) of principal that were scheduled to be
made on or before the immediately preceding semi-annual payment
date. An actual balance swap is an interest rate
swap in which the notional amount on each payment date is equal
to the principal amount of the relevant tranche after giving
effect to all payments (if any) of principal that have actually
been made on or before the immediately preceding semi-annual
payment date.
Amounts Payable Under Interest Rate Swap Agreements.
Under each interest rate swap agreement, for each interest
accrual period we will be obligated to pay the related swap
counterparty an amount equal to interest on the
S-18
notional amount for such tranche for such period at a fixed rate
of interest, referred to as the gross fixed rate for
that notional amount, and the swap counterparty will be
obligated to pay us an amount equal to interest at the floating
rate for the same notional amount. Those obligations will then
be netted on the business day before each quarterly payment
date. Therefore, for each interest accrual period, either we
will pay the swap counterparty only the amount, if any, by which
interest at the gross fixed rate exceeds interest at the
floating rate, referred to as the net swap payment,
or the swap counterparty will pay us only the amount, if any, by
which interest at the floating rate exceeds interest at the
gross fixed rate, referred to as the net swap
receipt, as discussed below.
With respect to any quarterly payment date, the notional amount
in effect under each actual balance swap for the interest
accrual period ended prior to that payment date will equal the
actual principal balance of the related floating rate tranche as
of the close of business on the preceding semi-annual payment
date; however, the notional amount in effect under each
scheduled balance swap for the interest accrual period ended
prior to the quarterly payment date may not equal the principal
balance of the related floating rate tranche, taking into
account all scheduled payments of principal, as of the close of
business on the preceding semi-annual payment date. With respect
to the first payment date, the notional amount in effect under
each interest rate swap agreement prior to that payment date
will be equal to the initial principal balance of the related
floating rate tranche.
For each quarterly payment date with respect to the floating
rate Bonds of any tranche, on the business day preceding that
payment date the trustee will allocate to the subaccount
established for the floating rate Bonds of that tranche or
subtranche, referred to as a tranche subaccount, an
amount equal to interest at the gross fixed rate for those Bonds
times the relevant notional amount for those Bonds for the
preceding interest accrual period, referred to as the
gross fixed amount. In addition, any net swap
receipt under the related interest rate swap agreement will be
deposited in that tranche subaccount, and will be available,
together with the gross fixed amount on the day prior to the
quarterly payment date for those Bonds, to pay interest due on
those Bonds on that payment date. If funds in any tranche
subaccount are insufficient to cover any net swap payment owed
to a swap counterparty when such payment is due under the
related interest rate swap agreement and to pay interest on the
related floating rate Bonds, such funds will be paid on a pro
rata basis based on the relative amounts due in respect of the
swap and the interest on that tranche or subtranche.
If a swap counterparty fails to make a net floating rate payment
when due under any interest rate swap agreement, an event of
default under the interest rate swap agreement will occur. Such
failure to pay will not, however, result in an event of default
under the indenture because if a swap counterparty defaults in
its obligation to make a net floating rate payment in respect of
a tranche of Bonds, and sufficient funds are not otherwise
available to us to make that payment, the floating rate portion
of the interest payment will not be due, for purposes of the
indenture, until the legal maturity date of the Bonds of that
tranche. After payment of interest to the fixed rate Bonds from
the collection account and to the floating rate Bonds of that
tranche or subtranche from the related tranche subaccount, any
amount of interest accrued on floating rate Bonds of that
tranche or subtranche that remains unpaid because of such
failure of a swap counterparty will be payable from any funds
then available in the collection account, in the priority
described under How Funds in the Collection Account
Will Be Allocated in this prospectus supplement, prior to
any payment in respect of principal. Any interest accrued and
unpaid as a result of such swap counterparty failure after
application of all funds in the collection account will be
deferred and will be payable on the next succeeding quarterly
payment date on which sufficient funds are available after
allocation of amounts to then currently accrued interest on all
Bonds, and in any event no later than the legal maturity date of
those Bonds, together with interest thereon at the rate
applicable to the related floating rate Bonds.
The gross fixed rate for the floating rate tranche
[ ] Bonds
will be
[ ]%
percent per annum.
Swap Counterparty and Replacement Swap Counterparty
Ratings. The required senior unsecured debt ratings of each
swap counterparty under each interest rate swap agreement will
be at least a long-term rating of Aa2 by
Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys),
and AA by Standard & Poors, a division of
the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) and Fitch,
Inc. (Fitch) and at least a short-term debt rating
of P-1 by Moodys A-1 by S&P
and F1 by Fitch. We refer to these rating as the
swap counterparty minimum ratings. The Texas
commission may waive the swap counterparty minimum ratings with
respect to any replacement swap counterparty; in that event, the
swap counterparty minimum ratings shall be deemed to be
satisfied with respect to such swap counterparty as long as it
maintains or improves each of its long-term senior unsecured
debt ratings.
S-19
Swap Counterparty Downgrade Event. An event referred to
as a swap counterparty downgrade event will occur if the swap
counterparty no longer has: (1) a senior unsecured
long-term rating of A2 and a short-term rating of
P-1 by Moodys (or a senior unsecured long-term
rating of Aa3 if the swap counterparty has only a
long-term rating from Moodys), (2) a short-term
rating of A-1 by S&P and (3) a senior
unsecured long-term rating of A and a short-term
rating of F1 by Fitch, or if the swap counterparty
has a credit support provider whose ratings are withdrawn by any
of Moodys, S&P or Fitch. We refer to these ratings as
the required ratings.
If a swap counterparty downgrade event occurs, the swap
counterparty must, within 30 days following that event:
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1. |
re-establish the required ratings, |
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2. |
post collateral in accordance with the swap agreement or arrange
for a guarantee from an entity meeting the required ratings, or |
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3. |
assign its rights and obligations under the interest rate swap
agreement to a replacement swap counterparty that meets the swap
counterparty minimum ratings (unless waived by the Texas
commission, as described above) and allows us to satisfy the
rating agency condition (which we describe below) with respect
to the tranche [ ] Bonds. We refer
to a swap counterparty that meets these criteria as a
qualified replacement swap counterparty. |
The rating agency condition is satisfied when each of
Moodys, S&P, and Fitch confirm that a proposed action
will not result in the downgrade or withdrawal of its then
current rating of the related floating rate Bonds, except that,
in some circumstances, so long as Moodys has been notified
of a proposed amendment, the rating agency condition may be
satisfied with respect to Moodys without such a
confirmation.
If none of paragraph 1., 2. or 3. above has been satisfied
within that 30-day period, a termination event will occur under
the interest rate swap agreement and we may terminate the
interest rate swap agreement with the consent of the holders
representing 66 2/3% of the total outstanding principal
amount of the floating rate Bonds of the related tranche and the
Texas commission.
If only paragraph 2. above has been satisfied within that
30-day period or if the termination event described in the
immediately preceding paragraph occurs but the interest rate
swap agreement is not terminated, the swap counterparty will be
obligated every six months thereafter to renew the search for a
qualified replacement swap counterparty. At the end of each of
these six-month periods, if a qualified replacement swap
counterparty has not been found, we may terminate the interest
rate swap agreement with the consent of the holders representing
66 2/3% of the total outstanding principal amount of the
floating rate Bonds of the related tranche and the Texas
commission.
Interest Rate Swap Agreement Events of Default and
Termination Events. The events referred to as swap events of
default under each interest rate swap agreement include:
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the failure of us or the swap counterparty to pay any amount
when due under the interest rate swap agreement if that failure
is not remedied on or before the fifth business day after that
failure, |
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certain events of bankruptcy of us or the swap counterparty or a
credit support provider of the swap counterparty, or |
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a merger of us or the swap counterparty without an assumption of
its obligations under the interest rate swap agreement. |
The events referred to as termination events under the interest
rate swap agreement include:
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illegality of the interest rate swap agreement, |
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acceleration of the related floating rate Bonds, |
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a swap counterparty downgrade event below the required ratings,
as described above, that is not cured within the applicable time
periods, as discussed above, |
S-20
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any change in any applicable laws or in the interpretation of
any applicable laws which revokes or renders unenforceable any
of the swap counterpartys obligations under the interest
rate swap agreement, |
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our failure to maintain, or the termination of, the security
interest created under the indenture in favor of the trustee on
behalf of the bondholders, or |
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a tax event or a tax event upon merger,
each as defined in the interest rate swap agreement. |
Each interest rate swap agreement will terminate automatically
upon the occurrence of any of the termination events described
above other than a swap counterparty downgrade event. Any swap
event of default can lead to a termination of the interest rate
swap agreement by the party not responsible for that event. When
we have the option to terminate the interest rate swap agreement
following an event of default by the swap counterparty or upon a
swap counterparty downgrade event, we may terminate only at the
direction of the holders of 66 2/3% of the total
outstanding principal amount of the floating rate Bonds of the
related tranche and with the consent of the Texas commission.
We will be obligated to pay termination payments to the swap
counterparty under any interest rate swap agreement before the
Bonds have been paid in full only pursuant to the following
senior termination events, as they may be applicable
in a particular interest rate swap agreement:
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(i) |
an event of default under the interest rate swap agreement
caused by our failure to make payments when due (if not remedied
on or before the fifth business day) as a result of insufficient
collection of transition charges; |
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(ii) |
an event of default under the interest rate swap agreement
caused by a breach of such agreement by us or the trustee where
the swap counterparty is not the defaulting counterparty or the
sole affected party; |
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(iii) |
our bankruptcy event of default under the interest rate swap
agreement; |
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(iv) |
our merger without assumption event of default under
the interest rate swap agreement, which will occur if, following
our merger or consolidation, the resulting entity fails to
assume all obligations under the interest rate swap agreement; |
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(v) |
a failure or termination of the security interest of the trustee
under the indenture; or |
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(vi) |
termination of the interest rate swap agreement due to
(1) illegality, (2) a tax event, (3) a tax event
upon merger, (4) acceleration of the Bonds (due to an event
of default) or (5) a change in laws that makes the interest
rate swap agreement unenforceable (each as described in the
related interest rate swap agreement). |
Upon a termination of an interest rate swap agreement, the swap
counterparty may be liable to pay a termination payment to us or
we may be liable to pay a termination payment to the swap
counterparty, in each case, based on the market value of the
interest rate swap agreement determined in accordance with
specified procedures set forth therein. Any termination payment
paid by the swap counterparty, including interest thereon, will
first be used to make any payment required to be paid to any
replacement swap counterparty and to the extent not so used
within twelve months following receipt will be deposited in the
general subaccount of the collection account pursuant to the
indenture. In the event of a termination of an interest rate
swap agreement, we will appoint a swap agent to locate a
qualified replacement counterparty with whom we may enter into a
new interest rate swap agreement, and in connection therewith we
may be required to make certain payments to the replacement swap
counterparty.
All searches for replacement swap counterparties will be at the
reasonable cost of the swap counterparty being replaced.
Assignment of Interest Rate Swap Agreements. Any swap
counterparty may assign its obligations under any interest rate
swap agreement to a qualified replacement swap counterparty.
S-21
Enforcement, Amendment, Modification or Waiver of Interest
Rate Swap Agreements. If a swap event of default or
termination event occurs and is continuing, the trustee may, and
at the direction of at least 66 2/3% of the total
outstanding principal amount of the floating rate Bonds of the
related tranche shall, exercise all of our rights, remedies,
powers, privileges and claims against the related swap
counterparty, and any right we may have to so exercise shall be
suspended.
An interest rate swap agreement may be amended with the consent
of the trustee and the related swap counterparty, as long as the
rating agency condition is satisfied. However, this amendment
may not adversely affect in any material respect the interests
of the bondholders of the floating rate Bonds of the related
tranche unless the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the total
outstanding principal amount of that tranche direct the trustee
to consent to the amendment. Moreover, that amendment may not
adversely affect in any material respect the interests of any
other bondholders or the counterparty to any other interest rate
swap agreement without the consent of the holders of at least
66 2/3% of the total outstanding principal balance of the
bonds of all of those other series or tranches, and each
counterparty to any other interest rate swap agreement,
materially and adversely affected thereby.
Swap Counterparty. The swap counterparty related to the
tranche [ ] floating rate Bonds is
[counterparty].
[The swap counterpartys] ratings for long-term obligations
are [ ] from Moodys,
[ ] from S&P and
[ ] from Fitch, and for
short-term obligations are
[ ] from
Moodys,
[ ] from
S&P and
[ ] from
Fitch.
CREDIT ENHANCEMENT
Credit enhancement for the Bonds is intended to protect you
against losses or delays in scheduled payments on your Bonds.
Please refer to Risk FactorsYou may experience
material payment delays or incur a loss on your investment in
the transition bonds because the source of funds for payment is
limited in the accompanying prospectus.
Statutorily Guaranteed True-Up Mechanism for Payment of
Scheduled Principal and Interest
The Restructuring Act and the irrevocable financing order
guarantee that transition charges on all retail electric
customers, including the State of Texas and other governmental
entities, will be reviewed and adjusted annually, and
semi-annually as necessary, to ensure the expected recovery of
amounts sufficient to timely provide payment of scheduled
principal and interest on the Bonds. Transition charges are
required to be adjusted semi-annually if necessary to ensure the
expected recovery of amounts sufficient to timely provide all
payments of debt service and other required amounts and charges
in connection with the Bonds. In the irrevocable financing
order, the Texas commission guaranteed that it would take
specific actions pursuant to the financing order as expressly
authorized by the Restructuring Act to ensure that expected
transition charge revenues are sufficient to timely pay
scheduled principal and interest on the Bonds. There is no
cap on the level of transition charges that may be
imposed on retail electric customers, including the State of
Texas and other governmental entities, to timely pay scheduled
principal and interest on the Bonds. The Financing Order
provides that the true-up mechanism and all other obligations of
the State of Texas and the Texas commission set forth in the
financing order are direct, explicit, irrevocable and
unconditional upon issuance of the Bonds, and are legally
enforceable against the State of Texas and the Texas commission.
Please read The Transition Charges below and
CenterPoint Houstons Financing Order and
The Servicing AgreementsThe Statutorily Guaranteed
Transition Charge Adjustment Process in the accompanying
prospectus.
Collection Account and Subaccounts
The trustee will establish a collection account for the Bonds to
hold the capital contribution from CenterPoint Houston and
collected transition charges periodically remitted to the
trustee by the servicer. The collection account will consist of
various subaccounts, including the following:
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the general subaccount, |
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the excess funds subaccount, |
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the capital subaccount, and |
S-22
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the tranche subaccount for the tranche
floating rate Bonds. |
Withdrawals from and deposits to these subaccounts will be made
as described below in this prospectus supplement and under
The Transition BondsThe Collection Account for the
Transition Bonds and How Funds in the
Collection Account Will Be Allocated in the accompanying
prospectus.
The General Subaccount. The trustee will deposit
collected transition charges remitted to it by the servicer with
respect to the Bonds into the general subaccount. On each
payment date, the trustee will allocate amounts in the general
subaccount as described under How Funds in the
Collection Account Will Be Allocated below.
The Excess Funds Subaccount. The excess funds subaccount
will be funded on any semi-annual payment date with collected
transition charges and earnings on amounts in the collection
account, other than earnings on amounts allocated to the capital
subaccount, in excess of the amount necessary to pay:
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fees and expenses, including any indemnity payments, of the
trustee, our independent managers, the servicer and the
administrator and other fees, expenses, costs and charges, |
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principal and interest payments on the Bonds, which in the case
of interest on the
tranche floating
rate Bonds will be the gross fixed amount for that tranche on
that payment date, required to be paid or scheduled to be paid
on that payment date, and |
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any amount required to replenish any amounts drawn from the
capital subaccount. |
The periodic adjustments of the transition charges will be
calculated to eliminate any amounts held in the excess funds
subaccount. These adjustments generally will occur annually.
Under limited circumstances, these adjustments may occur more
frequently, but not more frequently than every six months during
the first thirteen years the transition charges are collected in
respect of the Bonds and every three months during the
fourteenth and fifteenth years.
If amounts available in the general subaccount are not
sufficient to pay the fees and expenses due on any payment date,
to make required or scheduled payments to the bondholders and,
to replenish any amounts drawn from the capital subaccount, the
trustee will first draw on any amounts in the excess funds
subaccount to make those payments.
The Capital Subaccount. On the date we issue the Bonds,
CenterPoint Houston will deposit
$[ ]
into the capital subaccount as a capital contribution to us,
which is equal to 0.5% of the initial outstanding principal
balance of the Bonds. The capital contribution has been set at a
level sufficient to obtain the ratings on the Bonds described
below under Ratings for the Bonds. If amounts
available in the general subaccount and the excess funds
subaccount are not sufficient to make required or scheduled
payments to the bondholders and to pay the fees and expenses
specified in the indenture due on any payment date, the trustee
will draw on amounts in the capital subaccount to make those
payments.
The Tranche Subaccount. A subaccount, referred to as
the tranche subaccount, will be established for each tranche of
floating rate Bonds upon issuance. On the business day preceding
each quarterly payment date, the trustee will allocate to each
tranche subaccount from the general subaccount an amount equal
to the gross fixed amount for the related floating rate tranche
on that payment date. On that day, any net swap payment will be
paid to the related swap counterparty from the tranche
subaccount, or any net swap receipt from the related swap
counterparty will be deposited into the tranche subaccount. On
the related payment date, amounts in each tranche subaccount
will be paid as interest to the holders of the floating rate
Bonds. In the event of a shortfall of funds in any tranche
subaccount to make a net swap payment due the related swap
counterparty and to pay interest on the tranche
floating
rate Bonds, those amounts will be paid on a pro rata basis based
on the relative amounts due in respect of the swap and the
interest on that tranche. Any balance remaining in the tranche
subaccount after payments have been made to the holders of the
tranche
floating
rate Bonds on a quarterly payment date will be transferred to
the collection account for allocation on the next payment date,
except that swap termination payments made by a swap
counterparty to us will remain in the tranche subaccount for up
to twelve months to satisfy required payments to a replacement
swap counterparty if necessary and, to the extent not so used
after that period, will be deposited in the general subaccount
of the collection account.
S-23
To the extent that any shortfall in the payment of interest on
any floating rate Bonds as a result of a swap
counterpartys failure to pay any net swap receipt due
under the related interest rate swap agreement, and to the
extent such shortfall is not reduced to zero by the application
of any amounts otherwise applicable to principal payments on any
tranche and amounts on deposit in the capital and excess funds
subaccounts, after payment of fixed-rate interest or accounting
for the accrual of interest on fixed rate Bonds if such date is
not a payment date for the related fixed rate Bond or fixed swap
payments, as applicable, with respect to all tranches of Bonds,
such shortfall will be deferred and will be payable on the next
succeeding quarterly payment date on which sufficient funds are
available after allocation of amounts to then currently accrued
interest on all Bonds, and in any event no later than the legal
maturity date of the affected Bonds, with interest thereon at
the floating rate applicable to the affected Bonds.
How Funds in the Collection Account Will Be Allocated
Amounts remitted by the servicer to the trustee with respect to
the Bonds, including any indemnity amounts and all investment
earnings on amounts in the subaccounts in the collection
account, will be deposited into the general subaccount of the
collection account. Amounts remitted by the servicer to the
trustee that were paid by a swap counterparty in respect of
floating rate interest under an interest rate swap agreement
will be deposited into the tranche subaccount of the collection
account.
Semi-annual Payment Dates. On each payment date on which
payments are due on the fixed rate Bonds, the trustee will
allocate or pay all amounts on deposit in the general subaccount
(and, with respect to interest on the floating rate Bonds,
amounts in the tranche subaccount other than swap termination
payments) of the collection account for the Bonds in the
following priority:
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1. |
payment of the trustees fees, expenses and any outstanding
indemnity amounts relating to the Bonds, the total amount of
which will be fixed as specified in the indenture, |
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2. |
payment of the servicing fee, which will be a fixed amount
specified in the servicing agreement, plus any unpaid servicing
fees from prior payment dates, |
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3. |
payment of a pro rata portion of the administration fee, which
will be a fixed amount specified in the administration agreement
between us and CenterPoint Houston, and a pro rata portion of
the fees of our independent managers, which will be in an amount
specified in an agreement between us and our independent
managers, |
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4. |
payment of all of our other ordinary periodic operating expenses
relating to the Bonds, such as accounting and audit fees, rating
agency fees, legal fees and certain reimbursable costs of the
servicer under the servicing agreement, |
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5. |
payment of the interest then due on the Bonds, amounts payable
in respect of interest to the swap counterparty under any
interest rate swap agreement and any deferred interest on any
floating rate Bonds, |
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6. |
payment of (a) the principal then required to be paid on
the Bonds at final maturity or upon redemption or acceleration,
(b) principal then scheduled to be paid on the Bonds and
(c) any swap termination payments payable as a result of a
senior termination event, as described under
Interest Rate Swap Agreements Interest Rate
Swap Agreement Events of Default and Termination Events, |
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7. |
payment of any amounts payable to any other credit enhancement
providers with respect to the Bonds, |
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8. |
payment of any of our remaining unpaid operating expenses and
any remaining amounts owed pursuant to the basic documents
relating to the Bonds, including all remaining indemnity amounts
owed to the trustee, and any other amounts owed pursuant to any
interest rate swap agreement, other than swap termination
payments, |
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9. |
replenishment of any amounts drawn from the capital subaccount, |
S-24
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10. |
any swap termination payments (other than those payments
resulting from a senior termination event described in
clause 6 above), which will be payable only after all of
the Bonds have been paid in full, |
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11. |
release to us of an amount equal to investment earnings on
amounts in the capital subaccount, so long as no event of
default has occurred and is continuing, and |
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12. |
allocation of the remainder, if any, to the excess funds
subaccount. |
The amounts paid during any calendar year in respect of the
trustees fees and expenses in clause 1, the servicing
fee in clause 2, the administration and independent
managers fees in clause 3, the ordinary periodic
operating expenses in clause 4 and the remaining periodic
expenses in clause 8 may not exceed $978,000 in the
aggregate for all series (for so long as CenterPoint Houston is
the servicer), unless the Texas commission approves a different
aggregate amount of such payments. Please read Risk
FactorsOther Risks Associated with an Investment in the
Transition BondsWe may incur expenses in excess of caps on
such expenses provided in the financing order in the
accompanying prospectus.
If, on any semi-annual payment date, funds in the general
subaccount (and, with respect to interest on the floating rate
Bonds the tranche subaccount) are insufficient to make the
allocations or payments contemplated by clauses 1
through 10 of the first paragraph of this subsection, the
trustee will draw from amounts on deposit in the following
subaccounts in the following order up to the amount of the
shortfall:
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1. |
from the excess funds subaccount for allocations and payments
contemplated in clauses 1 through 10, and |
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2. |
from the capital subaccount for allocations and payments
contemplated by clauses 1 through 8. |
If, on any payment date, available collections of transition
charges allocable to the Bonds, together with available amounts
in the related subaccounts, are not sufficient to pay interest
due on all outstanding Bonds on that payment date, amounts
available will be allocated pro rata based on the amount of
interest payable on each tranche of the Bonds; provided, that if
we issue one or more floating rate tranches or subtranches of
Bonds having interest payment dates more frequently than the
fixed rate tranches of the Bonds, the term pro rata
with respect to interest on a payment date for which interest is
payable on all tranches of Bonds shall take into account any
payments made in respect of interest on the floating rate
tranches or subtranches of Bonds on the preceding payment date,
on which no payments in respect of interest were due on the
fixed rate tranches of Bonds. If, on any payment date, remaining
collections of transition charges allocable to the Bonds,
together with available amounts in the subaccounts, are not
sufficient to pay principal due and payable on all outstanding
Bonds on that payment date, amounts available will be allocated
pro rata based on the principal amount of each tranche then due
and payable. If, on any payment date, remaining collections of
transition charges allocable to the Bonds, together with
available amounts in the subaccounts, are not sufficient to pay
principal scheduled to be paid on all outstanding Bonds, amounts
available will be allocated sequentially to each tranche then
scheduled to be paid on the payment date. If the trustee uses
amounts on deposit in the capital subaccount to pay those
amounts or make those transfers, as the case may be, subsequent
adjustments to the related transition charges will take into
account, among other things, the need to replenish those amounts.
Quarterly Payment Dates. On each quarterly payment date
on which interest payments are to be made in respect of floating
rate Bonds but not in respect of fixed rate Bonds, the trustee
will allocate or pay all amounts on deposit in the general
subaccount (and, with respect to interest on the floating rate
Bonds, the tranche subaccount other than amounts relating to
swap termination payments) of the collection account for the
floating rate Bonds in the following priority:
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1. |
payment of the trustees expenses and any outstanding
indemnity amounts relating to the Bonds, the total amount of
which will be fixed as specified in the indenture, |
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2. |
payment of any unpaid servicing fees from prior payment dates, |
S-25
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3. |
payment of all of our other ordinary periodic operating expenses
relating to the Bonds, such as accounting and audit fees, rating
agency fees, legal fees and certain reimbursable costs of the
servicer under the servicing agreement, |
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4. |
payment of the interest then payable on the floating rate Bonds,
amounts payable in respect of interest to the swap counterparty
under any interest rate swap agreement and any deferred interest
on any floating rate Bonds, and |
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5. |
allocation of the remainder, if any, to the general subaccount. |
If, on any such quarterly payment date, funds in the general
subaccount and the tranche subaccount are insufficient to make
the allocations or payments contemplated by clauses 1
through 4 above, the trustee will draw from amounts on deposit,
first, in the excess funds account and, second, in the capital
subaccount for allocations and payments contemplated in
clauses 1 through 4, up to the amount of the shortfall.
Retail Electric Provider Deposits and Other Credit Support
Each retail electric provider in CenterPoint Houstons
service territory is obligated to collect and remit transition
charges to the servicer as described under Retail Electric
Providers in the accompanying prospectus. The financing
order provides that each retail electric provider that does not
maintain a long-term, unsecured credit rating of not less than
BBB- and Baa3 (or the equivalent) from
S&P and Moodys, respectively, must provide:
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a cash deposit of two months maximum expected transition
charge collections, |
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an affiliate guarantee, surety bond or letter of credit from an
entity with a long-term, unsecured credit rating of not less
than BBB- and Baa3 (or the equivalent)
from S&P and Moodys, respectively, providing for
payment of such amount of transition charge collections in the
event that the retail electric provider defaults in its payment
obligations, or |
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a combination of any of the foregoing. |
A retail electric provider that does not have or maintain the
requisite credit rating may select which alternate form of
deposit, credit support or combination thereof it will utilize.
As of September 30, 2005, there were approximately 65
retail electric providers providing service in CenterPoint
Houstons service territory, all of which did business with
CenterPoint Houston. Reliant Energy, Inc., through its
subsidiaries, is CenterPoint Houstons largest customer,
accounting for approximately 60% of CenterPoint Houstons
outstanding receivables from retail electric providers as of
September 30, 2005 and approximately 53% of the total
retail kWh billed by CenterPoint Houston in its service
territory for the nine months then ended.
Retail electric provider cash deposits will be held by the
trustee, maintained in a segregated account, and invested in
short-term high quality investments, as permitted by the rating
agencies rating the Bonds. If a retail electric provider
defaults in making a payment of transition charges to the
servicer and does not remedy the default within a 10
calendar-day grace period, the amounts on deposit or available
from other credit support (up to an amount of the lesser of the
payment default of the retail electric provider or the amount of
the deposit or other credit support amount) will be used to make
payments in respect of the Bonds. Please see Retail
Electric ProvidersRating, Deposit and Related
Requirements, Remedies Upon Default and
Risk FactorsRisks Associated With Potential
Bankruptcy Proceedings of Retail Electric Providers in the
accompanying prospectus.
THE TRANSITION CHARGES
CenterPoint Houston will be the initial servicer of the Bonds.
Beginning on the date we issue the Bonds, the initial transition
charges listed in the table below will be imposed on retail
electric customers in each transition charge customer class at
the applicable rate for the class determined pursuant to the
financing order. These transition charges may be adjusted
annually, or more frequently under certain circumstances, by the
servicer in accordance with its filings with the Texas
commission. Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons
Financing Order in the accompanying prospectus.
S-26
Initial Transition Charges
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Initial Transition | |
Transition Charge Customer Class |
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Charge Rate | |
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Residential
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per kWh |
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MGS (miscellaneous general service)
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per kW/per kWh |
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LGS (large general service)
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per kVa/per kW |
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LOS-A (large overhead service A)
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per kW |
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LOS-B (large overhead service B)
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per kW |
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Non-Metered Lighting
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per kWh |
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Standby Electric Service Distribution
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per kW |
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Interruptible Service Supplemental Distribution
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per kW |
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Interruptible Service 30 Minute Notice
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per kW |
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Interruptible Service 10 Minute Notice
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per kW |
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Interruptible Service Instantaneous
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per kW |
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Interruptible Service Supplemental Transmission
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per kW |
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Standby Electric Service Transmission
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per kW |
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Standby Interruptible Service
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per kW |
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SCP (special contract pricing)
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per kW |
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Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderAllocation in the accompanying
prospectus.
S-27
MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
FOR HOLDERS OF FLOATING RATE BONDS
We intend to treat any floating rate Bonds as variable
rate debt instruments for United States federal income tax
purposes. Each purchaser of floating rate Bonds, by virtue of
its purchase of such Bonds, will agree to treat them as variable
rate debt instruments for such purposes. Based on such
treatment, interest on floating rate Bonds will be includable in
a U.S. holders income in the manner described in the
accompanying prospectus under Material Federal Income Tax
Consequences for the Transition BondholdersTax
Consequences to U.S. HoldersPayments of
Interest.
As described under The BondsInterest Rate Swap
AgreementsAmounts Payable Under Interest Rate Swap
Agreements in this prospectus supplement, in some
circumstances interest payments on floating rate Bonds may be
partially deferred. Under Treasury Regulations applicable to
debt instruments issued with original issue discount (the
OID Regulations), a remote contingency that
stated interest will not be timely paid will be ignored in
determining whether a debt instrument is issued with original
issue discount (OID). We believe that the likelihood
of deferral of payments on the floating rate Bonds is remote.
Based on the foregoing, the floating rate Bonds will not be
considered to be issued with OID at the time of their original
issuance and, accordingly, a holder should include in gross
income such holders allocable share of interest on the
floating rate Bonds in accordance with such holders method
of tax accounting.
Under the OID Regulations, if payments on floating rate Bonds
were deferred, such floating rate Bonds may at that time be
treated as issued with OID, and in such event some portion of
the stated interest on such floating rate Bonds would thereafter
be treated as OID for as long as such floating rate Bonds
remained outstanding. In such event, each holder of such
floating rate Bonds, including a holder who otherwise used the
cash method of accounting, would be required to include its pro
rata share of OID on such floating rate Bonds in income as it
accrued, in accordance with the requirements of the OID
Regulations, in advance of the receipt of cash attributable to
that income.
For additional discussion of the tax consequences of an
investment in the Bonds, please read Material Federal
Income Tax Consequences for the Transition Bondholders in
the accompanying prospectus.
S-28
UNDERWRITING THE BONDS
Subject to the terms and conditions in the underwriting
agreement among us, CenterPoint Houston and the underwriters,
for whom Lehman Brothers Inc., Credit Suisse First Boston LLC
and Greenwich Capital Markets, Inc. are acting as
representatives, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and
the underwriters have severally agreed to purchase, the
principal amount of the Bonds listed opposite each
underwriters name below:
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Underwriter |
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Tranche A-1 | |
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Tranche A-2 | |
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Tranche A-3 | |
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Tranche A-4 | |
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Tranche A-5 | |
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Lehman Brothers Inc.
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Credit Suisse First Boston LLC
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Greenwich Capital Markets, Inc.
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Barclays Capital Inc.
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Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
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Goldman, Sachs & Co.
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First Albany Capital Inc.
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Loop Capital Markets, LLC
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M.R. Beal & Company
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Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., L.L.C.
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Samuel A. Ramirez & Co., Inc
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SunTrust Capital Markets, Inc.
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Total
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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$ |
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Under the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will take and
pay for all of the Bonds we offer, if any is taken. If an
underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that
the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may
be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.
The Underwriters Sales Price for the Bonds
The Bonds sold by the underwriters to the public will be
initially offered at the prices to the public set forth on the
cover of this prospectus supplement. The underwriters propose
initially to offer the Bonds to dealers at such prices, less a
selling concession not to exceed the percentage listed below for
each tranche. The underwriters may allow, and dealers may
reallow, a discount not to exceed the percentage listed below
for each tranche.
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Selling | |
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Reallowance | |
Tranche |
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Concession | |
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Discount | |
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| |
After the initial public offering, the public offering prices,
selling concessions and reallowance discounts may change.
No Assurance as to Resale Price or Resale Liquidity for the
Bonds
The Bonds are a new issue of securities with no established
trading market. They will not be listed on any securities
exchange. The underwriters have advised us that they intend to
make a market in the Bonds, but they are not obligated to do so
and may discontinue market making at any time without notice. We
cannot assure you that a liquid trading market will develop for
the Bonds.
S-29
Various Types of Underwriter Transactions That May Affect the
Price of the Bonds
The underwriters may engage in overallotment transactions,
stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and
penalty bids with respect to the Bonds in accordance with
Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Overallotment transactions involve syndicate sales in excess of
the offering size, which create a syndicate short position.
Stabilizing transactions are bids to purchase the Bonds, which
are permitted, so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a
specific maximum price. Syndicate covering transactions involve
purchases of the Bonds in the open market after the distribution
has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.
Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling
concession from a syndicate member when the Bonds originally
sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate
covering transaction. These overallotment transactions,
stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and
penalty bids may cause the prices of the Bonds to be higher than
they would otherwise be. Neither we, CenterPoint Houston, the
trustee, our managers nor any of the underwriters represent that
the underwriters will engage in any of these transactions or
that these transactions, if commenced, will not be discontinued
without notice at any time.
Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have in the
past provided, and may in the future from time to time provide,
investment banking and general financing and banking services to
CenterPoint Houston and its affiliates for which they have in
the past received, and in the future may receive, customary
fees. In addition, each underwriter may from time to time take
positions in the Bonds.
We estimate that our share of the total expenses of the offering
will be
$ .
We and CenterPoint Houston have agreed to indemnify the
underwriters against some liabilities, including liabilities
under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribute to payments
the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those
liabilities.
The underwriters are offering the Bonds, subject to prior sale,
when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to
approval of legal matters, including the validity of the Bonds
and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement,
such as receipt of ratings confirmations, officers
certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the
right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to
reject offers in whole or in part.
Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. is an affiliate of Deutsche Bank
Trust Company Americas, the administrative agent for the Bonds.
RISK WEIGHTING OF THE BONDS UNDER CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL
CAPITAL GUIDELINES
If held by financial institutions subject to regulation in
countries (other than the United States) that have adopted the
1988 International Convergence of Capital Measurement and
Capital Standards of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
(as amended, Basel Accord), the Bonds may attract
the same risk weighting as claims on or claims
guaranteed by non-central government bodies within the
United States, which are accorded a 20% risk weighting.
Please read CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups and
Statutorily Guaranteed True-Ups: Entire Private
Sector Default in the accompanying prospectus.
We understand the United Kingdoms Financial Services
Authority has issued individual guidance letters to
one or more investors that an investment in Texas transition
bonds issued under the Restructuring Act can be accorded a 20%
risk weighting, which is similar to the risk weighting assigned
to U. S. Agency corporate securities (FNMA, FHLMC, etc.) and
that this determination is based in part on the following
factors, which are also present in our transaction:
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the issuance of transition bonds has been set up by the State of
Texas under the Restructuring Act to finance the transition to a
deregulated electricity market in the State of Texas; |
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under the Restructuring Act and the financing order, CenterPoint
Houston is authorized to establish us as a special purpose
entity, responsible to the State of Texas and the Texas
commission, to issue transition bonds; |
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we are not owned by the Texas commission or the State of Texas; |
S-30
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transition bonds are payable through transition charges, which
are a financial charge on ratepayers (i.e., retail
electric customers who, with certain exceptions, continue to use
electricity in CenterPoint Houstons service territory even
if these customers elect to purchase electricity from another
supplier or choose to operate new on-site generation); |
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the amount of transition charges in respect of each series of
transition bonds will be set by the Texas commission at a level
designed to ensure repayment of that series of transition bonds; |
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should ratepayers not pay the transition charges, then there is
a true-up mechanism which allows us to recalculate the
transition charges such that those ratepayers who do pay will
make up the difference; this increase has to be approved by the
Texas commission, and the State of Texas, as long as it consumes
electricity, is one of these ratepayers and therefore would be a
payer of last resort; |
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the Texas commission guaranteed that it will take action to
ensure that the true-up mechanism is used; |
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pursuant to the Restructuring Act, the State of Texas pledges
not to take any action that would impair our right to impose,
collect and receive transition charges, or the operation of the
true-up mechanism; |
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the indenture trustee has a first priority lien on transition
property and associated transition charge payments; |
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transition charges are directly and expressly linked to payments
of principal and interest on transition bonds; |
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ratepayers (including the State of Texas and local
governments) obligation to pay transition charges is
unaffected by: |
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the entity from which they purchase electricity, |
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the quality of electricity service provided, so that ratepayers
cannot refuse to pay transition charges because of poor service,
or |
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other ratepayers finding some entitlement not to pay or
initiating court actions, including actions against the State of
Texas, over the transition charges. |
However, we cannot assure you that the Bonds would attract a 20%
risk weighting under any national law, regulation or policy
implementing the Basel Accord.
Before acquiring any Bonds, prospective investors that are banks
or bank holding companies, particularly those that are organized
under the laws of any country other than the United States or of
any state, territory or other political subdivision of the
United States, and prospective investors that are
U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks, should consult
all applicable laws, regulations and policies, as well as
appropriate regulatory bodies and legal counsel, to confirm that
an investment in the Bonds is permissible and in compliance with
any applicable investment or other limits.
Please see The Restructuring ActCenterPoint Houston
and Other Utilities May Securitize Qualified Costs,
CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups,
CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups: Entire Private
Sector Default and The IssuerOur Relationship
with the State of Texas and the Texas Commission in the
accompanying prospectus for more information on certain of the
points noted above.
RATINGS FOR THE BONDS
It is a condition of any underwriters obligation to
purchase the Bonds that each tranche of the Bonds be rated
AAA by S&P, AAA by Fitch and
Aaa by Moodys.
S-31
A security rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold
securities and may be revised or withdrawn at any time by the
rating agency. Each rating should be evaluated independently of
any other rating. No person is obligated to maintain its rating
on the Bonds, and accordingly, we cannot assure you that a
rating assigned to any tranche of the Bonds upon initial
issuance will not be revised or withdrawn by a rating agency at
any time thereafter. If a rating of any tranche of the Bonds is
revised or withdrawn, the liquidity of that tranche may be
adversely affected. In general, ratings address credit risk and
do not represent any assessment of the likelihood of any
particular level of principal payments on the Bonds other than
payment in full of each tranche of the Bonds by the applicable
final maturity date, as well as the timely payment of interest.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual and current reports and other information with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. We are incorporating by
reference the documents listed below (file no. 333-121505) and
any future filings we make with the Securities and Exchange
Commission under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 until we sell all the Bonds,
excluding any information that is furnished to, and not filed
with, the Securities and Exchange Commission. Please also see
Where You Can Find More Information in the
accompanying prospectus.
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Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period
ended September 30, 2005 filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on November 30, 2005 |
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Our Current Reports on Form 8-K dated September 15,
2005, October 30, 2005 and November 14, 2005, filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
September 15, 2005, November 1, 2005 and
November 16, 2005, respectively |
LEGAL MATTERS
Some legal matters relating to us and the issuance of the Bonds
will be passed upon for CenterPoint Houston and for us by Baker
Botts L.L.P., Houston, Texas and Richards, Layton & Finger,
P.A., Wilmington, Delaware, and for the underwriters by Thelen
Reid & Priest LLP, New York, New York. Some legal matters
relating to the federal income tax consequences of the issuance
of the Bonds will be passed upon for us by Baker Botts L.L.P.
OFFERING RESTRICTIONS IN CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF SINGAPORE
THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS HAS
NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED AS A PROSPECTUS WITH THE
MONETARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE UNDER THE SECURITIES AND FUTURES
ACT (CHAPTER 289 OF SINGAPORE) (THE SFA).
ACCORDINGLY, EACH UNDERWRITER REPRESENTS, WARRANTS AND AGREES
THAT IT HAS NOT OFFERED OR SOLD ANY BONDS OR CAUSED THE BONDS TO
BE MADE THE SUBJECT OF AN INVITATION FOR SUBSCRIPTION OR
PURCHASE, AND WILL NOT OFFER OR SELL ANY BONDS OR CAUSE THE
BONDS TO BE MADE THE SUBJECT OF AN INVITATION FOR SUBSCRIPTION
OR PURCHASE, AND HAS NOT CIRCULATED OR DISTRIBUTED, NOR WILL IT
CIRCULATE OR DISTRIBUTE THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT OR THE
ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS OR ANY OTHER DOCUMENT OR MATERIAL IN
CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER OR SALE, OR INVITATION FOR
SUBSCRIPTION OR PURCHASE, OF BONDS, WHETHER DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, TO PERSONS IN SINGAPORE OTHER THAN (I) TO AN
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR UNDER SECTION 274 OF THE SFA,
(II) TO A RELEVANT PERSON, OR ANY PERSON PURSUANT TO
SECTION 275 OF THE SFA OR (III) OTHERWISE PURSUANT TO,
AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF, ANY OTHER APPLICABLE
PROVISION OF THE SFA.
EACH UNDERWRITER FURTHER REPRESENTS, WARRANTS AND AGREES TO
NOTIFY (WHETHER THROUGH THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS OR OTHERWISE) EACH OF
THE FOLLOWING RELEVANT PERSONS SPECIFIED IN
S-32
SECTION 275 OF THE SFA WHICH HAS SUBSCRIBED OR PURCHASED
BONDS FROM OR THROUGH THAT UNDERWRITER, NAMELY A PERSON
WHICH IS:
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(1) A CORPORATION (WHICH IS NOT AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR) THE
SOLE BUSINESS OF WHICH IS TO HOLD INVESTMENTS AND THE ENTIRE
SHARE CAPITAL OF WHICH IS OWNED BY ONE OR MORE INDIVIDUALS, EACH
OF WHOM IS AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR; OR |
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(2) A TRUST (WHERE THE TRUSTEE IS NOT AN ACCREDITED
INVESTOR) WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE IS TO HOLD INVESTMENTS AND EACH
BENEFICIARY IS AN ACCREDITED INVESTOR. |
THAT BONDS OF THAT CORPORATION OR THE BENEFICIARIES RIGHTS
AND INTEREST IN THAT TRUST SHALL NOT BE TRANSFERABLE FOR 6
MONTHS AFTER THAT CORPORATION OR THAT TRUST HAS ACQUIRED THE
NOTES UNDER SECTION 275 OF THE SFA EXCEPT:
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(3) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR UNDER SECTION 274 OF
THE SFA OR TO A RELEVANT PERSON, OR ANY PERSON PURSUANT TO
SECTION 275 OF THE SFA; |
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(4) WHERE NO CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN FOR THE
TRANSFER; OR |
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(5) BY OPERATION OF LAW. |
THE PROSPECTUS RELATING TO THE BONDS (PROSPECTUS)
WILL, PRIOR TO ANY SALE OF SECURITIES PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS
OF SECTION 106D OF THE COMPANIES ACT (CAP.50), BE LODGED,
PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 106D, WITH THE REGISTRAR OF
COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE, WHICH WILL TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR
ITS CONTENTS. HOWEVER, NEITHER THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT NOR
THE PROSPECTUS HAS BEEN AND NOR WILL THEY BE REGISTERED AS A
PROSPECTUS WITH THE REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES IN SINGAPORE.
ACCORDINGLY, THE BONDS MAY NOT BE OFFERED, AND NEITHER THIS
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT NOR ANY OTHER OFFERING DOCUMENT OR
MATERIAL RELATING TO THE BONDS MAY BE CIRCULATED OR DISTRIBUTED,
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO THE PUBLIC OR ANY MEMBER OF THE
PUBLIC IN SINGAPORE OTHER THAN TO INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS OR
OTHER PERSONS OF THE KIND SPECIFIED IN SECTION 106C AND
SECTION 106D OF THE COMPANIES ACT OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE
EXEMPTION INVOKED UNDER DIVISION 5A OF PART IV OF THE
COMPANIES ACT. THE FIRST SALE OF SECURITIES ACQUIRED UNDER A
SECTION 106C OR SECTION 106D EXEMPTION IS SUBJECT TO
THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 106E OF THE COMPANIES ACT.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA
THE BONDS HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES LAW OF THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA (AS THE
SAME MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME) AND ARE NOT TO BE OFFERED
OR SOLD TO PERSONS WITHIN THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA
(EXCLUDING THE HONG KONG AND MACAU SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE
REGIONS) UNLESS PERMITTED BY THE LAWS OF THE PEOPLES
REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF JAPAN
THE BONDS HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE LAW OF JAPAN (THE SEL), AND
THE BONDS MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN
JAPAN OR TO, OR FOR THE BENEFIT OF, ANY RESIDENT OF JAPAN
(INCLUDING JAPANESE CORPORATIONS) OR TO OTHERS FOR RE-OFFERING
OR RESALE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN JAPAN OR TO ANY RESIDENT
OF JAPAN, EXCEPT THAT THE OFFER AND SALE OF THE BONDS IN JAPAN
MAY BE MADE ONLY THROUGH PRIVATE PLACEMENT SALE IN JAPAN IN
ACCORDANCE WITH AN EXEMPTION AVAILABLE UNDER THE SEL AND WITH
ALL OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF JAPAN. IN THIS
PARAGRAPH, A RESIDENT/ RESIDENTS OF JAPAN SHALL HAVE
THE MEANING AS DEFINED UNDER THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND TRADE LAW
OF JAPAN.
S-33
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF HONG KONG
EACH UNDERWRITER HAS REPRESENTED AND AGREED THAT:
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IT HAS NOT OFFERED OR SOLD AND WILL NOT OFFER OR SELL IN HONG
KONG, BY MEANS OF ANY DOCUMENT, ANY BONDS OTHER THAN (A) TO
PERSONS WHOSE ORDINARY BUSINESS IS TO BUY OR SELL BONDS, WHETHER
AS PRINCIPAL OR AGENT, OR TO PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS
AS DEFINED IN THE SECURITIES AND FUTURES ORDINANCE (CAP. 571) OF
HONG KONG AND ANY RULES MADE UNDER THAT ORDINANCE; OR
(B) IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH DO NOT RESULT IN THE
DOCUMENT BEING A PROSPECTUS AS DEFINED IN THE
COMPANIES ORDINANCE (CAP. 32) OF HONG KONG OR WHICH DO NOT
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO THE PUBLIC WITHIN THE MEANING OF THAT
ORDINANCE; AND |
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IT HAS NOT ISSUED OR HAD IN ITS POSSESSION FOR THE PURPOSES OF
ISSUE, AND WILL NOT ISSUE OR HAVE IN ITS POSSESSION FOR THE
PURPOSES OF ISSUE, WHETHER IN HONG KONG OR ELSEWHERE, ANY
ADVERTISEMENT, INVITATION OR DOCUMENT RELATING TO THE BONDS,
WHICH IS DIRECTED AT, OR THE CONTENTS OF WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE
ACCESSED OR READ BY, THE PUBLIC OF HONG KONG (EXCEPT IF
PERMITTED TO DO SO UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF HONG KONG) OTHER
THAN WITH RESPECT TO BONDS WHICH ARE OR ARE INTENDED TO BE
DISPOSED OF ONLY TO PERSONS OUTSIDE HONG KONG OR ONLY TO
PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN THE SECURITIES
AND FUTURES ORDINANCE (CAP. 571) OF HONG KONG AND ANY
RULES MADE UNDER THAT ORDINANCE. |
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
IN RELATION TO EACH MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
WHICH HAS IMPLEMENTED THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE (EACH A
RELEVANT MEMBER STATE), EACH UNDERWRITER HAS
REPRESENTED AND AGREED THAT WITH EFFECT FROM AND INCLUDING THE
DATE ON WHICH THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE IS IMPLEMENTED IN THAT
RELEVANT MEMBER STATE (THE RELEVANT IMPLEMENTATION
DATE) IT HAS NOT MADE AND WILL NOT MAKE AN OFFER OF THE
BONDS TO THE PUBLIC IN THAT RELEVANT MEMBER STATE EXCEPT THAT IT
MAY, WITH EFFECT FROM AND INCLUDING THE RELEVANT IMPLEMENTATION
DATE, MAKE AN OFFER OF BONDS TO THE PUBLIC IN THAT RELEVANT
MEMBER STATE: (A) IN THE PERIOD BEGINNING ON THE DATE OF
PUBLICATION OF A PROSPECTUS IN RELATION TO THE BONDS, WHICH HAS
BEEN APPROVED BY THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY IN THAT RELEVANT MEMBER
STATE OR, WHERE APPROPRIATE, APPROVED IN ANOTHER RELEVANT MEMBER
STATE AND NOTIFIED TO THE COMPETENT AUTHORITY IN THAT RELEVANT
MEMBER STATE, ALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE,
AND ENDING ON THE DATE WHICH IS 12 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF
SUCH PUBLICATION; (B) AT ANY TIME TO LEGAL ENTITIES WHICH
ARE AUTHORIZED OR REGULATED TO OPERATE IN THE FINANCIAL MARKETS
OR, IF NOT SO AUTHORIZED OR REGULATED, WHOSE CORPORATE PURPOSE
IS SOLELY TO INVEST IN SECURITIES; (C) AT ANY TIME TO ANY
LEGAL ENTITY WHICH HAS TWO OR MORE OF (I) AN AVERAGE OF AT
LEAST 250 EMPLOYEES DURING THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR;(II) A
TOTAL BALANCE SHEET OF MORE THAN EUR43,000,000 AND (III) AN
ANNUAL NET TURNOVER OF MORE THAN EUR50,000,000, AS SHOWN IN ITS
LAST ANNUAL OR CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS; OR (D) AT ANY TIME IN
ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH DO NOT REQUIRE THE PUBLICATION BY
THE ISSUER OF A PROSPECTUS PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 3 OF THE
PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PROVISION, THE
EXPRESSION AN OFFER OF THE BONDS TO THE PUBLIC IN
RELATION TO ANY BONDS IN ANY RELEVANT MEMBER STATE MEANS THE
COMMUNICATION IN ANY FORM AND BY ANY MEANS OF SUFFICIENT
INFORMATION ON THE TERMS OF THE OFFER AND THE BONDS TO BE
OFFERED SO AS TO ENABLE AN INVESTOR TO DECIDE TO PURCHASE OR
SUBSCRIBE THE BONDS, AS THE SAME MAY BE VARIED IN THAT MEMBER
STATE BY ANY MEASURE IMPLEMENTING THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE IN
THAT MEMBER STATE AND THE EXPRESSION PROSPECTUS DIREC-
S-34
TIVE MEANS DIRECTIVE 2003/71/EC AND INCLUDES ANY RELEVANT
IMPLEMENTING MEASURE IN EACH RELEVANT MEMBER STATE.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF UNITED KINGDOM
EACH UNDERWRITER HAS REPRESENTED AND AGREED THAT (I) IT HAS
ONLY COMMUNICATED OR CAUSED TO BE COMMUNICATED AND WILL ONLY
COMMUNICATE OR CAUSE TO BE COMMUNICATED AN INVITATION OR
INDUCEMENT TO ENGAGE IN INVESTMENT ACTIVITY (WITHIN THE MEANING
OF SECTION 21 OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS ACT OF
2000 (FSMA)) RECEIVED BY IT IN CONNECTION WITH THE
ISSUE OR SALE OF THE BONDS IN CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH
SECTION 21(1) OF THE FSMA DOES NOT APPLY TO US OR
CENTERPOINT HOUSTON AND (II) IT HAS COMPLIED AND WILL
COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF FSMA WITH RESPECT TO
ANYTHING DONE BY IT IN RELATION TO THE BONDS IN, FROM OR
OTHERWISE INVOLVING THE UNITED KINGDOM.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF ITALY
THE OFFERING OF THE BONDS IN ITALY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED WITH
THE COMMISSIONE NAZIONALE PER LA SOCIETÀ E LA BORSA
(CONSOB) PURSUANT TO ITALIAN SECURITIES LEGISLATION
AND, ACCORDINGLY, THE BONDS CANNOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR DELIVERED
IN THE REPUBLIC OF ITALY (ITALY) NOR MAY ANY COPY OF
THIS PROSPECTUS OR ANY OTHER DOCUMENT RELATING TO THE BONDS BE
DISTRIBUTED IN ITALY OTHER THAN (A) TO PROFESSIONAL
INVESTORS (OPERATORI QUALIFICATI) AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 31,
SECOND PARAGRAPH, OF CONSOB REGULATION NO.11522 OF 1 JULY,
1998 AS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED OR (B) IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH
ARE EXEMPTED FROM THE RULES ON SOLICITATION OF INVESTMENTS
PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 100 OF THE LEGISLATIVE DECREE NO. 58 OF
24TH FEBRUARY, 1998, AS AMENDED, ITS IMPLEMENTING CONSOB
REGULATIONS AND ARTICLE 33, FIRST PARAGRAPH OF CONSOB
REGULATION NO 11971 OF 14TH MAY, 1999, AS AMENDED. ANY
OFFER, SALE OR DELIVERY OF THE BONDS OR DISTRIBUTION OF COPIES
OF THIS PROSPECTUS OR ANY OTHER DOCUMENT RELATING TO THE BONDS
IN ITALY MUST BE MADE (A) BY AN INVESTMENT FIRM, BANK OR
INTERMEDIARY PERMITTED TO CONDUCT SUCH ACTIVITIES IN ITALY IN
ACCORDANCE WITH LEGISLATIVE DECREE NO.58 OF 24 FEBRUARY
1998 (THE FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT) AND LEGISLATIVE
DECREE NO.385 OF 1 SEPTEMBER 1993 (THE BANKING
ACT); (B) IN COMPLIANCE WITH ARTICLE 129 OF THE
BANKING ACT AND THE IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES OF THE BANK OF ITALY
AND (C) IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS AND
REGULATIONS AND OTHER POSSIBLE REQUIREMENTS OR LIMITATIONS WHICH
MAY BE IMPOSED BY ITALIAN AUTHORITIES. THE BONDS CANNOT BE
OFFERED, SOLD OR DELIVERED ON A RETAIL BASIS, EITHER IN THE
PRIMARY OR IN THE SECONDARY MARKET, TO ANY INDIVIDUALS RESIDING
IN ITALY.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF IRELAND
EACH OF THE ISSUER AND THE UNDERWRITERS HAS REPRESENTED,
WARRANTED AND UNDERTAKEN THAT: (A) IT WILL NOT SELL BONDS
OTHERWISE THAN IN CONFORMITY WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE
INVESTMENT INTERMEDIARIES ACT, 1995 OF IRELAND, AS AMENDED,
INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, SECTIONS 9 AND 23 (INCLUDING
ADVERTISING RESTRICTIONS MADE THEREUNDER) THEREOF AND THE CODES
OF CONDUCT MADE UNDER SECTION 37 THEREOF OR, IN THE CASE OF
AN UNDERWRITER ACTING WITHIN THE TERMS OF AN AUTHORIZATION TO DO
SO FOR THE PURPOSES OF EU COUNSEL DIRECTIVE (93/22/EC OF
10TH MAY, 1993, AS AMENDED OR EXTENDED) IT HAS COMPLIED
WITH ANY CODES OF CONDUCT MADE UNDER THE INVESTMENT
INTERMEDIARIES ACT, 1995 OF IRELAND, AS AMENDED, OR, IN THE CASE
OF A CREDIT INSTITUTION EXERCISING ITS RIGHTS UNDER THE BANKING
CONSOLIDATION DIRECTIVE (2000/12/EC OF 20TH MARCH, 2000) IN
CONFORMITY WITH THE CODES OF CONDUCT OR PRACTICE MADE UNDER
SECTION 117(1) OF THE CENTRAL BANK ACT, 1989, OF IRELAND,
AS AMENDED; (B) IN CONNECTION WITH OFFERS OR SALES OF
BONDS, IT HAS ONLY
S-35
ISSUED OR PASSED ON, AND WILL ONLY ISSUE OR PASS ON, IN IRELAND,
ANY DOCUMENT RECEIVED BY IT IN CONNECTION WITH THE ISSUE OF SUCH
BONDS TO PERSONS WHO ARE PERSONS TO WHOM THE DOCUMENTS MAY
OTHERWISE LAWFULLY BE ISSUED OR PASSED ON; AND (C) IN
RESPECT OF A LOCAL OFFER (WITHIN THE MEANING OF
SECTION 38(1) OF THE INVESTMENT FUNDS, COMPANIES AND
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS ACT 2005 OF IRELAND) OF BONDS IN
IRELAND, IT HAS COMPLIED AND WILL COMPLY WITH SECTION 49 OF
INVESTMENT FUNDS, COMPANIES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS ACT
2005 OF IRELAND.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF THE NETHERLANDS
THE BONDS MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED,
WHETHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO ANY INDIVIDUAL OR LEGAL
ENTITY IN THE NETHERLANDS OTHER THAN TO INDIVIDUALS WHO, OR
LEGAL ENTITIES WHICH, IN THE COURSE OF THEIR OCCUPATION OR
BUSINESS, DEAL OR INVEST IN SECURITIES (AS SET OUT IN
SECTION 1 OF THE REGULATION OF 9 OCTOBER 1990 IN
IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 14 OF THE ACT ON THE SUPERVISION
OF INVESTMENT INSTITUTIONS).
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF SWEDEN
THIS PROSPECTUS IS FOR THE INTENDED RECIPIENT ONLY AND MAY NOT
IN ANY WAY BE FORWARDED TO ANY OTHER PERSON OR TO THE PUBLIC IN
SWEDEN. ACCORDINGLY, EACH UNDERWRITER HAS REPRESENTED, WARRANTED
AND AGREED THAT IT HAS NOT OFFERED OR SOLD AND WILL NOT OFFER OR
SELL THE BONDS IN SWEDEN IN A MANNER THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE
REGISTRATION OF A PROSPECTUS BY THE SWEDISH FINANCIAL
SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY ACCORDING TO THE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
TRADING ACT.
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF PORTUGAL
THE BONDS HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE PORTUGUESE EXCHANGE
COMMISSION AND THEREFORE THE BOND OFFERING IS NOT DIRECTED TO
PORTUGUESE RESIDENT INVESTORS AND THE BONDS MAY NOT BE OFFERED
OR SOLD TO THE PUBLIC IN PORTUGAL OR UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH
ARE DEEMED TO BE A PUBLIC OFFER UNDER THE PORTUGUESE SECURITIES
CODE. IN ADDITION, THE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT, THE PROSPECTUS AND
ANY OTHER OFFERING MATERIALS MAY NOT BE AND ARE ONLY BEING
PUBLICLY DISTRIBUTED IN THE ABOVE NOTED JURISDICTIONS WHERE
LAWFUL AND NO PUBLICITY OR MARKETING ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE
BOND OFFERING MAY BE AND IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED IN PORTUGAL.
S-36
PROSPECTUS
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC
Issuer
Transition Bonds
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC
Seller and Initial Servicer
You should
carefully consider the risk factors beginning on page 14 of
this prospectus before you invest in the transition bonds.
We may issue from time
to time one or more series of the transition bonds as described
in this prospectus. Each series of transition bonds may have one
or more tranches. The transition bonds represent only our
obligations and are backed only by our assets. CenterPoint
Energy Houston Electric, LLC and its affiliates, other than us,
are not liable for any payments on the transition bonds. The
transition bonds are not a debt or obligation of the State of
Texas, the Public Utility Commission of Texas or any other
governmental agency or instrumentality and are not a charge on
the full faith and credit or the taxing power of the State of
Texas or any governmental agency or instrumentality. However,
the State of Texas and other governmental entities, as retail
electric customers, will be obligated to pay transition charges
securing the transition bonds. Except in their capacity as
retail electric customers, neither the State of Texas nor any
political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of
the State of Texas, nor any other public or private entity, will
be obligated to provide funds for the payment of the transition
bonds.
We are a special
purpose entity and own no property other than the collateral
described in this prospectus. The collateral is the sole source
of payment for the transition bonds.
There currently is no
secondary market for the transition bonds, and we cannot assure
you that one will develop.
We may offer and sell
the transition bonds by use of this prospectus. We will provide
the specific terms of any offerings in one or more supplements
to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the
related prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in the
transition bonds. This prospectus may not be used to offer and
sell the transition bonds unless accompanied by a prospectus
supplement.
Neither the
Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or
determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is December 6, 2005.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Appendix A
Glossary of Defined Terms
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A-1 |
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Financial Statements of
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC.
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F-1 |
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iv
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we have
filed with the SEC using a shelf registration
process. By using this process, we may offer the transition
bonds in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you
with a description of the transition bonds we may offer. Each
time we offer transition bonds, we will provide a supplement to
this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will describe the
specific terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may
also add, update or change the information contained in this
prospectus. Please carefully read this prospectus, the
prospectus supplement and the information, if any, contained in
the documents we refer to in this prospectus under the heading
Where You Can Find More Information.
References in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement to
the terms we, us, our or
the issuer mean CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond
Company II, LLC. References to CenterPoint Houston
or the seller mean CenterPoint Energy Houston
Electric, LLC, and references to the integrated
utility mean Reliant Energy, Incorporated, the legal
predecessor to CenterPoint Houston, as it existed prior to its
restructuring and the onset of competition in the retail
electric services market in Texas on January 1, 2002, as
mandated by the 1999 utility restructuring amendments to the
Public Utility Regulatory Act, which we refer to as the
Restructuring Act. Unless the context otherwise
requires, the term customer means a retail end user
of electricity and related services provided by a retail
electric provider via the transmission and distribution system
of an electric utility such as CenterPoint Houston. We also
refer to the Public Utility Commission of Texas as the
Texas commission. You can find a glossary of some of
the other defined terms we use in this prospectus on
page A-1 of this prospectus.
You should rely only on the information contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the prospectus
supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you
with any different information. If anyone provides you with
different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on
it. We are not making an offer to sell the transition bonds in
any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The
information in this prospectus is current only as of the date of
this prospectus.
1
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
Some statements contained in this prospectus and the prospectus
supplement concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives,
goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying
assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts,
including statements in the documents that are incorporated by
reference as discussed in this prospectus under the heading
Where You Can Find More Information, are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal
securities laws. Actual results may differ materially from those
expressed or implied by these statements. In some cases, you can
identify our forward-looking statements by the words
anticipate, believe,
continue, could, estimate,
expect, forecast, goal,
intend, may, objective,
plan, potential, predict,
projection, should, will, or
other similar words.
We have based our forward-looking statements on our
managements beliefs, expectations and assumptions based on
information available to our management at the time the
statements are made. We caution you that assumptions, beliefs,
expectations, intentions and projections about future events may
and often do vary materially from actual results. Therefore, we
cannot assure you that actual results will not differ materially
from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking
statements.
The following are some of the factors that could cause actual
results to differ from those expressed or implied by our
forward-looking statements:
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state and federal legislative and regulatory actions or
developments, including deregulation, re-regulation and
restructuring of the electric utility industry, changes in or
application of laws or regulations applicable to other aspects
of our business; |
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non-payment of transition charges due to financial distress of
retail electric providers; |
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the accuracy of the servicers estimates of market demand
and prices for energy; |
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the accuracy of the servicers estimates of industrial,
commercial and residential growth in CenterPoint Houstons
service territory; |
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changes in market demand and demographic patterns; |
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weather variations and other natural phenomena affecting retail
electric customer energy usage; |
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the operating performance of CenterPoint Houstons
facilities and the facilities of third-party suppliers of
electric energy in CenterPoint Houstons service territory; |
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the accuracy of the servicers forecast of electrical
consumption or the payment of transition charges; |
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the reliability of the systems, procedures and other
infrastructure necessary to operate the retail electric business
in CenterPoint Houstons service territory, including the
systems owned and operated by the independent system operator in
the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc.; and |
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other factors we discuss in this prospectus, any prospectus
supplement and our other Securities and Exchange Commission
filings. |
You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the
date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statement.
2
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary contains a brief description of the transition
bonds and applies to all series of transition bonds we may offer
by use of this prospectus. You may find information relating to
a specific series of our transition bonds in the prospectus
supplement relating to that series. You will find a more
detailed description of the terms of the offering of the
transition bonds following this summary.
You should carefully consider the risk factors beginning
on page 14 of this prospectus before you invest in the
transition bonds.
Summary of the Transition Bonds
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The issuer of the transition bonds: |
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CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC, a direct,
wholly owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Houston and a limited
liability company formed under Delaware law. We were formed
solely to purchase and own transition property, to issue one or
more series of transition bonds secured by transition property
and to perform any activity incidental thereto. |
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We are responsible to the State of Texas and the Texas
commission. Specifically, pursuant to the financing order of the
Texas commission relating to the initial series of transition
bonds, |
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our organizational documents and transaction
documents for the initial series of transition bonds prohibit us
from engaging in any activities other than acquiring transition
property, issuing transition bonds and performing other
activities as specifically authorized by that financing order, |
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we must respond to representatives of the Texas
commission throughout the process of offering the initial series
of transition bonds, with the financing order directing the
Texas commissions financial advisor to veto any proposal
that does not comply with all criteria established in the
financing order, and |
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the servicer will file periodic adjustments to
transition charges with the Texas commission on our behalf. |
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We have also agreed that certain reports concerning transition
charge collections will be provided to the Texas commission. |
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Subsequent financing orders relating to additional series of
transition bonds may impose additional or different
requirements. Please read CenterPoint Houstons
Financing Order. |
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The issuers address: |
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1111 Louisiana, Suite 4655B, Houston, Texas 77002 |
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The issuers telephone number: |
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(713) 207-5222 |
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The seller of the transition property: |
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CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC, a regulated utility
organized under Texas law. CenterPoint Houston is engaged in the
transmission and distribution of electric |
3
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energy in a 5,000 square-mile area located along the Texas Gulf
Coast that has a population of approximately 5 million
people. As of September 30, 2005, CenterPoint Houston
provided electric transmission and distribution service to
approximately 1.9 million metered customers in this area.
CenterPoint Houston is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of
CenterPoint Energy, Inc., a public utility holding company
created in August 2002 as part of the corporate restructuring of
Reliant Energy, Incorporated. CenterPoint Energy is a holding
company registered under the Public Utility Holding Company Act
of 1935, which Act has been repealed by the Energy Policy Act of
2005. |
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CenterPoint Houstons address: |
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1111 Louisiana, Houston, Texas 77002 |
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CenterPoint Houstons telephone number: |
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(713) 207-3000 |
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The servicer of the transition property: |
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CenterPoint Houston, acting as the initial servicer, and any
successor servicer, referred to in this prospectus as the
servicer, will service the transition property under
one or more servicing agreements with us. CenterPoint Houston
currently services under a separate servicing agreement other
transition property securing the Series 2001-1 Transition
Bonds issued by CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company, LLC,
also a wholly owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Houston, which we
refer to in this prospectus as Transition Bond Company
I. Please read Relationship to the
Series 2001-1 Transition Bonds. |
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The trustee: |
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The trustee for each series of transition bonds will be named in
the applicable prospectus supplement. |
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Transaction overview: |
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The Restructuring Acts mandate to transition to a
competitive electric market created stranded investment and
other balances for electric utilities within the State of Texas.
The Restructuring Act permits electric utilities to recover
certain of these stranded investments and other balances through
the issuance of transition bonds pursuant to and supported by an
irrevocable financing order issued by the Texas commission. The
Restructuring Act also permits the Texas commission to impose an
irrevocable nonbypassable transition charge on all retail
electric customers, including the State of Texas and other
governmental entities, within a utilitys certificated
service territory as it existed on May 1, 1999, for payment
of the transition bonds. We refer to this area in this
prospectus and the prospectus supplement, with regard to
CenterPoint Houston and the integrated utility, as
CenterPoint Houstons service territory. The
amount and terms for collections of these transition charges are
governed by one or more financing orders issued to an electric
utility by the Texas commission. The Restructuring Act permits
an electric utility to transfer its rights and interests under a
financing order, including the right to impose, collect and |
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receive transition charges, to a special purpose entity formed
by the electric utility to issue debt securities secured by the
right to receive revenues arising from the transition charges.
The electric utilitys right to receive the transition
charges, all revenues and collections resulting from the
transition charges and its other rights and interests under a
financing order, upon transfer to the issuer, constitute
transition property. Under the Restructuring Act, transition
property does not come into existence until an electric utility
first transfers to an assignee or pledges in connection with the
issuance of transition bonds its rights under a related
financing order. However, for convenience of reference in this
prospectus and the prospectus supplement, the transfer of
CenterPoint Houstons rights under such a financing order
is sometimes referred to as the sale or purchase of transition
property. References in this prospectus to a financing
order are to a financing order of the Texas commission as
described above, unless the context indicates that the reference
is to the financing order issued by the Texas commission on
March 16, 2005 which is further described below. Any
subsequent financing order relating to a separate series of
transition bonds will be described in the applicable prospectus
supplement. |
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On March 16, 2005, the Texas commission issued a financing
order to CenterPoint Houston authorizing the issuance of
transition bonds in one or more series in an aggregate amount
not to exceed $1,493,747,264 plus (a) the principal portion
of excess mitigation credits (which are credits on the bills of
retail electric customers that were required by prior order of
the Texas commission) provided by CenterPoint Houston after
August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance of the
transition bonds, or the date of the termination of such excess
mitigation credits, whichever is earlier, (b) interest on
stranded costs accrued after August 31, 2004 through the
date of issuance of the transition bonds, and (c) up-front
qualified costs as set forth in the financing order. The
qualified costs authorized in the financing order, which we
refer to in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus
supplement as qualified costs, include CenterPoint
Houstons stranded cost balance (plus the excess mitigation
credits, interest and up-front costs described above), certain
costs of issuing, supporting and servicing the transition bonds
and certain costs of retiring and refunding CenterPoint
Houstons existing debt and equity securities in connection
with the issuance of the transition bonds. The Texas commission
guarantees that it will take specific action pursuant to the
irrevocable financing order as expressly authorized by the
Restructuring Act to ensure that expected transition charge
revenues are sufficient to timely pay scheduled principal and
interest on the applicable series of transition bonds. |
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The primary transactions underlying the offering of each series
of transition bonds are as follows: |
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CenterPoint Houston will sell transition property to us
in exchange for the net proceeds from the sale of a series of
transition bonds, |
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we will sell the series of transition bonds, which will
be secured primarily by the related transition property, to the
underwriters named in the prospectus supplement, and |
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CenterPoint Houston will act as the servicer of the
transition property. |
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The transition bonds are not obligations of the trustee, our
managers, CenterPoint Houston, CenterPoint Energy or of any of
their affiliates other than us. The transition bonds are also
not obligations of the State of Texas or any governmental
agency, authority or instrumentality of the State of Texas.
However, the State of Texas and other governmental entities, as
retail electric customers, will be obligated to pay transition
charges securing the transition bonds. Except in their capacity
as retail electric customers, neither the State of Texas nor any
political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of
the State of Texas, nor any other public or private entity, will
be obligated to provide funds for the payment of the transition
bonds. |
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Parties to Transaction and Responsibilities
The following chart represents a general summary of the parties
to the transactions underlying the offering of a series of
transition bonds, their roles and their various relationships to
the other parties:
Flow of Funds
The following chart represents a general summary of the flow of
funds:
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During the 12 months ended September 30, 2005,
CenterPoint Houstons total deliveries were approximately
41% industrial, 26% commercial and 33% residential, with the
State of Texas and other governmental entities included in all
categories and comprising approximately 5% of CenterPoint
Houstons total deliveries. |
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The Collateral
Each series of transition bonds will be secured under the
indenture by the indentures trust estate relating to that
series. The principal asset of the trust estate will be
transition property, which is a present property right created
under the Restructuring Act enacted by the Texas legislature in
June 1999 by a financing order issued by the Texas commission.
The indentures trust estate will also consist of:
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our rights under a sale agreement pursuant to which we will
acquire the related transition property, under an administration
agreement and under all bills of sale delivered by CenterPoint
Houston pursuant to the sale agreement, |
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our rights under a servicing agreement and any subservicing,
agency, intercreditor or collection agreements executed in
connection with the servicing agreement, |
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the collection account for the particular series of transition
bonds and all subaccounts of the collection account, |
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our rights under any interest rate swap agreement or hedging
agreement entered into with respect to the issuance of a
floating rate tranche of a particular series of transition bonds, |
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our rights in the deposits of retail electric providers required
under the applicable financing order, |
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all of our other property related to the series of transition
bonds, other than any cash released to us by the trustee on any
payment date from earnings on the capital subaccount, |
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all present and future claims, demands, causes and choses in
action in respect of any or all of the foregoing, and |
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all payments on or under and all proceeds in respect of any or
all of the foregoing. |
The collateral for each series of transition bonds will be
separate from the collateral for any other series, and holders
of one series of transition bonds will have no recourse to
collateral for a different series. Please read The
Transition BondsThe Security for the Transition
Bonds.
The Transition Property
In general terms, all of the rights and interests of CenterPoint
Houston under a financing order that are transferred to us
pursuant to a sale agreement are referred to in this prospectus
and the prospectus supplement as transition
property. Transition property includes the right to
impose, collect and receive transition charges in amounts
sufficient to pay principal and interest and to make other
deposits in connection with the related series of transition
bonds. Transition charges are payable by retail electric
customers within CenterPoint Houstons service territory,
including the State of Texas and other governmental entities,
who, subject to certain limitations specified in the
Restructuring Act, continue to consume electricity that is
delivered through the distribution system or produced in new
on-site generation. During the twelve months ended
September 30, 2005, approximately 41% of CenterPoint
Houstons total deliveries were to industrial customers,
approximately 26% were to commercial customers and approximately
33% were to residential customers, with the State of Texas and
other governmental entities included in all categories and
comprising approximately 5% of CenterPoint Houstons total
deliveries. Except in their capacity as retail electric
customers, neither the State of Texas nor any political
subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of the State
of Texas, nor any other public or private entity, will be
obligated to provide funds for the payment of the transition
bonds.
The transition property is not a receivable, and the principal
collateral securing a series of transition bonds will not be a
pool of receivables. Transition charges authorized in a
financing order are irrevocable and not subject to reduction,
impairment, or adjustment by further action of the Texas
commission, except for annual and interim true-up adjustments to
correct overcollections or undercollections and to provide for
the expected recovery of amounts sufficient to timely provide
all payments of debt service and other required amounts and
charges in connection with a series of transition bonds. See
CenterPoint Houstons Financing Order
True-Ups. All
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revenues and collections resulting from transition charges are
part of the transition property with respect to a particular
series of transition bonds.
We will purchase transition property from CenterPoint Houston to
support the issuance of the related series of transition bonds.
The servicer will collect the applicable transition charges from
retail electric providers, which are entities
certified under Texas law that provide electricity and related
services to retail electric customers within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory, and will remit the collections
to the trustee. The retail electric providers will in turn bill
and collect the transition charges from retail electric
customers in CenterPoint Houstons service territory. Each
retail electric provider will include the transition charges in
its bills to its retail electric customers but is not required
to show the transition charges as a separate line item or
footnote. However, each retail electric provider will be
required to provide annual written notice to its customers that
transition charges have been included in the customers
bills.
Each retail electric provider will be required to pay the
transition charges on or before the 35th day after it receives
the bill from the servicer, less an agreed allowance for
expected uncollectible amounts, whether or not the retail
electric provider has collected all amounts owed to it by its
retail electric customers. Prior to the date on which the retail
electric provider remits the transition charges to the servicer,
the transition charges may be commingled with the retail
electric providers other funds. Please refer to Risk
FactorsRisks Associated With Potential Bankruptcy
Proceedings of Retail Electric Providers, Retail
Electric Providers and How a Bankruptcy May Affect
Your InvestmentBankruptcy of a Retail Electric
Provider in this prospectus.
The servicer will have only limited rights to collect the
transition charges directly from retail electric customers if a
retail electric provider does not remit such payments to the
servicer, but will have certain rights against the retail
electric provider. Please refer to Retail Electric
Providers in this prospectus. For information on how
electric service to retail electric customers may be terminated,
see Risk FactorsServicing RisksLimits on
rights to terminate service might make it more difficult to
collect the transition charges in this prospectus. Because
the amount of transition charge collections will largely depend
on the amount of electricity consumed by customers within
CenterPoint Houstons service territory, the amount of
collections may vary substantially from year to year. Please
refer to The Servicer of the Transition Property in
this prospectus.
Interest Payments
Interest on each tranche or series of transition bonds will
accrue from the date we issue the tranche or series of
transition bonds at the interest rate stated in the related
prospectus supplement. On each payment date, we will pay
interest on each tranche or series of transition bonds equal to
the following amounts:
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if there has been a payment default, any interest payable but
unpaid on any prior payment dates, together with interest on
such unpaid interest, if any, and |
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accrued interest on the principal balance of each tranche or
series of transition bonds as of the close of business on the
preceding payment date, or the date of the original issuance of
each tranche or series of transition bonds, as applicable, after
giving effect to all payments of principal made on the preceding
payment date, if any. |
We will pay interest on each tranche or series of transition
bonds before we pay the principal of each tranche or series of
transition bonds. Please refer to The Transition
BondsPayments of Interest and Principal on the Transition
Bonds. If there is a shortfall in the amounts available in
the applicable collection account to make interest payments, the
trustee will distribute interest pro rata to each series and
tranche of transition bonds based on the amount of interest
payable on each outstanding series and tranche. Unless otherwise
specified in the prospectus supplement, we will calculate
interest on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
Principal Payments and Record Dates and Payment Sources
On each payment date specified in the prospectus supplement for
each series of transition bonds, referred to in this prospectus
as a payment date, we will pay amounts then due or
scheduled to be paid on outstanding series of the transition
bonds from amounts available in the collection account for that
series and the related subaccounts held by the trustee. We will
make these payments to the holders of record of the transition
bonds on
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each record date specified in the prospectus supplement,
referred to in this prospectus as a record date.
These available amounts, which will include the applicable
transition charges collected by the servicer for us since the
last payment date, are described in greater detail under
The Transition Bonds The Collection Account
for the Transition Bonds.
Priority of Distributions
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, on each
payment date for a series of transition bonds, the trustee will
allocate or pay all amounts on deposit in the general subaccount
of the collection account for that series in the following order
of priority:
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payment of the trustees fees, expenses and any outstanding
indemnity amounts relating to that series, the total amount of
which will be fixed as specified in the indenture, |
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payment of the servicing fee, which will be a fixed amount
specified in the servicing agreement for that series, plus any
unpaid servicing fees from prior payment dates, |
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payment of a pro rata portion of the administration fee, which
will be a fixed amount specified in the administration agreement
between us and CenterPoint Houston, and a pro rata portion of
the fees of our independent managers, which will be in an amount
specified in an agreement between us and our independent
managers, |
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payment of all of our other ordinary periodic operating expenses
relating to that series, such as accounting and audit fees,
rating agency fees, legal fees and certain reimbursable costs of
the servicer under the applicable servicing agreement, |
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payment of the interest then due on that series of transition
bonds, and payment of amounts, if any, specified in the
prospectus supplement that are payable in respect of interest to
the swap counterparty under any interest rate swap agreement, |
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payment of the principal then required to be paid on that series
of transition bonds at final maturity or upon redemption or
acceleration, |
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payment of the principal then scheduled to be paid on that
series of transition bonds, |
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payment of any amounts payable to any other credit enhancement
providers with respect to that series, |
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payment of any of our remaining unpaid operating expenses and
any remaining amounts owed pursuant to the basic documents
relating to that series, including all remaining indemnity
amounts owed to the trustee, and any other amounts owed pursuant
to any interest rate swap agreement, other than swap termination
payments, |
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replenishment of any amounts drawn from the capital subaccount
for that series, |
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any swap termination payments, which will be payable only after
all of the transition bonds have been paid in full unless the
swap termination payments are payable as a result of
(i) failure to pay as a result of insufficient collection
of transition charges (up to a cap specified in the prospectus
supplement), (ii) breach of the swap agreement by us or the
indenture trustee (up to a cap specified in the prospectus
supplement), (iii) our bankruptcy, (iv) our merger
without assumption or (v) failure or termination of the
security interest of the trustee under the indenture, |
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release to us of an amount equal to investment earnings on
amounts in the capital subaccount for that series, so long as no
event of default has occurred and is continuing, and |
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allocation of the remainder, if any, to the excess funds
subaccount. |
The amounts paid during any calendar year in respect of the
trustees fees and expenses in clause 1, the servicing
fee in clause 2, the administration and independent
managers fees in clause 3, the ordinary periodic
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operating expenses in clause 4 and the remaining periodic
expenses in clause 9 may not exceed $1,055,500 in the
aggregate for all series (for so long as CenterPoint Houston is
the servicer), unless the Texas commission approves a different
aggregate amount of such payments. If more than one series of
transition bonds is outstanding, the payments described in the
preceding sentence will be made pro rata from the respective
collection accounts of each series. Please read Risk
FactorsOther Risks Associated with an Investment in the
Transition BondsWe may incur expenses in excess of caps on
such expenses provided in the financing order.
The trustees fees, expenses and indemnity amounts referred
to in clause 1 above and the amount of the servicers
fee referred to in clause 2 above will be described in the
prospectus supplement for the related series of the transition
bonds. The priority of distributions for the collected
transition charges, as well as available amounts in the
subaccounts, are described in more detail under The
Transition BondsHow Funds in the Collection Account Will
Be Allocated, as well as in the prospectus supplement for
each series of the transition bonds.
Floating Rate Transition Bonds
If, in connection with the issuance of any tranche of transition
bonds paying interest at a floating rate, referred to as a
floating rate tranche, we arrange for any interest rate swap
transactions, the material terms of those transactions will be
described in the related prospectus supplement.
Credit Enhancement
Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, credit
enhancement for the transition bonds will be as follows:
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The Texas commission will approve adjustments to the transition
charges, but only upon petition of the servicer, to make up for
any shortfall or reduce any excess in collected transition
charges. We sometimes refer to these adjustments as the
statutorily guaranteed true-up adjustments or the
true-up mechanism. These adjustments will be made
semi-annually if necessary to ensure the expected recovery of
amounts sufficient to timely provide all payments of debt
service and other required amounts and charges in connection
with the transition bonds. Please refer to CenterPoint
Houstons Financing OrderStatutorily Guaranteed
True-Ups. |
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Collection AccountUnder the indenture, the trustee will
hold a collection account for each series of transition bonds,
divided into various subaccounts. The primary subaccounts for
credit enhancement purposes are: |
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the capital subaccountCenterPoint Houston will deposit an
amount specified in the prospectus supplement into the capital
subaccount on the date of issuance of each series of the
transition bonds and |
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the excess funds subaccountany excess amount of collected
transition charges and investment earnings not released to us
will be held in the excess funds subaccount. |
Each of these subaccounts for each series of transition bonds
will be available to make payments on the transition bonds of
such series on each payment date. Interest rate swaps and other
hedging arrangements may be used to fix synthetically the
interest on floating rate transition bonds. Tranche subaccounts
for related floating rate transition bonds may also be
established in the event interest rate swaps or other hedging
arrangements are utilized.
Retail electric providers in CenterPoint Houstons service
territory that do not maintain a long-term, unsecured credit
rating of not less than BBB- and Baa3
(or the equivalent) from S&P and Moodys, respectively,
are required to provide a cash deposit of two months
maximum expected transition charge collections, an affiliate
guarantee, surety bond or letter of credit from an entity with
such a credit rating providing for payment of such amount of
transition charge collections in the event that the retail
electric provider defaults in its payment obligations or a
combination of any of the foregoing. If a retail electric
provider defaults in making a payment of transition charges to
the servicer and does not remedy the default within a 10
calendar-day grace period, amounts on deposit or available from
other credit support (up to an amount of the lesser of the
payment default of the retail electric provider or the amount of
the deposit or other credit support amount) will be used to make
payments in
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respect of transition bonds of the related series. Please see
Retail Electric ProvidersRating, Deposit and Related
Requirements and Remedies Upon Default.
Additional credit enhancement for any series may include other
surety bonds or letters of credit or other forms of credit
enhancement. Any additional forms of credit enhancement for each
series will be specified in the related prospectus supplement.
Credit enhancement for the transition bonds is intended to
protect you against losses or delays in scheduled payments on
your transition bonds.
State Pledge
The State of Texas has pledged in the Restructuring Act that it
will not take or permit any action that would impair the value
of the transition property, or, except as permitted in
connection with a true-up adjustment authorized by the
Restructuring Act, reduce, alter or impair the transition
charges until the principal, interest and premium, and any other
charges incurred and contracts to be performed in connection
with the transition bonds, have been paid and performed in full.
The transition bonds are not a debt or an obligation of the
State of Texas, the Texas commission or any other governmental
agency or instrumentality and are not a charge on the full faith
and credit or the taxing power of the State of Texas or any
governmental agency or instrumentality.
Optional Redemption
The prospectus supplement may provide for redemption of a series
of the transition bonds at our option at a redemption price not
less than the outstanding principal of and accrued interest on
that series of the transition bonds.
Payment and Record Dates
The payment and record dates for each series of transition bonds
will be specified in the related prospectus supplement.
Scheduled Final Payment Dates and Final Maturity Dates
Failure to pay a scheduled principal payment on any payment date
or the entire outstanding amount of the transition bonds of any
tranche or series by the scheduled final payment date will not
result in a default with respect to that tranche or series. The
failure to pay the entire outstanding principal balance of the
transition bonds of any tranche or series will result in a
default only if such payment has not been made by the final
maturity date for the tranche or series, or on any date set for
redemption of the series. We will specify the scheduled final
payment date and the final maturity date of each series and
tranche of transition bonds in the related prospectus supplement.
Ratings for the Transition Bonds
It will be a condition of issuance for each series of transition
bonds that the series be rated Aaa by Moodys
Investors Service, Inc., AAA by Standard and
Poors, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and
AAA by Fitch, Inc. See Ratings for the
Transition Bonds in this prospectus.
Reports to Transition Bondholders
Pursuant to the indenture, the trustee will provide to the
holders of record of the transition bonds regular reports
prepared by the servicer containing information concerning,
among other things, us and the collateral for the related series
of transition bonds. Unless and until the transition bonds of a
series are issued in definitive certificated form, the reports
for such series will be provided to The Depository
Trust Company. The reports will be available to beneficial
owners of the transition bonds upon written request to the
trustee or the servicer. These reports will not be examined and
reported upon by an independent public accountant. In addition,
no independent public accountant will provide an opinion
thereon. Please refer to The Transition Bonds The
Trustee Must Provide an Annual Report to All Transition
Bondholders.
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Servicing Compensation
We will pay the servicer on each payment date the servicing fee
with respect to all series of the transition bonds. As long as
CenterPoint Houston or any affiliated entity acts as servicer,
this fee will be 0.05% of the initial principal balance of the
transition bonds on an annualized basis. If a successor servicer
is appointed, the servicing fee will be negotiated by the
successor servicer and the trustee, but will not, unless the
Texas commission consents, exceed 0.60% of the initial principal
balance of the transition bonds on an annualized basis. In no
event will the trustee be liable for any servicing fee in its
individual capacity.
Federal Income Tax Status
In the opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel to us and
CenterPoint Houston, for United States federal income tax
purposes, we will not be considered an entity separate from
CenterPoint Energy and the transition bonds will constitute debt
of CenterPoint Energy. This opinion is based upon recently
released guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and certain
representations that we have made to tax counsel. If you
purchase a transition bond, you agree to treat it as debt of
CenterPoint Energy for United States federal income tax
purposes. Please refer to Material Federal Income Tax
Consequences for the Transition Bondholders.
ERISA Considerations
Pension plans and other investors subject to the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), may
acquire the transition bonds subject to specified conditions.
The acquisition and holding of the transition bonds could be
treated as an indirect prohibited transaction under ERISA.
Accordingly, by purchasing the transition bonds, each investor
purchasing on behalf of a pension plan, or other investor
subject to ERISA, will be deemed to certify that the purchase
and subsequent holding of the transition bonds would be exempt
from the prohibited transaction rules of ERISA. For further
information regarding the application of ERISA, please refer to
ERISA Considerations.
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RISK FACTORS
Please carefully consider all the information we have
included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the
prospectus supplement, including the risks described below and
in Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Information, before deciding whether to invest in the
transition bonds. We will describe material risks of investing
in any tranches of floating rate transition bonds in the
applicable prospectus supplement.
You may experience material payment delays or incur a loss on
your investment in the transition bonds because the source of
funds for payment is limited.
The only source of funds for payment of a series of transition
bonds will be our assets relating to such series, which consist
of the transition property securing that series of transition
bonds, including:
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the right to impose, collect and receive related transition
charges; |
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the funds on deposit in the accounts held by the trustee; |
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our rights under various contracts we describe in this
prospectus; and |
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any credit enhancement as set forth in the related prospectus
supplement. |
The transition bonds are not a charge on the full faith and
credit or taxing power of the State of Texas or any governmental
agency or instrumentality, nor will the transition bonds be
insured or guaranteed by CenterPoint Houston, including in its
capacity as the servicer, or by its ultimate parent, CenterPoint
Energy, any of its affiliates (other than us), the trustee or by
any other person or entity. Thus, you must rely for payment of a
series of transition bonds solely upon collections of the
transition charges relating to such series, funds on deposit in
the related accounts held by the trustee relating to such series
and any other credit enhancement relating to such series
described in the prospectus supplement. Our organizational
documents restrict our right to acquire other assets unrelated
to the transactions described in this prospectus. Please refer
to The Issuer in this prospectus.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH POTENTIAL JUDICIAL, LEGISLATIVE OR
REGULATORY ACTIONS
Neither we nor CenterPoint Houston will indemnify you for any
changes in the law, including any federal preemption or repeal
or amendment of the Restructuring Act, that may affect the value
of your transition bonds. CenterPoint Houston will agree in each
sale agreement to institute any action or proceeding as may be
reasonably necessary to block or overturn any attempts to cause
a repeal, modification or amendment to the Restructuring Act
that would be materially adverse to us, the trustee or
transition bondholders. Please refer to The Sale
AgreementsCenterPoint Houstons Covenants in
this prospectus. However, we cannot assure you that CenterPoint
Houston would be able to take this action or that any such
action would be successful.
Future judicial action could reduce the value of your
investment in the transition bonds.
The transition property is the creation of the Restructuring Act
and one or more financing orders that have been or may be issued
by the Texas commission to CenterPoint Houston. There is
uncertainty associated with investing in bonds payable from an
asset that depends for its existence on legislation because
there is limited judicial or regulatory experience implementing
and interpreting the legislation. Because the transition
property is a creation of the Restructuring Act, any judicial
determination affecting the validity of or interpreting the
Restructuring Act, the transition property or our ability to
make payments on the transition bonds might have an adverse
effect on the transition bonds. Several parties appealed the
financing order described in this prospectus, but the financing
order was affirmed on appeal to the district court of Travis
County, Texas and the deadline established under the
Restructuring Act for further appeal has expired. If the
Restructuring Act is invalidated, however, the financing order
might also be invalidated.
Other states have passed electric utility deregulation laws
similar to the Restructuring Act, and some of these laws have
been challenged by judicial actions. To date, none of these
challenges has succeeded, but future judicial challenges might
be made. An unfavorable decision regarding another states
law would not automatically
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invalidate the Restructuring Act or the financing order, but it
might provoke a challenge to the Restructuring Act, establish a
legal precedent for a successful challenge to the Restructuring
Act or heighten awareness of the political and other risks of
the transition bonds, and in that way may limit the liquidity
and value of the transition bonds. Therefore, legal activity in
other states may indirectly affect the value of your investment
in the transition bonds.
The federal government might preempt the Restructuring Act
without full compensation.
In the past, bills have been introduced in Congress that would
prohibit the recovery of all or some types of stranded costs,
but none of those bills was enacted. Congress could, however,
pass a law or adopt a rule or regulation negating the existence
of or reducing the value of the transition property.
If federal legislation preempting the Restructuring Act or the
financing order is enacted, there is no assurance that the
courts would consider it a taking under the United
States Constitution for which the government would be required
to pay just compensation or, if it is considered a
taking, that any amount provided as compensation
would be sufficient to pay the full amount of principal of and
interest on the transition bonds or to pay these amounts on a
timely basis.
Future state legislative action could reduce the value of
your investment in the transition bonds.
Despite its pledge in the Restructuring Act not to take or
permit certain actions that would impair the value of the
transition property or the transition charges, the Texas
legislature might attempt to repeal or amend the Restructuring
Act in a manner that limits or alters the transition property so
as to reduce its value. For a description of the States
pledge, please refer to The Restructuring
ActCenterPoint Houston and Other Utilities May Securitize
Qualified Costs in this prospectus. It might be possible
for the Texas legislature to repeal or amend the Restructuring
Act notwithstanding the States pledge if the legislature
acts in order to serve a significant and legitimate public
purpose. Any such action, as well as the costly and
time-consuming litigation that likely would ensue, might
adversely affect the price and liquidity, the dates of payment
of interest and principal and the weighted average lives of the
transition bonds. Moreover, the outcome of any litigation cannot
be predicted. Accordingly, you might incur a loss on or delay in
recovery of your investment in the transition bonds.
If an action of the Texas legislature adversely affecting the
transition property or the ability to collect transition charges
were considered a taking under the United States or
Texas Constitutions, the State of Texas might be obligated to
pay compensation for the taking. However, even in that event,
there is no assurance that any amount provided as compensation
would be sufficient for you to recover fully your investment in
the transition bonds or to offset interest lost pending such
recovery.
Unlike the citizens of California, Massachusetts, Michigan and
some other states, the citizens of the State of Texas currently
do not have the constitutional right to adopt or revise state
laws by initiative or referendum. Thus, absent an amendment of
the Texas Constitution, the Restructuring Act cannot be amended
or repealed by direct action of the electorate.
The Texas commission might take actions that could reduce the
value of your investment in the transition bonds.
The Restructuring Act provides that a financing order is
irrevocable and that the Texas commission may not directly or
indirectly, by any subsequent action, rescind or amend a
financing order or reduce or impair the transition charges
authorized under a financing order, except for the true-up
adjustments to the transition charges. However, the Texas
commission retains the power to adopt, revise or rescind rules
or regulations affecting CenterPoint Houston. The Texas
commission also retains the power to interpret the financing
order granted to CenterPoint Houston, and in that capacity might
be called upon to rule on the meanings of provisions of the
order that might need further elaboration. Any new or amended
regulations or orders from the Texas commission might affect the
ability of the servicer to collect the transition charges in
full and on a timely basis, the rating of the transition bonds
or their price and, accordingly, the amortization of the
transition bonds and their weighted average lives.
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The servicer is required to file with the Texas commission, on
our behalf, certain adjustments of the transition charges.
Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups and
Adjustments to Allocation of Transition
Charges in this prospectus. True-up adjustment procedures
have been challenged in the past and may be challenged in the
future. Challenges to or delays in the true-up process might
adversely affect the market perception and valuation of the
transition bonds. Also, any litigation might materially delay
transition charge collections due to delayed implementation of
true-up adjustments and might result in missing payments or
payment delays and lengthened weighted average life of the
transition bonds.
SERVICING RISKS
Inaccurate consumption forecasting or unanticipated
delinquencies or charge-offs might reduce scheduled payments on
the transition bonds.
The transition charges are generally assessed based on
forecasted customer usage. The amount and the rate of transition
charge collections will depend in part on actual electricity
usage and the amount of collections and write-offs for each
customer class. If the servicer of these transition bonds
inaccurately forecasts electricity consumption or uses
inaccurate customer delinquency or charge-off data when setting
or adjusting the transition charges, there could be a shortfall
or material delay in transition charge collections, which might
result in missed or delayed payments of principal and interest
and lengthened weighted average life of the transition bonds.
Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups and
Adjustments to Allocation of Transition
Charges in this prospectus.
The servicer of Transition Bond Company Is transition
charges (which will also be the servicer for the transition
bonds unless otherwise specified) has experienced difficulties
from time to time in making accurate forecasts of electricity
consumption because of unexpected weather conditions. Inaccurate
forecasting of electricity consumption by the servicer might
result from, among other things, unanticipated weather or
economic conditions, resulting in less electricity consumption
than forecast; general economic conditions being worse than
expected, causing retail electric customers to migrate from
CenterPoint Houstons service territory or reduce their
electricity consumption; the occurrence of a natural disaster or
an act of terrorism or other catastrophic event; changes in the
market structure of the electric industry; customers consuming
less electricity because of increased energy prices, increased
conservation efforts; or customers switching to alternative
sources of energy, including self-generation of electric power.
The servicers use of inaccurate delinquency or charge-off
rates might result also from, among other things, unexpected
deterioration of the economy or the declaration of a moratorium
on terminating electric service to customers in the event of
extreme weather, either of which would cause greater
delinquencies or charge-offs than expected or force CenterPoint
Houston or retail electric providers to grant additional payment
relief to more customers, or any other change in law that makes
it more difficult for CenterPoint Houston or retail electric
providers to terminate service to nonpaying customers or that
requires CenterPoint Houston or retail electric providers to
apply more lenient credit standards in accepting retail electric
customers.
Your investment in the transition bonds depends on
CenterPoint Houston or its successor or assignee, acting as
servicer of the transition property.
CenterPoint Houston, as servicer, will be responsible for, among
other things, calculating, billing and collecting the transition
charges from retail electric providers, submitting requests to
the Texas commission to adjust these charges, monitoring the
collateral for a series of transition bonds and taking certain
actions in the event of non-payment by a retail electric
provider. The trustees receipt of collections in respect
of the transition charges, which will be used to make payments
on the related series of transition bonds, will depend in part
on the skill and diligence of the servicer in performing these
functions. The systems the State of Texas and servicer have in
place for transition charge billings and collections might, in
particular circumstances, cause the servicer to experience
difficulty in performing these functions in a timely and
completely accurate manner. CenterPoint Houston, as servicer of
the transition charges of Transition Bond Company I, experienced
some difficulties in implementing and maintaining the systems
and procedures required to perform the duties required of it by
the servicing agreement relating to Transition Bond Company I.
If the servicer fails to make collections for any reason, then
the servicers
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payments to the trustee in respect of the transition charges
might be delayed or reduced. In that event, our payments on the
transition bonds might be delayed or reduced.
If we replace CenterPoint Houston as the servicer, we may
experience difficulties finding and using a replacement
servicer.
If CenterPoint Houston ceases to service the transition property
related to a series of transition bonds, it might be difficult
to find a successor servicer. Also, any successor servicer might
have less experience and ability than CenterPoint Houston and
might experience difficulties in collecting transition charges
and determining appropriate adjustments to the transition
charges and billing and/or payment arrangements may change,
resulting in collection disruption. A successor servicer might
charge fees that, while permitted under the financing order, are
substantially higher than the fees paid to CenterPoint Houston
as servicer. In the event of the commencement of a case by or
against the servicer under the United States Bankruptcy Code or
similar laws, we and the trustee might be prevented from
effecting a transfer of servicing due to operation of the
bankruptcy code. Any of these factors and others might delay the
timing of payments and may reduce the value of your investment.
Please refer to The Servicing Agreements in this
prospectus.
It might be difficult to collect transition charges from
retail electric providers.
As required by the Restructuring Act, retail electric customers
will pay the transition charges to retail electric providers who
supply them with electric power. The retail electric providers
will be obligated to remit payments of the transition charges,
less a specified percentage allowance for charge-offs of
delinquent customer accounts, within 35 days of billing
from the servicer, even if they do not collect the transition
charges from retail electric customers. Please refer to
Retail Electric Providers in this prospectus.
Because the retail electric providers will bill most retail
electric customers for the transition charges, we will have to
rely on a relatively small number of entities for the collection
of the bulk of the transition charges. As of September 30,
2005, CenterPoint Houston did business with approximately 65
retail electric providers. Reliant Energy, through its
subsidiaries, is CenterPoint Houstons largest customer,
accounting for approximately 60% of CenterPoint Houstons
outstanding receivables from retail electric providers as of
September 30, 2005.
Failure by the retail electric providers to remit transition
charges to the servicer might cause delays in payments on the
transition bonds and adversely affect your investment in the
transition bonds. The servicer will not pay any shortfalls
resulting from the failure of any retail electric provider to
forward transition charge collections.
Adjustments to the transition charges and any credit support
provided by a retail electric provider, while available to
compensate for a failure by a retail electric provider to pay
the transition charges to the servicer, might not be sufficient
to protect the value of your investment in the transition bonds.
Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-ups in this
prospectus.
The Restructuring Act provides for one or more retail electric
providers in each area to be designated the provider of
last resort for that area or a specified customer classes.
The provider of last resort is required to offer basic electric
service to retail electric customers in its designated area,
regardless of the creditworthiness of the customer. The provider
of last resort might face greater difficulty in bill collection
than other retail electric providers and therefore the servicer
may face greater difficulty in collecting transition charges
from the provider of last resort.
Retail electric providers may issue a single bill to retail
customers that includes all charges related to the purchase of
electricity, without separately itemizing the transition charge
component of the bill. A retail electric providers use of
a consolidated bill might increase the risk that customers who
have claims against the retail electric provider will attempt to
offset those claims against transition charges or increase the
risk that, in the event of a bankruptcy of a retail electric
provider, a bankruptcy court would find that the retail electric
provider has an interest in the transition property and would
make it more difficult to terminate the services of a bankrupt
retail electric provider or collect transition charges from its
customers.
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Competitive metering services might result in unexpected
problems in receiving accurate metering data.
Under the Restructuring Act, commercial and industrial retail
customers that are required by ERCOT to have an interval data
recorder meter may choose to own the settlement and billing
meters that are used to measure electric energy delivered to
their location or to have those meters owned by a retail
electric provider, the transmission and distribution utility or
another person authorized by the customer. As of
September 30, 2005, CenterPoint Houston continued to
provide metering services related to the installation and
removal of meters, meter testing and calibration, data
collection and data management. Please refer to The
Restructuring ActThe Restructuring Acts General
Effect on the Electric Utility Industry in
TexasPrice to Beat and Services in this
prospectus. Should the Texas commission allow third parties to
perform those metering services in CenterPoint Houstons
service territory, there might be problems converting to the
third partys metering system, taking accurate meter
readings and collecting and processing accurate metering data.
Inaccurate metering data might lead to inaccuracies in the
calculation and imposition of transition charges and might give
rise to disputes between the servicer and retail electric
providers regarding payments and payment shortfalls resulting in
missing or delayed payments of principal and interest and
lengthened weighted average life of the transition bonds.
Changes to billing and collection practices might reduce the
value of your investment in the transition bonds.
The financing order specifies the methodology for determining
the amount of the transition charges we may impose. The servicer
may not change this methodology without approval from the Texas
commission. However, the servicer may set its own billing and
collection arrangements with retail electric providers and
retail electric customers, if any, from whom it collects
transition charges directly, provided that these arrangements
comply with the Texas commissions customer safeguards. For
example, to recover part of an outstanding bill, the servicer
may agree to extend a retail electric providers payment
schedule or to write off the remaining portion of the bill,
including the transition charges. Also, the servicer may change
billing and collection practices, which might adversely impact
the timing and amount of retail electric customer payments and
might reduce transition charge collections, thereby limiting our
ability to make scheduled payments on the transition bonds.
Separately, the Texas commission might require changes to these
practices. Any changes in billing and collection practices
regulations might make it more difficult for the servicer to
collect the transition charges and adversely affect the value of
your investment in the transition bonds. Please refer to
The Servicer of the Transition PropertyHow
CenterPoint Houston Forecasts the Number of Retail Electric
Customers and the Amount of Electricity Usage in this
prospectus.
Limits on rights to terminate service might make it more
difficult to collect the transition charges.
The financing order expressly provides that we may authorize the
servicer to disconnect service for nonpayment of transition
charges to the same extent as an electric utility. Moreover, if
the servicer is billing customers for transition charges, the
servicer may terminate transmission and distribution service to
the customer for non-payment of transition charges pursuant to
the applicable rules of the Texas commission. Nonetheless, Texas
statutory requirements and the rules and regulations of the
Texas commission, which may change from time to time, regulate
and control the right to disconnect service. For example, retail
electric providers generally may not terminate service to a
customer (1) on a holiday or weekend day or the day
immediately preceding a holiday or weekend, (2) during
certain extreme weather conditions, (3) if such
disconnection would cause a person to become seriously ill or
more seriously ill, (4) if such customer is an energy
assistance client under certain circumstances or (5) if the
customer is a master-metered apartment complex unless certain
notices are given. To the extent these retail electric customers
do not pay for their electric service, retail electric providers
will not be able to collect transition charges from these retail
electric customers. Although retail electric providers will have
to pay the servicer the transition charges on behalf of those
customers (subject to any charge-off allowance and
reconciliation rights if non-paying customers make up a
sufficiently large part of the retail electric providers
customers), required service to non-paying customers could
affect the ability of retail electric providers to make such
payment.
Future adjustments to transition charges by customer class
might result in insufficient collections.
The customers who pay transition charges are divided into
customer classes. Transition charges for each series of
transition bonds will be allocated among customer classes and
assessed in accordance with the formula
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required under the Restructuring Act and specified in the
financing order relating to such series. A shortfall in
collections of transition charges in one customer class may be
corrected by making adjustments to the transition charges
payable by that customer class and any other customer class. If
customers in a class fail to pay transition charges or cease to
be customers, the servicer might have to substantially increase
the transition charges for the remaining customers in that
customer class and for other customer classes. This effect might
be more extreme in the case of the large industrial and the
interruptible customer classes, which consist of a small number
of large customers. These increases could lead to further
failures by the remaining customers to pay transition charges,
thereby increasing the risk of a shortfall in funds to pay the
transition bonds.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNUSUAL NATURE OF THE TRANSITION
PROPERTY
We will not receive transition charges for any series of
transition bonds in respect of electric service provided more
than 15 years from the date of issuance of that series of
transition bonds.
CenterPoint Houston will not be entitled to charge transition
charges for any series of transition bonds for electricity
delivered after the fifteenth anniversary of the issuance of
that series of transition bonds. If transition charges collected
for electricity delivered through the fifteenth anniversary of a
series of transition bonds, or from any credit enhancement
funds, are not sufficient to repay that series of the transition
bonds in full, no other funds will be available to pay the
unpaid balance due on that series of the transition bonds.
Foreclosure of the trustees lien on the transition
property for a series of transition bonds might not be
practical, and acceleration of the transition bonds of such
series before maturity might have little practical effect.
Under the Restructuring Act and the indenture, the trustee or
the transition bondholders have the right to foreclose or
otherwise enforce the lien on the transition property securing a
series of transition bonds. However, in the event of
foreclosure, there is likely to be a limited market, if any, for
the transition property. Therefore, foreclosure might not be a
realistic or practical remedy. Moreover, although principal of
such series of transition bonds will be due and payable upon
acceleration of such series of transition bonds before maturity,
transition charges relating to such series likely would not be
accelerated and the nature of our business will result in
principal of such series of transition bonds being paid as funds
become available. If there is an acceleration of a series of
transition bonds, all tranches of such series of transition
bonds will be paid pro rata; therefore, some tranches might be
paid earlier than expected and some tranches might be paid later
than expected.
RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH POTENTIAL BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS OF
THE SELLER OR THE SERVICER
For a detailed discussion of the following bankruptcy risks,
please refer to How a Bankruptcy Might Affect Your
Investment in this prospectus.
The servicer will commingle the transition charges with other
revenues it collects, which might obstruct access to the
transition charges in case of the servicers bankruptcy and
reduce the value of your investment in the transition bonds.
The servicer will be required to remit collections to the
trustee within two business days of receipt. The servicer will
not segregate the transition charges from the other funds it
collects from retail electric customers or retail electric
providers or its general funds. The transition charges will be
segregated only when the servicer pays them to the trustee.
Despite this requirement, the servicer might fail to pay the
full amount of the transition charges to the trustee or might
fail to do so on a timely basis. This failure, whether voluntary
or involuntary, might materially reduce the amount of transition
charge collections available to make payments on the transition
bonds.
The Restructuring Act provides that our rights to the transition
property are not affected by the commingling of these funds with
any other funds of the servicer. In a bankruptcy of the
servicer, however, a bankruptcy court might rule that federal
bankruptcy law does not recognize our right to collections of
the transition charges that are
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commingled with other funds of the servicer as of the date of
bankruptcy. If so, the collections of the transition charges
held by the servicer as of the date of bankruptcy would not be
available to pay amounts owing on the transition bonds. In this
case, we would have only a general unsecured claim against the
servicer for those amounts. This decision could cause material
delays in payments of principal or interest, or losses, on your
transition bonds and could materially reduce the value of your
investment in the transition bonds, particularly if it occurred
in the fifteenth year of the transition bonds after the
completion of which no transition charges can be charged. Please
refer to How a Bankruptcy May Affect Your Investment
in this prospectus.
The bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston or any successor seller
might result in losses or delays in payments on the transition
bonds.
The Restructuring Act and the financing order provide that as a
matter of Texas state law:
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the rights and interests of a selling utility under a financing
order, including the right to impose, collect and receive
transition charges, are contract rights of the seller, |
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the seller may make a present transfer of its rights under a
financing order, including the right to impose, collect and
receive future transition charges that retail customers do not
yet owe, |
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upon the transfer to us, the rights will become transition
property, and transition property constitutes a present property
right, even though the imposition and collection of transition
charges depend on further acts that have not yet occurred, and |
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a transfer of the transition property from the seller, or its
affiliate, to us that expressly states the transfer is a sale or
other absolute transfer is a true sale of the transition
property, not a pledge of the transition property to secure a
financing by the seller. |
Please refer to The Restructuring Act in this
prospectus. These provisions are important to maintaining
payments on a series of transition bonds in accordance with
their terms during any bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston. In
addition, the transaction has been structured with the objective
of keeping us legally separate from CenterPoint Houston and its
affiliates in the event of a bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston
or any such affiliates.
A bankruptcy court generally follows state property law on
issues such as those addressed by the state law provisions
described above. However, a bankruptcy court does not follow
state law if it determines that the state law is contrary to a
paramount federal bankruptcy policy or interest. If a bankruptcy
court in a CenterPoint Houston bankruptcy refused to enforce one
or more of the state property law provisions described above,
the effect of this decision on you as a beneficial owner of the
transition bonds might be similar to the treatment you would
receive in a CenterPoint Houston bankruptcy if the transition
bonds had been issued directly by CenterPoint Houston. A
decision by the bankruptcy court that, despite our separateness
from CenterPoint Houston, our assets and liabilities and those
of CenterPoint Houston should be consolidated would have a
similar effect on you as a bondholder.
We have taken steps together with CenterPoint Houston, as the
seller, to reduce the risk that in the event the seller or an
affiliate of the seller were to become the debtor in a
bankruptcy case, a court would order that our assets and
liabilities be substantively consolidated with those of
CenterPoint Houston or an affiliate. Nonetheless, these steps
might not be completely effective, and thus if CenterPoint
Houston or an affiliate of the seller were to become a debtor in
a bankruptcy case, a court might order that our assets and
liabilities be consolidated with those of CenterPoint Houston or
an affiliate of the seller. This might cause material delays in
payment of, or losses on, your transition bonds and might
materially reduce the value of your investment in the transition
bonds. For example:
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without permission from the bankruptcy court, the trustee might
be prevented from taking actions against CenterPoint Houston or
recovering or using funds on your behalf or replacing
CenterPoint Houston as the servicer, |
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the bankruptcy court might order the trustee to exchange the
transition property for other property, of lower value, |
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tax or other government liens on CenterPoint Houstons
property might have priority over the trustees lien and
might be paid from collected transition charges before payments
on the related series of transition bonds, |
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the trustees lien might not be properly perfected in the
collected transition property collections prior to or as of the
date of CenterPoint Houstons bankruptcy, with the result
that the transition bonds would represent only general unsecured
claims against CenterPoint Houston, |
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the bankruptcy court might rule that neither our property
interest nor the trustees lien extends to transition
charges in respect of electricity consumed after the
commencement of CenterPoint Houstons bankruptcy case, with
the result that the related series of transition bonds would
represent only general unsecured claims against CenterPoint
Houston, |
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we and CenterPoint Houston might be relieved of any obligation
to make any payments on the transition bonds during the pendency
of the bankruptcy case and might be relieved of any obligation
to pay interest accruing after the commencement of the
bankruptcy case, |
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CenterPoint Houston might be able to alter the terms of each
series of transition bonds as part of its plan of reorganization, |
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the bankruptcy court might rule that the transition charges
should be used to pay, or that we should be charged for, a
portion of the cost of providing electric service, or |
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the bankruptcy court might rule that the remedy provisions of
the applicable sale agreement are unenforceable, leaving us with
an unsecured claim for actual damages against CenterPoint
Houston that may be difficult to prove or, if proven, to collect
in full. |
Furthermore, if CenterPoint Houston enters bankruptcy
proceedings, it might be permitted to stop acting as servicer
and it may be difficult to find a third party to act as
servicer. The failure of the servicer to perform its duties or
the inability to find a successor servicer might cause payment
delays or losses on your investment in the transition bonds.
Also, the mere fact of a servicer or seller bankruptcy
proceeding might have an adverse effect on the resale market for
the transition bonds and on the value of the transition bonds.
The sale of the transition property might be construed as a
financing and not a sale in a case of CenterPoint Houstons
bankruptcy which might delay or limit payments on the transition
bonds.
The Restructuring Act provides that the characterization of a
transfer of transition property as a sale or other absolute
transfer will not be affected or impaired by treatment of the
transfer as a financing for federal or state tax purposes or
financial reporting purposes. We and CenterPoint Houston will
treat the transaction as a sale under applicable law, although
for financial reporting and state income and franchise tax
purposes the transaction is intended to be treated as a
financing. In the event of a bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston,
a party in interest in the bankruptcy might assert that the sale
of the transition property to us was a financing transaction and
not a sale or other absolute transfer and that the
treatment of the transaction for financial reporting and tax
purposes as a financing and not a sale lends weight to that
position. If a court were to characterize the transaction as a
financing, we expect that we would, on behalf of ourselves and
the trustee, be treated as a secured creditor of CenterPoint
Houston in the bankruptcy proceedings, although a court might
determine that we only have an unsecured claim against
CenterPoint Houston. See The servicer will commingle
the transition charges with other revenues it collects, which
might obstruct access to the transition charges in case of the
servicers bankruptcy and reduce the value of your
investment in the transition bonds above. Even if we had a
security interest in the transition property, we would not
likely have access to the related transition charge collections
during the bankruptcy and would be subject to the risks of a
secured creditor in a bankruptcy case, including the possible
bankruptcy risks described in the immediately preceding risk
factor. As a result, repayment of a series of transition bonds
might be significantly delayed and a plan of reorganization in
the bankruptcy might permanently modify the amount and timing of
payments to us of the related transition charge collections and
therefore the amount and timing of funds available to us to pay
transition bondholders.
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If the servicer enters bankruptcy proceedings, the
collections of the transition charges held by the servicer as of
the date of bankruptcy might constitute preferences, which means
these funds might be unavailable to pay amounts owing on the
transition bonds.
In the event of a bankruptcy of the servicer, a party in
interest might take the position that the remittance of funds
prior to bankruptcy of the servicer, pursuant to the servicing
agreement or intercreditor agreement, constitutes a preference
under bankruptcy law if the remittance of those funds was deemed
to be paid on account of a preexisting debt. If a court were to
hold that the remittance of funds constitutes a preference, any
such remittance within 90 days of the filing of the
bankruptcy petition could be avoidable, and the funds could be
required to be returned to the bankruptcy estate of the
servicer. To the extent that transition charges have been
commingled with the general funds of the servicer, the risk that
a court would hold that a remittance of funds was a preference
would increase. Also, we or the servicer may be considered an
insider with any retail electric provider that is
affiliated with us or the servicer. If the servicer or we are
considered to be an insider of the retail electric
provider, any such remittance made within one year of the filing
of the bankruptcy petition could be avoidable as well if the
court were to hold that such remittance constitutes a
preference. In either case, we or the trustee would merely be an
unsecured creditor of the servicer. If any funds were required
to be returned to the bankruptcy estate of the servicer, we
would expect that the amount of any future transition charges
would be increased through the true-up mechanism to recover such
amount.
Claims against CenterPoint Houston or any successor seller
might be limited in the event of a bankruptcy of the seller.
If the seller were to become a debtor in a bankruptcy case,
claims, including indemnity claims, by us against the seller
under the sale agreement and the other documents executed in
connection with the sale agreement would be unsecured claims and
would be disposed of in the bankruptcy case. In addition, the
bankruptcy court might estimate any contingent claims that we
have against the seller and, if it determines that the
contingency giving rise to these claims is unlikely to occur,
estimate the claims at a lower amount. A party in interest in
the bankruptcy of the seller might challenge the enforceability
of the indemnity provisions in a sale agreement. If a court were
to hold that the indemnity provisions were unenforceable, we
would be left with a claim for actual damages against the seller
based on breach of contract principles, which would be subject
to estimation and/or calculation by the court. We cannot give
any assurance as to the result if any of the above-described
actions or claims were made. Furthermore, we cannot give any
assurance as to what percentage of their claims, if any,
unsecured creditors would receive in any bankruptcy proceeding
involving the seller.
The bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston or any successor seller
might limit the remedies available to the trustee.
Upon an event of default for a series of transition bonds under
the indenture, the Restructuring Act permits the trustee to
enforce the security interest in the related transition property
in accordance with the terms of the indenture. In this capacity,
the trustee is permitted to request the Texas commission or a
Travis County, Texas district court to order the sequestration
and payment to bondholders of such series of all revenues
arising with respect to the related transition property. There
can be no assurance, however, that the Texas commission or the
Travis County, Texas district court would issue this order after
a CenterPoint Houston bankruptcy in light of the automatic stay
provisions of Section 362 of the United States Bankruptcy
Code. In that event, the trustee would be required to seek an
order from the bankruptcy court lifting the automatic stay to
permit this action by the Texas court, and an order requiring an
accounting and segregation of the revenues arising from the
transition property. There can be no assurance that a court
would grant either order.
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RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH POTENTIAL BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS OF RETAIL ELECTRIC PROVIDERS
Retail electric providers may commingle the transition
charges with other revenues they collect. This may cause losses
on or reduce the value of your investment in the transition
bonds in the event a retail electric provider enters bankruptcy
proceedings.
A retail electric provider is not required to segregate from its
general funds the transition charges it collects, either on a
series basis or otherwise, but will be required to remit to the
servicer amounts billed to it for transition charges, less an
amount relating to expected customer charge-offs, within
35 days of the billing by the servicer. A retail electric
provider nevertheless might fail to remit the full amount of the
transition charges owed to the servicer or might fail to do so
on a timely basis. This failure, whether voluntary or
involuntary, might materially reduce the amount of transition
charge collections available on the next payment date to make
timely payments on one or more series of the transition bonds.
The Restructuring Act provides that our rights to the transition
property are not affected by the commingling of these funds with
other funds. In a bankruptcy of a retail electric provider,
however, a bankruptcy court might rule that federal bankruptcy
law takes precedence over the Restructuring Act and does not
recognize our right to receive the collected transition charges
that are commingled with other funds of a retail electric
provider as of the date of bankruptcy. If so, the collections of
the transition charges held by a retail electric provider as of
the date of bankruptcy would not be available to pay amounts
owing on the related series of transition bonds. In this case,
we would have only a general unsecured claim against the retail
electric provider for those amounts. This decision might cause
material delays in payments of principal or interest or losses
on your transition bonds and could materially reduce the value
of your investment in the transition bonds, particularly if it
occurred in the fifteenth year of the transition bonds after the
completion of which no transition charges can be charged. Please
refer to How a Bankruptcy May Affect Your Investment
in this prospectus.
If a retail electric provider enters bankruptcy proceedings,
any cash deposit of the retail electric provider held by the
trustee might not be available to cover amounts owed by the
retail electric provider.
If a retail electric provider does not have the credit rating
required by the financing order, it may nevertheless qualify to
act as a retail electric provider if, among other alternatives,
it provides a cash deposit equal to two months maximum
expected transition charge collections. Please refer to
Retail Electric Providers in this prospectus. That
cash deposit will be held by the trustee under the indenture.
However, it is unclear whether the Restructuring Act creates a
lien on the cash deposit in favor of the trustee. If the retail
electric provider becomes bankrupt, the trustee would be stayed
from applying that cash deposit to cover amounts owed by the
retail electric provider, and the trustee might be required to
return that cash deposit to the retail electric providers
bankruptcy estate if the bankruptcy court determines there is no
valid right of set-off or recoupment. In that case, the issuer
might only have an unsecured claim for any amounts owed by the
retail electric provider in the retail electric providers
bankruptcy proceedings. Two retail electric providers with which
CenterPoint Houston has done business have filed for bankruptcy.
CenterPoint Houston, as servicer under the transition bonds
issued by Transition Bond Company I, was able to recover the
full amount or a substantial majority of the transition charges
relating to those transition bonds from cash deposits or a
combination of cash deposits and payments from these retail
electric providers, but there is no assurance that CenterPoint
Houston will be able to recover such amounts from any bankrupt
retail electric providers in the future. For additional
information regarding the bankruptcies of these retail electric
providers, please read The Servicer of the Transition
PropertyCustomer ClassesRelationship With Retail
Electric Providers.
If a retail electric provider enters bankruptcy proceedings,
transition charge payments made by that retail electric provider
to the servicer might constitute preferences, and the servicer
may be required to return such funds to the bankruptcy estate of
the retail electric provider.
In the event of a bankruptcy of a retail electric provider, a
party in interest might take the position that the remittance of
funds by the retail electric provider to the servicer, pursuant
to the financing order, prior to bankruptcy constitutes a
preference under bankruptcy law if the remittance of those funds
was deemed to be paid on account of a preexisting debt. If a
court were to hold that the remittance of funds constitutes
preferences, any
23
remittance of such funds made within 90 days of the filing
of the bankruptcy petition might be avoidable, and the funds
might be required to be returned to the bankruptcy estate of the
retail electric provider by us or the servicer. To the extent
that transition charges have been commingled with the general
funds of the retail electric provider, the risk that a court
would hold that a remittance of funds was a preference would
increase. Also, we or the servicer might be considered an
insider with any retail electric provider that is
affiliated with us or the servicer. If the servicer or we are
considered to be an insider of the retail electric
provider, any such remittance made within one year of the filing
of the bankruptcy petition could be avoidable as well if the
court were to hold that such remittance constitutes a
preference. In either case, we or the servicer would merely be
an unsecured creditor of the retail electric provider. If any
funds were required to be returned to the bankruptcy estate of
the retail electric provider, we would expect that the amount of
any future transition charges would be increased through the
true-up mechanism to recover the amount returned.
Furthermore, the mere fact of a retail electric provider
bankruptcy proceeding could have an adverse effect on the resale
market for the transition bonds and on the value of the
transition bonds. Please refer to How a Bankruptcy May
Affect Your Investment in this prospectus.
OTHER RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE TRANSITION
BONDS
We may incur expenses in excess of caps on such expenses
provided in the financing order.
Under the financing order, transition charges may not be imposed
for certain of our ongoing expenses to the extent they exceed
caps provided in the financing order for such amounts. In
addition, our other assets, substantially all of which are
pledged to the trustee for the related series of transition
bonds under the indenture, may not be used by the trustee to pay
such excess amounts. Examples of these caps include payment of
specified fees and expenses of the trustee and the servicer and
other specified operating expenses. Please refer to The
Transition BondsHow Funds in the Collection Account Will
Be Allocated. We cannot be sure that we will not incur
expenses for these purposes in excess of the cap levels and, if
this were to occur, we would not have funds to make payments for
these excess amounts. Creditors of ours which are owed these
amounts and not paid may obtain judgment liens against our
assets or seek to place us in bankruptcy.
CenterPoint Houstons indemnification obligations under
the sale and servicing agreements are limited and might not be
sufficient to protect your investment in the transition
bonds.
CenterPoint Houston is obligated under each sale agreement to
indemnify us and the trustee, for itself and on behalf of the
transition bondholders, only in specified circumstances and will
not be obligated to repurchase any transition property in the
event of a breach of any of its representations, warranties or
covenants regarding the transition property. Similarly,
CenterPoint Houston is obligated under each servicing agreement
to indemnify us, the trustee, for itself and on behalf of the
transition bondholders, and the Texas commission only in
specified circumstances. Please refer to The Sale
Agreements and The Servicing Agreements in
this prospectus.
Neither the trustee nor the transition bondholders will have the
right to accelerate payments on a series of transition bonds as
a result of a breach under the related sale agreement or
servicing agreement, absent an event of default under the
indenture relating to such series of transition bonds as
described in The Transition BondsWhat Constitutes an
Event of Default on the Transition Bonds. Furthermore,
CenterPoint Houston might not have sufficient funds available to
satisfy its indemnification obligations under these agreements,
and the amount of any indemnification paid by CenterPoint
Houston might not be sufficient for you to recover all of your
investment in the transition bonds. In addition, if CenterPoint
Houston becomes obligated to indemnify transition bondholders,
the ratings on the transition bonds will likely be downgraded as
a result of the circumstances causing the breach and the fact
that transition bondholders will be unsecured creditors of
CenterPoint Houston with respect to any of these indemnification
amounts.
CenterPoint Houstons ratings might affect the market
value of the transition bonds.
A downgrading of the credit ratings on the debt of CenterPoint
Houston might have an adverse effect on the market value of your
transition bonds.
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Technological change might make alternative energy sources
more attractive in the future.
Technological developments might result in the introduction of
economically attractive alternatives to purchasing electricity
through CenterPoint Houstons distribution facilities for
increasing numbers of retail customers. Manufacturers of
self-generation facilities may develop smaller-scale, more
fuel-efficient generating units that can be cost-effective
options for a greater number of retail customers. Electric
customers within CenterPoint Houstons service territory
whose load is served by an on-site power production facility
with a rated capacity of 10 megawatts or less are not
required to pay transition charges under the Restructuring Act
except for transition charges associated with services actually
provided by the transmission and distribution utility.
Technological developments might allow greater numbers of retail
customers to avoid transition charges under such provisions,
which may reduce the total number of retail customers from which
transition charges will be collected.
The absence of a secondary market for a series of transition
bonds might limit your ability to resell your transition bonds
of such series.
The underwriters for a series of transition bonds might assist
in resales of the transition bonds of such series, but they are
not required to do so. A secondary market for a series of
transition bonds might not develop. If a secondary market does
develop, it might not continue or it might not be sufficiently
liquid to allow you to resell any of your transition bonds of
such series. Please refer to Plan of Distribution for the
Transition Bonds in this prospectus.
You might receive principal payments for a series of
transition bonds later than you expect.
The amount and the rate of collection of the transition charges
for a series of transition bonds, together with the related
transition charge adjustments, will generally determine whether
there is a delay in the scheduled repayments of transition bond
principal for such series. If the servicer collects the
transition charges at a slower rate than expected from any
retail electric provider, it might have to request adjustments
of the transition charges. If those adjustments are not timely
and accurate, you might experience a delay in payments of
principal and interest and a decrease in the value of your
investment in such series of transition bonds. Please refer to
The Transition Bonds in this prospectus.
We may issue additional series of transition bonds.
We may issue one or more additional series of transition bonds
under the financing order or under a subsequent financing order,
and CenterPoint Houston may also sell transition property to one
or more entities other than us in connection with the issuance
of a new series of transition bonds, in any such case without
your prior review or approval. Any new series may include terms
and provisions that would be unique to that particular series.
We may not issue additional transition bonds if the issuance
would result in the credit ratings on any outstanding series of
transition bonds being reduced or withdrawn. However, we cannot
assure you that a new series would not cause reductions or
delays in payments on your transition bonds. In addition, some
matters relating to the transition bonds issued by us require
the vote of the holders of all series and classes of transition
bonds issued by us. Your interests in these votes may conflict
with the interests of the beneficial owners of transition bonds
of another series or of another class. Thus, these votes could
result in an outcome that is materially unfavorable to you.
25
THE RESTRUCTURING ACT
The Restructuring Acts General Effect on the Electric
Utility Industry in Texas
An Overview of the Restructuring Act. The Restructuring
Act was enacted by the Texas legislature in June 1999 and became
effective on September 1, 1999. The Restructuring Act
substantially amended the regulatory structure governing
electric utilities in Texas in order to transition to a
competitive electric market, thereby creating stranded
investment and other balances for electric utilities within the
State of Texas. The Restructuring Act, among other things,
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authorized competition in the retail electric market and the
electricity generation market for electricity beginning in
January 2002, and in some instances sooner, |
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required a rate freeze for all retail electric customers until
January 2002, and access to certain reduced rates for
residential and small commercial retail electric customers
through the so-called price to beat mechanism for up
to five years thereafter, |
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permitted electric utilities to recover certain stranded
investments and other balances through the issuance of
transition bonds pursuant to and supported by an irrevocable
financing order issued by the Texas commission, |
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permitted the Texas commission to impose an irrevocable
nonbypassable transition charge on all retail electric
customers, including the State of Texas and other governmental
entities, within a utilitys certificated service territory
as it existed on May 1, 1999, for payment of transition
bonds, and |
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provided for a proceeding in 2004 to determine the recoverable
stranded cost and other true-up balances. |
Unbundling. Each electric utility was required to
separate its customer-related energy services activities that
are otherwise already widely available in the competitive market
from its regulated activities by September 1, 2000. By
January 1, 2002, each electric utility was required to
separate its business into the following units:
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a power generation company, |
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a retail electric provider, and |
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a transmission and distribution utility or separate transmission
and distribution utilities. |
A power generation company generates electricity that is
intended to be sold at wholesale. In general, a power generation
company may not own a transmission or distribution facility and
may not have a certificated service territory. A retail electric
provider sells electric energy to retail electric customers. A
retail electric provider may not own or operate generation
assets. A transmission and distribution utility owns or operates
facilities to transmit or distribute electricity. Pursuant to
the unbundling provisions of the Restructuring Act, the terms of
a business separation plan approved by the Texas commission and
separation agreements among the companies, the integrated
electric utility business of the integrated utility that was a
predecessor of CenterPoint Houston was split among three
separate companies. Texas Genco, LP was, until December 2004 as
described below, the power generation company which owned and
operated the electric generation assets formerly owned by the
integrated utility and sold electricity in wholesale
transactions. CenterPoint Houston is a transmission and
distribution utility that now owns and operates the transmission
and distribution facilities used to transmit and distribute
electricity. Reliant Energy Retail Services, LLC and Reliant
Energy Solutions, LLC are the retail electric providers that
succeeded to the retail customers which, prior to January 2002,
had been served by the integrated utility. CenterPoint Houston
is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy.
Texas Genco, LP is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Texas
Genco Holdings, Inc., approximately 81% of the common stock of
which was indirectly owned by CenterPoint Energy prior to
December 2004. In December 2004, Texas Genco Holdings and Texas
Genco, LP completed the sale of all of Texas Genco, LPs
fossil generation assets to third parties for approximately
$2.2 billion. In the second step of the transaction, which
was completed in April 2005, the buyers acquired Texas Genco
Holdings and the remaining nuclear generation assets for
approximately $700 million. Reliant Energy Retail Services
and Reliant Energy Solutions are wholly owned subsidiaries of
Reliant Energy, Inc. (Reliant Energy), formerly Reliant
26
Resources, Inc., which was formed as a subsidiary of the
integrated utility and the equity of which was then either sold
or distributed to the public in connection with the business
separation plan. Reliant Energy is and has been a separate legal
entity from Reliant Energy, Incorporated, the integrated utility
and predecessor to CenterPoint Houston. Reliant Energy and
CenterPoint Energy have no overlapping board members or
executive officers, and neither owns any stock in the other;
however, under provisions of the Restructuring Act, Reliant
Energy Retail Services and Reliant Energy Solutions are
considered to be the affiliated retail electric
providers.
Retail Competition. Beginning in January 2002, all retail
electric customers in most of Texas, including the area
historically served by the integrated utility, were able to
choose their own retail electric provider. Any customer in the
CenterPoint Houston service territory that has not chosen a new
retail electric provider is served by Reliant Energy Retail
Services and Reliant Energy Solutions as the affiliated retail
electric providers. As of September 30, 2005, there were
approximately 65 retail electric providers providing
electric service in CenterPoint Houstons service
territory. Reliant Energy Retail Services and Reliant Energy
Solutions are the largest retail electric providers in
CenterPoint Houstons service territory. Together, the
retail electric providers owned by Reliant Energy accounted for
approximately 53% of the total retail kWh billed by CenterPoint
Houston for the nine months ended September 30, 2005.
Price to Beat and Services. From
January 1, 2002 until January 1, 2007, the affiliated
retail electric provider of a utility is required to make
available a price to beat to residential and small
commercial retail electric customers in the electric
utilitys service territory. The price to beat
is a rate that, on a bundled basis, is six percent less than the
affiliated electric utilitys corresponding average
residential and small commercial rates, on a bundled basis, that
were in effect on January 1, 1999, adjusted to take into
account changes in the cost of fuel. The Restructuring Act
prohibits the affiliated retail electric provider from charging
residential and most small commercial retail electric customers
rates that are different than the price to beat
until the earlier of January 1, 2005 or the date 40% of the
electric load of retail electric customers in that class in that
service territory have chosen new retail electric providers.
Thereafter, it requires the affiliated retail electric provider
to offer to sell to residential and most small commercial retail
electric customers at the price to beat but does not
prohibit the affiliated retail electric provider and its
customers from agreeing to rates that are either higher or lower
than the price to beat.
The Texas commission designates a provider of last
resort for each customer class in each service territory
in the state. The provider of last resort is required to offer,
in its service territory, a standard retail service package for
its class of retail electric customers at a fixed rate approved
by the Texas commission. The provider of last resort is required
to offer the service to any retail electric customer in the
class it serves in that service territory who requests service,
whose selected retail electric provider goes out of business, or
who is transferred to the provider of last resort by other
retail electric providers for reasons other than non-payment.
The providers of last resort for CenterPoint Houstons
service territory are CPL Retail Energy, LP (for Direct
Energy, LP) (for the residential class), Constellation
NewEnergy, Inc. (for the small non-residential class) and
Tenaska Power Service Company d/b/a TPS III (for the large
non-residential class).
Under the Restructuring Act, commercial and industrial retail
customers that are required by ERCOT to have an interval data
recorder meter are able to choose to own the settlement and
billing meters that are used to measure electric energy
delivered to their location or to have those meters owned by a
retail electric provider, the transmission and distribution
utility or another person authorized by the customer. As of
September 30, 2005, however, no such commercial or
industrial retail customer has requested competitive metering
services. Whether or not the commercial or industrial retail
customer chooses an alternative meter owner, until the Texas
commission authorizes otherwise, CenterPoint Houston will
continue to provide metering services related to the
installation and removal of meters, meter maintenance, meter
testing and calibration, data collection and data management,
including the transfer of meter data to ERCOT. The Texas
commissions rules require ERCOT to file with the Texas
commission quarterly updates as to the operational readiness of
the support systems necessary for the Texas commission to
authorize an entity other than the transmission and distribution
utility to provide these metering services. For residential and
nonresidential customers other than those required by ERCOT to
have an interval data recorder meter within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory, metering services shall
continue to be provided by CenterPoint Houston.
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Recovery of Qualified Costs for CenterPoint Houston and Other
Texas Utilities
The Restructuring Act allows utilities to recover certain costs
associated with the transition to competitive retail electric
markets in Texas. Final determination of the amount of
utilities recoverable transition costs was required to be
made by the Texas commission in a final true-up proceeding in
2004. In CenterPoint Houstons case, the Texas commission
issued an order on December 17, 2004 determining that
CenterPoint Houston is entitled pursuant to the Restructuring
Act to recover approximately $2.3 billion plus the
principal portion of all excess mitigation credits provided by
CenterPoint Houston after August 31, 2004 and plus interest
accrued after August 31, 2004 on certain balances until
collected. Of that amount, approximately $1.343 billion
plus the principal portion of all excess mitigation credits
provided by CenterPoint Houston after August 31, 2004
represents stranded costs and approximately $150 million
represents regulatory assets. The remaining amount represents
other recoverable true-up balances. The Restructuring Act
provides for recovery of stranded costs and regulatory assets as
determined in the final true-up proceeding through
non-bypassable competition transition charges on retail electric
customers bills or through issuance of transition bonds to
be paid and secured by non-bypassable transition charges. The
Texas commission has determined that the other true-up balances
cannot be securitized and may only be collected through
competition transition charges. In general, the retail electric
customers within the utilitys service territory as it
existed on May 1, 1999 will be assessed competition
transition charges regardless of whether the retail electric
customers receive service from the utility that historically
served them or another entity. Competition transition charges
are similar to transition charges in the way they are imposed
and collected, but competition transition charges are not
securitized.
CenterPoint Houston and Other Utilities May Securitize
Qualified Costs
We May Issue Transition Bonds to Recover CenterPoint
Houstons Qualified Costs. The Restructuring Act
authorizes the Texas commission to issue financing orders
approving the issuance of transition bonds to recover certain
qualified costs of an electric utility. A utility, its
successors or a third-party assignee of a utility may issue
transition bonds. Under the Restructuring Act, proceeds of
transition bonds must be used to reduce the amount of
recoverable transition costs through the refinancing or
retirement of the electric utilitys debt or equity. The
transition bonds are secured by, and payable from, transition
property, which includes the right to impose, collect and
receive transition charges, and may have a maximum maturity of
15 years. The amounts of transition charges must be
allocated to customer classes based in part on the methodology
used to allocate the costs of the underlying assets in the
utilitys most recent Texas commission order addressing
rate design and in part based on the energy consumption of the
customer classes. Transition charges can be imposed only when
and to the extent that transition bonds are issued.
The Restructuring Act contains a number of provisions designed
to facilitate the securitization of qualified costs.
Creation of Transition Property. Under the Restructuring
Act, transition property is created when the rights and
interests of an electric utility or successor under a financing
order, including the right to impose, collect and receive
transition charges authorized in the order, are first
transferred to an assignee or pledged in connection with the
issuance of transition bonds.
A Financing Order is Irrevocable. A financing order, once
effective, together with the transition charges authorized in
the order, is irrevocable and not subject to reduction,
impairment or adjustment by the Texas commission except for
adjustments pursuant to the Restructuring Act in order to
correct overcollections or undercollections and to provide that
sufficient funds are available to timely provide for payments of
debt service and other required amounts in connection with the
related series of transition bonds. Although a financing order
is irrevocable, the Restructuring Act allows applicants to apply
for one or more new financing orders to provide for retiring and
refunding of transition bonds.
The State Pledge. Under the Restructuring Act, the State
of Texas has pledged, for the benefit and protection of
transition bondholders and the electric utilities covered by the
Restructuring Act, that it will not take or permit any action
that would impair the value of the transition property or,
except for adjustments discussed in CenterPoint
Houstons Financing Order Statutorily Guaranteed
True-ups, reduce, alter or impair the transition charges
to be imposed, collected and remitted to transition bondholders,
until the principal, interest and premium, if
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any, and any other charges incurred and contracts to be
performed in connection with the related transition bonds have
been paid and performed in full. For a description of risks
related to the enforcement of this pledge, see Risks
Associated with Potential Judicial, Legislative or Regulatory
Actions in this prospectus.
Constitutional Matters. To date, no cases addressing the
repeal or amendment of securitization provisions such as those
contained in the Restructuring Act have been decided in Texas or
other states. There have been cases in other states in which
courts have applied the Contract Clause of the United States
Constitution and parallel state constitutional provisions to
strike down legislation regarding similar matters, such as
legislation reducing or eliminating taxes, public charges or
other sources of revenues servicing other types of bonds issued
by public instrumentalities or private issuers, or otherwise
reducing or eliminating the security for bonds. Based upon this
case law, Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel to CenterPoint Houston and
us, expects to deliver an opinion prior to the closing of an
offering of a series of transition bonds described in a
prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus to the effect
that the pledge described above creates a binding contractual
obligation for purposes of the Contract Clauses of the United
States and Texas constitutions, and provides a basis upon which
the bondholders (or the trustee acting on their behalf) could
challenge successfully, under the Contract Clauses of the United
States and Texas constitutions, the constitutionality of any
action by the State of Texas (including the Texas commission) of
a legislative character, including the repeal or amendment of
the securitization provisions of the Restructuring Act, that a
court would determine violates the pledge described above in a
way that would substantially reduce, alter or impair the value
of the related transition property or substantially reduce,
alter or impair the related transition charges, unless such
action is a reasonable exercise of the sovereign powers of the
State of Texas and of a character reasonable and appropriate to
the public purpose justifying such action. It may be possible
for the Texas legislature to repeal or amend the Restructuring
Act notwithstanding the States pledge, if the legislature
acts in order to serve a significant and legitimate public
purpose, such as protecting the public health and safety.
In addition, any action of the Texas legislature adversely
affecting the transition property or the ability to collect
transition charges may be considered a taking under
the United States or Texas Constitutions. Baker Botts L.L.P. has
advised us that they are not aware of any federal or Texas court
cases addressing the applicability of the federal or Texas
Takings Clauses in a situation analogous to that which could be
involved in an amendment or repeal of the Restructuring Act. It
is possible that a court would decline even to apply a Takings
Clause analysis to a claim based on an amendment or repeal of
the Restructuring Act, since, for example, a court might
determine that a Contract Clause analysis rather than a Takings
Clause analysis should be applied. Assuming a Takings Clause
analysis were applied under the United States or Texas
Constitution, Baker Botts L.L.P. expects to render an opinion
prior to the closing of an offering of a series of transition
bonds described in a prospectus supplement accompanying this
prospectus to the effect that under existing case law, if a
court concludes that the related transition property is
protected by the Takings Clauses of the United States or Texas
constitutions, it would find a compensable taking if the State
were to enact a law that, without paying just compensation to
the bondholders of such series of transition bonds
(i) permanently appropriates the related transition
property or denies all economically productive use of the
related transition property; or (ii) destroys the related
transition property, other than in response to emergency
conditions; or (iii) substantially reduces, alters or
impairs the value of the related transition property, if the law
unduly interferes with such bondholders reasonable
investment backed expectations.
In connection with the foregoing, Baker Botts L.L.P. has advised
us that issues relating to the Contract and Takings Clauses of
the United States and Texas constitutions are essentially
decided on a case by case basis and that the courts
determinations, in most cases, appear to be strongly influenced
by the facts and circumstances of the particular case. Baker
Botts L.L.P. has further advised us that there are no reported
controlling judicial precedents that are directly on point. The
degree of impairment necessary to meet the standards for relief
under a Takings analysis or Contract Clause analysis could be
substantially in excess of what a transition bondholder would
consider material. If a legislative action were determined to be
a taking, the State of Texas might be obligated to pay
compensation for the taking, but there is no assurance that any
amount provided as compensation would be sufficient for you to
fully recover your investment in the transition bonds. We will
file a copy of the Baker Botts L.L.P. opinion as an exhibit to
an amendment to the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part, or to one of our periodic filings with the
SEC.
For a discussion of risks associated with potential judicial,
legislation or regulatory actions, see Risk
FactorsRisks Associated with Potential Judicial,
Legislative or Regulatory Actions in this prospectus.
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The Texas Commission May Adjust Transition Charges. The
Restructuring Act requires the Texas commission to provide in
all financing orders a mechanism requiring that transition
charges relating to a series of transition bonds be reviewed and
adjusted at least annually, within 45 days of the
anniversary of the date of the issuance of such series of
transition bonds:
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to correct any overcollections or undercollections during the
preceding 12 months, and |
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to provide for the expected recovery of amounts sufficient to
timely provide all payments of debt service and other required
amounts and charges in connection with such series of transition
bonds. |
Transition Charges are Nonbypassable. The Restructuring
Act provides that the transition charges are nonbypassable.
Nonbypassable means that a utility collects transition charges
attributable to all existing and future retail electric
customers located within the utilitys service territory as
it existed on May 1, 1999, except for certain categories of
existing customers whose load had been lawfully served by a
fully operational qualifying facility before September 1,
2001 if the facility was supported by substantially complete
filings for site-specific environmental permits on or before
December 31, 1999, or by an on-site power production
facility with a rated capacity of 10 megawatts or less, or
customers in a multiply certificated service territory that
requested to switch providers on or before May 1, 1999, or
were not taking service from the utility on, and do not do so
after, May 1, 1999. The utility is generally entitled to
collect transition charges attributable to non-exempted
customers even if they are receiving transmission or
distribution service from another utility or choose to operate
self-generation equipment.
The Restructuring Act Protects the Transition Bonds
Lien on Transition Property. The Restructuring Act provides
that a valid and enforceable lien and security interest in
transition property may be created only by a financing order and
the execution and delivery of a security agreement in connection
with the issuance of a series of transition bonds. The security
interest automatically attaches from the time value is received
for such series of transition bonds.
On perfection through the filing of a notice with the Secretary
of State, the security interest (1) will be a continuously
perfected lien and security interest in the related transition
property and all proceeds of the property, whether accrued or
not, and (2) will have a priority in the order of filing
and take precedence over any subsequent judicial or other lien
creditor. If notice is filed within 10 days after value is
received for a series of transition bonds, the security interest
is perfected retroactive to the date value was received.
Otherwise, the security interest is perfected as of the date of
filing.
The Restructuring Act provides that priority of security
interests in transition property relating to a series of
transition bonds will not be impaired by:
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commingling of funds collected from related transition charges
with other funds, or |
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modifications to the financing order resulting from any true-up
adjustment. |
Please refer to Risk FactorsRisks Associated With
the Unusual Nature of the Transition Property.
The Restructuring Act Characterizes the Transfer of
Transition Property as a True Sale. The Restructuring Act
provides that an electric utilitys or an assignees
transfer of transition property is a true sale under
state law and is not a secured transaction and that legal and
equitable title passes to the transferee, if the agreement
governing that transfer expressly states that the transfer is a
sale or other absolute transfer. Please refer to The Sale
Agreements and Risk FactorsRisks Associated
With Potential Bankruptcy Proceedings of the Seller or the
Servicer in this prospectus.
Tax Exemption. The Restructuring Act provides that
transactions involving the transfer and ownership of transition
property and the receipt of transition charges are exempt from
state and local income, sales, franchise, gross receipts and
other taxes or similar charges.
30
CENTERPOINT HOUSTONS FINANCING ORDER
Background. On March 31, 2004, CenterPoint Houston,
Texas Genco and Reliant Energy Retail Services jointly applied
to the Texas commission for an order determining CenterPoint
Houstons stranded cost and other true-up balances pursuant
to the Restructuring Act. On December 17, 2004, the Texas
commission issued its final order determining that CenterPoint
Houston is entitled pursuant to the Restructuring Act to recover
approximately $2.3 billion plus the principal portion of
all excess mitigation credits provided by CenterPoint Houston
after August 31, 2004 and plus interest accrued after
August 31, 2004 on certain balances until collected. Of
that amount, approximately $1.343 billion plus the
principal portion of all excess mitigation credits provided by
CenterPoint Houston after August 31, 2004 represents
stranded costs and approximately $150 million represents
regulatory assets. The remaining amount represents other
recoverable true-up balances. In December 2004, CenterPoint
Houston filed an application with the Texas commission for a
financing order to permit securitization of the approximately
$2.3 billion determined by the Texas commission in its
December 17, 2004 order, plus (a) the principal
portion of excess mitigation credits provided by CenterPoint
Houston after August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance
of the transition bonds or the date of the termination of such
excess mitigation credit, whichever is earlier,
(b) interest on stranded costs accrued after
August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance of the
transition bonds, and (c) up-front qualified costs. The
Texas commission determined that the true-up balances other than
stranded costs and regulatory assets cannot be securitized and
may only be recovered through competition transition charges.
The Texas commission issued the financing order on
March 16, 2005 authorizing CenterPoint Houston to
securitize an amount not to exceed $1,493,747,264 plus the
amounts specified in (a), (b) and (c) above. Several
parties appealed the financing order, but the financing order
was affirmed on appeal by the district court in Travis County,
Texas and the deadline established under the Restructuring Act
for further appeal has expired.
We are responsible to the State of Texas and the Texas
commission. Specifically, pursuant to the financing order,
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our organizational documents and transaction documents prohibit
us from engaging in any activities other than acquiring
transition property, issuing transition bonds and performing
other activities as specifically authorized by that financing
order, |
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we must respond to representatives of the Texas commission
throughout the process of offering the transition bonds provided
for therein, with the financing order directing the Texas
commissions financial advisor to veto any proposal that
does not comply with all criteria established in the financing
order, and |
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the servicer will file periodic adjustments to transition
charges with the Texas commission on our behalf. |
We have also agreed that certain reports concerning transition
charge collections will be provided to the Texas commission.
We have filed the financing order with the SEC as an exhibit to
the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a
part. This summary does not purport to be complete and is
subject to and qualified by reference to the provisions of the
financing order.
The Texas commission guarantees that it will take specific
actions pursuant to the irrevocable financing order as expressly
authorized by the Restructuring Act to ensure that expected
transition charge revenues relating to a series of transition
bonds are sufficient to timely pay scheduled principal and
interest on such series of transition bonds. The financing order
provides that the true-up mechanism and all other obligations of
the State of Texas and the Texas commission set forth in the
financing order that relate to a series of transition bonds are
direct, explicit, irrevocable and unconditional upon issuance of
such series of transition bonds, and are legally enforceable
against the State of Texas and the Texas commission.
Issuance of Transition Bonds. The financing order
authorizes CenterPoint Houston to cause us to issue transition
bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed
$1,493,747,264 plus the amounts described in (a), (b) and
(c) above.
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Collection of Transition Charges. The financing order
authorizes CenterPoint Houston to collect transition charges
from the retail electric providers serving retail electric
customers in CenterPoint Houstons service territory in an
amount sufficient to recover its aggregate qualified costs which
include principal and interest and certain ongoing fees and
expenses associated with the transition bonds. There is no
cap on the level of transition charges that may be
imposed on consumers of electricity, including the State of
Texas and other governmental entities, to meet scheduled
principal and interest on the transition bonds. However, we may
not charge transition charges for a series of transition bonds
for electricity delivered after the fifteenth anniversary of the
date of issuance of that series of transition bonds.
Issuance Advice Letter. Within twenty-four hours
following the determination of the final terms of a series of
transition bonds and prior to their issuance, CenterPoint
Houston is required to file with the Texas commission an
issuance advice letter, which will:
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demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the financing
order, |
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evidence the actual terms on which such series of transition
bonds will be issued, |
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show the actual dollar amount of the initial transition charges
relating to such series of transition bonds, |
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identify the transition property relating to such series of
transition bonds we will purchase, |
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identify us, and |
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certify that, based on information reasonably available, the
structuring and pricing of such series of transition bonds will
result in the lowest transition bond charges consistent with
market conditions and the terms of the financing order. |
Both the issuance advice letter and the accompanying compliance
tariff become effective on the date of issuance of a series of
transition bonds unless the Texas commission issues an order
prior to noon on the fourth business day after the determination
of the final terms of such series of transition bond, that the
proposed issuance does not comply with the requirements of the
Restructuring Act or the financing order.
Allocation. Under the terms of the financing order,
CenterPoint Houston will initially allocate the qualified costs
among its transition charge customer classes as follows (each
allocation factor percentage bas been rounded to two decimal
places):
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Allocation | |
Transition Charge Customer Class |
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Factor | |
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Residential
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40.04 |
% |
MGS (miscellaneous general service)
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29.03 |
% |
LGS (large general service)
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16.12 |
% |
LOS-A (large overhead serviceA)
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4.79 |
% |
LOS-B (large overhead serviceB)
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2.76 |
% |
Non-Metered Lighting
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0.66 |
% |
Standby Electric ServiceDistribution
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0.03 |
% |
Interruptible Service SupplementalDistribution
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0.16 |
% |
Interruptible Service30 Minute Notice
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1.04 |
% |
Interruptible Service10 Minute Notice
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1.88 |
% |
Interruptible ServiceInstantaneous
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0.25 |
% |
Interruptible Service SupplementalTransmission
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0.07 |
% |
Standby Electric ServiceTransmission
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0.24 |
% |
Standby Interruptible Service
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0.21 |
% |
SCP (special contract pricing)
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2.73 |
% |
The allocation factors for each class are subject to periodic
adjustment. See Adjustments to Allocation of
Transition Charges below.
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Statutorily Guaranteed True-Ups. The Restructuring Act
and the irrevocable financing order guarantee that transition
charges relating to a series of transition bonds will be
reviewed and adjusted annually and, if necessary, semi-annually
to ensure the expected recovery of amounts sufficient to provide
timely payment of principal and interest on such series of
transition bonds. The financing order requires CenterPoint
Houston and any successor servicer to make periodic adjustment
filings pursuant to the following true-up mechanism and
reconciliation procedures:
True-up adjustments will be based upon the cumulative
differences between the periodic payment requirement, which is
discussed in the paragraph below (including scheduled principal
and interest payments on the transition bonds), and the amount
of transition charge remittances to the trustee. In order to
provide for adequate revenues from the transition charges, the
servicer will calculate the adjusted transition charges using
its most recent forecast of electric consumption and its most
current estimates of ongoing transaction-related expenses. The
calculation of the transition charges will reflect both a
projection of uncollectible transition charges and payment lags
between the billing and collection of transition charges based
upon the servicers and the retail electric providers
most recent experience regarding collection of transition
charges. The calculation of transition charges will also take
into account any amounts due any retail electric providers as a
result of the reconciliation of the remittances and collections.
There is no cap on the level of transition charges
that may be imposed on consumers of electricity, including the
State of Texas and other governmental entities, to meet
scheduled principal and interest on a series of transition bonds.
There are two types of true-ups that may occur under the
financing order.
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First, pursuant to the Restructuring Act, the servicer is
required to make a filing with the Texas commission for an
adjustment at least annually |
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to correct any undercollection or overcollection of transition
charges relating to a series of transition bonds and |
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to provide for the billing of transition charges relating to
such series of transition bonds necessary to generate the
collection of amounts sufficient to timely provide all scheduled
payments of principal and interest (or deposits to sinking funds
in respect of principal and interest) and any other amounts due
in connection with such series of transition bonds (including
ongoing fees and expenses, amounts required to be deposited in
or allocated to any collection account or subaccount relating to
such series of transition bonds, trustee indemnities, payments
due in connection with any swap agreements relating to such
series of transition bonds and any expenses incurred by the
trustee to enforce bondholder rights and all other payments
pursuant to the waterfall of payments described under The
Transition BondsHow Funds in the Collection Account Will
Be Allocated or otherwise in the waterfall of payments set
forth in a prospectus supplement applicable to such series of
transition bonds) during the period for which such adjusted
transition charges are to be in effect. |
These amounts are referred to as the periodic payment
requirement.
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Second, the servicer will be required under each servicing
agreement to seek an interim true-up adjustment with respect to
a series of transition bonds once every six months, or quarterly
in the fourteenth and fifteenth years: |
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if the servicer expects, at the next payment date, more than a
5% variation between (a) the actual principal balance of
the transition bonds of that series, taking into account amounts
on deposit in the excess collections subaccount for that series,
and (b) the expected principal balance on the expected
amortization schedule, |
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as needed to meet any rating agency requirement that the
transition bonds of that series be paid in full at scheduled
maturity, or |
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to correct any undercollection of transition charges, regardless
of cause, in order to assure timely payment of the transition
bonds of that series based on rating agency and transition |
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bondholder considerations, including a mandatory interim true-up
in connection with each semi-annual payment date if the servicer
forecasts that collections of transition charges during the next
semi-annual payment period will be insufficient to make all
scheduled payments of interest, principal and other amounts in
respect of the transition bonds of that series and to replenish
the capital subaccount for that series to its required level. |
For more discussion of the statutorily guaranteed true-up
mechanism, see The Servicing AgreementsThe
Statutorily Guaranteed Transaction Charge Adjustment
Process in this prospectus.
Statutorily Guaranteed True-UpsCredit Risk. The
State of Texas has pledged in the Restructuring Act that it will
not take or permit any action that would impair the value of the
transition property, or, except as permitted in connection with
a true-up adjustment authorized by the statute, reduce, alter or
impair the transition charges until the principal, interest and
premium, and any other charges incurred and contracts to be
performed in connection with the related series of transition
bonds, have been paid and performed in full.
The broad-based nature of the true-up mechanism and this pledge
by the State of Texas, along with other elements of the
transition bonds, will serve to effectively eliminate, for all
practical purposes and circumstances, any credit risk associated
with a series of transition bonds (i.e., sufficient funds
will be available and paid to discharge all principal and
interest obligations on such series of transition bonds when
due). See the financing order, Finding of Fact 107, and
The Restructuring ActCenterPoint Houston and Other
Utilities May Securitize Qualified Costs, Risk
Factors and Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Information for further information. With
respect to the foregoing, interest is due on each payment date
and principal is due upon the final maturity date for each
tranche.
Statutorily Guaranteed True-Ups: Entire Private Sector
Default. In the unlikely events that (i) all retail
electric customers in CenterPoint Houstons service
territory (other than state and local government accounts) leave
the CenterPoint Houston service territory or for whatever reason
fail to pay the transition charges that service a series of
transition bonds and (ii) the state and local government
accounts physically located within the CenterPoint Houston
service territory continue to use electricity either delivered
through CenterPoint Houstons transmission and distribution
system or produced from new on-site generation, these entities,
pursuant to the statutorily guaranteed true-up mechanism
described above, would be responsible for paying transition
charges sufficient to service the transition bonds of such
series. Such transition charges would be a direct claim on such
governments, but only in their capacity as retail electric
customers. The State of Texas and other governmental entities,
subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of the
State of Texas, only in their capacity as retail electric
customers, will be obligated to provide funds to make payments
on the transition bonds of such series. The diagram below
depicts the operation of the statutorily guaranteed true-up
mechanism if these unlikely events were ever to occur. There is
no assurance that the State of Texas or such local government
agencies, even though there is a direct claim on them, would pay
such transition charges.
Adjustments to Allocation of Transition Charges. In the
financing order, the Texas commission requires CenterPoint
Houston and any successor servicer to request periodic
adjustments to the allocation of the transition charges among
various classes of customers. The allocation may be adjusted to
reflect load losses that a transition
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charge class or group of transition charge classes may suffer or
to reflect certain changes to the allocation methodology that
may be ordered by the Texas commission. The financing order
specifically provides for an additional true-up and adjustment
of allocation applicable to industrial customers, whereby the
first 10% of load loss within an industrial class is borne by
that class, with the excess load loss over 10% allocated to the
remaining industrial classes. Adjustments to the allocation of
the transition charges will take place at the same time as the
annual true-up adjustments described above.
Servicing Agreement. In the financing order, the Texas
commission authorized CenterPoint Houston, as the servicer, to
enter into a servicing agreement described under The
Servicing Agreements in this prospectus.
Binding on Successors. The financing order, along with
the transition charges authorized in the financing order, is
binding on:
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CenterPoint Houston, |
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any successor to CenterPoint Houston that provides transmission
or distribution service in CenterPoint Houstons service
territory, |
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any other entity that provides transmission or distribution
service to retail electric customers within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory, |
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each retail electric provider that sells electric energy to
retail electric customers located within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory or any such retail electric
providers successor, |
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any other entity responsible for imposing, billing, collecting
and remitting transition charges on our behalf, or |
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any successor to the Texas commission. |
Subsequent Financing Orders. We may issue additional
series of transition bonds secured by separate transition
property under a subsequent financing order of the Texas
commission. We will describe the material terms of any such
financing order in the related prospectus supplement.
RETAIL ELECTRIC PROVIDERS
Under the Restructuring Act, beginning in January 2002, certain
electric utilities, including CenterPoint Houston, were required
to cease selling electricity to their retail customers. Since
that time, only retail electric providers have been allowed to
sell electricity to retail customers formerly served by those
utilities. Each retail customer may choose a retail electric
provider from among those who have been certified under
standards set by the Texas commission. As of the date of this
prospectus, neither CenterPoint Houston nor its parent
CenterPoint Energy directly or indirectly owns or controls or is
owned or controlled by any retail electric provider. In the
future, either company may directly or indirectly own or control
a retail electric provider. Under the Restructuring Act, Reliant
Energy Retail Services and Reliant Energy Solutions, retail
electric providers owned by Reliant Energy, are considered
affiliated retail electric providers.
CenterPoint Houston and any successor servicer will bill and
collect transition charges from the retail electric providers in
CenterPoint Houstons service territory. The retail
electric providers will in turn bill and collect the transition
charges from retail electric customers in CenterPoint
Energys service territory. Each retail electric provider
will be required to pay the transition charges on or before the
35th day after it receives the bill from the servicer, less an
agreed allowance for expected uncollectible amounts, whether or
not the retail electric provider has collected all amounts owed
to it by its retail electric customers. Please refer to
Payment of Transition Charges. Prior to the
date on which the retail electric provider remits the transition
charges to the servicer, the transition charges may be
commingled with the retail electric providers other funds.
Please refer to Risk FactorsRisks Associated With
Potential Bankruptcy Proceedings of Retail Electric
Providers and How a Bankruptcy May Affect Your
Investment Bankruptcy of a Retail Electric Provider
in this prospectus.
Each retail electric provider will deliver a combined bill to
each retail electric customer for the electric power sold by it
to the retail electric customer, for the related transmission
and distribution service provided by the
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electric utility, for the transition charge, for transition
charges associated with the transition bonds issued in 2001 by
Transition Bond Company I and for other charges approved by the
Texas commission. The retail electric providers will collect the
combined amounts and then allocate the appropriate amounts to
itself, to the electric utility, to the servicer, to the
servicer of the Series 2001-1 Transition Bonds issued by
Transition Bond Company I and to other parties, if any, entitled
to receive a portion of such amounts. Transition charges will be
remitted to the servicer, less an estimated allowance for
charge-offs. Please refer to Risk FactorsServicing
RisksIt might be difficult to collect transition charges
from retail electric providers in this prospectus. The
retail electric provider will have custody of the transition
charges collected from its retail electric customers until
remitted to the servicer and may commingle the transition
charges with its other funds.
Rating, Deposit and Related Requirements. The financing
order will allow a retail electric provider to provide retail
electric service within CenterPoint Houstons service
territory and collect transition charges if it either
(1) has a long-term, unsecured credit rating of not less
than BBB- and Baa3 (or the equivalent)
from S&P and Moodys, respectively, or
(2) provides (A) a cash deposit of two months
maximum expected transition charge collections, (B) an
affiliate guarantee, surety bond or letter of credit providing
for payment of such amount of transition charge collections in
the event that the retail electric provider defaults in its
payment obligations, or (C) a combination of any of the
foregoing. The provider of any affiliate guarantee, surety bond
or letter of credit must have and maintain long-term, unsecured
credit ratings of not less than BBB- and
Baa3 (or the equivalent) from S&P and
Moodys, respectively. A retail electric provider that does
not have or maintain the requisite long-term, unsecured credit
rating may select, in its sole discretion, which alternate form
of deposit, credit support or combination thereof it will
utilize.
If the long-term, unsecured credit rating from either S&P or
Moodys of a retail electric provider that did not
previously provide the alternate form of deposit, credit support
or combination thereof or of any provider of an affiliate
guarantee, surety bond or letter of credit is suspended,
withdrawn or downgraded below BBB- or
Baa3 (or the equivalent), the retail electric
provider must provide an alternate form of deposit, credit
support or combination thereof, in each case from providers with
the requisite ratings, within 10 business days following such
suspension, withdrawal or downgrade. A retail electric provider
failing to make such provision must comply with the provisions
set forth below in Remedies Upon Default.
The computation of the size of a required deposit must be agreed
upon by the servicer and the retail electric provider and
reviewed no more frequently than quarterly to ensure that the
deposit accurately reflects two months maximum
collections. Within 10 business days following such review,
(1) the retail electric provider must remit to the trustee
the amount of any shortfall in such required deposit or
(2) the servicer must instruct the trustee to remit to the
retail electric provider any amount in excess of such required
deposit. A retail electric provider failing to so remit any such
shortfall must comply with the provisions set forth below in
Remedies Upon Default. Retail electric
provider cash deposits will be held by the trustee, maintained
in a segregated account, and invested in short-term high quality
investments, as permitted by the rating agencies rating the
transition bonds. Investment earnings on retail electric
provider cash deposits will be considered part of such cash
deposits so long as they remain on deposit with the trustee. At
the instruction of the servicer, cash deposits will be remitted
with investment earnings to the retail electric provider at the
end of the term of the transition bonds unless otherwise
utilized for the payment of the retail electric providers
obligations for transition charges. Once the deposit is no
longer required, the servicer must promptly (but not later than
30 days after such event) instruct the trustee in writing
to remit the amount in the segregated account to the retail
electric provider.
Billing and Collection Standards. Retail electric
providers must comply with the billing, collection and
remittance procedures and information access requirements
established by the financing order. These standards relate only
to the billing and collection of transition charges authorized
under the financing order and do not apply to collection of any
other nonbypassable charges or other charges. The standards
apply to all retail electric providers other than retail
electric providers, if any, that have contracted with the
transmission and distribution utility to have it bill and
collect transition charges from retail electric customers.
Retail electric providers may contract with parties other than
the transmission and distribution utility to bill and collect
transition charges from retail customers, but such retail
electric providers will remain subject to these standards. If
the Texas commission later determines that different standards
are to be applied to retail electric providers in particular
areas (e.g., payment terms), then those new standards,
with appropriate modifications to related provisions, may
replace the specific portions of the standards approved in the
financing order, but only if the rating agency condition (as
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described below) is satisfied. Upon adoption of any rule
addressing any of these retail electric provider standards, the
Texas commissions staff will open a proceeding to
investigate the need to modify the standards to conform to that
rule, with the understanding that such modifications may not be
implemented absent written notification to each of the rating
agencies that have rated the transition bonds and confirmation
from S&P and Fitch that such modifications will not cause a
reduction or withdrawal of the ratings on the transition bonds,
referred to in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement as
the rating agency condition.
Payment of Transition Charges. On a daily basis, the
servicer will bill each retail electric provider for transition
charges owed by the retail electric providers retail
customers. Payments of transition charges are due 35 days
following each billing by the servicer to the retail electric
provider, without regard to whether or when the retail electric
provider receives payment from its retail electric customers.
The servicer must accept payment by electronic funds transfer,
wire transfer and/or check. Payment will be considered received
the date the electronic funds transfer or wire transfer is
received by the servicer, or the date the check clears. A 5%
penalty is to be charged on amounts received after 35 days;
however, a 10 calendar-day grace period will be allowed before
the retail electric provider is considered to be in default. A
retail electric provider in default must comply with the
provisions set forth below in Remedies Upon
Default. The 5% penalty will be a one-time assessment
measured against the current amount overdue from the retail
electric provider to the servicer. The current
amount consists of the total unpaid transition charges
existing on the 36th day after the billing by the servicer. Any
and all penalty payments will be made to the trustee to be
applied against transition charge obligations. If there is a
shortfall in a retail electric providers payment of an
amount billed, the amount paid shall first be proportioned
between the transition charges and other fees and charges
(including transition charges attributable to the transition
bonds issued by Transition Bond Company I), other than late
fees, and second, any remaining portion of the payment shall be
attributed to late fees. A retail electric provider will not be
obligated to pay the overdue transition charges of another
retail electric provider. If a retail electric provider agrees
to assume the responsibility for the payment of overdue
transition charges as a condition of receiving the customers of
another retail electric provider that has decided to terminate
service to those customers for any reason, the new retail
electric provider will not be assessed the 5% penalty upon such
transition charges; however, the prior retail electric provider
will not be relieved of the previously assessed penalties.
Remedies Upon Default. After the 10 calendar-day grace
period (the 46th day after the billing date) referred to above
under the heading Payment of Transition
Charges, the servicer will direct the trustee to seek
recourse against any cash deposit, affiliate guarantee, surety
bond, letter of credit or combination thereof provided by the
retail electric provider, and will avail itself of such legal
remedies as may be appropriate to collect any remaining unpaid
transition charges and associated penalties due the servicer
after the application of the retail electric providers
deposit or alternate form of credit support. In addition, a
retail electric provider that is in default with respect to the
requirements set forth above in Rating, Deposit and
Related Requirements and Payment of Transition
Charges must select and implement one of the following
options:
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allow its billing and collection responsibilities to be
immediately assumed by another retail electric provider of the
retail electric customers choosing or by the applicable
provider of last resort, |
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arrange that all amounts owed by retail electric customers for
services rendered be timely billed and immediately paid directly
into a lock-box controlled by the servicer with such amounts to
be applied first to pay transition charges before remaining
amounts are released to the retail electric provider and with
all costs associated with the lock-box to be borne solely by the
retail electric provider, or |
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immediately implement other mutually suitable and agreeable
arrangements with the servicer consistent with the terms of the
servicing agreement and rating agency requirements to avoid a
suspension, withdrawal or downgrade of the ratings of the
transition bonds. |
If a retail electric provider that is in default fails to
immediately select and implement one of the foregoing options
or, after so selecting one of the foregoing options, fails to
adequately meet its responsibilities thereunder, then the
servicer is required to immediately implement the first option
listed above. Upon re-establishment of compliance with the
requirements set forth above in Rating, Deposit, and
Related Requirements and Payment of Transition
Charges and the payment of all past-due amounts and
associated penalties, the retail electric provider will no
longer be required to comply with this paragraph.
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Billing by Providers of Last Resort. The provider of last
resort appointed by the Texas commission must meet the minimum
credit rating or deposit/ credit support requirements described
above in Rating, Deposit and Related
Requirements in addition to any other standards that may
be adopted by the Texas commission. If the provider of last
resort defaults or is not eligible to provide such services,
responsibility for billing and collection of transition charges
will immediately be transferred to and assumed by the servicer
until a new provider of last resort can be named by the Texas
commission or the customer requests the services of another
retail electric provider. Retail electric customers may never be
re-billed by the successor retail electric provider (although
future transition charges will reflect retail electric provider
and other system-wide charge-offs).
Disputes. In the event that a retail electric provider
disputes any amount of billed transition charges, the retail
electric provider must pay the disputed amount under protest
according to the timelines detailed above in Payment
of Transition Charges. The retail electric provider and
the servicer must first attempt to informally resolve the
dispute, but if they fail to do so within 30 days, either
party may file a complaint with the Texas commission. If the
retail electric provider is successful in the dispute process
(informal or formal), the retail electric provider will be
entitled to interest on the disputed amount paid to the servicer
at the Texas commission-approved interest rate. Disputes about
the date of receipt of transition charge payments and related
penalties or the size of a required retail electric provider
deposit will be handled in a like manner. It is expressly
intended that any interest paid by the servicer on disputed
amounts may not be recovered through transition charges if it is
determined that the servicers claim to the funds is
clearly unfounded. No interest will be paid by the servicer if
it is determined that the servicer has received inaccurate
metering data from another entity providing competitive metering
services.
Metering Data. If the servicer is providing metering
services, metering data will be provided to the retail electric
provider at the same time the servicer bills the retail electric
provider. If the servicer is not providing metering services,
the entity providing the metering services will be responsible
for complying with Texas commission rules and ensuring that the
servicer and the retail electric provider receive timely and
accurate metering data in order for the servicer to meet its
obligations under the servicing agreement and the financing
order with respect to billing and true-ups.
Charge-Off Allowance. The retail electric provider will
be allowed to hold back an allowance for charge-offs in its
payments to the servicer. Such charge-off rate will be
recalculated each year in connection with the annual true-up
procedure. For the initial year of the initial series of
transition bonds, the retail electric provider will remit
payments based on the charge-off percentage in effect on the
first day of the month preceding issuance of the initial series
of transition bonds for transition charges being collected on
behalf of Transition Bond Company I or, in the case of a new
retail electric provider, based on the same system-wide
charge-off percentage then being used for payments to the
servicer for Transition Bond Company I. On an annual basis in
connection with the true-up process, the retail electric
provider and the servicer will be responsible for reconciling
the amounts held back with amounts actually written off as
uncollectible in accordance with the terms agreed to by the
retail electric provider and the servicer, provided that:
|
|
|
|
|
the retail electric providers right to reconciliation for
charge-offs will be limited to retail electric customers whose
service has been permanently terminated and whose entire
accounts (i.e., all amounts due the retail electric
provider for its own account as well as the portion representing
transition charges) have been written off, |
|
|
|
the retail electric providers recourse will be limited to
a credit against future transition charge payments unless the
retail electric provider and the servicer agree to alternative
arrangements, but in no event will the retail electric provider
have recourse to the trustee, us or our funds for such payments,
and |
|
|
|
the retail electric provider is required to provide information
on a timely basis to the servicer so that the servicer can
include the retail electric providers default experience
and any subsequent credits into its calculation of the adjusted
transition charge rates for the next transition charge billing
period and the retail electric providers rights to credit
will not take effect until after such adjusted transition charge
rates have been implemented. |
38
Service Termination. In the event that the servicer is
billing retail electric customers for transition charges, the
servicer will have the right to terminate transmission and
distribution service to the retail electric customer for
non-payment by the retail electric customer pursuant to
applicable Texas commission rules. Under current rules of the
Texas commission adopted in April 2004 and effective June 2004,
any non-paying residential or small non-residential customers
are subject to disconnection by any retail electric provider.
Non-paying large non-residential customers can be disconnected
by any retail electric provider if the customers contract
does not preclude disconnection.
THE SERVICER OF THE TRANSITION PROPERTY
About CenterPoint Houston
Background Information. CenterPoint Houston is a fully
regulated utility engaged in the transmission and distribution
of electric energy in a 5,000-square mile area located along the
Texas Gulf Coast, including the City of Houston. CenterPoint
Houston is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of CenterPoint
Energy, a public utility holding company created on
August 31, 2002 as part of the corporate restructuring of
the integrated utility in response to the Restructuring Act. The
transmission and distribution function that CenterPoint Houston
performs remains subject to traditional utility rate regulation.
CenterPoint Houston recovers the cost of its service through an
energy delivery charge approved by the Texas commission.
CenterPoint Energy is a registered public utility holding
company under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as
amended (1935 Act). The 1935 Act and related rules and
regulations impose a number of restrictions on the activities of
CenterPoint Energy and its subsidiaries, including CenterPoint
Houston. The 1935 Act has been repealed by the Energy Policy Act
of 2005. CenterPoint Houston obtained approval from the SEC
under the 1935 Act on September 30, 2005 for us to issue up
to $2.0 billion of transition bonds.
CenterPoint Houstons principal executive offices are
located at 1111 Louisiana, Houston, Texas 77002 (telephone
number: (713) 207-3000).
Service Territory. CenterPoint Houston provides electric
transmission and distribution service to approximately
1.9 million metered customers in its service territory,
which has a population of approximately 5 million people.
With the exception of Texas City, CenterPoint Houston serves
nearly all of the Houston/ Galveston metropolitan area.
Effective January 2002, electric utilities, including
CenterPoint Houston, were required to cease selling their
electricity to their retail electric customers. Since that time,
only retail electric providers have been allowed to sell
electricity to retail customers formerly served by those
utilities. The retail electric providers in CenterPoint
Houstons service territory are CenterPoint Houstons
primary customers.
Area Economic Profile. Although the city has undergone a
decade of diversification, Houstons economy is still
primarily centered around its key roles in international energy
sectors. These roles include (1) an operations center for
global exploration and drilling activities of major oil firms,
(2) one of the worlds largest concentrations of
petrochemical and refining facilities, (3) home office and
base of operations for several of the worlds largest
industrial and petrochemical construction firms and (4) a
major distribution and processing center for the natural gas
industry. Other important sectors of the Houston economy include
the Port of Houston, the Johnson Space Center, the Texas Medical
Center and a growing technology industry. Together,
Houstons energy and nonenergy sectors provide the city
with a strong technical and engineering employment base.
Area Economic Outlook. Most sectors in Houstons
economy are currently performing well, and the outlook is for
moderate growth over the next several years. As a result of the
current economic outlook, CenterPoint Houston expects the number
of residential retail electric customers to increase by
approximately 2% per year for the next 5 years. KWh sales
to the residential class are expected to grow at about the same
rate. KWh sales to the commercial class, which have increased
rapidly for several years, are expected to moderate to an
approximate 2% growth rate. The industrial sector, which already
has a large amount of self-generation capacity in place, is
forecast to remain relatively flat.
In recent years, the number of customers in CenterPoint
Houstons service territory has grown steadily. Reflecting
the strength of the local economy, CenterPoint Houstons
service territory has added over 25,000 residential
customers in each year since 1994, including over 42,000 new
residential customers in 2004. As
39
a consequence, energy sales in CenterPoint Houstons
service territory have also increased for all customer classes
other than the large industrial customer class. Energy sales to
large industrial customers in 2004 were approximately 9% above
levels in 1994. Industrial sales are sensitive to increased use
of self-generation and the unfavorable impact that high natural
gas prices have had on the competitiveness of Houstons
petrochemical industry. On a weather-adjusted basis, energy
sales to the residential, commercial and small industrial
customer classes have increased an average of 3.3%, 3.7% and
1.0%, respectively, over the ten-year period ended
December 31, 2003. There can be no assurance that future
usage rates will be similar to historical experience.
Electric Transmission. CenterPoint Houston transports
electricity from power plants to substations and from one
substation to another and to retail electric customers taking
power above 69 kilovolts (kV) in locations throughout the
control area managed by ERCOT on behalf of retail electric
providers. CenterPoint Houston provides transmission services
under tariffs approved by the Texas commission.
Electric Distribution. CenterPoint Houston distributes
electricity for retail electric providers in its certificated
service territory by carrying lower-voltage power from the
substation to the retail electric customer. CenterPoint
Houstons distribution network receives electricity from
the transmission grid through power distribution substations and
distributes electricity to end users through distribution
feeders. Its operations include construction and maintenance of
electric transmission and distribution facilities, metering
services, outage response services and call center operations.
CenterPoint Houston provides distribution services under tariffs
approved by the Texas commission. Texas commission rules and
market protocols govern the commercial retail operations of
distribution companies and other market participants.
ERCOT Market Framework. CenterPoint Houston is a member
of ERCOT. ERCOT is a network of retail customers, investor and
municipally owned electric utilities, rural electric
co-operatives, river authorities, independent generators, power
marketers and retail electric providers, which serves as the
regional reliability coordinating council for member electric
power systems in Texas. The ERCOT market includes much of the
State of Texas, other than a portion of the panhandle, a portion
of the eastern part of the state bordering on Louisiana and the
area in and around El Paso. The ERCOT market represents
approximately 85% of the demand for power in Texas and is one of
the nations largest power markets. The ERCOT market
includes an aggregate net generating capacity of approximately
77,000 megawatts (MW). There are only limited direct current
interconnections between the ERCOT market and other power
markets in the United States.
The ERCOT market operates under the reliability standards set by
the North American Electric Reliability Council. The Texas
commission has primary jurisdiction over the ERCOT market to
ensure the adequacy and reliability of electricity supply across
the states main interconnected power transmission grid.
The ERCOT independent system operator (ERCOT ISO) is responsible
for maintaining reliable operations of the bulk electric power
supply system in the ERCOT market. Its responsibilities include
ensuring that electricity production and delivery are accurately
accounted for among the generation resources and wholesale
buyers and sellers. Unlike certain other regional power markets,
the ERCOT market is not a centrally dispatched power pool, and
the ERCOT ISO does not procure energy on behalf of its members
other than to maintain the reliable operations of the
transmission system. Members are responsible for contracting
sales and purchases of power bilaterally. The ERCOT ISO also
serves as agent for procuring ancillary services for those who
elect not to provide their own ancillary services.
CenterPoint Houstons electric transmission business
supports the operation of the ERCOT ISO and all ERCOT members.
The transmission business has planning, design, construction,
operation and maintenance responsibility for the portion of the
transmission grid and for the load-serving substations it owns,
primarily within its certificated area. The transmission
business is participating with the ERCOT ISO and other ERCOT
utilities to plan, design, obtain regulatory approval for and
construct new transmission lines necessary to increase bulk
power transfer capability and to remove existing constraints on
the ERCOT transmission grid.
40
Customer Classes
General. CenterPoint Houston will recover transition
charges from the following customer classes:
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residential, |
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|
commercial, |
|
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industrial, and |
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other, which includes government and municipal street lighting. |
Residential customers are those in individually metered
single-family or multi-family homes, apartments or mobile homes.
Master-metered apartments are included in the commercial class.
Commercial customers typically have a maximum usage level less
than 500 kVA and include such customers as offices, retail
stores, schools and other businesses. Industrial customers,
which generally use more than 600 kVA on a sustained basis,
range from large office buildings and small manufacturing
concerns (small industrials) to massive chemical, oil refining
and other process plants and facilities (large industrials).
Other is primarily municipal street lighting. During the twelve
months ended September 30, 2005, approximately 41% of
CenterPoint Houstons total deliveries were to industrial
customers, approximately 26% were to commercial customers and
approximately 33% were to residential customers, with the State
of Texas and other governmental entities included in all
categories and comprising approximately 5% of CenterPoint
Houstons total deliveries. Except in their capacity as
retail electric customers, neither the State of Texas nor any
political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of
the State of Texas, nor any other public or private entity, will
be obligated to provide funds for the payment of the transition
bonds.
Customer classes may include a number of rate schedules. Rate
schedules and customer classes are created by CenterPoint
Houston and approved by the Texas commission and are subject to
change. The rate classes from which transition charges will be
billed and collected have been established as part of the
financing order. These rate classes are not subject to change
and will remain in effect for the duration of the securitization
financing.
Statistics Regarding Retail Electric Customers in CenterPoint
Houstons Service Territory. The following table shows
various operating statistics by customer class. CenterPoint
Houston will bill transition charges according to rate schedules
for each customer class. For the transition charges assessed to
individual rate schedules as of any series issuance date and any
adjustment thereto, in each case giving effect to the issuance
of transition bonds on that date, see the related prospectus
supplement.
CenterPoint Houston has changed its method of accounting for
some customers as a result of the implementation of the
Restructuring Act. Before January 1, 2002, some points of
delivery were combined into a single point of delivery and
accounted for as a single customer. CenterPoint Houston is now
required to account for those points separately.
The transmission and distribution revenue data for the years
ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004 represents
CenterPoint Houstons revenues for transmission and
distribution charges billed to retail electric providers.
Actual usage fluctuations are highly dependent on weather
conditions. On a weather adjusted basis, the compound annual
growth rate for actual usage for the ten-year period ended
December 31, 2004 was 3.0% for the residential customer
class and 2.5% for the combined commercial and small industrial
classes. We cannot assure you that future usage rates will be
similar to historical experience. In particular, we cannot
assure you that total retail electric customers, the composition
of total retail electric customers by customer class, usage
levels or revenues for each customer class will remain at or
near the levels reflected in the following table. See Risk
FactorsServicing Risks in this prospectus.
Retail Electric Customers. Over the past ten years, there
has been growth in residential retail electric usage as well as
in usage by the combined commercial and small industrial
classes, in each case on a weather adjusted basis. However,
trends are less discernible and less meaningful within the
commercial and industrial classes since customer counts within
specific rates can change as a result of reclassification within
these classes due to voltage and usage level determinants. The
following table sets forth customer usage for each year shown
and for the six
41
months ended September 30, 2005, and the number of metered
retail electric customers at the end of each of those periods.
Historical Sales, Revenue and Customer Statistics
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Retail Electric Usage (As Measured by Billed MWH Sales) by Customer Class and Percentage Composition | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Nine Months | |
|
|
Customer |
|
|
|
Ended | |
|
|
Class |
|
2000 | |
|
|
|
2001 | |
|
|
|
2002 | |
|
|
|
2003 | |
|
|
|
2004 | |
|
|
|
9/30/05 | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Residential
|
|
|
22,415,359 |
|
|
|
30.7% |
|
|
|
21,764,703 |
|
|
|
30.6% |
|
|
|
22,867,470 |
|
|
|
32.9% |
|
|
|
23,588,983 |
|
|
|
33.4% |
|
|
|
23,583,782 |
|
|
|
32.1% |
|
|
|
18,464,051 |
|
|
|
33.1% |
|
Commercial
|
|
|
17,489,472 |
|
|
|
24.0% |
|
|
|
17,809,507 |
|
|
|
25.0% |
|
|
|
18,289,012 |
|
|
|
26.3% |
|
|
|
18,777,800 |
|
|
|
26.6% |
|
|
|
19,052,995 |
|
|
|
26.0% |
|
|
|
14,689,549 |
|
|
|
26.4% |
|
Industrial
|
|
|
32,915,840 |
|
|
|
45.1% |
|
|
|
31,398,075 |
|
|
|
44.2% |
|
|
|
28,201,753 |
|
|
|
40.6% |
|
|
|
28,103,027 |
|
|
|
39.8% |
|
|
|
30,598,650 |
|
|
|
41.7% |
|
|
|
22,426,913 |
|
|
|
40.3% |
|
Other
|
|
|
145,184 |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
141,758 |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
150,544 |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
153,075 |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
156,433 |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
118,509 |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Retail
|
|
|
72,965,855 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
71,114,043 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
69,508,779 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
70,622,885 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
73,391,860 |
|
|
|
100% |
|
|
|
55,699,022 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transmission and Distribution Revenue by Customer Class and Percentage Composition (Dollars in thousands) | |
|
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| |
|
|
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|
Nine Months | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ended | |
|
|
Customer Class |
|
2002 | |
|
|
|
2003 | |
|
|
|
2004 | |
|
|
|
9/30/05 | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Residential
|
|
$ |
608,778 |
|
|
|
51.8% |
|
|
$ |
632,612 |
|
|
|
52.1% |
|
|
$ |
643,818 |
|
|
|
51.6% |
|
|
$ |
505,880 |
|
|
|
51.8% |
|
Commercial
|
|
|
355,605 |
|
|
|
30.2% |
|
|
|
375,528 |
|
|
|
30.9% |
|
|
|
389,789 |
|
|
|
31.2% |
|
|
|
300,381 |
|
|
|
30.7% |
|
Industrial
|
|
|
185,854 |
|
|
|
15.8% |
|
|
|
180,967 |
|
|
|
14.9% |
|
|
|
187,958 |
|
|
|
15.1% |
|
|
|
150,682 |
|
|
|
15.4% |
|
Other
|
|
|
25,496 |
|
|
|
2.2% |
|
|
|
25,712 |
|
|
|
2.1% |
|
|
|
26,473 |
|
|
|
2.1% |
|
|
|
20,194 |
|
|
|
2.1% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Retail
|
|
$ |
1,175,733 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
$ |
1,214,819 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
$ |
1,248,038 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
$ |
977,137 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service Territory Number of Metered Retail Electric Customers and Percentage Composition | |
|
|
| |
|
|
December 31, | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
September 30, | |
|
|
Customer Class |
|
2000 | |
|
|
|
2001 | |
|
|
|
2002 | |
|
|
|
2003 | |
|
|
|
2004 | |
|
|
|
2005 | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Residential
|
|
|
1,501,148 |
|
|
|
87.9% |
|
|
|
1,529,103 |
|
|
|
87.9% |
|
|
|
1,569,230 |
|
|
|
87.7% |
|
|
|
1,615,921 |
|
|
|
88.0% |
|
|
|
1,658,076 |
|
|
|
88.0% |
|
|
|
1,698,320 |
|
|
|
88.0% |
|
Commercial
|
|
|
204,069 |
|
|
|
12.0% |
|
|
|
209,689 |
|
|
|
12.0% |
|
|
|
218,720 |
|
|
|
12.2% |
|
|
|
218,739 |
|
|
|
11.9% |
|
|
|
223,174 |
|
|
|
11.9% |
|
|
|
229,223 |
|
|
|
11.9% |
|
Industrial
|
|
|
1,729 |
|
|
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
1,824 |
|
|
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
1,863 |
|
|
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
1,981 |
|
|
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
2,038 |
|
|
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
2,057 |
|
|
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Retail
|
|
|
1,706,946 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
1,740,616 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
1,789,813 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
1,836,641 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
1,883,288 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
|
|
1,929,600 |
|
|
|
100.0% |
|
Relationship with Retail Electric Providers. In
accordance with the Restructuring Act, in January 2002,
CenterPoint Houston ceased selling electricity to its retail
customers. Those retail customers became customers of the
various retail electric providers which were providing service
in CenterPoint Houstons service territory. Those retail
electric providers became CenterPoint Houstons primary
customers in its service territory. As of September 30,
2005, CenterPoint Houston did business with approximately 65
retail electric providers. Reliant Energy, through its
subsidiaries, is CenterPoint Houstons largest customer,
accounting for approximately 60% of CenterPoint Houstons
outstanding receivables from retail electric providers as of
September 30, 2005. Since January 2002, other than the
bankruptcies described below and minor delays and payment
discrepancies, these retail electric providers generally have
made timely payments for the electricity and other services
provided by CenterPoint Houston and have generally been
cooperative in coordinating billing and payment systems with
CenterPoint Houstons and the State of Texas systems
in the implementation of the Restructuring Act. CenterPoint
Houston has no long-term contract with any retail electric
provider.
Two retail electric providers with which CenterPoint Houston has
done business filed for bankruptcy in June 2002 and March 2003,
respectively. CenterPoint Houston, as servicer under the
transition bonds issued by Transition Bond Company I, recovered
from one of these retail electric providers the full amount of
the transition charges relating to those transition bonds from a
cash deposit provided by that retail electric provider.
CenterPoint Houston recovered all but a minimal amount of the
pre-petition balance of transition charges relating to the
transition bonds issued by Transition Bond Company I from
payments and a cash deposit provided by the other retail
electric provider. For additional information regarding retail
electric providers obligation to make cash deposits in
order to provide retail electric service and collect transition
charges within CenterPoint Houstons service territory,
please read Retail Electric ProvidersRating, Deposit
and Related Requirements. For discussions of potential
difficulties in collecting transition charges from retail
electric providers and risks associated with the bankruptcy of a
retail electric provider, please read Risk
FactorsServicing RisksIt might be difficult to
collect transition charges from retail electric providers
and Risks Associated With Potential Bankruptcy
Proceedings of Retail Electric Providers, respectively.
42
Percentage Concentration of Large End-Use Retail Customers
Served by CenterPoint Houston
For the year ended December 31, 2004, the largest end-use
retail electric customer served by retail electric providers in
CenterPoint Houstons service territory represented
approximately 2.28%, and the ten largest end-use retail electric
customers represented approximately 10.04%, of the total
electric usage by end-use retail electric customers in
CenterPoint Houstons service territory. All of those
customers were in the industrial customer class. We cannot
assure you that the current end-use customers in CenterPoint
Houstons service territory will remain in the territory or
that the levels of end-use customer concentration in the future
will be similar to those experienced in the past.
How CenterPoint Houston Forecasts the Number of Retail
Electric Customers and the Amount of Electricity Usage
Accurate projections of the number of retail electric customers,
usage and retail electric revenue are important in setting,
maintaining and adjusting the transition charges. The transition
charges must be sufficient to make principal and interest
payments on the transition bonds, to replenish any amounts drawn
from the capital subaccount and to pay the trustees fee,
the servicing fee and the other expenses and costs included in
qualified costs. Please refer to CenterPoint
Houstons Financing Order and Risk
FactorsRisks Associated With the Unusual Nature of the
Transition Property in this prospectus.
Historical Forecasting Methodology. Prior to 2002,
CenterPoint Houstons forecast of energy deliveries and
peak demand focused primarily on supporting the long-term
planning needs of an integrated utility. In this capacity, the
forecast played a key role in the long-term planning for new
generation resources and for transmission facilities. Forecasts
were routinely prepared for all customer classes and reviewed by
the Texas commission for reasonableness and accuracy in
regulatory proceedings.
Currently, CenterPoint Houston relies extensively on the use of
end-use modeling, particularly in the preparation of its
residential and commercial forecasts. These models combine
information on weather, appliance saturation and energy
intensity along with key economic parameters as part of the
process of developing the forecast. For example, residential
usage of electricity is forecast utilizing economic data on
electricity prices and real income in conjunction with average
household size, the number of appliances, appliance efficiency
and normal weather. The commercial and small industrial models
forecast electric energy deliveries based on electricity price,
employment, floor space and energy intensity by commercial
building type. Large industrial customers are forecast in detail
based on knowledge of their past activity and expected activity
and how it relates to their energy needs. Known and measurable
industrial plant additions, expansions and closures are
incorporated into the electricity delivery projections, based on
information CenterPoint Houston obtains through multiple
sources, including in-house research. CenterPoint Houston uses
economic forecasts, prepared by independent economic forecasting
and consulting firms, as inputs to its forecasting models.
Sales Forecast Variances. CenterPoint Houston will use
its annual forecast to determine the appropriate levels of
transition charges. Actual deliveries can deviate from forecast
deliveries for many reasons, including the general economic
climate in the service territory, the impact of weather on
air-conditioning and heating usage, levels of business activity,
the availability of more energy efficient appliances, new energy
conservation technologies and the customers ability to
acquire these new products. CenterPoint Houstons ability
to predict energy consumption accurately may affect the timing
of collections of transition charges.
The table below compares actual usage in MWh for a particular
period to the most recent forecast, usually prepared during the
preceding year. For example, the annual 2004 variance is based
on a forecast prepared in 2003. The variances for the
residential customer class ranged from -1.7% to 8.2%. The
variances for the commercial customer class ranged from 0.0% to
4.6% and for the industrial class from -5.6% to 9.1%. Variances
for the other customer class ranged from -3.1% to 13.2%. We
cannot assure you that the future variance between actual and
expected consumption in the aggregate or by customer class will
be similar to the historical experience set forth
43
below. In the following table, variance represents
percentage deviation from the forecast amount of electricity
usage.
Forecast Variance For the Amount of Electricity Consumed
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months | |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
ended 9/30/05 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Residential
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast (MWH)
|
|
|
20,710,864 |
|
|
|
21,338,085 |
|
|
|
22,177,812 |
|
|
|
23,591,423 |
|
|
|
23,990,031 |
|
|
|
18,683,221 |
|
Actual (MWH)
|
|
|
22,415,359 |
|
|
|
21,764,703 |
|
|
|
22,867,470 |
|
|
|
23,588,983 |
|
|
|
23,583,782 |
|
|
|
18,464,051 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
8.2% |
|
|
|
2.0% |
|
|
|
3.1% |
|
|
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
-1.7% |
|
|
|
-1.2% |
|
Commercial
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast (MWH)
|
|
|
16,728,189 |
|
|
|
17,209,406 |
|
|
|
17,645,969 |
|
|
|
18,768,660 |
|
|
|
18,978,028 |
|
|
|
14,524,242 |
|
Actual (MWH)
|
|
|
17,489,472 |
|
|
|
17,809,507 |
|
|
|
18,289,012 |
|
|
|
18,777,800 |
|
|
|
19,052,995 |
|
|
|
14,689,549 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
4.6% |
|
|
|
3.5% |
|
|
|
3.6% |
|
|
|
0.0% |
|
|
|
0.4% |
|
|
|
1.1% |
|
Industrial
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast (MWH)
|
|
|
32,351,426 |
|
|
|
32,100,649 |
|
|
|
29,861,371 |
|
|
|
28,617,844 |
|
|
|
28,036,906 |
|
|
|
21,799,428 |
|
Actual (MWH)
|
|
|
32,915,840 |
|
|
|
31,398,075 |
|
|
|
28,201,753 |
|
|
|
28,103,027 |
|
|
|
30,598,650 |
|
|
|
22,426,913 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
1.7% |
|
|
|
-2.2% |
|
|
|
-5.6% |
|
|
|
-1.8% |
|
|
|
9.1% |
|
|
|
2.9% |
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast (MWH)
|
|
|
130,214 |
|
|
|
131,575 |
|
|
|
132,936 |
|
|
|
157,891 |
|
|
|
155,172 |
|
|
|
119,114 |
|
Actual (MWH)
|
|
|
145,184 |
|
|
|
141,758 |
|
|
|
150,544 |
|
|
|
153,075 |
|
|
|
156,433 |
|
|
|
118,509 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
11.5% |
|
|
|
7.7% |
|
|
|
13.2% |
|
|
|
-3.1% |
|
|
|
0.8% |
|
|
|
-0.5% |
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast (MWH)
|
|
|
69,920,693 |
|
|
|
70,779,715 |
|
|
|
69,818,088 |
|
|
|
71,135,818 |
|
|
|
71,160,137 |
|
|
|
55,126,005 |
|
Actual (MWH)
|
|
|
72,965,855 |
|
|
|
71,114,043 |
|
|
|
69,508,779 |
|
|
|
70,622,885 |
|
|
|
73,391,861 |
|
|
|
55,699,022 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
4.4% |
|
|
|
0.5% |
|
|
|
-0.4% |
|
|
|
-0.7% |
|
|
|
3.1% |
|
|
|
1.0% |
|
The table below compares the actual number of customers at the
end of a particular period to the related forecast of the number
of customers for such date prepared during the previous year.
Variance, expressed as a percentage, represents the difference
between forecast and actual numbers of customers. A positive
variance means there were more customers than forecast. A
negative variance means there were fewer customers than
forecast. The variances for the residential customer class
ranged from 0.6% to 1.1%. The variances for the commercial
customer class ranged from -2.1% to 5.3%. The variances for the
industrial customer class ranged from -2.5% to 5.6%. We cannot
assure you that the future variance between actual and expected
numbers of customers in the aggregate or by customer class will
be similar to the historical experience set forth below. Any
updated information relating to this table will be set forth in
a prospectus supplement. In this table, variance
represents percentage deviation from the forecast number of
customers.
44
Forecast Variance For the Number of Metered Customers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine months | |
|
|
2000 | |
|
2001 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
ended 9/30/05 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Residential
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast
|
|
|
1,487,206 |
|
|
|
1,520,206 |
|
|
|
1,554,206 |
|
|
|
1,602,916 |
|
|
|
1,640,280 |
|
|
|
1,684,700 |
|
Actual
|
|
|
1,501,148 |
|
|
|
1,529,103 |
|
|
|
1,569,230 |
|
|
|
1,615,921 |
|
|
|
1,658,076 |
|
|
|
1,698,320 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
0.9% |
|
|
|
0.6% |
|
|
|
1.0% |
|
|
|
0.8% |
|
|
|
1.1% |
|
|
|
0.8% |
|
Commercial
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast
|
|
|
196,917 |
|
|
|
202,619 |
|
|
|
207,712 |
|
|
|
223,415 |
|
|
|
224,265 |
|
|
|
227,102 |
|
Actual
|
|
|
204,069 |
|
|
|
209,689 |
|
|
|
218,720 |
|
|
|
218,739 |
|
|
|
223,174 |
|
|
|
229,223 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
3.6% |
|
|
|
3.5% |
|
|
|
5.3% |
|
|
|
-2.1% |
|
|
|
-0.5% |
|
|
|
0.9% |
|
Industrial
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast
|
|
|
1,773 |
|
|
|
1,820 |
|
|
|
1,853 |
|
|
|
1,903 |
|
|
|
1,930 |
|
|
|
1,999 |
|
Actual
|
|
|
1,729 |
|
|
|
1,824 |
|
|
|
1,863 |
|
|
|
1,981 |
|
|
|
2,038 |
|
|
|
2,057 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
-2.5% |
|
|
|
0.2% |
|
|
|
0.5% |
|
|
|
4.1% |
|
|
|
5.6% |
|
|
|
2.9% |
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forecast
|
|
|
1,685,896 |
|
|
|
1,724,645 |
|
|
|
1,763,771 |
|
|
|
1,828,234 |
|
|
|
1,866,475 |
|
|
|
1,913,801 |
|
Actual
|
|
|
1,706,946 |
|
|
|
1,740,616 |
|
|
|
1,789,813 |
|
|
|
1,836,641 |
|
|
|
1,883,288 |
|
|
|
1,929,600 |
|
Variance
|
|
|
1.2% |
|
|
|
0.9% |
|
|
|
1.5% |
|
|
|
0.5% |
|
|
|
0.9% |
|
|
|
0.8% |
|
The Billing Process
Retail electric providers issue a single bill to retail electric
customers purchasing electricity from a retail electric
provider. This single bill includes all charges related to
purchasing electricity from the retail electric provider,
transmission and distribution services from CenterPoint Houston,
the applicable transition charges and any other charges
authorized by the Texas commission.
Under a servicing agreement, any changes CenterPoint Houston
institutes to customary billing and collection practices will
apply to the servicing of the related transition property so
long as CenterPoint Houston is the servicer. CenterPoint Houston
expects that any such changes would be designed to enhance its
ability to make timely recovery of amounts billed.
The Collection Process
Retail electric customers will pay the transition charges to
retail electric providers who supply them with electric power as
part of their single bill for electric service. The retail
electric providers will be obligated to remit to the servicer
payments of the transition charges as described under
Retail Electric ProvidersPayment of Transition
Charges. The servicer will have rights only under very
limited circumstances to collect transition charges directly
from retail electric customers. The servicer will not pay any
shortfalls resulting from the failure of any retail electric
provider to forward transition charge collections. If a retail
electric provider defaults in the payment of transition charges,
the retail electric provider must implement one of the courses
of action described under Retail Electric
ProvidersRemedies Upon Default.
Write-Off Experience. The table below sets forth net
write-off experience with respect to payments owed to the retail
electric providers CenterPoint Houston serves. The information
in the table is derived from data provided to the servicer by
retail electric providers. Neither we nor the servicer has
independently verified this information. We cannot assure you
that this historical data will be indicative of future
experiences. The statutorily guaranteed true-up mechanism
mitigates the effect of any write-offs on the scheduled payment
of a series of transition bonds. Please read CenterPoint
Houstons Financing OrderStatutorily Guaranteed
True-Ups.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net write-off for 12 months ended May 31, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2003 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Residential customers
|
|
|
2.7% |
|
|
|
3.4% |
|
|
|
1.9% |
|
Non-residential customers
|
|
|
0.5% |
|
|
|
0.6% |
|
|
|
0.4% |
|
45
THE ISSUER
General
We are a limited liability company formed under the Delaware
Limited Liability Company Act pursuant to the limited liability
company agreement executed by our sole member, CenterPoint
Houston, and the filing of a certificate of formation with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The limited
liability company agreement will be amended and restated in its
entirety prior to the date we enter into the sale agreement
relating to the initial series of transition bonds with
CenterPoint Houston. We have filed the form of the amended and
restated limited liability company agreement with the SEC as an
exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus
forms a part. We have summarized selected provisions of the
amended and restated limited liability company agreement below.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have not carried on any
business activities and have no operating history. We have
included our audited financial statements as a part of this
prospectus. Our fiscal year is the calendar year. We are not an
agency or instrumentality of the State of Texas but are
responsible to the State of Texas and the Texas commission as
described below under the caption Our Relationship
with the State of Texas and the Texas Commission.
Immediately following our issuance of the initial series of
transition bonds, our assets will include:
|
|
|
|
|
the related transition property, |
|
|
|
our rights under the applicable sale agreement, under the
administration agreement and under all bills of sale delivered
by CenterPoint Houston pursuant to such sale agreement, |
|
|
|
our rights under the applicable servicing agreement and any
subservicing, agency, administration, intercreditor or
collection agreements executed in connection with such servicing
agreement, |
|
|
|
the applicable collection account and all subaccounts of such
collection account, |
|
|
|
our rights under any interest rate swap agreement or hedging
agreement entered into with respect to the issuance of a tranche
series of floating rate bonds within such series, |
|
|
|
our rights in the deposits of retail electric providers required
under the applicable financing order, |
|
|
|
all present and future claims, demands, causes and choses in
action in respect of any or all of the foregoing, and |
|
|
|
all payments on or under and all proceeds in respect of any or
all of the foregoing. |
Following the issuance of subsequent series of transition bonds
our assets will include similar property related to each such
series. The indenture provides that the transition property, as
well as our other assets, other than any cash released to us by
the trustee semi-annually from earnings on the capital
subaccount, will be pledged by us to the trustee. Pursuant to
the indenture, the collected transition charges remitted to the
trustee by the servicer must be used to pay principal and
interest on the related series of transition bonds and our other
obligations specified in the indenture.
Our Purpose
We were created for the specific purposes of:
|
|
|
|
|
purchasing and owning transition property and other transition
bond collateral, |
|
|
|
issuing and registering one or more series of transition bonds, |
|
|
|
pledging our interest in transition property and other
transition bond collateral to the trustee pursuant to the terms
of the indenture in order to secure the related series of
transition bonds, |
|
|
|
making payments on the transition bonds, |
|
|
|
distributing amounts released to us, and |
46
|
|
|
|
|
performing other activities that are necessary, suitable or
convenient to accomplish these purposes, including the execution
of any interest rate swap or hedging agreement related to the
issuance of a series of transition bonds. |
The amended and restated limited liability company agreement
does not permit us to engage in any activities not directly
related to these purposes.
Our Relationship With CenterPoint Houston
On the issue date for each series of the transition bonds,
except in the event of a permitted refunding of outstanding
transition bonds, CenterPoint Houston will sell transition
property to us pursuant to a sale agreement between us and
CenterPoint Houston. Pursuant to a servicing agreement between
us and CenterPoint Houston, CenterPoint Houston will serve as
the initial servicer of the transition property. We will pay
CenterPoint Houston fixed fees for performing these services.
Pursuant to an administration agreement between us and
CenterPoint Houston, CenterPoint Houston will provide
administrative services to us.
Our Relationship With the State of Texas and the Texas
Commission
We are responsible to the State of Texas and the Texas
commission. Specifically, pursuant to a financing order,
|
|
|
|
|
our organizational documents and transaction documents prohibit
us from engaging in any activities other than acquiring
transition property, issuing transition bonds and performing
other activities as specifically authorized by that financing
order, |
|
|
|
we must respond to representatives of the Texas commission
throughout the process of offering the transition bonds provided
for therein, with the financing order directing the Texas
commissions financial advisor to veto any proposal that
does not comply with all criteria established in the financing
order, and |
|
|
|
the servicer will file periodic adjustments to transition
charges with the Texas commission on our behalf. |
We have also agreed that certain reports concerning transition
charge collections will be provided to the Texas commission.
Our Managers
Pursuant to the amended and restated limited liability company
agreement, our affairs will be managed by managers, whom we
refer to in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement as our
managers. CenterPoint Houston will appoint our
managers from time to time or, in the event CenterPoint Houston
transfers its interest in us, the new owner or owners will
appoint our managers. Following the initial issuance of the
initial series of transition bonds, we will have at least two
independent managers at all times who, among other things, are
not and have not been for at least five years prior to the date
of their appointment:
|
|
|
|
|
a direct or indirect legal or beneficial owner of us,
CenterPoint Houston, any of our affiliates or any of CenterPoint
Houstons affiliates, |
|
|
|
a relative, supplier, employee, officer, director or manager
(other than as an independent director or manager of us,
CenterPoint Houston or any of its affiliates, as the case may
be), contractor or material creditor of us, CenterPoint Houston
or any of its affiliates, or |
|
|
|
a person who controls CenterPoint Houston or any of its
affiliates. |
The persons who serve as independent managers of Transition Bond
Company I may also serve as our independent managers. The
remaining managers will be employees or officers of CenterPoint
Houston. The managers will devote the time necessary to conduct
our affairs. As of the date of this prospectus, Marc Kilbride,
who is 53 years of age and the Vice President and Treasurer
of CenterPoint Houston, is our sole manager. We expect that
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CenterPoint Houston will appoint two of its employees or
officers to serve as managers with Mr. Kilbride and the
independent managers in connection with the initial issuance of
transition bonds.
None of our managers has been involved in any legal proceedings
which are specified in Item 401(k) of the SECs
regulation S-K.
Manager Fees and Limitation on Liabilities
As of the date of this prospectus, we have not paid any
compensation to any manager since the date we were formed. We
will not compensate our managers, other than our independent
managers, for their services performed on our behalf. The
independent managers will be paid a managers fee from our
assets and will be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses
including, without limitation, the reasonable compensation,
expenses and disbursements of any agents, representatives,
experts and counsel the independent managers may employ in
connection with the performance of their respective duties under
the amended and restated limited liability company agreement.
Under the amended and restated limited liability company
agreement, our managers will not be liable under any
circumstances except for:
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liabilities arising from their own willful misconduct or gross
negligence, |
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liabilities arising from the failure by any manager to perform
obligations expressly undertaken in the amended and restated
limited liability company agreement, or |
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taxes, fees or other charges, based on or measured by any fees,
commissions or compensation received by our managers in
connection with the transactions described in this prospectus. |
Under the amended and restated limited liability company
agreement, we will indemnify our managers to the fullest extent
permitted by law against any liability incurred with respect to
their services as managers under the amended and restated
limited liability company agreement, except in the circumstances
described above.
We Are a Separate and Distinct Legal Entity from CenterPoint
Houston
Under the amended and restated limited liability company
agreement, we may not file a voluntary petition for relief under
the bankruptcy code without a unanimous vote of our managers
(including our independent managers). CenterPoint Houston has
agreed that it will not cause us to file a voluntary petition
for relief under the bankruptcy code. The amended and restated
limited liability company agreement, except for financing
reporting purposes and for federal and state income tax
purposes, requires us to:
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take all reasonable steps to continue our identity as a separate
legal entity, |
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make it apparent to third persons that we are an entity with
assets and liabilities distinct from those of CenterPoint
Houston, other affiliates of CenterPoint Houston, our managers
or any other person, and |
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make it apparent to third persons that we are not a division of
CenterPoint Houston or any of its affiliates or any other person. |
Our principal place of business is 1111 Louisiana,
Suite 4655B, Houston, Texas 77002, and our telephone number
at such address is (713) 207-5222.
Administration Agreement
CenterPoint Houston will provide administrative services to us
pursuant to an administration agreement between CenterPoint
Houston and us. We will pay CenterPoint Houston a fixed fee for
performing these services, plus all reimbursable expenses.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We will use the proceeds of the issuance of a series of
transition bonds to pay the expenses of the issuance and sale of
the transition bonds of such series and to purchase related
transition property from CenterPoint Houston. In accordance with
the applicable financing order, CenterPoint Houston will use the
proceeds it receives from the sale of the transition property to
reduce its debt and equity and to adjust its capitalization on
its regulatory books.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE SERIES 2001-1 TRANSITION BONDS
In October 2001, Transition Bond Company I, a special purpose,
wholly owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Houston, issued
$749 million of Series 2001-1 transition bonds. These
bonds were issued to securitize CenterPoint Houstons
generation-related regulatory assets recoverable through
irrevocable nonbypassable transition charges provided for in the
Restructuring Act and a financing order issued by the Texas
commission on May 31, 2000.
Although CenterPoint Houston is the servicer with respect to the
Series 2001-1 transition bonds and will be the initial
servicer with respect to transition bonds described in this
prospectus, as more fully described under The Servicer of
the Transition Property, we are a separate legal entity
from Transition Bond Company I, and the transition bonds
described herein will be payable from collateral that is
separate from that securing the Series 2001-1 transition
bonds. Transition Bond Company I will have no obligations under
our transition bonds, and we will have no obligations under the
Series 2001-1 transition bonds. Please read The
Restructuring ActCenterPoint Houston and Other Utilities
May Securitize Qualified Costs, CenterPoint
Houstons Financing Order and The Transition
BondsThe Security for the Transition Bonds.
THE TRANSITION BONDS
We will issue the transition bonds under an indenture between us
and the trustee to be named in the applicable prospectus
supplement. We have filed the form of the indenture with the SEC
as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part. The particular terms of each series of
the transition bonds will be provided in the indenture and a
related supplemental indenture. We have summarized selected
provisions of the indenture and the transition bonds below. This
summary does not purport to be complete and is subject to and
qualified by reference to the provisions of the indenture. We
will describe the particular terms of each series of the
transition bonds in a supplement to this prospectus. You should
carefully read the summary below, the applicable prospectus
supplement and the terms and provisions of the indenture that
may be important to you before investing in the transition
bonds. Please refer to Where You Can Find More
Information in this prospectus.
General Terms of the Transition Bonds
Transition bonds may be issued under the indenture from time to
time to finance the purchase by us of transition property. The
aggregate principal amount of the transition bonds that may be
authenticated and delivered under the indenture and the
financing order issued by the Texas commission on March 16,
2005 may not exceed $1,493,747,264 plus (a) the
principal portion of excess mitigation credits provided by
CenterPoint Houston after August 31, 2004 through the date
of issuance of the transition bonds or the date of the
termination of such excess mitigation credits, whichever is
earlier, (b) interest on stranded costs accrued after
August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance of the
transition bonds, and (c) up-front qualified costs as set
forth in the financing order, although the indenture permits the
issuance of additional series of transition bonds secured by
other transition property in accordance with one or more
subsequent financing orders of the Texas commission. Any series
of the transition bonds may include one or more tranches which
differ, among other things, as to interest rate and amortization
of principal. The terms of all transition bonds of the same
series will be identical, unless a series includes more than one
tranche, in which case the terms of all transition bonds of the
same tranche will be identical. The particular terms of the
transition bonds of any series and, if applicable, tranches
thereof, will be set forth in the supplemental indenture for
that series. The terms of a series of transition bonds, and any
tranches thereof, will not be subject to consent of the
transition bondholders of any previously issued series. Please
refer to Risk FactorsOther Risks Associated with an
Investment in the Transition Bonds in this prospectus.
Each series of transition bonds may
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include one or more tranches that accrue interest at a variable
rate, and one or more interest rate swap agreements may be
entered into in connection with the issuance of any such
variable rate transition bonds. Please refer to
Floating Rate Transition Bonds below.
The prospectus supplement for a series of transition bonds will
describe the following terms of that series of transition bonds
and, if applicable, the tranches of that series:
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the designation of the series and, if applicable, the tranches
of that series, |
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the principal amount of the series and, if applicable, the
tranches of that series, |
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the annual rate at which interest accrues or the method or
methods of determining such annual rate, |
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the payment dates, |
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the scheduled final payment date and the final maturity date of
the series and, if applicable, the tranches of that series, |
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the issuance date of the series, |
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the collateral for the series, |
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the authorized denominations, |
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any provisions for optional redemption of the series or tranche, |
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the expected amortization schedule for principal of the series
and, if applicable, the tranches of that series, |
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any other material terms of the tranche that are not
inconsistent with the provisions of the indenture and that will
not result in any rating agencys reducing or withdrawing
its rating of any outstanding tranche of transition bonds, |
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the identity of the trustee, and |
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only if a series includes floating rate transition bonds, the
terms of any swap agreement executed to permit such issuance and
the identity of any swap counterparty related thereto. |
The transition bonds are not a debt, liability or other
obligation of the State of Texas or of any political
subdivision, agency or instrumentality of the State and do not
represent an interest in or legal obligation of CenterPoint
Energy, CenterPoint Houston or any of their affiliates, other
than us. None of CenterPoint Energy, CenterPoint Houston or any
of their affiliates will guarantee or insure the transition
bonds. A financing order authorizing the issuance of transition
bonds does not constitute a pledge of the full faith and credit
of the State of Texas or of any of its political subdivisions.
The issuance of the transition bonds under the Restructuring Act
will not directly, indirectly or contingently obligate the State
of Texas or any of its political subdivisions to levy or to
pledge any form of taxation for the transition bonds or to make
any appropriation for their payment.
Payments of Interest and Principal on the Transition Bonds
Interest will accrue on the principal balance of a series of
transition bonds at the interest rate specified in or determined
in the manner specified in the related prospectus supplement.
Interest will be payable to the transition bondholders on each
payment date, commencing on the payment date specified in the
related prospectus supplement. Interest payments for each series
will be made from collections of related transition charges,
including amounts available in the excess funds subaccount and,
if necessary, the amounts available in the capital subaccount
for each series. In the event of default by a retail electric
provider, the amounts in the retail electric provider security
deposit subaccount or available from other credit support (up to
an amount of the lesser of the payment default of that retail
electric provider or the amount of that retail electric
providers deposit or other credit support amount) will be
used to make payments in respect of the transition bonds of the
related series.
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On any payment date with respect to any series, we generally
will pay principal of transition bonds only until the
outstanding principal balance has been reduced to the principal
balance specified for that payment date in the expected
amortization schedule for that series, but only to the extent
funds are available for that series as described in this
prospectus. Accordingly, principal of the series of transition
bonds may be paid later, but generally not sooner, than
reflected in the expected amortization schedule for such series,
except in the case of an applicable optional redemption or
acceleration. Please refer to Risk FactorsOther
Risks Associated With an Investment in the Transition
Bonds and Weighted Average Life and Yield
Considerations for the Transition Bonds in this prospectus.
The trustee will retain in the excess funds subaccount for that
series for payment on later payment dates any collections of
transition charges in excess of amounts payable as:
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fees and expenses of the servicer (including the servicing fee),
the independent managers and the trustee, |
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payments of interest and principal on the transition bonds for
that series, |
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allocations to the capital subaccount for that series, and |
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investment earnings on amounts in the capital subaccount
released to us. |
If the trustee receives insufficient collections of transition
charges for a series of transition bonds for any payment date,
and amounts in the collection account for that series (and the
applicable subaccounts of that collection account) are not
sufficient to make up the shortfall, principal of that series of
transition bonds may be paid later than expected, as described
in this prospectus. The failure to make a scheduled payment of
principal on the transition bonds of a series because there are
not sufficient funds in the collection account for that series
does not constitute a default or an event of default with
respect to such series under the indenture, except for the
failure to make the scheduled payment of principal due upon the
final maturity of the transition bonds.
The trustee will distribute on each payment date to the
transition bondholders of a particular series to the extent of
available funds in the related collection account all payments
of principal and interest then due on such transition bonds
(other than special payments as defined in the indenture). The
trustee will make each such payment to the transition
bondholders, other than the final payment, on the applicable
record date. If the transition bonds are ever issued in
definitive certificated form, however, the final payment with
respect to the transition bonds will be made only upon
presentation and surrender of such transition bond at the office
or agency of the trustee specified in the notice given by the
trustee with respect to such final payment. The trustee will
mail notice of the final payment to the transition bondholders
no later than five days prior to the final payment date,
specifying the date set for the final payment and the amount of
the payment.
The transition bonds will originally be issued in book-entry
form, and we do not expect that the transition bonds will be
issued in definitive certificated form. At the time, if any, we
issue the transition bonds of any series in the form of
definitive transition bonds and not to The Depository
Trust Company (DTC) or its nominee, the trustee
will make payments with respect to that tranche as described
below under Definitive Certificated Transition
Bonds. Upon application by a holder of any tranche of
transition bonds in the principal amount of $10,000,000 or more
to the trustee not later than the applicable record date, the
trustee will make payments by wire transfer to an account
maintained by the payee in New York, New York.
On each payment date, the amount to be paid as principal on the
transition bonds of each series will equal:
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the unpaid principal amount of each series due on the final
maturity date of that series, plus |
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the unpaid principal amount of each series upon acceleration
following an event of default, plus |
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the unpaid principal amount of any transition bonds of each
series called for redemption, plus |
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the overdue payments of principal, plus |
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the unpaid and previously scheduled payments of principal, plus |
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the principal scheduled to be paid on each series on that
payment date. |
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Except as otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement with
respect to floating rate transition bonds, the failure to pay
accrued interest on a series of transition bonds on any payment
date (even if the failure is caused by a shortfall in transition
charges received) will result in an event of default for that
series of transition bonds unless such failure is cured within
five business days. If interest is not paid within that five-day
period, the issuer will pay such defaulted interest (plus
interest on such defaulted interest at the applicable interest
rate to the extent lawful) to the persons who are transition
bondholders on a special record date (as defined in the
indenture). The special record date will be at least fifteen
business days prior to the date on which the trustee is to make
a special payment (a special payment date). The issuer will fix
any special record date and special payment date and, at least
10 days before such special record date, the issuer will
mail to each affected transition bondholder a notice that states
the special record date, the special payment date and the amount
of defaulted interest (plus interest on such defaulted interest)
to be paid. An event of default under one series of transition
bonds will not automatically trigger an event of default under
other outstanding series of transition bonds. See
What Constitutes an Event of Default on the
Transition Bonds below.
The entire unpaid principal amount of a series of transition
bonds will be due and payable:
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on the final maturity date of that series, |
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on the date of redemption, if any, and |
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if an event of default under the indenture occurs and is
continuing and the trustee or the holders of a majority in
principal amount of that series of transition bonds have
declared that series of transition bonds to be immediately due
and payable. |
However, the nature of our business will result in payment of
principal upon an acceleration of a series of transition bonds
being made as funds become available. See Risk
Factors Risks Associated with the Unusual Nature of the
Transition Property Foreclosure of the trustees lien
on the transition property for a series of transition bonds
might not be practical, and acceleration of the transition bonds
of such series before maturity might have little practical
effect and You may experience material payment
delays or incur a loss on your investment in the transition
bonds because the source of funds for payment is limited.
If any special payment date or other date specified herein for
distribution of any payments to transition bondholders is not a
business day, payments scheduled to be made on such special
payment date or other date may be made on the next succeeding
business day, and no interest will accrue upon such payment
during the intervening period. Business day means
any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which
banking institutions in New York, New York, or Houston, Texas,
are required or authorized by law or executive order to remain
closed.
Neither we nor CenterPoint Houston makes any representation or
warranty that any amounts actually collected arising from
transition charges will in fact be sufficient to meet payment
obligations on related series of transition bonds or that
assumptions made in calculating transition charges will in fact
be realized.
Floating Rate Transition Bonds
If we issue any tranche of floating rate transition bonds, we
may enter into or arrange for one or more interest rate swap
transactions. Generally, a swap agreement, on each payment date,
will obligate us to pay to the swap counterparty, solely from
payments of transition charges, an amount equal to the fixed
interest due under the swap agreement on the payment date. The
swap agreement will obligate the swap counterparty to pay to us
an amount equal to the product of (1) a floating rate
comparable to the rate accruing on the floating rate transition
bonds and (2) the principal balance of the floating rate
transition bonds as of the close of business on the preceding
payment date, after giving effect to all payments of principal
made to the floating rate transition bond holders on the
preceding payment date.
The related prospectus supplement will include a description of:
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the material terms of any interest rate swap transaction, |
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the identity of any interest rate swap counterparty, |
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any payments due to be paid by or to us or the trustee under any
interest rate swap transaction, |
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scheduled deposits in and withdrawals from any tranche
subaccount of the collection account with respect to any
interest rate swap transaction, |
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the formula for calculating the floating rate of interest of any
floating interest rate tranche, and |
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the rights of transition bondholders with respect to any
interest rate swap transaction, including any right of
termination of or amendment to the interest rate swap agreement. |
Under the indenture, we are obligated to perform all of our
obligations pursuant to any interest rate swap agreement to
which we are a party.
Redemption of the Transition Bonds
We will specify the redemption provisions, if any, for any
series of the transition bonds in the related prospectus
supplement, including the premiums, if any, payable upon
redemption. Unless the context requires otherwise, all
references in this prospectus to principal of the transition
bonds of a series as it relates to redemption include any
premium that might be payable on the transition bonds if the
transition bonds of the series are redeemed. The trustee will
give notice of redemption of any series of the transition bonds
to each registered holder of a transition bond of such series by
first-class mail, postage prepaid, mailed not less than five
days nor more than 45 days prior to the date of redemption
or in another manner or at another time as we may specify in the
related prospectus supplement. The redemption price will, in
each case, include accrued interest to, but excluding, the date
of redemption. All transition bonds called for redemption will
cease to bear interest on the specified redemption date,
provided the redemption price is on deposit with the trustee at
that time, and will no longer be considered
outstanding under the indenture. The transition
bondholders will have no further rights to transition bonds
called for redemption after the specified redemption date,
except to receive from the trustee payment of the redemption
price of such transition bonds and unpaid interest accrued to
the date fixed for redemption.
Credit Enhancement for the Transition Bonds
Credit enhancement with respect to the transition bonds of each
series will be provided principally by adjustments to the
related transition charges, amounts on deposit in the excess
funds subaccount and the capital subaccount for that series and
cash deposits and other credit support provided in respect of
transition charges allocable to a series by retail electric
providers who do not meet specified credit rating requirements.
In addition, for any series of the transition bonds or one or
more tranches of the transition bonds, additional credit
enhancement may be provided. We will describe the amounts and
types of credit enhancement, if any, and the provider of credit
enhancement with respect to each series of the transition bonds
or one or more tranches of the transition bonds in the
applicable prospectus supplement. Additional credit enhancement
may be in the form of:
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an additional excess funds subaccount, |
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subordination, |
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a financial guaranty insurance policy, |
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a letter of credit, |
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a credit or liquidity facility, |
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a repurchase obligation for certain obligations and warranties, |
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a third-party payment or other support, |
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a cash deposit or other credit enhancement, or |
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any combination of the foregoing, as we may describe in the
applicable prospectus supplement. |
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If specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, credit
enhancement for a series of the transition bonds may cover one
or more other series of the transition bonds.
Transition Bonds Will Be Issued in Book-Entry Form
Unless we specify otherwise in the related prospectus
supplement, the transition bonds will be available to investors
only in the form of book-entry transition bonds. You may hold
your bonds through DTC in the U.S., Clearstream Banking,
Luxembourg, S.A., referred to as Clearstream, or Euroclear in
Europe or in any other manner we describe in the related
prospectus supplement. You may hold your notes directly with one
of these systems if you are a participant in the system or
indirectly through organizations that are participants.
The Role of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear. Cede &
Co., as nominee for DTC, will hold the global bond or bonds
representing the transition bonds. Clearstream and Euroclear
will hold omnibus positions on behalf of the Clearstream
customers and Euroclear participants, respectively, through
customers securities accounts in Clearstreams and
Euroclears names on the books of their respective
depositaries. These depositaries will, in turn, hold these
positions in customers securities accounts in the
depositaries names on the books of DTC.
The Function of DTC. DTC is a limited purpose trust
company organized under the laws of the State of New York and is
a member of the Federal Reserve System. DTC is a clearing
corporation within the meaning of the New York Uniform
Commercial Code and a clearing agency registered
pursuant to Section 17A of the Exchange Act. DTC was
created to hold securities for its participants and to
facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities
transactions between participants through electronic
book-entries, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement
of bonds. Direct participants of DTC include securities brokers
and dealers, banks, trust companies and clearing corporations
and may include other organizations. Indirect access to the DTC
system also is available to others, including banks, brokers,
dealers and trust companies, as indirect participants, that
clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a
participant, either directly or indirectly.
The Function of Clearstream. Clearstream is incorporated
under the laws of Luxembourg. Clearstream holds securities for
its customers and facilitates the clearance and settlement of
securities transactions between Clearstream customers through
electronic book-entry changes in accounts of Clearstream
customers, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of
securities. Transactions may be settled by Clearstream in any of
various currencies, including United States dollars. Clearstream
provides to its customers, among other things, services for
safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement of
internationally traded securities and securities lending and
borrowing. Clearstream also deals with domestic securities
markets in various countries through established depositary and
custodial relationships. Clearstream is registered as a bank in
Luxembourg and therefore is subject to regulation by the
Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, which
supervises Luxembourg banks. Clearstreams customers are
world-wide financial institutions including underwriters,
securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies and
clearing corporations, among others, and may include the
underwriters of any series of transition bonds.
Clearstreams United States customers are limited to
securities brokers and dealers and banks. Clearstream has
customers located in various countries. Indirect access to
Clearstream is also available to other institutions that clear
through or maintain a custodial relationship with an account
holder of Clearstream. Clearstream has established an electronic
bridge with Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. as the operator of the
Euroclear System in Brussels to facilitate settlement of trades
between Clearstream and Euroclear.
The Function of Euroclear. Euroclear was created in 1968
to hold securities for Euroclear participants and to clear and
settle transactions between Euroclear participants through
simultaneous electronic book-entry delivery against payment,
thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
and any risk from lack of simultaneous transfers of securities
and cash. Such transactions may be settled in any of various
currencies, including United States dollars. The Euroclear
System includes various other services, including securities
lending and borrowing and interfaces with domestic markets in
several countries generally similar to the arrangements for
cross-market transfers with DTC described below. The Euroclear
System is operated by Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. as the Euroclear
operator. All operations are conducted by the Euroclear
operator, and all Euroclear securities clearance accounts and
Euroclear cash accounts are accounts with the Euroclear
operator. Euroclear participants include central banks and other
banks, securities brokers and dealers and other professional
financial intermediaries and may include the underwriters of any
series of transition bonds. Indirect access to the Euroclear
System is also
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available to other firms that clear through or maintain a
custodial relationship with a Euroclear participant, either
directly or indirectly.
Terms and Conditions of Euroclear. Securities clearance
accounts and cash accounts with the Euroclear operator are
governed by the Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear
and the related Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System.
These terms and conditions govern transfers of securities and
cash within the Euroclear System, withdrawals of securities and
cash from the Euroclear System and receipts of payments with
respect to securities in the Euroclear System. All securities in
Euroclear are held on a fungible basis without attribution of
specific securities to specific securities clearance accounts.
The Euroclear operator acts under these rules and laws only on
behalf of Euroclear participants and has no record of or
relationship with persons holding through Euroclear participants.
The Rules for Transfers Among DTC, Clearstream or Euroclear
Participants. Transfers between DTC participants will occur
in accordance with DTC rules. Transfers between Clearstream
customers or Euroclear participants will occur in the ordinary
way in accordance with their respective rules and operating
procedures.
Cross-market transfers between persons holding directly or
indirectly through DTC, on the one hand, and directly or
indirectly through Clearstream customers or Euroclear
participants, on the other, will be effected through DTC in
accordance with DTC rules on behalf of the relevant European
international clearing system by its depositary; however, those
cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions
to the relevant European international clearing system by the
counterparty in that system in accordance with its rules and
procedures and within its established deadlines, which will be
based on European time. The relevant European international
clearing system will, if the transaction meets its settlement
requirements, deliver instructions to its depositary to take
action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or
receiving transition bonds in DTC and making or receiving
payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day funds
settlement applicable to DTC. Clearstream customers and
Euroclear participants may not deliver instructions directly to
Clearstreams and Euroclears depositaries.
Because of time-zone differences, credits of securities in
Clearstream or Euroclear as a result of a transaction with a
participant will be made during the subsequent securities
settlement processing, dated the business day following the DTC
settlement date, and those credits or any transactions in those
securities settled during that processing will be reported to
the relevant Clearstream customer or Euroclear participant on
that business day. Cash received in Clearstream or Euroclear as
a result of sales of securities by or through a Clearstream
customer or a Euroclear participant to a DTC participant will be
received with value on the DTC settlement date but will be
available in the relevant Clearstream or Euroclear cash account
only as of the business day following settlement in DTC.
DTC Will Be the Holder of the Transition Bonds.
Transition bondholders that are not participants or indirect
participants but desire to purchase, sell or otherwise transfer
ownership of, or other interest in, transition bonds may do so
only through participants and indirect participants. In
addition, transition bondholders will receive all distributions
of principal of and interest on the transition bonds from the
trustee through the participants, who in turn will receive them
from DTC. Under a book-entry format, transition bondholders may
experience some delay in their receipt of payments because
payments will be forwarded by the trustee to Cede & Co., as
nominee for DTC. DTC will forward those payments to its
participants, who thereafter will forward them to indirect
participants or transition bondholders. It is anticipated that
the only bondholder will be Cede & Co., as
nominee of DTC. The trustee will not recognize transition
bondholders as bondholders, as that term is used in the
indenture, and transition bondholders will be permitted to
exercise the rights of bondholders only indirectly through the
participants, who in turn will exercise the rights of transition
bondholders through DTC.
Under the rules, regulations and procedures creating and
affecting DTC and its operations, DTC is required to make
book-entry transfers among participants on whose behalf it acts
with respect to the transition bonds and is required to receive
and transmit distributions of principal and interest on the
transition bonds. Participants and indirect participants with
whom transition bondholders have accounts with respect to the
transition bonds similarly are required to make book-entry
transfers and receive and transmit those payments on behalf of
their respective transition bondholders. Accordingly, although
transition bondholders will not possess transition bonds,
transition bondholders will receive payments and will be able to
transfer their interests.
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Because DTC can act only on behalf of participants, who in turn
act on behalf of indirect participants and certain banks, the
ability of a transition bondholder to pledge transition bonds to
persons or entities that do not participate in the DTC system,
or otherwise take actions in respect of those notes, may be
limited due to the lack of a physical certificate for those
transition bonds.
DTC has advised us that it will take any action permitted to be
taken by a transition bondholder under the indenture only at the
direction of one or more participants to whose account with DTC
the transition bonds are credited. Additionally, DTC has advised
us that it will take those actions with respect to specified
percentages of the collateral amount only at the direction of
and on behalf of participants whose holdings include interests
that satisfy those specified percentages. DTC may take
conflicting actions with respect to other interests to the
extent that those actions are taken on behalf of participants
whose holdings include those interests.
How Transition Bond Payments Will Be Credited by Clearstream
and Euroclear. Distributions with respect to transition
bonds held through Clearstream or Euroclear will be credited to
the cash accounts of Clearstream customers or Euroclear
participants in accordance with the relevant systems rules
and procedures, to the extent received by its depositary. Those
distributions will be subject to tax reporting in accordance
with relevant United States tax laws and regulations. Please
refer to Material Federal Income Tax Consequences for the
Transition Bondholders in this prospectus. Clearstream or
the Euroclear operator, as the case may be, will take any other
action permitted to be taken by a transition bondholder under
the indenture on behalf of a Clearstream customer or Euroclear
participant only in accordance with its relevant rules and
procedures and subject to its depositarys ability to
effect those actions on its behalf through DTC.
Although DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear have agreed to the
foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of the
transition bonds among participants of DTC, Clearstream and
Euroclear, they are under no obligation to perform or continue
to perform those procedures, and those procedures may be
discontinued at any time.
Definitive Certificated Transition Bonds
The Circumstances That Will Result in the Issuance of
Definitive Certificated Transition Bonds. Unless we specify
otherwise in the related prospectus supplement, each tranche of
the transition bonds will be issued in fully registered,
certificated form to beneficial owners of transition bonds or
other intermediaries, rather than to DTC or its nominee, only if:
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DTC or we advise the trustee in writing that DTC is no longer
willing or able to discharge properly its responsibilities as
nominee and depository with respect to the book-entry
certificates for the transition bonds and we are unable to
locate a qualified successor, |
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we advise the trustee in writing that we elect to discontinue
use of book-entry-only transfers through DTC and deliver
certificated transition bonds to DTC, or |
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after the occurrence of an event of default under the indenture,
transition bondholders representing at least a majority of the
outstanding principal balance of the transition bonds of all
affected series advise us, the trustee and DTC through the
financial intermediaries and the DTC participants in writing
that the continuation of a book-entry system through DTC, or a
successor to DTC, is no longer in the transition
bondholders best interest. |
The Delivery of Definitive Certificated Transition Bonds.
Upon the occurrence of any event described in the immediately
preceding paragraph (unless otherwise specified), the trustee
will be required to notify all affected beneficial owners of
transition bonds of the occurrence of the event and the
availability through DTC of definitive certificated transition
bonds. Upon surrender by DTC of the global bond or bonds in the
possession of DTC that had represented the applicable transition
bonds and receipt of instructions for re-registration, the
trustee will authenticate and deliver definitive certificated
transition bonds to the beneficial owners, and the trustee will
recognize the holders of the definitive certificate transition
bonds as bondholders under the indenture.
The Payment Mechanism for Definitive Certificated Transition
Bonds. Payments of principal of, and interest on, definitive
certificated transition bonds will be made by the trustee, as
paying agent, in accordance with the
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procedures set forth in the indenture. These payments will be
made directly to holders of definitive certificated transition
bonds in whose names the definitive certificated transition
bonds were registered at the close of business on the related
record date specified in each prospectus supplement. These
payments will be made by check mailed to the address of the
holder as it appears on the register maintained by the trustee
or, in certain cases, by wire transfer.
The Transfer or Exchange of Definitive Certificated
Transition Bonds. Definitive certificated transition bonds
will be transferable and exchangeable at the offices of the
transfer agent and registrar, which will initially be the
trustee. No service charge will be imposed for any registration
of transfer or exchange, but we and the transfer agent and
registrar may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any
tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection with the
transfer or exchange.
Final Payments on Definitive Certificated Transition
Bonds. The final payment on any transition bond,
howeverwhether a definitive certificated note or a note
registered in the name of Cede & Co.will be made only
upon presentation and surrender of the transition bond at the
office or agency specified in the notice of final payment to
transition bondholders. The trustee will be required to mail
that notice to registered bondholders not later than the fifth
day of the month of the final payment.
Registration and Transfer of the Transition Bonds
If specified in the related prospectus supplement, we may issue
one or more tranches of transition bonds in definitive form,
which will be transferable and exchangeable as described above
under Definitive Certificated Transition
Bonds. Unless otherwise specified in the related
prospectus supplement, there will be no service charge for any
registration or transfer of the transition bonds, but the
trustee may require the owner to pay a sum sufficient to cover
any tax or other governmental charge.
We will issue each tranche of transition bonds in the minimum
initial denominations set forth in the related prospectus
supplement and, except as otherwise provided in the related
prospectus supplement, in integral multiples thereof.
The trustee will make payments of interest and principal on each
payment date to the bondholders in whose names the transition
bonds were registered on the applicable record date.
The Transition Bonds May Be Issued in Various Series or
Tranches
Under the indenture, the trustee will authenticate and deliver
an additional series of the transition bonds only on the
satisfaction of specified conditions, including the following:
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all parties required to do so by the terms of the relevant
documents must have authorized, executed and delivered
appropriate documentation required by the indenture and our
limited liability company agreement, as amended or restated, |
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the seller must have irrevocably assigned all of its right,
title and interest in the applicable transition property to us
and made the filing required by Section 39.309 of the
Restructuring Act with respect to the assignment, |
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the trustee must have received written confirmation from each
rating agency that the new series of transition bonds will be
rated as set forth in the related prospectus supplement, |
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the seller must receive and deliver to us and the trustee: |
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an opinion of outside tax counsel (as selected by the seller,
and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to us and the
trustee) to the effect that we will not be subject to United
States federal income tax as an entity separate from CenterPoint
Energy and that the new series of transition bonds will be
treated as debt of CenterPoint Energy for United States federal
income tax purposes, |
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an opinion of outside tax counsel (as selected by the seller,
and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to us and the
trustee) or, if the seller so chooses, a ruling from the IRS, in
either case to the effect that, for United States federal income
tax purposes, the issuance of the new series of transition bonds
will not result in gross income to the seller, and |
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an opinion of outside tax counsel (as selected by the seller,
and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to us and the
trustee) to the effect that such issuance of the additional
series of transition bonds will not adversely affect the
characterization of any then outstanding transition bonds as
obligations of CenterPoint Energy. |
The opinion of outside tax counsel described above may, if the
seller so chooses, be conditioned on the receipt by the seller
of one or more letter rulings from the IRS and in rendering such
opinion outside tax counsel shall be entitled to rely on the
rulings contained in such letter rulings and to rely on the
representations made, and information supplied, to the IRS in
connection with such letter rulings, and
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we must deliver certain certificates and opinions specified in
the indenture to the trustee and, in certain instances, to the
Texas commission. |
The Security for the Transition Bonds
To secure the payment of principal, premium, if any, and
interest on, and any other amounts owing in respect of, the
transition bonds of each series pursuant to the indenture, we
will grant to the trustee for the benefit of the transition
bondholders of each series a security interest in all of our
right, title and interest, whether now owned or later acquired,
in and to the following collateral with respect to that series,
which collectively constitutes the trust estate under the
indenture:
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the transition property related to that series, |
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our rights under the statutorily guaranteed true-up mechanism, |
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our rights under the applicable sale agreement, |
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all bills of sale delivered by CenterPoint Houston pursuant to
the applicable sale agreement, |
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our rights under the applicable servicing agreement and any
subservicing, agency, intercreditor or collection agreements
executed in connection with the servicing agreement, |
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our rights under the administration agreement, |
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our rights in the applicable collection account and all
subaccounts of the collection account, including the general
subaccount, the capital subaccount and the excess funds
subaccount and all cash, securities, instruments, investment
property or other assets credited to or deposited in the
collection account or any subaccount of the collection account
from time to time or purchased with funds from the collection
account, and all financial assets and securities entitlements
carried therein or credited thereto, |
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our rights under any interest rate swap agreement or hedging
agreement entered into with respect to the issuance of a
floating rate tranche of a particular series of transition bonds, |
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our rights in the deposits of retail electric providers required
under the applicable financing order, |
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all of our other property related to the series of transition
bonds, other than any cash released to us by the trustee
semi-annually from earnings on the capital subaccount, |
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all present and future claims, demands, causes and choses in
action in respect of any or all of the foregoing, and |
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all payments on or under and all proceeds in respect of any or
all of the foregoing, including all proceeds of the conversion,
voluntary or involuntary, into cash or other liquid property of
any or all of the foregoing, all cash proceeds, accounts,
accounts receivable, general intangibles, notes, drafts,
acceptances, chattel paper, checks, deposit accounts, insurance
proceeds, condemnation awards, payment intangibles,
letter-of-credit rights, investment property, commercial tort
claims, documents, rights to payment of any and every kind, and
other forms of obligations and receivables, instruments and
other property which at any time constitute all or part of or
are included in the proceeds of any of the foregoing. |
The security interest does not extend to:
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amounts (including net investment earnings) on deposit in a
retail electric provider security deposit subaccount that have
been released to the servicer or a retail electric provider, |
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amounts representing investment earnings on the capital
subaccount released to us, |
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amounts deposited in the capital subaccount for that series that
have been released to us or as we direct following retirement of
that series of transition bonds, |
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amounts deposited with us on any series issuance date for
payment of costs of issuance with respect to the related series
of transition bonds (together with any interest earnings
thereon), and |
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amounts in the segregated trust account held for the benefit of
the trustee to pay certain expenses of the trustee. |
The collateral for each series of transition bonds will be
separate from the collateral for any other series, and holders
of one series of transition bonds will have no recourse to
collateral for a different series. Please refer to
How Funds in the Collection Account Will Be
Allocated.
Section 39.309(b) of the Restructuring Act provides that a
valid and enforceable security interest in transition property
will attach and be perfected by the means set forth in
Section 39.309. Specifically, Section 39.309(b)
provides that a valid and enforceable lien and security interest
in transition property may be created only by a financing order
and the execution and delivery of a security agreement in
connection with issuance of financing instruments such as the
transition bonds. The lien and security interest attach
automatically at the time when value is received for the
instruments. Upon perfection by filing notice with the Secretary
of State of Texas under Section 39.309(d) of the
Restructuring Act, the lien and security interest will be a
continuously perfected lien and security interest in the
transition property and all proceeds of the property, whether
accrued or not, and will have priority in the order of filing
and take precedence over any subsequent judicial or other lien
creditor.
The Collection Account for the Transition Bonds
Under the indenture, we will establish a collection account with
the trustee or at another eligible institution for each series
of transition bonds. The collection account will be under the
sole dominion and exclusive control of the trustee. The trustee
will hold the collection account for our benefit as well as the
benefit of the bondholders of the related series of transition
bonds. Funds received from collections of the applicable
transition charges will be deposited into the collection
account. The collection account for each series of transition
bonds will be divided into the following subaccounts, which need
not be separate bank accounts:
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the general subaccount, |
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the capital subaccount, |
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the excess funds subaccount, and |
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one or more tranche subaccounts with respect to floating rate
transition bonds, if any. |
All amounts in the collection account for each series of
transition bonds not allocated to any other subaccount by the
servicer will be allocated to the general subaccount. Unless the
context indicates otherwise,
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references in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement to
the collection account for any series of transition bonds
include all of the subaccounts contained therein. All monies
deposited from time to time in the collection account, all
deposits therein pursuant to the indenture, and all investments
made in eligible investments with these monies will be held by
the trustee in the collection account as part of the collateral.
The following institutions are eligible institutions for the
establishment of the collection account:
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the corporate trust department of the trustee so long as any of
the securities of the trustee are rated investment grade by each
rating agency, or |
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the trust department of a depository institution organized under
the laws of the United States of America or any state or
domestic branch of a foreign bank, which: |
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has deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, and has either: |
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a long-term unsecured debt rating of AA- by S&P
and A2 by Moodys and, if applicable, the
equivalent of the lower of those two ratings by Fitch, or |
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a certificate of deposit rating of A-1+ by S&P
and P-1 by Moodys and, if applicable, the
equivalent of the lower of those two ratings by Fitch, or any
other long-term, short-term or certificate of deposit rating
acceptable to the rating agencies. |
Appropriate Investments for Funds in the Collection
Account. So long as no default or event of default has
occurred and is continuing, all or a portion of the funds in the
collection account for each series of transition bonds must be
invested by the trustee in accordance with the written direction
of the servicer in any of the following, each of which is
referred to as an eligible investment:
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1. |
direct obligations of, and obligations fully guaranteed as to
timely payment by, the United States of America, |
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2. |
demand deposits, time deposits or certificates of deposit of any
depository institution or trust company incorporated under the
laws of the United States of America or any state thereof, or
any domestic branch of a foreign bank, and subject to
supervision and examination by federal or state banking or
depository institution authorities; provided, however, that at
the time of the investment or contractual commitment to invest
therein, the commercial paper or other short-term unsecured debt
obligations, other than any obligations thereof where the rating
is based on the credit of a person other than such depository
institution or trust company, shall have either (A) a
long-term unsecured debt rating from Moodys and S&P of
at least Aa3 and AA, respectively, or
(B) a certificate of deposit rating by Moodys and
S&P of at least P-1 and A-1+,
respectively, |
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commercial paper or other short-term obligations of any
corporation (other than CenterPoint Houston, Reliant Energy,
Inc. or any of their affiliates), whose ratings, at the time of
the investment or contractual commitment to invest therein, from
Moodys and S&P of at least P-1 and
A-1+, respectively, |
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investments in money market funds having a rating from
Moodys and S&P of Aaa and AAA,
respectively, including funds for which the trustee or any of
its affiliates act as investment manager or advisor, |
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bankers acceptances issued by any depository institution
or trust company referred to in clause 2 above, |
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repurchase obligations with respect to any security that is a
direct obligation of, or fully guaranteed by, the United States
of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof the
obligations of which are backed by the full faith and credit of
the United States of America, in either case entered into with a
depository institution or trust company, acting as principal,
described in clause 2 above, |
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7. |
repurchase obligations with respect to any security or whole
loan entered into with: |
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depository institution or trust company, acting as principal,
described in clause 2 above, |
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broker/ dealer, acting as principal, registered as a broker or
dealer under Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 the unsecured short-term debt obligations of which are
rated at least P-1 by Moodys and at least
A-1+ by S&P at the time of entering into this
repurchase obligation, or |
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an unrated broker/ dealer, acting as principal, that is a wholly
owned subsidiary of a nonbank or bank holding company the
unsecured short-term debt obligations of which are rated at
least P-1 by Moodys and at least
A-1+ by S&P at the time of purchase, or |
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any other investment permitted by each of the rating agencies; |
provided, however, that:
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any book-entry security, instrument or security having a
maturity of one month or less that would be an eligible
investment but for its failure, or the failure of the obligor
thereon, to have the rating specified above shall be an eligible
investment if such book-entry security, instrument or security,
or the obligor thereon, has an unsecured short-term debt rating
of at least P-1 by Moodys, and at least
A-1+ by S&P, and |
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any book-entry security, instrument or security having a
maturity of greater than one month that would be an eligible
investment but for its failure, or the failure of the obligor
thereon, to have the rating specified above shall be an eligible
investment if such book-entry security, instrument or security,
or the obligor thereon, has an unsecured long-term debt rating
of at least AA- by S&P or Aa3 by
Moodys and an unsecured short-term debt rating of at least
P-1 by Moodys or the equivalent thereof by
S&P, |
provided, that unless otherwise permitted by the applicable
rating agencies, upon the failure of any Eligible Institution to
maintain any applicable rating set forth in this definition or
the definition of Eligible Institution, the related investments
at that institution shall be reinvested in Eligible Investments
at a successor Eligible Institution within 10 days.
If Fitch provides a rating for any of the securities,
instruments or entities described above, then such security,
instrument or entity must have a rating from Fitch not less than
the equivalent of the lower of the ratings thereon from
Moodys and S&P.
These eligible investments may not:
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unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, mature
later than the next payment date, or |
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be sold, liquidated or otherwise disposed of at a loss prior to
the maturity thereof. |
No moneys held in the collection account may be invested, and no
investment held in the collection account may be sold, unless
the security interest granted and perfected in the collection
account will continue to be perfected in the investment or the
proceeds of the sale in either case without any further action
by any person.
Remittances to the Collection Account. On each remittance
date, the servicer will remit all collected transition charges,
any indemnity amounts and any other proceeds of the trust estate
securing that series to the trustee for deposit in the related
collection account. Indemnity amount means any amount paid by
the servicer or CenterPoint Houston to the trustee, for the
trustee or on behalf of the transition bondholders, in respect
of indemnification obligations pursuant to the applicable
servicing agreement or sale agreement. Please refer to The
Servicing Agreements and The Sale Agreements
in this prospectus. To the extent that the combined amounts
remitted by a retail electric provider are insufficient to
satisfy amounts owed in respect of transition charges relating
to the transition bonds or any other bonds being serviced by the
servicer or transmission and distribution service provided to
the retail electric provider (other than late fees), the
remitted amounts will be allocated pro rata among such
transition charges and transmission and distribution charges. If
a retail electric provider defaults in the
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payment of transition charges, it must implement one of the
actions described under Retail Electric
ProvidersRemedies Upon Default.
General Subaccount. Collected transition charges and any
indemnity amounts remitted to the trustee will be deposited into
the general subaccount. On each payment date, the trustee will
allocate amounts in the general subaccount among the other
subaccounts as described under How Funds in the
Collection Account Will Be Allocated. Amounts in the
general subaccount will be invested in the eligible investments
described above.
Capital Subaccount. Upon the issuance of each series of
the transition bonds, CenterPoint Houston will make a capital
contribution to us in an amount stated in the prospectus
supplement. We will pay this amount to the trustee for deposit
into the capital subaccount which will be invested in eligible
investments by the trustee in accordance with the written
direction of the servicer. The trustee will draw on amounts in
the capital subaccount to the extent that, in allocating funds
in accordance with clauses 1 through 9 in
How Funds in the Collection Account Will Be
Allocated, below, amounts on deposit in the general
subaccount and, the excess funds subaccount are insufficient to
make scheduled payments on the transition bonds and payments of
fees and expenses specified in clauses 1 through 9.
The trustee will allocate collected transition charges available
on any payment date that are not necessary to pay amounts
described in clauses 1 through 9 in How
Funds in the Collection Account Will Be Allocated, below,
to the capital subaccount in an amount sufficient to replenish
any amounts drawn from the capital subaccount. If any series of
the transition bonds has been retired as of any payment date,
the amounts on deposit in the capital subaccount allocable to
that series will be released to us, free of the lien of the
indenture.
Excess Funds Subaccount. The trustee will allocate
collected transition charges available on any payment date that
are not necessary to pay clauses 1 through 12 in
How Funds in the Collection Account Will Be
Allocated, below, to the excess funds subaccount. The
trustee will invest amounts in the excess funds subaccount in
eligible investments in accordance with the written direction of
the servicer. On each payment date, the trustee will draw on the
excess funds subaccount in allocating funds in accordance with
clauses 1 through 11 in How Funds in the
Collection Account Will Be Allocated, below, to the extent
that amounts on deposit in the general subaccount are
insufficient to make scheduled payments on the transition bonds
and payments of fees and expenses specified in clauses 1
through 11.
Tranche Subaccount. If specified in the prospectus
supplement, upon the issuance of a specified tranche of floating
rate transition bonds, a tranche subaccount will be established
with respect to that tranche. On or before each payment date, a
fixed amount specified in the prospectus supplement will be
allocated to that tranche subaccount from the general subaccount
and payments to and from any swap counterparty pursuant to the
related interest rate swap agreement will be made from or
allocated to, as applicable, that tranche subaccount as
described in the prospectus supplement. On or before each
payment date, amounts on deposit in the tranche subaccount will
be applied to make payments with respect to the related tranche,
as specified in the prospectus supplement.
How Funds in the Collection Account Will Be Allocated
Amounts remitted by the servicer to the trustee with respect to
a series of transition bonds, including any indemnity amounts,
amounts paid by a swap counterparty in accordance with any
interest rate swap agreement, if any, and all investment
earnings on amounts in the subaccounts in the collection account
will be deposited into the general subaccount of the collection
account. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus
supplement, on each payment date or other date specified in the
prospectus supplement with respect to a particular tranche or
series, the trustee will allocate or pay all amounts on deposit
in the general subaccount of the collection account for that
series in the following priority:
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payment of the trustees fees, expenses and any outstanding
indemnity amounts relating to that series, the total amount of
which will be fixed as specified in the indenture, |
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2. |
payment of the servicing fee, which will be a fixed amount
specified in the servicing agreement for that series, plus any
unpaid servicing fees from prior payment dates, |
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3. |
payment of a pro rata portion of the administration fee, which
will be a fixed amount specified in the administration agreement
between us and CenterPoint Houston, and a pro rata portion of
the fees of |
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our independent managers, which will be in an amount specified
in an agreement between us and our independent managers, |
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4. |
payment of all of our other ordinary periodic operating expenses
relating to that series, such as accounting and audit fees,
rating agency fees, legal fees and certain reimbursable costs of
the servicer under the applicable servicing agreement, |
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5. |
payment of the interest then due on that series of transition
bonds, and payment of amounts, if any, specified in the
prospectus supplement that are payable in respect of interest to
the swap counterparty under any interest rate swap agreement, |
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6. |
payment of the principal then required to be paid on that series
of transition bonds at final maturity or upon redemption or
acceleration, |
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7. |
payment of the principal then scheduled to be paid on that
series of transition bonds, |
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8. |
payment of any amounts payable to any other credit enhancement
providers with respect to that series, |
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9. |
payment of any of our remaining unpaid operating expenses and
any remaining amounts owed pursuant to the basic documents
relating to that series, including all remaining indemnity
amounts owed to the trustee, and any other amounts owed pursuant
to any interest rate swap agreement, other than swap termination
payments, |
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10. |
replenishment of any amounts drawn from the capital subaccount
for that series, |
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11. |
any swap termination payments, which will be payable only after
all of the transition bonds have been paid in full unless the
swap termination payments are payable as a result of
(i) failure to pay as a result of insufficient collection
of transition charges (up to a cap specified in the prospectus
supplement), (ii) breach of the swap agreement by us or the
indenture trustee (up to a cap specified in the prospectus
supplement), (iii) our bankruptcy, (iv) our merger
without assumption or (v) failure or termination of the
security interest of the trustee under the indenture, |
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12. |
release to us of an amount equal to investment earnings on
amounts in the capital subaccount for that series, so long as no
event of default has occurred and is continuing, and |
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13. |
allocation of the remainder, if any, to the excess funds
subaccount. |
The amounts paid during any calendar year in respect of the
trustees fees and expenses in clause 1, the servicing
fee in clause 2, the administration and independent
managers fees in clause 3, the ordinary periodic
operating expenses in clause 4 and the remaining periodic
expenses in clause 9 may not exceed $1,055,500 in the
aggregate for all series (for so long as CenterPoint Houston is
the servicer), unless the Texas commission approves a different
aggregate amount of such payments. If more than one series of
transition bonds is outstanding, the payments described in the
preceding sentence will be made pro rata from the respective
collection accounts of each series. Please read Risk
FactorsOther Risks Associated with an Investment in the
Transition BondsWe may incur expenses in excess of caps on
such expenses provided in the financing order.
Interest means, for any payment date for any series or tranche
of the transition bonds, the sum, without duplication, of:
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an amount equal to the interest accrued on that series or
tranche at the applicable interest rate from the prior payment
date or, with respect to the first payment date, the amount of
interest accrued since the issuance date, with respect to that
series or tranche, |
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any unpaid interest plus, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, any interest accrued on this unpaid interest, |
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if the transition bonds have been declared due and payable, all
accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and |
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with respect to a series or tranche to be redeemed prior to the
next payment date, the amount of interest that will be payable
as interest on such series or tranche upon such redemption. |
Principal means, with respect to any payment date and any series
or tranche of the transition bonds, the sum, without
duplication, of:
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the amount of principal due as a result of the occurrence and
continuance of an event of default and acceleration of the
transition bonds, |
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the amount of principal due on the final maturity date of any
series or tranche, |
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the amount of principal and premium, if any, due as a result of
a redemption of the transition bonds prior to such payment date
pursuant to the indenture, |
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any overdue payments of principal, and |
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the amount of principal scheduled to be paid on such payment
date in accordance with the expected amortization schedule. |
If on any payment date funds in the general subaccount are
insufficient to make the allocations or payments contemplated by
clauses 1 through 11 of the first paragraph of this
subsection with respect to a series of transition bonds, the
trustee will draw from amounts on deposit in the following
subaccounts in the following order up to the amount of the
shortfall:
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1. |
from the excess funds subaccount for allocations and payments
contemplated in clauses 1 through 11, and |
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2. |
from the capital subaccount for allocations and payments
contemplated by clauses 1 through 9. |
If, on any payment date, available collections of transition
charges allocable to a series of transition bonds, together with
available amounts in the related subaccounts, are not sufficient
to pay interest due on all outstanding transition bonds of that
series on that payment date, amounts available will be allocated
pro rata based on the amount of interest payable on each tranche
in that series. If, on any payment date, remaining collections
of transition charges allocable to a series of transition bonds,
together with available amounts in the subaccounts, are not
sufficient to pay principal due and payable on all outstanding
transition bonds of that series on that payment date, amounts
available will be allocated pro rata based on the principal
amount of each tranche then due and payable. If, on any payment
date, remaining collections of transition charges allocable to a
series of transition bonds, together with available amounts in
the subaccounts, are not sufficient to pay principal scheduled
to be paid on all outstanding transition bonds of that series,
amounts available will be allocated pro rata based on the
principal amounts of each tranche then scheduled to be paid on
the payment date. If the trustee uses amounts on deposit in the
capital subaccount to pay those amounts or make those transfers,
as the case may be, subsequent adjustments to the transition
charges related to that series or tranche will take into
account, among other things, the need to replenish those amounts.
Reports to Holders of the Transition Bonds
With respect to each series of the transition bonds, on or prior
to each payment date, the trustee will deliver a statement
prepared by the servicer to each transition bondholder of that
series, to the Texas commission and to the rating agencies. This
statement will include, to the extent applicable, the following
information, as well as any other information so specified in
the applicable supplemental indenture, as to the transition
bonds of that series with respect to that payment date or the
period since the previous payment date, as applicable:
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the amount to be paid to transition bondholders of that series
and the related tranches in respect of principal, |
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the amount to be paid to transition bondholders of that series
and the related tranches in respect of interest, |
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the transition bond balance and the projected transition bond
balance of that series and the related tranches as of that
payment date, |
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the amount on deposit in the capital subaccount for that series
as of that payment date, |
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the amount, if any, on deposit in the excess funds subaccount
for that series as of that payment date, |
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the amount to be paid to and by any counterparty under any
interest rate swap agreement or hedge agreement relating to that
series, |
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the amount to be paid to the trustee relating to that series on
that payment date, |
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the amount to be paid to the servicer relating to that series on
that payment date, and |
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any other transfers and payments relating to that series made
pursuant to the indenture. |
Enhanced Continuing Disclosure
We will not voluntarily suspend or terminate our filing
obligations with the SEC and, to the extent permitted by and
consistent with our legal obligations, we will post on our
website or furnish or file in the periodic reports and other
reports to be filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act,
as described below, the following information with respect to
each series of outstanding transition bonds to the extent such
information is reasonably available to us:
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statements of transition charge remittances made to the trustee
(to be included in a Form 10-Q or Form 10-K), |
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a statement reporting the balances in the collection account and
in each subaccount of the collection account as of the end of
each quarter or the most recent date available (to be included
in a Form 10-Q or Form 10-K), |
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a statement showing the balance of outstanding transition bonds
that reflects the actual periodic payments made on each series
of the transition bonds versus the expected periodic payments
(to be included in the next Form 10-Q or Form 10-K
filed), |
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the semi-annual servicers certificate which is required to
be submitted pursuant to the servicing agreement (to be filed
with a Form 10-Q, Form 10-K or Form 8-K), |
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the text (or a link to the website where a reader can find the
text) of each true-up filing and the results of each true-up
filing following the issuance of the series of transition bonds
(to be included in either a Form 10-Q, Form 10-K or
Form 8-K), |
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any change in the long-term or short-term credit ratings of the
servicer assigned by the rating agencies (to be filed or
furnished in a Form 8-K), |
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material legislative or regulatory developments directly
relevant to the outstanding transition bonds (to be filed or
furnished in a Form 8-K); and |
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a quarterly statement (to be included in each Form 10-Q and
Form 10-K) either affirming that, to our knowledge, in all
material respects, for each materially significant retail
electric provider, (a) each such retail electric provider
has been billed in compliance with the requirements outlined in
the applicable financing order; (b) each such retail
electric provider has made payments in compliance with the
requirements outlined in the applicable financing order, and
(c) each such retail electric provider satisfies the
creditworthiness requirements of the applicable financing order
or describing the servicers actions if (a), (b) or
(c) has not occurred. |
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Internet-Based Information and Special Website. In
addition, we will, to the extent permitted by and consistent
with the issuers obligations under applicable law, cause
to be posted on the website associated with CenterPoint Houston:
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the final prospectus for each series of outstanding transition
bonds, |
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the semi-annual servicers certificate delivered for each
series of transition bonds pursuant to the servicing agreements, |
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the periodic reports described above, and |
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a current organization chart for the issuer and servicer (unless
the servicer is not related to us in which case the servicer
will post two separate organization charts), in each case
disclosing the parent company and material subsidiaries of the
servicer and us. |
We and the Trustee May Modify the Indenture
Modifications of the Indenture That Do Not Require Consent of
Transition Bondholders. Without the consent of any of the
holders of the outstanding transition bonds but with prior
notice to the rating agencies and, with respect to amendments
that would increase ongoing qualified costs as defined in the
applicable financing order, with the consent or deemed consent
of the Texas commission (other than with respect to the
supplemental indenture establishing the initial series of
transition bonds), we and the trustee may execute a supplemental
indenture for any of the following purposes:
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to correct or amplify the description of the collateral, or to
better assure, convey and confirm unto the trustee the
collateral, or to subject additional property to the lien of the
indenture, |
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to evidence the succession, in compliance with the applicable
provisions of the indenture, of another entity to us, and the
assumption by any applicable successor of our covenants
contained in the indenture and in the transition bonds, |
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to add to our covenants, for the benefit of the holders of the
transition bonds, or to surrender any right or power therein
conferred upon us, |
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to convey, transfer, assign, mortgage or pledge any property to
the trustee, |
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to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision of
the indenture or in any supplemental indenture which may be
inconsistent with any other provision of the indenture or in any
supplemental indenture, to make any other provisions with
respect to matters or questions arising under the indenture or
in any supplemental indenture, to change in any manner or
eliminate any provisions of the indenture or to modify in any
manner the rights of the transition bondholders under the
indenture; provided, however, that: |
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this action shall not adversely affect in any material respect
the interests of any transition bondholder, and |
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the rating agency condition shall have been satisfied with
respect thereto, |
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to evidence and provide for the acceptance of the appointment
under the indenture by a successor trustee with respect to the
transition bonds and to add to or change any of the provisions
of the indenture as shall be necessary to facilitate the
administration of the trust estate under the indenture by more
than one trustee, pursuant to the requirements specified in the
indenture, |
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to qualify the transition bonds for registration with a clearing
agency, |
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to modify, eliminate or add to the provisions of the indenture
to the extent necessary to effect the qualification of the
indenture under the Trust Indenture Act or under any
similar federal statute hereafter enacted and to add to the
indenture any other provisions as may be expressly required by
the Trust Indenture Act, |
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to set forth the terms of any series that has not theretofore
been authorized by a supplemental indenture, or |
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to satisfy any rating agency requirements. |
Additional Modifications to the Indenture That Do Not Require
the Consent of Transition Bondholders. We may also, without
the consent of any of the transition bondholders but, with
respect to amendments that would increase ongoing qualified
costs as defined in the applicable financing order, with the
consent or deemed consent of the Texas commission, execute one
or more other agreements supplemental to the indenture as long
as:
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the supplemental agreement does not adversely affect in any
material respect the interests of any transition bondholder, and |
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the rating agency condition shall have been satisfied with
respect thereto. |
Modifications to the Indenture That Require the Approval of
the Transition Bondholders. We and the trustee also may,
with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority of
the outstanding amount of the transition bonds of each series or
tranche to be affected by the supplemental indenture and, with
respect to amendments that would increase ongoing qualified
costs as defined in the applicable financing order, with the
consent or deemed consent of the Texas commission, execute a
supplemental indenture to add any provisions to, or change in
any manner or eliminate any of the provisions of, the indenture
or modify in any manner the rights of the transition bondholders
under the indenture. However, supplemental indenture may not,
without the consent of the holder of each outstanding transition
bond of each series or tranche affected thereby:
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change the date of payment of any installment of principal of or
premium, if any, or interest on any transition bond of such
series or tranche, or reduce the principal amount thereof, the
interest rate thereon or the redemption price or the premium, if
any, with respect thereto, |
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change the provisions of the indenture and the related
applicable supplemental indenture relating to the application of
collections on, or the proceeds of the sale of, the collateral
to payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on
the transition bonds of such series or tranche, or change the
coin or currency in which any transition bond or any interest
thereon is payable, |
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impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of those
provisions of the indenture specified therein regarding payment,
reduce the percentage of the aggregate amount of the outstanding
transition bonds, or of a series or tranche thereof, the consent
of the transition bondholders of which is required for any
supplemental indenture, or the consent of the transition
bondholders of which is required for any waiver of compliance
with those provisions of the indenture specified therein or of
defaults specified therein and their consequences provided for
in the indenture, |
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reduce the percentage of the outstanding amount of the
transition bonds of such series or tranche required to direct
the trustee to direct us to sell or liquidate the collateral, |
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modify any provision of the section of the indenture relating to
the consent of transition bondholders of such series or tranche
with respect to supplemental indentures, except to increase any
percentage specified therein or to provide that those provisions
of the indenture or the basic documents specified in the
indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of
each outstanding transition bondholder affected thereby, |
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modify any of the provisions of the indenture in a manner so as
to affect the amount of any payment of interest, principal or
premium, if any, payable on any transition bond of such series
or tranche on any payment date or change the redemption dates,
expected amortization schedules, series final maturity dates or
tranche final maturity dates of any transition bonds of such
series or tranche, |
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decrease the required capital amount with respect to such
series, modify or alter the provisions of the indenture
regarding the voting of the transition bonds held by us,
CenterPoint Houston, an affiliate of either of them or any
obligor on the transition bonds of such series, |
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decrease the percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the
transition bonds of such series or tranche required to amend the
sections of the indenture which specify the applicable
percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the transition
bonds necessary to amend the indenture or other related
agreements specified therein, or |
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permit the creation of any lien ranking prior to or on a parity
with the lien of the indenture with respect to any of the
collateral for the transition bonds of such series or tranche
or, except as otherwise permitted or contemplated in the
indenture, terminate the lien of the indenture on any property
at any time subject thereto or deprive the holder of any
transition bond of the security provided by the lien of the
indenture. |
Enforcement of the Sale Agreement, the Administration
Agreement, the Intercreditor Agreement and the Servicing
Agreement. The indenture provides that we will take all
lawful actions to enforce our rights under the sale agreement,
the administration agreement, the intercreditor agreement and
the servicing agreement applicable to each series of transition
bonds. The indenture also provides that we will take all lawful
actions to compel or secure the performance and observance by
CenterPoint Houston, the administrator and the servicer of their
respective obligations to us under or in connection with the
sale agreement, the administration agreement, the intercreditor
agreement and the servicing agreement applicable to each series
of transition bonds. So long as no event of default occurs and
is continuing, we may exercise any and all rights, remedies,
powers and privileges lawfully available to us under or in
connection with the sale agreement, the administration
agreement, the intercreditor agreement and the servicing
agreement applicable to each series of transition bonds.
However, if we or the servicer propose to amend, modify, waive,
supplement, terminate or surrender in any material respect, or
agree to any material amendment, modification, supplement,
termination, waiver or surrender of, the process for adjusting
the transition charges, we must notify the trustee and the Texas
commission in writing and the trustee must notify the transition
bondholders of this proposal. In addition, the trustee may
consent to this proposal only with the written consent of the
holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding
transition bonds of the series or tranches materially and
adversely affected thereby and only if the rating agency
condition is satisfied. In addition, any proposed amendment of
the indenture, the sale agreement or the servicing agreement
that would increase ongoing qualified costs as defined in the
applicable financing order requires the prior written consent or
deemed consent of the Texas commission.
If an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee
may, and, at the written direction of the holders of a majority
of the outstanding amount of the transition bonds of all
affected series shall, exercise all of our rights, remedies,
powers, privileges and claims against CenterPoint Houston, the
administrator and servicer, under or in connection with the
related sale agreements, administration agreements,
intercreditor agreements and servicing agreements, and any right
of ours to take this action shall be suspended.
Modifications to the Sale Agreement, the Intercreditor
Agreement, the Administration Agreement and the Servicing
Agreement. With the prior written consent of the trustee,
the sale agreement, the intercreditor agreement, the
administration agreement and the servicing agreement, in each
case relating to a particular series of transition bonds, may be
amended, so long as the rating agency condition is satisfied in
connection therewith, at any time and from time to time, without
the consent of the transition bondholders of the related series
but, with respect to amendments that would increase ongoing
qualified costs as defined in the applicable financing order,
with the consent or deemed consent of the Texas commission
(other than with respect to an intercreditor agreement).
However, any such amendment may not adversely affect the
interest of any transition bondholder in any material respect
without the consent of the holders of a majority of the
outstanding principal amount of the transition bonds of the
affected series. The parties to the servicing agreement
acknowledge that the financing order provides that the Texas
commission, acting through its authorized legal representative
and for the benefit of Texas ratepayers, may enforce the
servicers obligations imposed under the servicing
agreement pursuant to the financing order to the extent
permitted by law.
Notification of the Rating Agencies, the Texas Commission,
the Trustee and the Transition Bondholders of Any
Modification. If we, CenterPoint Houston or the servicer or
any other party to the applicable agreement:
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proposes to amend, modify, waive, supplement, terminate or
surrender, or agree to any other amendment, modification,
waiver, supplement, termination or surrender of, the terms of
the sale agreement or the servicing agreement, or |
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waives timely performance or observance by CenterPoint Houston
or the servicer under the sale agreement, the intercreditor
agreement or the servicing agreement, |
in each case in a way which would materially and adversely
affect the interests of transition bondholders, we must first
notify the rating agencies of the proposed amendment. Upon
receiving notification regarding the rating agency condition, we
must thereafter notify the trustee and the Texas commission in
writing and the trustee shall notify the transition bondholders
of the proposed amendment and whether the rating agency
condition has been satisfied with respect thereto. The trustee
will consent to this proposed amendment, modification,
supplement or waiver only with the written consent of the
holders of a majority of the outstanding principal amount of the
transition bonds of the series or tranches materially and
adversely affected thereby.
What Constitutes an Event of Default on the Transition
Bonds
An event of default with respect to a series of transition bonds
is defined in the indenture as being:
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a default in the payment of any interest on any transition bond
of that series when the same becomes due and payable and the
continuation of this default for five business days, |
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2. |
a default in the payment of the then unpaid principal of any
transition bond of that series on the final maturity date for
that series or, if applicable, any tranche on the final maturity
date for that tranche, |
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a default in the payment of the redemption price for any
transition bond of that series on the redemption date therefor, |
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a default in the observance or performance of any of our
covenants or agreements made in the indenture, other than those
specifically dealt with in clause 1, 2 or 3 above, or any
of our covenants or agreements made in any interest rate swap
agreement, hedge agreement or credit enhancement agreement
permitted under the indenture or any supplemental indenture or
any of our representations or warranties made in the indenture
or in any certificate or other writing delivered pursuant to the
indenture or in connection with the indenture proving to have
been incorrect in any material respect as of the time when made
(other than a covenant, agreement or representation or warranty
expressly included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a
different series of transition bonds), and this default
continues or is not cured for a period of 30 days after the
earlier of (a) written notice of the default is given to us
by the trustee or to us and the trustee by the holders of at
least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of the transition
bonds of the affected series or (b) the date we have actual
notice of the default, |
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the filing of a decree or order for relief by a court having
jurisdiction in respect of us or any substantial part of the
collateral securing that series in an involuntary case under any
applicable federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency or other
similar law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a
receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator
or similar official of us or our property or for any substantial
part of the collateral securing that series, or ordering the
winding- up or liquidation of our affairs, and such decree or
order remains unstayed and in effect for a period of 90
consecutive days, |
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the commencement by us of a voluntary case under any applicable
federal or state bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now
or hereafter in effect, or the consent by us to the entry of an
order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or
the consent by us to the appointment or taking possession by a
receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator
or similar official of us or our property for any substantial
part of the collateral securing that series, or the making by us
of any general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the
failure by us generally to pay our debts as such debts become
due, or the taking of action by us in furtherance of any of the
foregoing, |
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any act or failure to act by the State of Texas or any of its
agencies (including the Texas commission), officers or employees
that violates or is not in accordance with the pledge of the
State |
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of Texas in Section 39.310 of the Restructuring Act
including, without limitation, the failure of the Texas
Commission to implement the statutorily guaranteed true-up
mechanism, or |
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any other event designated as an event of default in the related
series supplement. |
Remedies Available Following an Event of Default. If an
event of default with respect to a series of transition bonds,
other than event number 7 above, occurs and is continuing, the
trustee or holders of a majority in principal amount of the
transition bonds of that series may declare the unpaid principal
balance of that series of transition bonds, together with
accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable. This
declaration may, under the circumstances specified therein, be
rescinded by the holders of a majority in principal amount of
that series of the transition bonds. The nature of our business
will result in payment of principal upon such a declaration
being made as funds become available. See Risk
FactorsRisks Associated with the Unusual Nature of the
Transition Property Foreclosure of the trustees lien
on the transition property for a series of transition bonds
might not be practical, and acceleration of the transition bonds
of such series before maturity might have little practical
effect and You may experience material payment
delays or incur a loss on your investment in the transition
bonds because the source of funds for payment is limited.
In addition to acceleration of the transition bonds described
above, the trustee may, and upon the written direction of the
holders of a majority in principal amount of the transition
bonds of the series with respect to which a default has
occurred, shall, exercise one or more of the following remedies
upon an event of default (other than event number 7 above):
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the trustee may institute proceedings in its own name and as
trustee of an express trust for the collection of all amounts
then payable on the transition bonds or under the indenture with
respect to the transition bonds, whether by declaration or
otherwise, enforce any judgment obtained, and collect from us or
the servicer moneys adjudged due, |
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the trustee may institute proceedings from time to time for the
complete or partial foreclosure of the indenture with respect to
the collateral securing that series, |
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the trustee may exercise any remedies of a secured party under
the Uniform Commercial Code or the Restructuring Act or any
other applicable law and take any other appropriate action to
protect and enforce the rights and remedies of the trustee and
the transition bondholders, |
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the trustee may sell the collateral securing that series or any
portion thereof or rights or interest therein, at one or more
public or private sales called and conducted in any manner
permitted by law provided that certain conditions set forth in
the indenture are met, and |
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the trustee may exercise all of our rights, remedies, powers,
privileges and claims against the seller, administrator and the
servicer under or in connection with the administration
agreement or the applicable sale agreement, intercreditor
agreement or servicing agreement or against any swap
counterparty under or in connection with, and pursuant to the
terms of, any applicable swap agreement. |
If event of default number 7 above occurs, the trustee may to
the extent allowed by law institute or participate in
proceedings reasonably necessary to compel performance of or to
enforce the pledge of the State of Texas and to collect any
monetary damages incurred by the transition bondholders or the
trustee as a result of such event of default. This is the only
remedy the trustee may exercise if this event of default has
occurred.
When the Trustee Can Sell the Collateral. If a series of
transition bonds has been declared to be due and payable
following an event of default, the trustee may, at the written
direction of the holders of a majority in principal amount of
the transition bonds of such affected series, either:
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subject to the paragraph immediately below, sell the collateral
securing such series, |
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elect to have us maintain possession of the collateral securing
such series, or |
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take such other remedial action as the trustee, at the written
direction of the holders of a majority in principal amount of
the transition bonds of such series then outstanding and
declared to have been |
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due and payable, may direct and continue to apply distributions
on the collateral securing such series as if there had been no
declaration of acceleration. |
The trustee is prohibited from selling the collateral securing
such series of transition bonds following an event of default on
such series other than (1) a default for five days or more
in the payment of any interest on the transition bonds of such
series, (2) a default in the payment of the then unpaid
principal of the transition bonds of such series on the final
maturity date for that series or (3) if applicable, any
tranche on the final maturity date for that tranche, or a
default in the payment of the redemption price for any
transition bond of such series on the redemption date therefor
unless:
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the holders of 100% of the principal amount of all series of the
transition bonds consent to the sale, |
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the proceeds of the sale or liquidation are sufficient to pay in
full the principal of and premium, if any, and accrued interest
on the outstanding transition bonds of such series, or |
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the trustee determines (based upon a report from an independent
auditor) that funds provided by the collateral securing such
series would not be sufficient on an ongoing basis to make all
payments on the transition bonds of such series as these
payments would have become due if the transition bonds of such
series had not been declared due and payable, and the trustee
obtains the written consent of the holders of 66 2/3% of
the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the transition
bonds of such series. |
Right of Transition Bondholders to Direct Proceedings.
Subject to the provisions for indemnification and the
limitations contained in the indenture, the holders of a
majority in principal amount of the outstanding transition bonds
of the affected series, tranche or tranches will have the right
to direct the time, method and place of conducting any
proceeding or any remedy available to the trustee or exercising
any trust or power conferred on the trustee; provided that,
among other things:
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this direction does not conflict with any rule of law or with
the indenture, |
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the trustee may sell the collateral securing the affected series
or any portion thereof or rights or interest therein, at one or
more public or private sales called and conducted in any manner
permitted by law provided that certain conditions set forth in
the indenture are met, |
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so long as the conditions specified in the indenture have been
satisfied and the trustee elects to retain the collateral
securing the affected series pursuant to the indenture and
elects not to sell or liquidate that collateral, any direction
to the trustee to sell or liquidate the collateral securing the
affected series is by the holders of 100% of the principal
amount of the affected series of the transition bonds then
outstanding, and |
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the trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the
trustee that is not inconsistent with this direction. |
However, in case an event of default occurs and is continuing,
the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the
rights or powers under the indenture at the request or direction
of any of the holders of the transition bonds of any series if:
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it reasonably believes it will not be indemnified to its
reasonable satisfaction against the costs, expenses and
liabilities which might be incurred by it in complying with this
request, or |
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it determines that this action might materially adversely affect
the rights of any transition bondholder not consenting to the
action. |
Waiver of Default. The holders of a majority in principal
amount of the transition bonds of a series may, in those cases
specified in the indenture, waive any default with respect to
that series. However, they may not waive a default in the
payment of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on any
of the transition bonds or a default in respect of a covenant or
provision of the indenture that cannot be modified without the
waiver or consent of all of the holders of the outstanding
transition bonds of all affected series and tranches.
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Limitation of Proceedings. Under the indenture, no
transition bondholder of any series will have the right to
institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, or to avail
itself of the right to foreclose on the transition property or
otherwise enforce the lien in the transition property pursuant
to Section 39.309 of the Restructuring Act, unless:
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the holder previously has given to the trustee written notice of
a continuing event of default, |
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the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of
the outstanding transition bonds of the affected series have
made written request of the trustee to institute the proceeding
in its own name as trustee, |
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the holder or holders have offered the trustee security or
indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee against the
costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in complying with
the request, |
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the trustee for 60 days after its receipt of the notice,
request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute the
proceeding, and |
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no direction inconsistent with this written request has been
given to the trustee during the 60-day period referred to above
by the holders of a majority in principal amount of the
outstanding transition bonds of the affected series. |
In addition, each of the trustee, the transition bondholders and
the servicer will covenant that it will not, prior to the date
that is one year and one day after the termination of the
indenture, institute against us or against our managers or our
member or members any bankruptcy, reorganization or other
proceeding under any federal or state bankruptcy or similar law.
By purchasing transition bonds, each transition bondholder will
be deemed to have made this covenant.
Our Covenants
Consolidation, Merger or Sale of Assets. We will keep in
effect our existence, rights and franchises as a limited
liability company under Delaware law, provided that we may
consolidate with, merge into or convert into another entity or
sell substantially all of our assets to another entity if:
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the entity formed by or surviving the consolidation, merger or
conversion or to whom substantially all of our assets are sold
is organized under the laws of the United States or any state
thereof and expressly assumes by a supplemental indenture the
due and punctual payment of the principal of and premium, if
any, and interest on all outstanding transition bonds and the
performance of our obligations under the indenture, |
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the entity formed by or surviving the consolidation, merger or
conversion or to whom substantially all of our assets are sold
expressly assumes all obligations and succeeds to all of our
rights under the sale agreement, the administration agreement,
the intercreditor agreement, the servicing agreement and any
other basic document specified in the indenture to which we are
a party or under which we have rights pursuant to an assignment
and assumption agreement executed and delivered to the trustee, |
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no default or event of default will have occurred and be
continuing immediately after giving effect to the merger,
consolidation, conversion or sale, |
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prior notice will have been given to the rating agencies and the
rating agency condition will have been satisfied with respect to
the merger, consolidation, conversion or sale, |
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we have received an opinion of independent counsel to the effect
that the merger, consolidation, conversion or sale: |
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will have no material adverse tax consequence to us or any
transition bondholder, |
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complies with the indenture and all conditions precedent therein
provided relating to the merger, consolidation, conversion or
sale, and |
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will result in the trustee maintaining a continuing valid first
priority perfected security interest in the collateral, |
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none of the transition property, the financing order or our
rights under the Restructuring Act or the financing order are
impaired thereby, and |
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any action that is necessary to maintain the lien and security
interest created by the indenture has been taken. |
Additional Covenants. We will from time to time execute
and deliver all documents, make all filings and take any other
action necessary or advisable to, among other things, maintain
and preserve the lien of the indenture and the priority thereof.
We will not, among other things:
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permit the validity of the indenture to be impaired or the lien
to be amended, subordinated or terminated or discharged, |
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permit any person to be released from any covenants or
obligations except as expressly permitted by the indenture, |
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permit any lien, charge, claim, security interest, mortgage or
other encumbrance, other than the lien of the indenture, to be
created on or extend to or otherwise arise upon or burden the
collateral or any part thereof or any interest therein or the
proceeds thereof, |
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except as expressly permitted by the indenture, any supplemental
indenture, the sale agreement or the servicing agreement, sell,
transfer, exchange or otherwise dispose of any of the collateral
unless directed to do so by the trustee in accordance with the
indenture, |
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claim any credit on, or make any deduction from the principal or
premium, if any, or interest payable in respect of, the
transition bonds, other than amounts properly withheld under the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or assert any claim against any
present or former transition bondholder because of the payment
of taxes levied or assessed upon us or any part of the
collateral, |
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terminate our existence, dissolve or liquidate in whole or in
part, except as otherwise permitted by the indenture, |
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enter into any swap, hedge or other similar financial
arrangement except as permitted by the indenture, any supplement
thereto, the sale agreement or the servicing agreement, |
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take any action which is the subject of a rating agency
condition if such action would result in a downgrade, or |
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elect to be classified as an association taxable as a
corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise take
any action inconsistent with our treatment for federal income
tax purposes as a disregarded entity not separate from our sole
owner. |
We may not engage in any business other than purchasing and
owning transition property, issuing transition bonds from time
to time, pledging our interest in the collateral to the trustee
under the indenture in order to secure the transition bonds, and
performing activities that are necessary, suitable or convenient
to accomplish the foregoing or are incidental thereto.
We may not issue, incur, assume or guarantee any indebtedness
except for the transition bonds and any obligations under any
credit enhancement or any swap or hedge for any series of the
transition bonds. Also, we may not guarantee or otherwise become
contingently liable in connection with the obligations, stocks
or dividends of, or own, purchase, repurchase or acquire, or
agree contingently to acquire, any stock, obligations, assets or
securities of, or any other interest in, or make any capital
contribution to, any other person, other than the eligible
investments. We may not, except as contemplated by the
indenture, the sale agreement, the servicing agreement and
related documents, including the amended and restated limited
liability company agreement, make any loan or advance or credit
to any person. We will not make any expenditure for capital
assets or lease any capital asset other than the transition
property purchased from CenterPoint Houston pursuant to, and in
accordance with, any sale
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agreement. We may not make any payments, distributions or
dividends to any member in respect of its membership interest
except in accordance with the indenture.
The servicer will deliver to the trustee the annual
accountants report, compliance certificates and reports
regarding distributions and other statements required by the
servicing agreement. Please refer to The Servicing
Agreements in this prospectus.
Access to the List of Transition Bondholders
Any transition bondholder who has owned a transition bond for at
least six months may, by written request to the trustee, obtain
access to the list of all transition bondholders maintained by
the trustee for the purpose of communicating with other
transition bondholders with respect to their rights under the
indenture or the transition bonds. In addition, a group of
transition bondholders each of whom has owned a transition bond
for at least six months may also obtain access to the list of
all transition bondholders for the same purpose. The trustee may
elect not to afford the requesting transition bondholders access
to the list of transition bondholders if it agrees to mail the
desired communication or proxy, on behalf and at the expense of
the requesting transition bondholders, to all transition
bondholders.
We Must File an Annual Compliance Statement
We will be required to file annually with the trustee a written
statement, a copy of which we will provide to each of the rating
agencies and the Texas commission, as to the fulfillment of our
obligations under the indenture. In addition, we will furnish to
the trustee an opinion of counsel concerning filings made by us
on an annual basis and before the effectiveness of any amendment
to the sale agreement or the servicing agreement.
The Trustee Must Provide an Annual Report to All Transition
Bondholders
If required by the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee will be
required to mail each year to all transition bondholders a brief
report. This report may state, in accordance with the
requirements of the Trust Indenture Act, among other items:
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the trustees eligibility and qualification to continue as
the trustee under the indenture, |
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any amounts advanced by it under the indenture, |
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the amount, interest rate and maturity date of specific
indebtedness owing by us to the trustee in the trustees
individual capacity, |
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the property and funds physically held by the trustee, |
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any additional issue of a series of the transition bonds not
previously reported, and |
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any action taken by it that materially affects the transition
bonds of any series and that has not been previously reported. |
What Will Trigger Satisfaction and Discharge of the
Indenture
The transition bonds of any series, all moneys payable with
respect to the transition bonds of that series and the indenture
as it applies to that series will cease to be of further effect
and the lien of the indenture will be released with respect to
that series, interest will cease to accrue on the transition
bonds of that series and the trustee, on our written demand and
at our expense, will execute instruments acknowledging
satisfaction and discharge of the indenture with respect to the
transition bonds of that series, when:
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either all transition bonds of that series which have already
been authenticated or delivered, with certain exceptions set
forth in the indenture, have been delivered to the trustee for
cancellation or we have irrevocably deposited with the trustee
cash, in trust for this purpose, in an amount sufficient to |
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make payments of principal of and interest on the transition
bonds of that series and to pay and discharge the entire
indebtedness on those transition bonds not previously delivered
to the trustee, |
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we have paid all other sums payable by us under the indenture
with respect to the transition bonds of that series, and |
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we have delivered to the trustee an officers certificate,
an opinion of counsel, and if required by the
Trust Indenture Act or the trustee, a certificate from a
firm of independent certified public accountants, each stating
that there has been compliance with the conditions precedent in
the indenture or relating to the satisfaction and discharge of
the indenture with respect to the transition bonds of that
series. |
Our Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance Options
We may, at any time, terminate:
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all of our obligations under the indenture with respect to the
transition bonds of any series, or |
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our obligations to comply with some of the covenants in the
indenture, including some of the covenants described under
Our Covenants. |
The legal defeasance option is our right to terminate at any
time our obligations under the indenture with respect to the
transition bonds of any series. The covenant defeasance option
is our right at any time to terminate our obligations to comply
with some of the covenants in the indenture. We may exercise the
legal defeasance option with respect to any series of the
transition bonds notwithstanding our prior exercise of the
covenant defeasance option with respect to that series. If we
exercise the legal defeasance option with respect to any series,
that series will be entitled to payment only from the funds or
other obligations set aside under the indenture for payment
thereof on the scheduled final payment date or redemption date
therefor as described below. That series will not be subject to
payment through redemption or acceleration prior to the
scheduled final payment date or redemption date, as applicable.
If we exercise the covenant defeasance option with respect to
any series, the final payment of the transition bonds of that
series may not be accelerated because of an event of default
relating to a default in the observance or performance of any of
our covenants or agreements made in the indenture.
We may exercise the legal defeasance option or the covenant
defeasance option with respect to any series of the transition
bonds only if:
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we irrevocably deposit or cause to be deposited in trust with
the trustee cash or U.S. government obligations specified
in the indenture for the payment of principal of and premium, if
any, and interest on the transition bonds of that series to the
scheduled final payment date or redemption date therefor, as
applicable, the deposit to be made in the defeasance subaccount
for that series, |
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we deliver to the trustee a certificate from a nationally
recognized firm of independent accountants expressing its
opinion that the payments of principal and interest on the
U.S. government obligations when due and without
reinvestment plus any cash deposited in the defeasance
subaccount will provide cash at times and in sufficient amounts
to pay in respect of the transition bonds of that series: |
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principal in accordance with the expected amortization schedule
therefor, and/or if that series is to be redeemed, the
redemption price on the redemption date therefor, and |
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interest when due, |
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in the case of the legal defeasance option, 95 days pass
after the deposit is made and during the 95-day period no
default relating to events of our bankruptcy, insolvency,
receivership or liquidation occurs and is continuing at the end
of the period, |
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no default has occurred and is continuing on the day of this
deposit and after giving effect thereto, |
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in the case of the legal defeasance option, we deliver to the
trustee an opinion of counsel stating that: |
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we have received from, or there has been published by, the
Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or |
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since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a
change in the applicable federal income tax law, and |
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in either case confirming that the holders of the transition
bonds of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for
federal income tax purposes as a result of the exercise of the
legal defeasance option and will be subject to federal income
tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same
times as would have been the case if the legal defeasance had
not occurred, |
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in the case of the covenant defeasance option, we deliver to the
trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of
the transition bonds of that series will not recognize income,
gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of the
exercise of the covenant defeasance option and will be subject
to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner
and at the same times as would have been the case if the
covenant defeasance had not occurred, |
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we deliver to the trustee a certificate of one of our managers
and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions
precedent to the legal defeasance option or the covenant
defeasance option, as applicable, have been complied with as
required by the indenture, |
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we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect
that (a) in a case under the bankruptcy code in which
CenterPoint Houston (or any of its affiliates, other than us) is
the debtor, the court would hold that the deposited cash or
U.S. government obligations would not be in the bankruptcy
estate of CenterPoint Houston (or any of its affiliates, other
than us, that deposited the cash or U.S. government
obligations); and (b) in the event CenterPoint Houston (or
any of its affiliates, other than us, that deposited the cash or
U.S. government obligations), were to be a debtor in a case
under the bankruptcy code, the court would not disregard the
separate legal existence of CenterPoint Houston (or any of its
affiliates, other than us, that deposited the cash or
U.S. government obligations) and us so as to order
substantive consolidation under the bankruptcy code of our
assets and liabilities with the assets and liabilities of
CenterPoint Houston (or any of its affiliates, other than us,
that deposited the cash or U.S. government obligations), and |
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each rating agency has notified us and the trustee that the
exercise of the proposed defeasance option will not result in a
downgrade or withdrawal of the then current rating of any then
outstanding transition bonds. |
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The Trustee
The trustee for each series of transition bonds will be named in
the applicable prospectus supplement. The trustee may resign at
any time upon 30 days notice by so notifying us. The
holders of a majority in principal amount of the transition
bonds of all series then outstanding may remove the trustee by
so notifying the trustee and us in writing and may appoint a
successor trustee. We will remove the trustee by written notice
if the trustee ceases to be eligible to continue in this
capacity under the indenture, the trustee becomes a debtor in a
bankruptcy proceeding or is adjudged insolvent, a receiver,
administrator or other public officer takes charge of the
trustee or its property or the trustee becomes incapable of
acting. If the trustee resigns or is removed or a vacancy exists
in the office of trustee for any reason, we will be obligated
promptly to appoint a successor trustee eligible under the
indenture. No resignation or removal of the trustee will become
effective until acceptance of the appointment by a successor
trustee. The trustee shall at all times satisfy the requirements
of the Trust Indenture Act, as amended, and the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, and have a combined capital and
surplus of at least $50 million and a long-term debt rating
of Baa3 or better by Moodys, BBB- or better by
S&P and, if applicable, BBB- by Fitch. If the trustee
consolidates with, merges or converts into, or transfers all or
substantially all of its corporate trust business or assets to,
another entity, the resulting, surviving or transferee entity
shall without any further action be the successor trustee. We
and our affiliates may, from time to time, maintain various
banking, investment banking and trust relationships with the
trustee and its affiliates.
Governing Law
The indenture will be governed by the laws of the State of Texas.
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WEIGHTED AVERAGE LIFE AND YIELD CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE
TRANSITION BONDS
The rate of principal payments, the amount of each interest
payment and the actual final payment date of each series or
tranche of the transition bonds and the weighted average life
thereof will depend primarily on the timing of receipt of
collected transition charges by the trustee and the statutorily
guaranteed true-up mechanism. The aggregate amount of collected
transition charges and the rate of principal amortization on the
transition bonds will depend, in part, on actual energy usage
and energy demands, and the rate of delinquencies and
write-offs. The transition charges are required to be adjusted
from time to time based in part on the actual rate of collected
transition charges. However, we can give no assurance that the
servicer will be able to forecast accurately actual electricity
usage and the rate of delinquencies and write-offs or implement
adjustments to the transition charges that will cause collected
transition charges to be received at any particular rate. Please
refer to Risk FactorsServicing Risks,
Other Risks Associated With an Investment in the
Transition Bonds and CenterPoint Houstons
Financing OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups in
this prospectus.
If the servicer receives transition charges at a slower rate
than expected, the transition bonds may be retired later than
expected. Except in the event of a redemption or the
acceleration of the final payment date of the transition bonds
after an event of default, however, the transition bonds will
not be paid at a rate faster than that contemplated in the
expected amortization schedule for each series or tranche of the
transition bonds even if the receipt of collected transition
charges is accelerated. Instead, receipts in excess of the
amounts necessary to amortize the transition bonds in accordance
with the applicable expected amortization schedules, to pay
interest and related fees and expenses and to fund subaccounts
of the collection account will be allocated to the excess funds
subaccount. Redemption of any tranche or series of the
transition bonds and acceleration of the final maturity date
after an event of default in accordance with the terms thereof
will result in payment of principal earlier than the related
scheduled final payment dates. A payment on a date that is
earlier than forecast might result in a shorter weighted average
life, and a payment on a date that is later than forecast might
result in a longer weighted average life. In addition, if a
larger portion of the delayed payments on the transition bonds
is received in later years, the transition bonds may have a
longer weighted average life.
THE SALE AGREEMENTS
The following summary describes particular material terms and
provisions of each sale agreement pursuant to which we will
purchase transition property from CenterPoint Houston. We have
filed the form of the sale agreements with the SEC as an exhibit
to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a
part. This summary does not purport to be complete and is
subject to and qualified by reference to the provisions of the
applicable sale agreement.
CenterPoint Houstons Sale and Assignment of the
Transition Property
Any sale of transition property to us by CenterPoint Houston
will be financed through the corresponding issuance of a series
of transition bonds. Pursuant to a sale agreement, CenterPoint
Houston will on each transfer date sell and assign to us,
without recourse, except as provided therein, its rights and
interests under the applicable financing order that relate to
the series of transition bonds to be issued and sold, which will
become transition property upon such transfer pursuant to the
Restructuring Act. The transition property will represent all
rights and interests of CenterPoint Houston under the applicable
financing order that relate to the series of transition bonds to
be issued and sold, including the right to impose, collect and
receive the transition charges and the revenues and collections
resulting from such transition charges authorized in the
financing order with respect to the related series of the
transition bonds. We will apply the net proceeds that we receive
from the sale of each series of transition bonds to the purchase
of the transition property acquired on that date.
As provided by the Restructuring Act, our purchase of transition
property from CenterPoint Houston pursuant to a sale agreement,
which will expressly provide that such transfer is a sale, will
be a true sale, and all title to the transition property, legal
or equitable, will pass to us. Under the Restructuring Act, such
sale will constitute a true sale under state law whether or not
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we have any recourse against CenterPoint Houston, |
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CenterPoint Houston retains any equity interest in the
transition property under state law, |
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CenterPoint Houston acts as a collector of transition charges
relating to the transition property, or |
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CenterPoint Houston treats the transfer as a financing for tax,
financial reporting or other purposes. |
Under the Restructuring Act, all rights and interests under the
applicable financing order will become transition property upon
transfer of such rights to us by CenterPoint Houston in
connection with the issuance of a series of transition bonds.
The transition property will constitute our present property
right for purposes of contracts concerning the sale or pledge of
property.
Upon the issuance of a financing order, the execution and
delivery of the related sale agreement and bill of sale and the
filing of a notice with the Secretary of State of the State of
Texas in accordance with the rules prescribed under the
Restructuring Act, our purchase of the applicable transition
property from CenterPoint Houston will be perfected as against
all third persons, including subsequent judicial or other lien
creditors. In accordance with the Restructuring Act, a valid and
enforceable lien and security interest in the transition
property will be created upon the issuance of the related
financing order and the execution and delivery of the sale
agreement in connection with the issuance of a series of the
transition bonds. The lien and security interest attaches
automatically from the time that value is received for the
series of the transition bonds and, on perfection through the
timely filing of a notice with the Secretary of State of the
State of Texas in accordance with the rules prescribed under the
Restructuring Act, will be a continuously perfected lien and
security interest in the related transition property and all
proceeds of the related transition property.
The records and computer systems of CenterPoint Houston and
CenterPoint Energy will reflect each sale and assignment of
CenterPoint Houstons rights and interests under a
financing order to us. However, we expect that each series of
transition bonds will be reflected as debt on CenterPoint
Energys consolidated financial statements. In addition, we
anticipate that each series of transition bonds will be treated
as debt of CenterPoint Energy for federal income tax purposes.
Please read Material Federal Income Tax Consequences for
the Transition Bondholders.
CenterPoint Houstons Representations and Warranties
In each sale agreement, CenterPoint Houston will make
representations and warranties to us as of the applicable
transfer date to the effect, among other things, that:
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1. |
subject to clause 9 below (assumptions used in calculating
the transition charges as of the applicable transfer date), all
written information, as amended or supplemented from time to
time, provided by CenterPoint Houston to us with respect to the
transferred transition property (including the applicable
financing order and the issuance advice letter) is correct in
all material respects; |
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it is the intention of the parties to each sale agreement that,
other than for specified tax purposes, each sale, transfer,
assignment, setting over and conveyance contemplated by the sale
agreement constitutes a sale or other absolute transfer of all
right, title and interest of CenterPoint Houston related to the
applicable series of transition bonds in, to and under the
applicable financing order to us, whereupon (subject to the
effectiveness of the related issuance advice letter) such rights
and interests will become transition property; upon execution
and delivery of the sale agreement and the related bill of sale
and payment of the purchase price, CenterPoint Houston will have
no right, title or interest in, to or under the transferred
transition property; and that such transferred transition
property would not be a part of the estate of CenterPoint
Houston in the event of the filing of a bankruptcy petition by
or against CenterPoint Houston under any bankruptcy law; |
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3. a. |
CenterPoint Houston is the sole owner of the rights and
interests under the financing order being sold to us on the
applicable transfer date, |
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b. |
on the applicable transfer date, immediately upon the sale under
the sale agreement, the transferred transition property will
have been validly sold, assigned, transferred, set over and
conveyed to us free and clear of all liens (except for any lien
created in favor of the transition |
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bondholders pursuant to Section 39.309 of the Restructuring
Act or any lien created by us under the basic documents), and |
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c. |
all actions or filings (including filings with the Secretary of
State of the State of Texas in accordance with the rules
prescribed under the Restructuring Act and the Uniform
Commercial Code) necessary in any jurisdiction to give us a
perfected ownership interest (subject to any lien created in
favor of the transition bondholders pursuant to
Section 39.309 of the Restructuring Act or any lien created
by us under the basic documents) in the transferred transition
property and to grant to the trustee a first priority perfected
security interest in the transferred transition property, free
and clear of all liens of CenterPoint Houston or anyone else
(except for any lien created in favor of the transition
bondholders pursuant to Section 39.309 of the Restructuring
Act or any lien created by us under the basic documents) have
been taken or made; |
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4. |
the applicable financing order has been issued by the Texas
commission in accordance with the Restructuring Act, the
applicable financing order and the process by which it was
issued comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of
the State of Texas and the federal laws of the United States,
and the applicable financing order is final, non-appealable and
in full force and effect; |
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5. |
as of the date of issuance of the related transition bonds,
those transition bonds will be entitled to the protections
provided by the Restructuring Act and the applicable financing
order, and the applicable financing order and the transition
charges authorized therein will have become irrevocable and not
subject to reduction, impairment or adjustment by further action
of the Texas commission, except as permitted by
Section 39.307 of the Restructuring Act, the issuance
advice letter relating to the transferred transition property to
be sold on such a date will have been filed in accordance with
the applicable financing order, and the Texas commission will
not have issued any order prior to noon on the fourth business
day after submission of the issuance advice letter that those
transition bonds do not comply with specified ordering
provisions of the applicable financing order and the initial
transition charges and the final term of the transition bonds
set forth in the related issuance advice letter will have become
effective; |
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6. a. |
under the Restructuring Act, the State of Texas has pledged that
it will not take or permit any action that would impair the
value of the transition property transferred under the
applicable sale agreement or, except as permitted in
Section 39.307 of the Restructuring Act, reduce, alter or
impair the related transition charges until the principal,
interest and premium, and any other charges incurred and
contracts to be performed in connection with the related
transition bonds, have been paid and performed in full, |
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b. |
under the laws of the State of Texas and the federal laws of the
United States, the State of Texas could not constitutionally
take any action of a legislative character, including the repeal
or amendment of the Restructuring Act, which would substantially
limit, alter or impair the transition property or other rights
vested in the transition bondholders pursuant to the applicable
financing order, or substantially limit, alter, impair or reduce
the value or amount of the transition property, unless that
action is a reasonable exercise of the State of Texass
sovereign powers and of a character reasonable and appropriate
to the important public purpose justifying that action, and,
under the takings clauses of the Texas and United States
Constitutions, the State of Texas could not repeal or amend the
Restructuring Act or take any other action in contravention of
its pledge quoted above without paying just compensation to the
related transition bondholders, as determined by a court of
competent jurisdiction, if doing so would constitute a permanent
appropriation of a substantial property interest of those
transition bondholders in the transition property and deprive
those transition bondholders of their reasonable expectations
arising from their investments in the transition bonds; however,
there is no assurance that, even if a court were to award just
compensation, it would be sufficient to pay the full amount of
principal and interest on those transition bonds; |
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7. |
there is no order by any court providing for the revocation,
alteration, limitation or other impairment of the Restructuring
Act, the applicable financing order or issuance advice letter,
the transferred |
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transition property or the related transition charges or any
rights arising under any of them or that seeks to enjoin the
performance of any obligations under the applicable financing
order; |
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8. |
under the laws of the State of Texas and the federal laws of the
United States in effect on the applicable transfer date, no
other approval, authorization, consent, order or other action
of, or filing with any court, federal or state regulatory body,
administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality is
required in connection with the creation or transfer of
CenterPoint Houstons rights and interests related to the
applicable series of transition bonds under the applicable
financing order and our purchase of the transition property from
CenterPoint Houston, except those that have been obtained or
made; |
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9. |
based on information available to CenterPoint Houston on the
applicable transfer date, the assumptions used in calculating
the transition charges in the applicable issuance advice letter
are reasonable and made in good faith; however, notwithstanding
the foregoing, CenterPoint Houston makes no representation or
warranty, express or implied, that amounts actually collected
arising from those transition charges will in fact be sufficient
to meet the payment obligations on the related transition bonds
or that the assumptions used in calculating such transition
charges will in fact be realized; |
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10. a. |
upon the effectiveness of the applicable issuance advice letter,
the transfer of CenterPoint Houstons rights and interests
related to the applicable series of transition bonds under the
related financing order and our purchase of the transition
property from CenterPoint Houston pursuant to the applicable
sale agreement, the transferred transition property will
constitute a present property right, |
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b. |
upon the effectiveness of the applicable issuance advice letter,
the transfer of CenterPoint Houstons rights and interests
under the applicable financing order that relate to the series
of transition bonds to be issued and sold and our purchase of
the transition property from CenterPoint Houston pursuant to the
applicable sale agreement, the transferred transition property
will include, without limitation: |
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(1) |
the right to impose, collect and receive transition charges
authorized in the related financing order that relate to such
series of transition bonds, including, without limitation, the
right to receive transition charges in amounts and at times
sufficient to pay principal and interest on such series of
transition bonds, |
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(2) |
all rights and interests of CenterPoint Houston under the
applicable financing order that relate to such series of
transition bonds, |
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(3) |
the rights to file for periodic adjustments of the related
transition charges as provided in the applicable financing
order, and |
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(4) |
all revenues and collections resulting from the related
transition charges, |
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c. |
upon the effectiveness of the applicable issuance advice letter
and the transfer of CenterPoint Houstons rights and
interests under the applicable financing order that relate to
such series of transition bonds and our purchase of the
transition property from CenterPoint Houston on such transfer
date pursuant to such sale agreement, the transferred transition
property will not be subject to any lien created by a previous
indenture; |
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11. |
CenterPoint Houston is a limited liability company duly
organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of
Texas, with limited liability company power and authority to own
its properties and conduct its business as currently owned or
conducted; |
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12. |
CenterPoint Houston has the limited liability company power and
authority to obtain the applicable financing order and to
execute and deliver the applicable sale agreement and to carry
out its terms; CenterPoint Houston has the limited liability
company power and authority to own the rights and interests
under the applicable financing order related to the applicable
series of transition bonds, to |
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sell and assign those rights and interests under the applicable
financing order to us, whereupon (subject to the effectiveness
of the related issuance advice letter) such rights and interests
will become transition property; and the execution, delivery and
performance of the applicable sale agreement have been duly
authorized by CenterPoint Houston by all necessary limited
liability company action; |
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13. |
the applicable sale agreement constitutes a legal, valid and
binding obligation of CenterPoint Houston, enforceable against
CenterPoint Houston in accordance with its terms, subject to
customary exceptions relating to bankruptcy, creditors
rights and equitable principles; |
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14. |
the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
applicable sale agreement and the fulfillment of the terms
thereof do not (a) conflict with or result in any breach of
any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute (with or
without notice or lapse of time) a default under, the articles
of organization or limited liability company regulations of
CenterPoint Houston, or any indenture, mortgage, credit
agreement or other agreement or instrument to which CenterPoint
Houston is a party or by which it or its properties is bound;
(b) result in the creation or imposition of any lien upon
any of CenterPoint Houstons properties pursuant to the
terms of any such indenture or agreement or other instrument
(except for any lien created in favor of the transition
bondholders pursuant to Section 39.309 of the Restructuring
Act or any lien created by us under the basic documents) or
(c) violate any existing law or any existing order, rule or
regulation applicable to CenterPoint Houston of any court or of
any federal or state regulatory body, administrative agency or
other governmental instrumentality having jurisdiction over
CenterPoint Houston or its properties; |
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15. |
except for continuation filings under the Uniform Commercial
Code and other filings under the Restructuring Act and the
Uniform Commercial Code, no approval, authorization, consent,
order or other action of, or filing with, any court, federal or
state regulatory body, administrative agency or other
governmental instrumentality is required under any applicable
law, rule or regulation in connection with the execution and
delivery by CenterPoint Houston of the applicable sale
agreement, the performance by CenterPoint Houston of the
transactions contemplated by such sale agreement or the
fulfillment by CenterPoint Houston of the terms of such sale
agreement, except those that have previously been obtained or
made and those that CenterPoint Houston, in its capacity as
servicer under the related servicing agreement, is required to
make in the future pursuant to that servicing agreement; |
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16. |
except as disclosed in this prospectus or a prospectus
supplement, there are no proceedings pending, and to CenterPoint
Houstons knowledge, (a) there are no proceedings
threatened and (b) there are no investigations pending or
threatened before any court, federal or state regulatory body,
administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality
having jurisdiction over CenterPoint Houston or its properties
involving or related to CenterPoint Houston or us or, to
CenterPoint Houstons knowledge, to any other person: |
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a. |
asserting the invalidity of the applicable sale agreement, any
of the other basic documents, the related series of transition
bonds, the Restructuring Act or the applicable financing order, |
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b. |
seeking to prevent the issuance of the related series of
transition bonds or the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by the applicable sale agreement or any of the
other basic documents, |
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c. |
seeking any determination or ruling that could reasonably be
expected to materially and adversely affect the performance by
CenterPoint Houston of its obligations under, or the validity or
enforceability of, the applicable sale agreement or any of the
other basic documents or the related series of transition bonds,
or |
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d. |
challenging CenterPoint Houstons treatment of the related
series of transition bonds as debt of CenterPoint Energy for
federal or state income, gross receipts or franchise tax
purposes; |
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17. |
after giving effect to the sale of any transferred transition
property under the applicable sale agreement, CenterPoint
Houston: |
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a. |
is solvent and expects to remain solvent, |
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b. |
is adequately capitalized to conduct its business and affairs
considering its size and the nature of its business and intended
purposes, |
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c. |
is not engaged and does not expect to engage in a business for
which its remaining property represents an unreasonably small
portion of its capital, |
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d. |
reasonably believes that it will be able to pay its debts as
they become due, and |
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e. |
is able to pay its debts as they become due and does not intend
to incur, or believes that it will incur, indebtedness that it
will not be able to repay at its maturity; and |
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18. |
CenterPoint Houston is duly qualified to do business as a
foreign limited liability company in good standing, and has
obtained all necessary licenses and approvals, in all
jurisdictions in which the ownership or lease of property or the
conduct of its business requires such qualifications, licenses
or approvals (except where the failure to so qualify or obtain
such licenses and approvals would not be reasonably likely to
have a material adverse effect on CenterPoint Houstons
business, operations, assets, revenues or properties). |
The representations and warranties made by CenterPoint Houston
survive the sale of the transferred transition property to us
and the pledge thereof on the applicable transfer date to the
trustee. Any change in the law occurring after the applicable
transfer date that renders any of the representations and
warranties untrue does not constitute a breach under the related
sale agreement.
CenterPoint Houstons Covenants
In each sale agreement, CenterPoint Houston will make the
following covenants:
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1. |
subject to its rights to assign its rights and obligations under
the sale agreement, so long as the transition bonds of any
series are outstanding, CenterPoint Houston will (i) keep
in full force and effect its existence and remain in good
standing under the laws of the state of its organization, and
will obtain and preserve its qualification to do business in
each jurisdiction in which such qualification is or will be
necessary to protect the validity and enforceability of the
applicable sale agreement and each other instrument or agreement
to which CenterPoint Houston is a party necessary to the proper
administration of such sale agreement and the transactions
contemplated by such sale agreement and (ii) continue to
operate its transmission and distribution system in order to
provide electric services to retail electric customers in its
certificated service area, provided that CenterPoint Houston is
not prohibited from selling, assigning or otherwise divesting
its transmission and distribution system or any part thereof in
accordance with the sale agreement and the applicable financing
order; |
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2. |
except for the conveyances under the applicable sale agreement
or any lien under Section 39.309 of the Restructuring Act
for our benefit, the transition bondholders and the trustee,
CenterPoint Houston may not sell, pledge, assign or transfer to
any other person, or grant, create, incur, assume or suffer to
exist any lien on, any of the applicable transferred transition
property, whether then existing or thereafter created, or any
interest therein. CenterPoint Houston may not at any time assert
any lien against or with respect to the applicable transferred
transition property, and CenterPoint Houston shall defend the
right, title and interest of us and of the trustee, as our
assignee, in, to and under the transferred transition property
against all claims of third parties claiming through or under
CenterPoint Houston; |
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3. |
in the event that CenterPoint Houston receives any payments
under the terms of an intercreditor agreement in respect of the
related transition charges or the proceeds thereof other than in
its capacity as the servicer, CenterPoint Houston agrees to pay
all those payments to the servicer, in |
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accordance with such intercreditor agreement, as soon as
practicable after receipt thereof by CenterPoint Houston; |
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4. |
CenterPoint Houston will notify us and the trustee promptly
after becoming aware of any lien on any of the transferred
transition property, other than the conveyances under the
applicable sale agreement, any lien created in favor of the
transition bondholders under Section 39.309 of the
Restructuring Act or any lien created by us under the indenture; |
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5. |
CenterPoint Houston agrees to comply with its organizational or
governing documents and all laws, treaties, rules, regulations
and determinations of any court or federal or state regulatory
body, administrative agency or governmental instrumentality
applicable to it, except to the extent that failure to so comply
would not materially adversely affect our or the trustees
interests in the applicable transferred transition property or
under the basic documents or CenterPoint Houstons
performance of its obligations under the applicable sale
agreement; |
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6. |
so long as any transition bonds of the applicable series are
outstanding, CenterPoint Houston |
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a. |
will treat the transition bonds as our debt and not debt of
CenterPoint Houston, except for financial reporting or tax
purposes or as required in connection with the SECs
administration of the 1935 Act; |
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b. |
will disclose in its financial statements that it is not the
owner of the applicable transferred transition property and that
our assets are not available to pay creditors of CenterPoint
Houston or its affiliates (other than us); |
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c. |
will not own or purchase any transition bonds; and |
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d. |
will disclose the effects of all transactions between us and
CenterPoint Houston in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles; |
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7. |
so long as any transition bonds of the applicable series are
outstanding: |
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a. |
in all proceedings relating directly or indirectly to the
applicable transferred transition property, CenterPoint Houston
will affirmatively certify and confirm that it has sold all of
its rights and interests under the applicable financing order
that relate to such series of transition bonds to us (other than
for financial reporting or tax purposes or as required in
connection with the SECs administration of the 1935 Act),
and will not make any statement or reference in respect of such
transferred transition property that is inconsistent with our
ownership interest (other than for financial reporting or tax
purposes or as required in connection with the SECs
administration of the 1935 Act), |
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b. |
CenterPoint Houston will not take any action in respect of the
applicable transferred transition property except solely in its
capacity as servicer thereof pursuant to the related servicing
agreement or as contemplated by the basic documents, |
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c. |
CenterPoint Houston will not sell a new series of transition
bonds unless the rating agency condition has been satisfied with
respect to the series of transition bonds related to that sale
agreement; |
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8. |
CenterPoint Houston agrees that, upon the sale by CenterPoint
Houston of all of its rights and interests related to the
applicable series of transition bonds under the applicable
financing order to us pursuant to the applicable sale agreement
any payment to the servicer by any person responsible for
remitting transition charges to the servicer under the terms of
the applicable financing order or the Restructuring Act or
applicable tariff shall discharge such persons obligations
in respect of such transferred transition property to the extent
of such payment, notwithstanding any objection or direction to
the contrary by CenterPoint Houston; |
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9. |
CenterPoint Houston will execute and file such filings, and
cause to be executed and filed such filings in such manner and
in such places as may be required by law fully to preserve,
maintain and |
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protect our and the trustees interests in the transferred
transition property, including all filings required under the
Restructuring Act and the Uniform Commercial Code relating to
the transfer of the ownership of the rights and interests
related to the applicable series of transition bonds under the
applicable financing order by CenterPoint Houston to us and the
pledge of the transferred transition property by us to the
trustee. CenterPoint Houston will deliver (or cause to be
delivered) to us and the trustee file-stamped copies of, or
filing receipts for, any document filed as provided above, as
soon as available following such filing. CenterPoint Houston
will institute any action or proceeding reasonably necessary to
compel performance by the Texas commission or the State of Texas
of any of their obligations or duties under the Restructuring
Act, the applicable financing order or the issuance advice
letter relating to the transfer of the rights and interests
under the applicable financing order that relate to such series
of transition bonds by CenterPoint Houston to us, and
CenterPoint Houston agrees to take such legal or administrative
actions, including defending against or instituting and pursuing
legal actions and appearing or testifying at hearings or similar
proceedings, in each case as may be reasonably necessary: |
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a. |
to protect us and the transition bondholders from claims, state
actions or other actions or proceedings of third parties which,
if successfully pursued, would result in a breach of any
representation described above under the caption
CenterPoint Houstons Representations and
Warranties; or |
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b. |
so long as CenterPoint Houston is also the servicer, to block or
overturn any attempts to cause a repeal of, modification of or
supplement to the Restructuring Act, the applicable financing
order, the applicable issuance advice letter or the rights of
transition bondholders by legislative enactment or
constitutional amendment that would be materially adverse to us,
the trustee or the transition bondholders. |
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The costs of any such actions or proceedings would be reimbursed
by us to CenterPoint Houston from amounts on deposit in the
collection account as an operating expense in accordance with
the terms of the indenture. CenterPoint Houstons
obligations pursuant to this covenant survive and continue
notwithstanding that the payment of operating expenses pursuant
to the indenture may be delayed. |
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10. |
so long as any transition bonds of the applicable series are
outstanding, CenterPoint Houston will pay all material taxes,
assessments and governmental charges imposed upon it or any of
its properties or assets or with respect to any of its
franchises, businesses, income or property before any penalty
accrues thereon if the failure to pay any such taxes,
assessments and governmental charges would, after any applicable
grace periods, notices or other similar requirements, result in
a lien on the applicable transferred transition property;
provided that no such tax need be paid if CenterPoint Houston or
any of its affiliates is contesting the same in good faith by
appropriate proceedings promptly instituted and diligently
conducted and if CenterPoint Houston or such affiliate has
established appropriate reserves as shall be required in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles; |
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11. |
CenterPoint Houston will comply with all filing requirements
imposed upon it in its capacity as seller of the transferred
transition property under the applicable financing order,
including making any post-closing filings; and |
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12. |
even if the applicable sale agreement or the indenture providing
for the related series of transition bonds is terminated,
CenterPoint Houston will not, prior to the date that is one year
and one day after the termination of the indenture, petition or
otherwise make or cause us to invoke the process of any court or
federal or state regulatory body, administrative agency or
governmental instrumentality for the purpose of commencing or
sustaining a case against us under any federal or state
bankruptcy, insolvency or similar law or appointing a receiver,
liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator or other
similar official of ours, or any substantial property of ours or
ordering the winding up or liquidation of our affairs. We will
also agree in each sale agreement not to petition or otherwise
induce or cause CenterPoint Houston to invoke such a process for
the same period of time. |
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CenterPoint Houstons Obligation to Indemnify Us and the
Trustee and to Take Legal Action
Under each sale agreement, CenterPoint Houston is obligated to
indemnify us and the trustee, for itself and on behalf of the
transition bondholders and related parties specified therein,
against:
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1. |
any and all taxes, other than any taxes imposed on transition
bondholders of the related series solely as a result of their
ownership of transition bonds, that may at any time be imposed
on or asserted against any of those persons under existing law
as of the applicable transfer date as a result of the sale and
assignment of CenterPoint Houstons rights and interests
under the applicable financing order that relates to such series
of transition bonds by CenterPoint Houston to us, the
acquisition or holding of the applicable transferred transition
property by us or the issuance and sale by us of the related
series of transition bonds, including any sales, gross receipts,
tangible personal property, privilege, franchise or license
taxes, but excluding any taxes imposed as a result of a failure
of that person to properly withhold or remit taxes imposed with
respect to payments on any transition bond of the related
series, in the event and to the extent such taxes are not
recoverable qualified costs, it being understood that the
transition bondholders of the related series will be entitled to
enforce their rights against CenterPoint Houston solely through
a cause of action brought for their benefit by the trustee in
accordance with the terms of the indenture; and |
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2. a. |
any and all amounts of principal of and interest on the related
series of transition bonds not paid when due or when scheduled
to be paid in accordance with their terms and the amount of any
deposits to us required to have been made in accordance with the
terms of the basic documents which are not made when so
required, in each case as a result of CenterPoint Houstons
breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants
contained in the applicable sale agreement; and |
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b. |
any and all liabilities, obligations, claims, actions, suits or
payments of any kind whatsoever that may be imposed on or
asserted against any such person, other than any liabilities,
obligations or claims for or payments of principal of or
interest on the transition bonds of the related series, together
with any reasonable costs and expenses incurred by that person,
in each case as a result of CenterPoint Houstons breach of
any of its representations, warranties or covenants contained in
the applicable sale agreement. |
However, CenterPoint Houston is not required to indemnify the
trustee or related parties against any loss incurred by them
through their own willful misconduct, negligence or bad faith.
These indemnification obligations will rank equally in right of
payment with other general unsecured obligations of CenterPoint
Houston. The indemnities described above will survive the
resignation or removal of the trustee and the termination of the
applicable sale agreement and include reasonable fees and
expenses of investigation and litigation (including reasonable
attorneys fees and expenses). The representations and
warranties described above under the caption
CenterPoint Houstons Representations and
Warranties are made under existing law as in effect as of
the date of issuance of the related series of transition bonds.
CenterPoint Houston will not indemnify any party for any changes
of law after the issuance of the related series of transition
bonds or for any liability resulting solely from a downgrade in
the ratings on such series of transition bonds.
CenterPoint Houstons Limited Obligation to Undertake
Legal Action. As described in clause 9 above under
CenterPoint Houstons Covenants, each
sale agreement will require CenterPoint Houston to institute any
action or proceeding reasonably necessary to compel performance
by the Texas commission or the State of Texas of any of their
obligations or duties under the Restructuring Act, the
applicable financing order or any related issuance advice letter
with respect to the transferred transition property. Except for
the foregoing and subject to CenterPoint Houstons further
covenant to fully preserve, maintain and protect our interests
in the transition property, CenterPoint Houston will not be
under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any legal
action that is not incidental to its obligations under the
applicable sale agreement and that in its opinion may involve it
in any expense or liability.
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Successors to CenterPoint Houston
Each sale agreement will provide that any person which succeeds
by merger, consolidation, sale or other similar transaction to
all or substantially all of the electric transmission and
distribution business of CenterPoint Houston (or, if the
transmission and distribution business is split, the person
which provides distribution service to a majority of the retail
electric customers in CenterPoint Houstons service
territory) will be the successor to CenterPoint Houston with
respect to CenterPoint Houstons ongoing obligations under
the sale agreement. Each sale agreement will further require
that:
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immediately after giving effect to any transaction referred to
in this paragraph, no representation or warranty made in the
sale agreement will have been breached in any material respect,
and no servicer default, and no event that, after notice or
lapse of time, or both, would become a servicer default will
have occurred and be continuing, |
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the successor to the seller must execute an agreement of
assumption to perform every obligation of the seller under the
sale agreement, |
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the rating agencies specified in the sale agreement will have
received prior written notice of the transaction, and |
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officers certificates and opinions of counsel specified in
the sale agreement will have been delivered to us and the
trustee. |
Amendment
Each sale agreement may be amended by the parties thereto, if
notice of the amendment is provided by us to each rating agency
and the rating agency condition has been satisfied, with the
consent of the trustee and, with respect to amendments that
would increase ongoing qualified costs as defined in the
applicable financing order, the consent or deemed consent of the
Texas commission. If any such amendment would adversely affect
the interest of any transition bondholder in any material
respect, the consent of the holders of a majority of each
affected tranche or series of transition bonds is also required.
THE SERVICING AGREEMENTS
The following summary describes the material terms and
provisions of each servicing agreement pursuant to which the
servicer will undertake to service the transition property. This
summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified by
reference to the provisions of the applicable servicing
agreement. We have filed the form of the servicing agreements
with the SEC as an exhibit to the registration statement of
which this prospectus forms a part.
Servicing Procedures
General. The servicer, as our agent, will manage,
service, administer and make collections in respect of the
related transition property. The servicers duties will
include:
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calculating and billing the related transition charges, |
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obtaining meter reads and collecting the related transition
charges from retail electric providers or an agent appointed by
the servicer or an account designated under the intercreditor
agreement to collect the charges, as applicable, and posting all
collections, |
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responding to inquiries by retail electric customers, retail
electric providers, the Texas commission or any federal, local
or other state governmental authority with respect to the
related transition property and related transition charges, |
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accounting for collected transition charges and late-payment
penalties of retail electric providers, investigating and
resolving delinquencies, processing and depositing collections,
making periodic remittances to the trustee and furnishing
periodic reports to us, the trustee, the Texas commission and
the rating agencies, |
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providing certified calculations and other information
reasonably requested by agents appointed by the servicer to
collect the charges to enable the agents to perform collection
services properly under the intercreditor agreements and
monitoring the collections of the agents for compliance with the
intercreditor agreements, |
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monitoring payments by each retail electric provider, reviewing
reports provided by each retail electric provider and monitoring
compliance by each retail electric provider with the credit
standards and deposit obligations set forth in the applicable
financing order, |
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notifying each retail electric provider of any defaults by such
retail electric provider in its payment obligations and other
obligations (including its credit standards), and enforcing
against such retail electric provider at the earliest date
permitted any remedies provided by applicable law, |
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making all filings with the Texas commission and taking all
other actions necessary to perfect our ownership interests in
and the trustees lien on the related transition property
and other collateral, |
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selling, as our agent, defaulted or written-off accounts in
accordance with the servicers usual and customary
practices, |
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taking action in connection with adjustments to the related
transition charges and allocation of the charges among various
classes of customers as described below, and |
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any other duties specified for a servicer under applicable law. |
Please refer to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
Order in this prospectus. The servicer is required to
notify us, the trustee, the Texas commission and the rating
agencies in writing of any laws or Texas commission regulations
promulgated after the execution of the applicable servicing
agreement that have a material adverse effect on the
servicers ability to perform its duties under that
servicing agreement. The servicer is also authorized to execute
and deliver documents and to make filings and participate in
proceedings on our behalf.
In each servicing agreement, the servicer will agree, among
other things, that, in servicing the related transition property:
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except where the failure to comply with any of the following
would not materially adversely affect our or the trustees
respective interests in the related transition property, |
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it will manage, service, administer and make collections in
respect of the related transition property with reasonable care
and in material compliance with applicable law, including all
applicable Texas commission regulations and guidelines, using
the same degree of care and diligence that the servicer
exercises with respect to billing and collection activities that
the servicer conducts for itself and others, |
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it will follow standards, policies and procedures in performing
its duties as servicer that are customary in the electric
transmission and distribution industry or that the Texas
commission has mandated and consistent with the terms of the
applicable financing order, tariffs and existing law, |
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it will use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its
customary servicing procedures, to enforce and maintain the
trustees and our rights in respect of the related
transition property, |
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it will calculate the related transition charges and the
allocation of transition charges among customer classes in
compliance with the Restructuring Act, the applicable financing
order, any Texas commission order related to transition charge
allocation and any applicable tariffs, |
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it will use all reasonable efforts consistent with its customary
servicing procedures to collect all amounts owed in respect of
the related transition property as they become due, |
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it will provide all reports to such parties to the intercreditor
agreement regarding the related transition charges as are
necessary to effect collection, allocation and remittance of
payments |
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in respect of related transition charges and other collected
funds in accordance with such servicing agreement and the
intercreditor agreement, |
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it will make all filings required under the applicable Uniform
Commercial Code or the Restructuring Act to maintain the
perfected security interest of the trustee in the collateral and
use all reasonable efforts to otherwise enforce and maintain the
trustees rights in respect of the related transition
property and the collateral, |
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it will petition the Texas commission for adjustments to the
related transition charges and allocation of the charges among
customer classes that the servicer determines to be necessary in
accordance with the applicable financing order, and |
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it will keep on file, in accordance with customary procedures,
all documents pertaining to the related transition property and
will maintain accurate and complete accounts, records and
computer systems pertaining to the related transition property. |
The duties of the servicer set forth in each servicing agreement
are qualified by any Texas commission regulations or orders in
effect at the time those duties are to be performed.
Servicer Obligation to Undertake Legal Action. The
servicer is required to institute any action or proceeding
reasonably necessary to compel performance by any retail
electric provider and any party to the intercreditor agreement
of any of their respective obligations or duties under the
Restructuring Act, the applicable financing order or the
applicable intercreditor agreement, as the case may be, with
respect to the related transition property. The costs of any
such actions or proceedings would be reimbursed by us to the
servicer from amounts on deposit in the collection account as an
operating expense in accordance with the terms of the indenture.
The servicers obligations pursuant to this covenant
survive and continue notwithstanding that the payment of
operating expenses pursuant to the indenture may be delayed.
Collections. Each retail electric provider in CenterPoint
Houstons service territory will include the applicable
transition charges in its bill to retail electric customers. The
servicer or its agent will bill each retail electric provider
for the applicable transition charges attributable to the retail
electric providers retail electric customers at least
monthly. Pursuant to the applicable financing order, each retail
electric provider must remit to the servicer the amount of
applicable transition charges attributable to its retail
electric customers (less an allowance for charge-offs of
delinquent customer accounts) within 35 days of the
servicers bill for such charges regardless of whether
payments have been received by the retail electric providers
from such retail electric customers. In addition, in the event a
retail electric provider fails to pay the servicer in full
within 35 days of the date the applicable transition
charges are billed to such retail electric provider, the
servicer will assess a late-payment penalty against the retail
electric provider in the amount of five percent of the
outstanding balance of such transition charges payable by the
retail electric provider. All late-payment penalties will be
remitted to the collection account to be applied against
transition charge obligations. A grace period of 10 days
from the 35th day after the payment due date will be allowed
before the retail electric provider is considered to be in
default. If there is a shortfall in a retail electric
providers payment of an amount billed, the amount paid
shall first be proportioned among the transition charges
relating to all series of transition bonds and other fees and
charges (including transition charges attributable to the
transition bonds issued by Transition Bond Company I), other
than late fees, and second, any remaining portion of the payment
shall be attributed to late fees.
Remittances to the Trustee. The servicer will make
periodic payments of related transition charge collections to
the trustee for deposit in the collection account for the
applicable series of transition bonds. The servicer will remit
collected transition charges to the trustee on a daily basis.
The servicer will be required to pay related transition charges
to the trustee on or before the second business day after the
servicer receives those transition charge collections. If the
servicer remits transition charges on or before the second
business day after the servicer receives such transition charge
collections, the servicer will be entitled to retain any
interest earnings on transition charge collections prior to
remittance to the collection account for the applicable series
of transition bonds. However, if the servicer fails to remit the
transition charge collections to the trustee on or before the
second business day after the servicer received such transition
charge collections on more than three occasions during the
period that the transition bonds of a series are outstanding,
then thereafter the servicer will be required to pay the trustee
any interest earnings on transition charge collections received
by the servicer and invested by the servicer
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during each collection period prior to remittance to the trustee
for so long as that series of transition bonds remains
outstanding.
The Statutorily Guaranteed Transition Charge Adjustment
Process
Annual True-Ups. Among other things, each servicing
agreement will require the servicer to file adjustment requests
annually and, if necessary, semi-annually to ensure the expected
recovery of amounts sufficient to provide timely payment of
principal and interest on the related series of transition
bonds. For more information on the true-up process, please refer
to CenterPoint Houstons Financing
OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups. These
adjustment requests are based on actual collected transition
charges and updated assumptions by the servicer as to projected
future usage of electricity by retail electric customers,
expected delinquencies and write-offs and future payments and
expenses relating to the applicable transition property and the
related series of transition bonds. The servicer agrees to
calculate these adjustments to result in:
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the transition bond balance equaling the projected transition
bond balance and the aggregate reimbursement amount due and
owing for the preceding calendar year to any retail electric
provider, |
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the replenishment of any amounts drawn from the related capital
subaccount, |
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amortization of the remaining outstanding principal amount in
accordance with the expected amortization schedule and payment
of interest when due, |
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the servicers reconciliation of past overpayments and
underpayments by any retail electric provider of transition
charges arising out of the retail electric providers right
to hold back certain payments of transition charges in
expectation of future write-offs from customers who do not pay
their electric bills, and |
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the servicers recovery of any interest paid to a retail
electric provider arising out of a dispute between the servicer
and such retail electric provider in which the servicers
claim to the funds in dispute was not clearly unfounded. |
In addition to filing requests for adjustments to the related
transition charges, the servicer may be required in some years
to file a request to adjust the allocation of the related
transition charges among the transition charge classes,
according to the methodology set forth in the tariff established
by the Texas commission.
In each servicing agreement, the servicer will agree to file
adjustment requests on each calculation date for us as specified
in the servicing agreement. In accordance with the applicable
financing order, the Texas commission has 15 days to
approve the adjustments. Any adjustment to the allocation of
transition charges must be filed with the Texas commission at
least 90 days before the date the proposed adjustment will
become effective. The Texas commission must enter a final order
by the proposed adjustment date stated in the filing. The
adjustments to the transition charges are expected to occur on
each adjustment date. Adjustments to the transition charges will
cease with respect to each series of transition bonds on the
final adjustment date specified in the prospectus supplement for
that series.
Interim True-Ups. In addition to the annual adjustment
process, the servicer will be required under each servicing
agreement to seek an interim true-up adjustment with respect to
a series of transition bonds once every six months, or quarterly
in the fourteenth and fifteenth years:
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if the servicer expects, at the next payment date, more than a
5% variation between (a) the actual principal balance of
the transition bonds of that series, taking into account amounts
on deposit in the excess collections subaccount for that series,
and (b) the expected principal balance on the expected
amortization schedule, |
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as needed to meet any rating agency requirement that the
transition bonds of that series be paid in full at scheduled
maturity, or |
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to correct any undercollection of related transition charges,
regardless of cause, in order to assure timely payment of the
transition bonds of that series based on rating agency and
transition |
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bondholder considerations, including a mandatory interim true-up
in connection with each semi-annual payment date if the servicer
forecasts that collections of related transition charges during
the next semi-annual payment period will be insufficient to make
all scheduled payments of interest, principal and other amounts
in respect of the transition bonds of that series and to
replenish the capital subaccount for that series to its required
level. |
Reconciliation of Charge-Off Allowances. Under the
applicable financing order, retail electric providers will be
entitled to withhold an allowance for charge-offs from their
payments of related transition charges to the servicer. In
connection with the annual adjustment process, the servicer and
each retail electric provider will reconcile the retail electric
providers hold-backs with the amount actually written off
as uncollectible during that time. If the retail electric
provider has held back less than the amount actually written off
as uncollectible during that time, it will be entitled to a
credit, in the amount of the hold-back shortfall, toward the
retail electric providers future payments of related
transition charges.
Collected Transition Charges. In each servicing
agreement, the servicer will agree to remit all related
collected transition charges from whatever source and all
proceeds of our other collateral, if any, to the trustee for
deposit pursuant to the indenture. Until collected related
transition charges are remitted to the collection account, the
servicer will not segregate them from its general funds.
Remittances of related collected transition charges will not
include interest thereon prior to the remittance date, but will
include any penalties assessed against retail electric providers
for delinquent remittances of related transition charges. Please
refer to Risk FactorsRisks Associated With Potential
Bankruptcy Proceedings of the Seller or the Servicer in
this prospectus.
Servicer Compensation
The servicer will be entitled to receive an aggregate annual
servicing fee for all series outstanding in an amount equal to:
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0.05% of the aggregate initial principal amount of all
outstanding transition bonds, for so long as the servicer
remains CenterPoint Houston or any of its permitted successors
or assigns or an affiliate (allocated among all outstanding
series of transition bonds pro rata based on outstanding
principal amount), or |
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an amount agreed upon by the successor servicer and the trustee,
but, unless the Texas commission consents, not more than 0.60%
of the aggregate initial principal amount of all outstanding
transition bonds if CenterPoint Houston, any permitted successor
or assign or an affiliate is not the servicer (allocated among
all outstanding transition bonds pro rata based on outstanding
principal amount). |
The servicing fee will be paid semi-annually with respect to
each series of transition bonds, with half of the annual
servicing fee being paid on each semi-annual payment date. The
servicing fee for each series of transition bonds, together with
any portion of the servicing fee that remains unpaid from prior
payment dates, will be paid solely to the extent funds are
available therefor as described under The Transition
BondsHow Funds in the Collection Account Will Be
Allocated in this prospectus. The servicing fee for each
series of transition bonds will be paid prior to the payment of
or provision for any amounts in respect of interest on and
principal of that series of transition bonds. As long as
CenterPoint Houston is the servicer, the Texas commission may
adjust CenterPoint Houstons transmission and distribution
rates to take into account the extent, if any, by which its
servicing fees exceed its actual incremental costs in servicing
the transition bonds.
CenterPoint Houstons Representations and Warranties as
Servicer
In each servicing agreement, the servicer will represent and
warrant as of the date CenterPoint Houston sells or otherwise
transfers the applicable transition property to us to the
effect, among other things, that:
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the servicer is duly organized, validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of the state of its organization (which
is Texas, when CenterPoint Houston is the servicer), with the
limited liability company or corporate, as the case may be,
power and authority to conduct its business as presently
conducted and to execute, deliver and carry out the terms of the
servicing agreement and the intercreditor agreement, |
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the servicer is duly qualified to do business and is in good
standing and has obtained all necessary licenses and approvals,
in all jurisdictions in which it is required to do so (except
where such failure would not be reasonably likely to have a
material adverse effect on its business, operations or
properties or adversely affect the servicing of the transition
property), |
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the servicers execution, delivery and performance of the
servicing agreement and the intercreditor agreement have been
duly authorized by the servicer by all necessary limited
liability company or corporate, as the case may be, action, |
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the servicing agreement and the intercreditor agreement both
constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the servicer,
enforceable against the servicer in accordance with their terms,
subject to customary exceptions relating to bankruptcy and
equitable principles, |
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the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
servicing agreement and the intercreditor agreement will not
conflict with or result in any breach of the terms and
provisions of nor constitute a default under the servicers
limited liability company agreement or articles of incorporation
or by-laws, as the case may be, or any material agreement to
which the servicer is a party or by which it is bound or result
in the creation or imposition of any lien upon the
servicers properties (other than any lien that may be
granted under the basic documents or any lien created pursuant
to Section 39.309 of the Restructuring Act) or violate any
law or any existing order, rule or regulation applicable to the
servicer, |
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except for the issuance advice letter and filings with the Texas
commission for adjusting the amount and allocation of the
related transition charges and filings under the Uniform
Commercial Code and under the Restructuring Act, no governmental
approvals, authorizations, consents, orders or other actions or
filings are required for the servicer to execute, deliver and
perform its obligations under the servicing agreement, except
those that have previously been obtained, |
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except as disclosed in this prospectus or the prospectus
supplement, there are no proceedings pending and, to the
servicers knowledge, there are no proceedings threatened
before any court, federal or state regulatory body,
administrative agency or other governmental instrumentality
having jurisdiction over the servicer or its properties: |
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seeking any determination or ruling that might materially and
adversely affect the performance by the servicer of its
obligations under, or the validity or enforceability against the
servicer of, the servicing agreement, |
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relating to the servicer and that might materially and adversely
affect the federal or state income, gross receipts or franchise
tax attributes of the related series of transition bonds, or |
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seeking to prevent the issuance of the related series of
transition bonds or the consummation of any of the transactions
contemplated by the servicing agreement or any other underlying
agreement, |
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each report and certificate delivered in connection with any
filing made with the Texas commission by the servicer on our
behalf with respect to related transition charges or adjustments
will be true and correct in all material respects except that
the servicer represents and warrants with respect to any
assumption, forecast or prediction in such report or certificate
that it is reasonably based on historical performance, |
The servicer is not responsible for any ruling, action or delay
of the Texas commission, except those caused by the
servicers failure to file required applications in a
timely and correct manner or other breach of its duties under
such servicing agreement. The servicer also is not liable for
the calculation of the transition charges and adjustments,
including any inaccuracy in the assumptions made in the
calculation, so long as the servicer has acted in good faith and
has not acted in a negligent manner.
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The Servicer Will Indemnify Us, Other Entities and the Texas
Commission in Limited Circumstances
Under each servicing agreement, the servicer will agree to
indemnify, defend and hold harmless us, the trustee, for itself
and on behalf of the transition bondholder of the related
series, and related parties specified in the servicing
agreement, including our managers, against any costs, expenses,
losses, damages and liabilities of any kind whatsoever that may
be imposed upon, incurred by or asserted against any of those
persons as a result of:
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the servicers willful misconduct, bad faith or negligence
in the performance of, or reckless disregard of, its duties or
observance of its covenants under the servicing agreement, |
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the servicers breach of any of its representations or
warranties under the servicing agreement, and |
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litigation and related expenses relating to its status and
obligations as servicer (other than any proceedings the servicer
is required to institute under the servicing agreement). |
except to the extent that any such costs, expenses, losses,
damages or liabilities resulted from the bad faith, willful
misconduct or negligence of any such person or resulting from a
breach of a representation or warranty made by any such person
in any of the basic documents that gives rise to the
servicers indemnification obligation.
In addition, the servicer will agree to indemnify the Texas
commission (for the benefit of retail electric customers) in
connection with any increase in servicing fees as described
under Servicer Compensation if that increase
is the result of a servicer default arising out of the
servicers willful misconduct, bad faith or negligence in
performance of its duties or observance of its covenants under
the applicable servicing agreement. Any such indemnity payments
made to the Texas commission for the benefit of the retail
electric consumers will be remitted to the trustee promptly for
deposit in the applicable collection account.
In each servicing agreement, the servicer will release us, our
managers and the trustee from any and all claims whatsoever
relating to the applicable transition property or the
servicers servicing activities with respect thereto except
to the extent of bad faith, willful misconduct or negligence.
The Texas commission, acting through its authorized legal
representative, may enforce the servicers obligations
imposed pursuant to the financing order for the benefit of
ratepayers to the extent permitted by law.
The Servicer Will Provide Statements to Us, the Texas
Commission and the Trustee
For each calculation date for a series of transition bonds,
which will be either 15 or 90 days before each annual
true-up filing is made by the servicer with the Texas
commission, the servicer will provide to us, the Texas
commission and the trustee a statement indicating, with respect
to the transition property sold pursuant to the related sale
agreement, among other things:
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the transition bond balance and the projected transition bond
balance for that series as of the immediately preceding payment
date, |
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the amount on deposit in the capital subaccount for that series
and the amount required to be on deposit in the capital
subaccount for that series as of the immediately preceding
payment date, |
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the amount on deposit in the excess funds subaccount for that
series as of the immediately preceding payment date, |
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the projected transition bond balance for that series on the
calculation date and the servicers projection of the
transition bond balance for that series on the payment date
immediately preceding the next succeeding adjustment date, |
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the required capital subaccount balance for that series and the
servicers projection of the amount on deposit in the
capital subaccount for that series for the payment date
immediately preceding the next succeeding adjustment date, and |
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the servicers projection of the amount on deposit in the
excess funds subaccount for that series for the payment date
immediately preceding the next succeeding adjustment date. |
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The servicer will prepare and furnish to us, the Texas
commission and the trustee a statement setting forth the
aggregate amount remitted or to be remitted by the servicer to
the trustee on or before each such remittance. In addition, on
or before each payment date, the servicer will prepare and
furnish to us and the trustee a statement setting forth the
transfers and payments to be made on that payment date and the
amounts thereof. Further, on or before each payment date for
each series of transition bonds, the servicer will prepare and
furnish to us, the Texas commission and the trustee a statement
setting forth the amounts to be paid to the holders of the
transition bonds of that series. The trustee will forward to the
bondholders of the related series of transition bonds on each
payment date such report prepared by the servicer.
The Servicer Will Provide Compliance Reports Concerning the
Servicing Agreement
Each servicing agreement will provide that a firm of independent
certified public accountants will furnish to us, the Texas
commission, the trustee and the rating agencies, on or before
March 31 of each year, beginning March 31, 2007, a
statement as to compliance by the servicer during the preceding
calendar year, or the relevant portion thereof, with procedures
relating to the servicing of applicable transition property.
This report, which is referred to in this prospectus as the
annual accountants report, will state that the
firm has performed a review of the servicers compliance
with the servicing obligations of the applicable servicing
agreement, identify the results of this review and include any
exceptions to the procedures relating to the servicing of the
applicable transition property noted. The annual
accountants report will also indicate that the accounting
firm providing the report is independent of the servicer within
the meaning of the Code of Professional Ethics of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Each servicing
agreement also will provide for delivery to us, the Texas
commission and the trustee, on or before March 31 of each
year, a certificate signed by an officer of the servicer. This
certificate will state that to the best of such officers
knowledge, the servicer has fulfilled its obligations under the
servicing agreement for the preceding calendar year, or the
relevant portion thereof, or, if there has been a default in the
fulfillment of any relevant obligation, stating that there has
been a default and describing each default. The servicer has
agreed to give us, each rating agency and the trustee written
notice of any servicer default under the servicing agreement.
Matters Regarding CenterPoint Houston as the Servicer
Under each serving agreement, any person:
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into which the servicer may be merged, converted or consolidated
and which succeeds to all or substantially all of the electric
transmission and distribution business of the servicer (or, if
the transmission and distribution business is split, which
provides distribution services directly to a majority of the
customers in CenterPoint Houstons service territory), |
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which results from the division of the servicer into two or more
persons and which succeeds to all or substantially all of the
electric transmission and distribution business of the servicer
(or, if the transmission and distribution business is split,
which provides distribution services directly to a majority of
the customers in CenterPoint Houstons service territory), |
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which may result from any merger, conversion or consolidation to
which the servicer shall be a party and which succeeds to all or
substantially all of the electric transmission and distribution
business of the servicer (or, if the transmission and
distribution business is split, which provides distribution
services directly to a majority of the customers in CenterPoint
Houstons service territory), |
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which may purchase or otherwise succeed to the properties and
assets of the servicer substantially as a whole and which
purchases or succeeds to all or substantially all of the
electric transmission and distribution business of the servicer
(or, if the transmission and distribution business is split,
which provides distribution services directly to a majority of
the customers in CenterPoint Houstons service territory),
or |
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which may otherwise purchase or succeed to the major part of the
electric transmission and distribution business of the servicer
(or, if the transmission and distribution business is split,
which |
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provides distribution services directly to a majority of the
customers in CenterPoint Houstons service territory), |
will be the successor of the servicer under the servicing
agreement.
Each servicing agreement will further require that:
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immediately after giving effect to any transaction referred to
above, the representations and warranties made by the servicer
in the servicing agreement will be true and correct and no
servicer default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of
time, or both, would become a servicer default, will have
occurred and be continuing, |
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the successor to the servicer must execute an agreement of
assumption to perform every obligation of the servicer under the
servicing agreement, |
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officers certificates and opinions of counsel will have
been delivered to us, the Texas commission and the trustee, and |
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prior written notice will have been received by the Texas
commission and rating agencies. |
So long as the conditions of any such assumptions are met, then
the prior servicer will automatically be released from its
obligations under the servicing agreement. Each servicing
agreement will permit the servicer to appoint any person to
perform any or all of its obligations including a collection
agent acting pursuant to any intercreditor agreement. However,
unless the appointed person is an affiliate of CenterPoint
Houston, the appointment must satisfy the rating agency
condition. In all cases where an agent is appointed, the
servicer will remain obligated and liable under the servicing
agreement.
Each servicing agreement will provide that, subject to the
foregoing provisions, CenterPoint Houston may not resign from
the obligations and duties imposed on it as servicer unless
CenterPoint Houston delivers an opinion of independent legal
counsel that the performance of its duties under the servicing
agreement shall no longer be permissible under applicable law.
Written notice of any such determination will be communicated to
us, the trustee, the Texas commission and each rating agency at
the earliest practicable time and shall be evidenced by an
opinion of counsel. A resignation by CenterPoint Houston as
servicer will not become effective until a successor servicer
has assumed the servicing obligations and duties of CenterPoint
Houston under the servicing agreement.
Except as expressly provided in each servicing agreement, the
servicer will not be liable to us, our managers, the trustee,
you or any other person for any action taken or for refraining
from taking any action pursuant to the servicing agreement or
for errors in judgment. However, the servicer will be liable to
the extent this liability is imposed by reason of the
servicers willful misconduct, bad faith or negligence in
the performance of its duties. The servicer and any of its
directors, officers, employees or agents may rely in good faith
on the advice of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee or
on any document submitted by any person respecting any matters
under the servicing agreement. In addition, each servicing
agreement will provide that the servicer is under no obligation
to appear in, prosecute, or defend any legal action, except as
provided in the servicing agreement.
Events Constituting a Default by the Servicer
Servicer defaults under each servicing agreement will include,
among other things:
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any failure by the servicer to remit to the trustee, on our
behalf, any required remittance by the date that such remittance
must be made and that continues unremedied for a period of five
business days, |
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any failure by the servicer to duly perform its obligations to
make transition charge adjustment filings in the time and manner
set forth in the servicing agreement, which failure continues
unremedied for a period of five days, |
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any failure by the servicer duly to observe or perform, in any
material respect, any other covenant or agreement in the
servicing agreement or any other basic document to which it is a
party, which failure materially and adversely affects the
applicable transition property or the timely collection of the
related transition charges and which continues unremedied for
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failure has been given to the servicer by us, the Texas
commission or the trustee or after discovery of this failure by
an officer of the servicer, as the case may be, |
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any representation or warranty made by the servicer in the
servicing agreement proves to have been incorrect when made,
which has a material adverse effect on any of the applicable
transition property, the bondholders of the related series of
transition bonds or their investment in the transition bonds of
such series, the trustee, the Texas commission or us and which
continues unremedied for 60 days after written notice of
this failure has been given to the servicer by us or the trustee
or after discovery of this failure by an officer of the
servicer, as the case may be, or |
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an event of bankruptcy, insolvency, readjustment of debt,
marshaling of assets and liabilities or similar proceedings with
respect to the servicer or an action by the servicer indicating
its insolvency, reorganization pursuant to bankruptcy
proceedings or inability to pay its obligations as specified in
the servicing agreement. |
The trustee, with the written consent of the holders of the
majority of the outstanding principal amount of the transition
bonds of all affected series, may waive in whole or in part any
default by the servicer, except a default in making any required
remittances to the trustee.
The Trustees Rights if the Servicer Defaults
As long as a servicer default under a servicing agreement
remains unremedied, the trustee may, and upon the instruction of
the holders of a majority of the outstanding principal amount of
the transition bonds of an affected series, must, except as
described below under Intercreditor Agreement,
by written notice to the servicer, terminate all the rights and
obligations of the servicer under that servicing agreement.
However, the servicers indemnification obligation and
obligation to continue performing its functions as servicer may
not be terminated until a successor servicer is appointed. Under
each servicing agreement, the servicers indemnity
obligations will survive its replacement as servicer. In the
event of the removal or resignation of the servicer, the trustee
in compliance with the intercreditor agreement may, and upon the
written instruction of the holders of a majority of the
outstanding principal amount of the transition bonds of that
series, must, appoint a successor servicer which will succeed to
all the rights and duties of the servicer under the applicable
servicing agreement. In no event will the trustee be liable for
its appointment of a successor servicer made with due care. The
trustee may make arrangements for compensation to be paid to any
successor servicer.
In addition, when a servicer defaults, the bondholders of the
related series of transition bonds (subject to the provisions of
the indenture) and the trustee as beneficiary of any statutory
lien permitted by the Restructuring Act will be entitled to
(i) apply to a Travis County, Texas district court for
sequestration and payment of revenues arising from the
applicable transition property, (ii) foreclose on or
otherwise enforce the lien on and security interests in, any
applicable transition property and (iii) apply to the Texas
commission for an order that amounts arising from the related
transition charges be transferred to a separate account for the
benefit of the transition bondholders of such series. Upon a
servicer default based upon the commencement of a case by or
against the servicer under the bankruptcy or insolvency laws,
the trustee may be prevented from effecting a transfer of
servicing. Please refer to the Risk FactorsRisks
Associated With Potential Bankruptcy Proceedings of the Seller
or Servicer and How a Bankruptcy May Affect Your
Investment in this prospectus. The trustee may appoint, or
petition a court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment
of, a successor servicer which satisfies criteria specified by
the rating agencies rating the transition bonds of such series.
The Obligations of a Successor Servicer
Pursuant to the provisions of each servicing agreement, if for
any reason a third party assumes or succeeds to the role of the
servicer under the servicing agreement, the existing servicer
must cooperate with us, the trustee and the successor servicer
in terminating the existing servicers rights and
responsibilities under the servicing agreement. This procedure
includes the transfer to the successor servicer of all
documentation pertaining to the applicable transition property
and all cash amounts then held by the servicer for remittance or
subsequently acquired by the servicer. Each servicing agreement
will provide that the servicer will be liable for all reasonable
costs and expenses incurred in transferring servicing
responsibilities to the successor servicer in the event the
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successor servicer is appointed as a result of a servicer
default. In all other cases, those costs and expenses will be
paid by the party incurring them. A successor servicer may not
resign unless it is prohibited from serving by law. The
predecessor servicer is obligated, on an ongoing basis, to
cooperate with the successor servicer and provide whatever
information is, and take whatever actions are, reasonably
necessary to assist the successor servicer in performing its
obligations under the servicing agreement.
Amendment
Each servicing agreement may be amended by the parties thereto,
if the rating agency condition has been satisfied, with the
consent of the trustee and, with respect to amendments that
would increase ongoing qualified costs as defined in the
applicable financing order, the consent or deemed consent of the
Texas commission. Each servicing agreement will provide that if
the Texas commission adopts rules or regulations the effect of
which is to modify or supplement any provision of the servicing
agreement related to retail electric provider standards and
which the rating agencies have confirmed will not result in a
suspension, withdrawal or downgrade of the ratings on the
related series of transition bonds, the servicing agreement will
be so modified or supplemented on the effective date of such
rule or regulation without the necessity of any further action
by any party to the servicing agreement.
Intercreditor Agreement
With respect to each series of transition bonds, we will enter
into an intercreditor agreement with CenterPoint Houston (on
behalf of itself and in its capacities as servicer of each
series of the transition bonds to which this prospectus relates
and as servicer of the transition bonds issued by Transition
Bond Company I), the trustee of each series of transition bonds
to which this prospectus relates, Transition Bond Company I and
the trustee under the indenture relating to the transition bonds
issued by Transition Bond Company I pursuant to which:
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the servicer that allocates and remits funds received from
retail electric providers for each series of transition bonds to
which this prospectus relates and for the transition bonds
issued by Transition Bond Company I and places such funds into
deposit accounts (such allocation, remittance and deposits
hereafter referred to as the allocation services)
must be the same entity under the servicing agreements relating
to each series of transition bonds to which this prospectus
relates and the servicing agreement relating to the transition
bonds issued by Transition Bond Company I, and |
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each of the trustees of each series of the transition bonds to
which this prospectus relates, acting upon the vote of
transition bondholders representing a majority of the
outstanding principal amount of the transition bonds of the
affected series, and the trustee of the transition bonds issued
by Transition Bond Company I must agree upon a replacement
servicer that performs the allocation services. |
In the event of a default by the servicer under any servicing
agreement relating to any series of transition bonds to which
this prospectus relates or the transition bonds issued by
Transition Bond Company I, if the trustees are unable to agree
on a replacement servicer, no trustee would be able to replace
CenterPoint Houston or any successor as servicer. Instead, under
the intercreditor agreement, any trustee could upon such a
default require all collections by the servicers to be deposited
directly into a designated account with a financial institution
selected by the trustees, subject to satisfaction of the rating
agency condition. The financial institution holding the
designated account would then be responsible for allocating the
collections in the account between transition charges relating
to each series of transition bonds offered in this prospectus
and the transition bonds issued by Transition Bond Company I.
HOW A BANKRUPTCY MAY AFFECT YOUR INVESTMENT
Challenge to True Sale Treatment. CenterPoint Houston
will represent and warrant that the transfer of the transition
property in accordance with the applicable sale agreement
constitutes a true and valid sale and assignment of that
transition property by CenterPoint Houston to us. It will be a
condition of closing for the sale of transition property
pursuant to a sale agreement that CenterPoint Houston will take
the appropriate actions under the Restructuring Act, including
filing a notice of transfer of an interest in the transition
property, to perfect this
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sale. The Restructuring Act provides that a transfer of
transition property by an electric utility to an assignee which
the parties have in the governing documentation expressly stated
to be a sale or other absolute transfer, in a transaction
approved in a financing order, shall be treated as an absolute
transfer of all the transferors right, title and interest,
as in a true sale under applicable creditors
rights principles, and not as a pledge or other financing, of
the relevant transition property. We and CenterPoint Houston
will treat such a transaction as a sale under applicable law.
However, we expect that transition bonds will be reflected as
debt on CenterPoint Energys consolidated financial
statements. In addition, we anticipate that the transition bonds
will be treated as debt of CenterPoint Energy for federal income
tax purposes. See The Restructuring ActRecovery of
Qualified Costs for CenterPoint Houston and Other Texas
Utilities and Material Federal Income Tax
Consequences for the Transition Bondholders. In the event
of a bankruptcy of a party to a sale agreement, if a party in
interest in the bankruptcy were to take the position that the
transfer of the transition property to us pursuant to that sale
agreement was a financing transaction and not a true sale under
applicable creditors rights principles, there can be no
assurance that a court would not adopt this position. Even if a
court did not ultimately recharacterize the transaction as a
financing transaction, the mere commencement of a bankruptcy of
CenterPoint Houston and the attendant possible uncertainty
surrounding the treatment of the transaction could result in
delays in payments on the transition bonds.
In that regard, we note that the bankruptcy court in In re: LTV
Steel Company, Inc., et al., 274 B.R. 278 (Bankr. N. D. Oh.
2001) issued an interim order that observed that a debtor, LTV
Steel Company, which had previously entered into securitization
arrangements with respect both to its inventory and its accounts
receivable may have at least some equitable interest in
the inventory and receivables, and that this interest is
property of the Debtors estate... sufficient to support
the entry of an interim order permitting the debtor to use
proceeds of the property sold in the securitization. 274 B.R. at
285. The court based its decision in large part on its view of
the equities of the case.
LTV and the securitization investors subsequently settled their
dispute over the terms of the interim order and the bankruptcy
court entered a final order in which the parties admitted and
the court found that the pre-petition transactions constituted
true sales. The court did not otherwise overrule its
earlier ruling. The LTV memorandum opinion serves as an example
of the pervasive equity powers of bankruptcy courts and the
importance that such courts may ascribe to the goal of
reorganization, particularly where the assets sold are integral
to the ongoing operation of the debtors business.
We and CenterPoint Houston have attempted to mitigate the impact
of a possible recharacterization of a sale of transition
property as a financing transaction under applicable
creditors rights principles. Each sale agreement will
provide that if the transfer of the applicable transition
property is thereafter recharacterized by a court as a financing
transaction and not a true sale, the transfer by CenterPoint
Houston will be deemed to have granted to us on behalf of
ourselves and the trustee a first priority security interest in
all CenterPoint Houstons right, title and interest in and
to the transition property and all proceeds thereof. In
addition, each sale agreement will require the filing of a
notice of security interest in the related transition property
and the proceeds thereof in accordance with the Restructuring
Act. As a result of this filing, we would be a secured creditor
of CenterPoint Houston and entitled to recover against the
collateral or its value. This does not, however, eliminate the
risk of payment delays or reductions and other adverse effects
caused by a CenterPoint Houston bankruptcy. Further, if, for any
reason, a transition property notice is not filed under the
Restructuring Act or we fail to otherwise perfect our interest
in the transition property, and the transfer is thereafter
deemed not to constitute a true sale, we would be an unsecured
creditor of CenterPoint Houston.
The Restructuring Act provides that the creation, granting,
perfection and enforcement of liens and security interests in
transition property are governed by the Restructuring Act and
not by the Texas Business & Commerce Code. Under the
Restructuring Act, a valid and enforceable lien and security
interest in transition property may be created only by a
financing order issued under the Restructuring Act and the
execution and delivery of a security agreement with a holder of
transition bonds or a trustee or agent for the holder. The lien
and security interest attaches automatically from the time value
is received for the transition bonds. Upon perfection through
the filing of notice with the Secretary of State of Texas
pursuant to rules established by the Secretary of State of
Texas, the security interest shall be a continuously perfected
lien and security interest in the transition property, with
priority in the order of filing and take precedence over any
subsequent judicial or other lien creditor. If this notice is
filed within ten days after value is received for a series of
transition bonds, the security interest will be perfected
retroactive to the date value was received, otherwise, the
security interest will be perfected as of the date of filing.
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None of this, however, mitigates the risk of payment delays and
other adverse effects caused by a CenterPoint Houston
bankruptcy. Further, if, for any reason, a transition property
notice is not filed under the Restructuring Act or we fail to
otherwise perfect our interest in the transition property sold
pursuant to a sale agreement, and the transfer is thereafter
deemed not to constitute a true sale, we would be an unsecured
creditor of CenterPoint Houston.
Consolidation of the Issuer and CenterPoint Houston. If
CenterPoint Houston were to become a debtor in a bankruptcy
case, a party in interest might attempt to substantively
consolidate the assets and liabilities of CenterPoint Houston
and us. We and CenterPoint Houston have taken steps to attempt
to minimize this risk. Please refer to The Issuer in
this prospectus. However, no assurance can be given that if
CenterPoint Houston were to become a debtor in a bankruptcy
case, a court would not order that our assets and liabilities be
substantively consolidated with those of CenterPoint Houston.
Substantive consolidation would result in payment of the claims
of the beneficial owners of the transition bonds to be subject
to substantial delay and to adjustment in timing and amount
under a plan of reorganization in the bankruptcy case.
Status of Transition Property as Current Property.
CenterPoint Houston will represent in each sale agreement, and
the Restructuring Act provides, that the transition property
sold pursuant to such sale agreement constitutes a current
property right on the date that it is first transferred or
pledged in connection with the issuance of the related series of
transition bonds. Nevertheless, no assurance can be given that,
in the event of a bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston, a court
would not rule that the applicable transition property comes
into existence only as retail electric customers use electricity.
If a court were to accept the argument that the applicable
transition property comes into existence only as retail electric
customers use electricity, no assurance can be given that a
security interest in favor of the bondholders of the related
series of transition bond would attach to the related transition
charges in respect of electricity consumed after the
commencement of the bankruptcy case or that the applicable
transition property has been sold to us. If it were determined
that the applicable transition property had not been sold to us,
and the security interest in favor of the transition bondholders
of the related series did not attach to the applicable
transition charges in respect of electricity consumed after the
commencement of the bankruptcy case, then we would have an
unsecured claim against CenterPoint Houston. If so, there would
be delays and/or reductions in payments on the transition bonds
of such series. Whether or not a court determined that
transition property had been sold to us pursuant to a sale
agreement, no assurances can be given that a court would not
rule that any transition charges relating to electricity
consumed after the commencement of the bankruptcy could not be
transferred to us or the trustee.
In addition, in the event of a bankruptcy of CenterPoint
Houston, a party in interest in the bankruptcy could assert that
we should pay, or that we should be charged for, a portion of
CenterPoint Houstons costs associated with the
transmission or distribution of the electricity, consumption of
which gave rise to the transition charge receipts used to make
payments on the transition bonds.
Regardless of whether CenterPoint Houston is the debtor in a
bankruptcy case, if a court were to accept the argument that
transition property sold pursuant to the applicable sale
agreement comes into existence only as customers use
electricity, a tax or government lien or other nonconsensual
lien on property of CenterPoint Houston arising before that
transition property came into existence could have priority over
our interest in that transition property. Adjustments to the
transition charges may be available to mitigate this exposure,
although there may be delays in implementing these adjustments.
Estimation of Claims; Challenges to Indemnity Claims. If
CenterPoint Houston were to become a debtor in a bankruptcy
case, claims, including indemnity claims, by us or the trustee
against CenterPoint Houston as seller under the applicable sale
agreement and the other documents executed in connection
therewith would be unsecured claims and would be subject to
being discharged in the bankruptcy case. In addition, a party in
interest in the bankruptcy may request that the bankruptcy court
estimate any contingent claims that we or the trustee have
against CenterPoint Houston. That party may then take the
position that these claims should be estimated at zero or at a
low amount because the contingency giving rise to these claims
is unlikely to occur. If a court were to hold that the indemnity
provisions were unenforceable, we would be left with a claim for
actual damages against CenterPoint Houston based on breach of
contract principles. The actual amount of these damages would be
subject to estimation and/or calculation by the court.
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No assurances can be given as to the result of any of the
above-described actions or claims. Furthermore, no assurance can
be given as to what percentage of their claims, if any,
unsecured creditors would receive in any bankruptcy proceeding
involving CenterPoint Houston.
Enforcement of Rights by the Trustee. Upon an event of
default under the indenture, the Restructuring Act permits the
trustee to enforce the security interest in the transition
property sold pursuant to the applicable sale agreement in
accordance with the terms of the indenture. In this capacity,
the trustee is permitted to request the Texas commission or a
Travis County, Texas district court to order the sequestration
and payment to holders of transition bonds of all revenues
arising from the applicable transition charges. There can be no
assurance, however, that the Texas commission or a district
court judge would issue this order after a seller bankruptcy in
light of the automatic stay provisions of Section 362 of
the United States Bankruptcy Code. In that event, the trustee
may under the indenture seek an order from the bankruptcy court
lifting the automatic stay with respect to this action by the
Texas commission or a district court judge and an order
requiring an accounting and segregation of the revenues arising
from the transition property sold pursuant to the applicable
sale agreement. There can be no assurance that a court would
grant either order.
Bankruptcy of the Servicer. The servicer is entitled to
commingle the transition charges that it receives with its own
funds until each date on which the servicer is required to remit
funds to the trustee as specified in the applicable servicing
agreement. The Restructuring Act provides that the relative
priority of a lien created under the Restructuring Act is not
defeated or adversely affected by the commingling of transition
charges arising with respect to the related transition property
with funds of the electric utility. In the event of a bankruptcy
of the servicer, a party in interest in the bankruptcy might
assert, and a court might rule, that the transition charges
commingled by the servicer with its own funds and held by the
servicer, prior to and as of the date of bankruptcy were
property of the servicer as of that date, and are therefore
property of the servicers bankruptcy estate, rather than
our property. If the court so rules, then the court would likely
rule that the trustee has only a general unsecured claim against
the servicer for the amount of commingled transition charges
held as of that date and could not recover the commingled
transition charges held as of the date of the bankruptcy.
However the court rules on the ownership of the commingled
transition charges, the automatic stay arising upon the
bankruptcy of the servicer could delay the trustee from
receiving the commingled transition charges held by the servicer
as of the date of the bankruptcy until the court grants relief
from the stay. A court ruling on any request for relief from the
stay could be delayed pending the courts resolution of
whether the commingled transition charges are our property or
are property of the servicer, including resolution of any
tracing of proceeds issues.
Each servicing agreement will provide that the trustee, as our
assignee, together with the other persons specified therein, may
vote to appoint a successor servicer that satisfies the rating
agency condition. Each servicing agreement will also provide
that the trustee, together with the other persons specified
therein, may petition the Texas commission or a court of
competent jurisdiction to appoint a successor servicer that
meets this criterion. However, the automatic stay in effect
during a servicer bankruptcy might delay or prevent a successor
servicers replacement of the servicer. Even if a successor
servicer may be appointed and may replace the servicer, a
successor may be difficult to obtain and may not be capable of
performing all of the duties that CenterPoint Houston as
servicer was capable of performing. Furthermore, should the
servicer enter into bankruptcy, it may be permitted to stop
acting as servicer.
Bankruptcy of a Retail Electric Provider. A retail
electric provider is not required to segregate the transition
charges it collects from its general funds. The Restructuring
Act provides that our rights to transition property are not
affected by the commingling of these funds with other funds. In
a bankruptcy of a retail electric provider, however, a
bankruptcy court might rule that federal bankruptcy law takes
precedence over the Restructuring Act and does not recognize our
right to receive the collected transition charges that are
commingled with other funds of a retail electric provider prior
to or as of the date of bankruptcy, including transition charges
associated with other series of transition bonds. If so, the
collected transition charges held by a retail electric provider
as of the date of bankruptcy would not be available to us to pay
amounts owing on the transition bonds. In this case, we would
have only a general unsecured claim against that retail electric
provider for those amounts.
In addition, the bankruptcy of a retail electric provider may
cause a delay in or prohibition of enforcement of various rights
against the retail electric provider, including rights to
require payments by the retail electric
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provider, rights to retain preferential payments made by the
retail electric provider prior to bankruptcy, rights to require
the retail electric provider to comply with financial provisions
of the Restructuring Act or other state laws, rights to
terminate contracts with the retail electric provider and rights
that are conditioned on the bankruptcy, insolvency or financial
condition of the retail electric provider.
Affiliated Retail Electric Providers. Retail electric
providers will be required to remit to the servicer a fixed
portion of billed transition charges except for a reasonable
allowance for expected losses. As incentive collection agent
compensation, a retail electric provider may retain collections
from end-use customers in excess of the specified percentage
remitted but is not reimbursed for collections below the
specified percentage. The specified percentage will be adjusted
on an annual basis to take into account the collection
experience of the previous year, as demonstrated by audited
reports from all retail electric providers.
In the event of a bankruptcy of CenterPoint Houston, a party in
interest in bankruptcy could attempt to take the position that
an affiliated retail electric provider had taken all or some of
the risk of transition charge collections. If a court were to
adopt this position, there would be an increased possibility
that the court would recharacterize the transaction as a
financing transaction and not a true sale or
substantively consolidate the assets and liabilities of
CenterPoint Houston and us.
Other risks relating to bankruptcy may be found in Risk
FactorsThe Risks Associated With Potential Bankruptcy
Proceedings of Retail Electric Providers.
MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES FOR THE TRANSITION
BONDHOLDERS
General
The following is a summary of the material federal income tax
consequences to transition bondholders and is based on the
opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P., special federal income tax
counsel to us and to CenterPoint Houston, referred to in this
prospectus as special tax counsel. Special tax counsel is of the
opinion that the description of material federal income tax
consequences in this summary is accurate in all material
respects. The opinion of special tax counsel is based on some
assumptions and is limited by some qualifications stated in this
discussion or in the opinion. This discussion is based on
current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, currently
applicable Treasury Regulations and judicial and administrative
rulings and decisions. Legislative, judicial or administrative
changes could alter or modify the statements and conclusions in
this discussion. Any legislative, judicial or administrative
changes or new interpretations may be retroactive and could
affect tax consequences to transition bondholders.
This discussion applies to transition bondholders who acquire
transition bonds at original issue for cash equal to the issue
price of those bonds and hold the bonds as capital assets. This
discussion does not address all of the tax consequences relevant
to a particular transition bondholder in light of that
holders circumstances, and some transition bondholders may
be subject to special tax rules and limitations not discussed
below (e.g., life insurance companies, tax-exempt
organizations, financial institutions, dealers in securities,
S corporations, taxpayers subject to the alternative
minimum tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code,
broker-dealers and persons who hold the transition bonds as part
of a hedge, straddle, synthetic security or other
integrated investment, risk reduction or constructive sale
transaction). Except as described below, this discussion also
does not address the tax consequences to nonresident aliens,
foreign corporations, foreign partnerships or foreign trusts
that are subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis
on income with respect to the transition bonds because that
income is effectively connected with the conduct of a
U.S. trade or business. In addition, except as described
below, this discussion does not address any tax consequences
under state, local or foreign tax laws. Consequently, you are
urged to consult your tax adviser to determine the federal,
state, local and foreign income and any other tax consequences
of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the transition
bonds.
Income Tax Status of the Transition Bonds and the Issuer
Based upon recently released guidance from the IRS and certain
representations from us, including a representation by us that
we will not make, or allow there to be made, any election to the
contrary, special tax counsel has rendered its opinion that for
United States federal income tax purposes we will not be
considered an entity separate from CenterPoint Energy and the
transition bonds will be treated as debt of CenterPoint Energy.
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CenterPoint Energy has received a ruling from the Comptroller of
Public Accounts of the State of Texas to the effect that
(i) our receipt of the transition property, (ii) our
receipt of the transition charges, and (iii) our short-term
earnings from investment of the transition charges and the
amounts held in the excess funds subaccount and the collection
account will be excluded from our taxable capital and taxable
earned surplus for purposes of Texas franchise tax.
Taxation of Transition Bondholders
Based on the assumptions and subject to the qualifications
stated herein, it is the opinion of special tax counsel that the
material federal income tax consequences to transition
bondholders are as follows:
Definition of United States Person
For purposes of the discussion below, a United States person is:
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an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States
for U.S. federal income tax purposes, |
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a corporation, including an entity treated as a corporation,
created or organized in or under the laws of the United States,
or any state, including the District of Columbia, or any
political subdivision thereof, |
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an estate, the net income of which is subject to United States
federal income taxation regardless of its source, or |
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a trust, if a court within the United States is able to exercise
primary supervision over the administration of such trust and
one or more United States persons have the authority to control
all substantial decisions of such trust or if the trust has a
valid election in effect under applicable Treasury regulations
to be treated as a United States person. |
A U.S. holder means a transition bondholder that is a
United States person. Except in the case of a partnership, a
non-U.S. holder means a transition bondholder other than a
U.S. holder. In the case of a transition bondholder that is
a partnership (including for this purpose any entity treated as
a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes),
the tax consequences will generally affect the partners rather
than the partnership, but special considerations not set forth
herein may apply.
Tax Consequences to U.S. Holders
Payments of Interest. Interest on the transition bonds
will be taxable as ordinary interest income when received or
accrued by U.S. holders under their method of accounting.
Generally, interest on the transition bonds will constitute
investment income for purposes of Internal Revenue
Code limitations on the deductibility of investment interest
expense.
Original Issue Discount. This discussion assumes that the
transition bonds will not be considered to be issued with
original issue discount (OID). OID is generally
defined as any excess of the stated redemption price at maturity
over the issue price which is greater than a de minimis amount
(0.25% of a bonds stated redemption price at maturity
multiplied by the weighted average number of years to maturity),
all within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code and the
Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder (the OID
Regulations). If the transition bonds are issued with OID,
U.S. holders generally will be subject to the special tax
accounting rules for OID obligations provided under the OID
Regulations. U.S. holders of transition bonds issued with
OID should be aware that they generally must include OID in
income for United States federal income tax purposes as it
accrues economically, in advance of the receipt of cash
attributable to that income. If any series or tranche of
transition bonds is issued with OID, prospective holders will be
so informed in the related prospectus supplement.
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of the Transition
Bonds. If there is a sale, exchange, redemption, retirement
or other taxable disposition of a transition bond, a
U.S. holder generally will recognize gain or loss equal to
the difference between (a) the amount of cash and the fair
market value of any other property received (other than amounts
attributable to, and taxable as, accrued stated interest) and
(b) the holders adjusted tax basis in
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the transition bond. The adjusted tax basis in the transition
bond generally will equal its cost, reduced by any payments
reflecting principal previously received with respect to the
bond. Gain or loss generally will be capital gain or loss if the
transition bond was held as a capital asset.
Backup Withholding. Payments made on and proceeds from
the sale of a transition bond may be subject to backup
withholding unless a U.S. holder complies with certain
identification requirements. Any amounts withheld from a payment
to a U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such
U.S. holders federal income tax liability, provided
that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders
Withholding. Under present United States federal income
tax law, and subject to the discussion below concerning backup
withholding, payments of principal, premium (if any) and
interest on a transition bond by us or any paying agent to any
non-U.S. holder, and gain realized on the sale or exchange
of a transition bond by a non-U.S. holder, will be exempt
from United States federal income or withholding tax, provided
that:
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such non-U.S. holder does not own, actually or
constructively, 10% or more of the total combined voting power
of all classes of voting stock of CenterPoint Energy, is not a
controlled foreign corporation related, directly or indirectly,
to CenterPoint Energy, through stock ownership and is not a bank
receiving interest pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in
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the statement requirement described below has been fulfilled
with respect to the beneficial owner, |
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such non-U.S. holder is not an individual who is present in
the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year
of disposition, or such individual does not have a tax
home (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) or an
office or other fixed place of business in the United States and
such holder is not subject to the rules under the Internal
Revenue Code applicable to expatriates, and |
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such payments and gain are not effectively connected with the
conduct by such non-U.S. holder of a trade or business in
the United States. |
The statement requirement referred to in the preceding paragraph
will be fulfilled if the beneficial owner of a transition bond
certifies on an appropriate form (generally IRS
Form W-8BEN), under penalties of perjury, that it is not a
United States person and provides its name and address, and
(a) the beneficial owner files that form with the
withholding agent or (b) a securities clearing
organization, bank or other financial institution holding
customers securities in the ordinary course of its trade
or business holds the transition bond on behalf of the
beneficial owner, files with the withholding agent a statement
that it has received that form from the beneficial owner and
furnishes the withholding agent with a copy thereof. With
respect to any transition bond held by a foreign partnership,
under current law, this certification may be provided by the
foreign partnership. However, unless a foreign partnership has
entered into a withholding agreement with the IRS, each partner
that is a non-U.S. holder will be required to supply this
certification in order to avoid withholding with respect to such
partners share of interest paid to the foreign
partnership. Prospective investors, including foreign
partnerships and their partners, should consult their tax
advisers regarding possible additional reporting requirements.
If a non-U.S. holder of a transition bond is engaged in a
trade or business in the United States, and if interest on the
transition bond is effectively connected with the conduct of
such trade or business, the non-U.S. holder, although
exempt from the withholding tax discussed in the preceding
paragraphs, will generally be subject to regular United States
federal income tax on interest and on any gain realized on the
sale or exchange of the transition bond in the same manner as if
it were a U.S. holder. In lieu of the certificate described
in the preceding paragraph, such a non-U.S. holder will be
required to provide to the withholding agent an appropriate form
(generally IRS Form W-8ECI), executed under penalties of
perjury, in order to claim an exemption from withholding tax. In
addition, if such a non-U.S. holder is a foreign
corporation, it may be subject to a branch profits tax equal to
30% (or such lower rate provided by an applicable treaty) of its
effectively connected earnings and profits for the taxable year,
subject to certain adjustments.
103
Estate Tax. A transition bond held by an individual who
is not a citizen or resident of the United States at the time of
his death will not be subject to United States federal estate
tax as a result of such individuals death, provided that
at the time of death:
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the individual did not own, actually or constructively, 10% or
more of the total combined voting power of all classes of
CenterPoint Energys voting stock, and |
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payments with respect to a transition bond would not have been
effectively connected with the conduct by such individual of a
trade or business in the United States. |
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting. Payments on
a transition bond may be subject to information reporting.
Backup withholding will not apply to payments made on or
proceeds from the sale of a transition bond if the statement
requirement described above is met, provided in each case that
the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that
the payee is a United States person. Any amounts withheld from a
payment to a non-U.S. holder under the backup withholding
rules will be allowed as a credit against such
non-U.S. holders United States federal income tax
liability and may entitle such non-U.S. holder to a refund,
provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. holders of a transition bond should consult their
tax advisers regarding the application of information reporting
and backup withholding in their particular situations, the
availability of an exemption therefrom and the procedure for
obtaining such an exemption, if available.
ERISA CONSIDERATIONS
ERISA and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code, as
amended (Code), impose restrictions on:
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employee benefit plans, as defined in Section 3(3) of
ERISA, that are subject to Title I of ERISA; |
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plans, as defined in Section 4975(e)(1) of the Code, that
are subject to Section 4975 of the Code, including, but not
limited to, individual retirement accounts and certain types of
Keogh plans; |
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any entities whose underlying assets include plan assets by
reason of that plans investment in those entities, each of
the entities described in the first three bullet points being
referred to as a plan; and |
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persons who, based on their specific relationship to a plan, are
parties in interest under Section 3(14) of
ERISA or disqualified persons under
Section 4975(e)(2) of the Code (collectively referred to as
parties in interest). Parties in interest with
respect to a plan include, but are not limited to, fiduciaries,
persons providing services to the plan, employers any of whose
employees are covered by the plan, and employee organizations
any of whose members are covered by the plan |
Moreover, based on the reasoning of the United States Supreme
Court in John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. v. Harris
Trust and Savings Bank, 510 U.S. 86 (1993), an
insurance companys general account may be deemed to
include assets of the plans investing in the general account,
such as through the purchase of an annuity contract. ERISA also
imposes specific duties on persons who are fiduciaries of plans
subject to ERISA, and ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code
prohibit specified transactions between a plan and parties in
interest with respect to the plan. Violations of these rules may
result in the imposition of excise taxes and other penalties and
liabilities under ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code.
Plan Asset Issues for an Investment in the Transition
Bonds
Pursuant to Department of Labor
Regulation Section 2510.3-101 (the plan asset
regulation), in general, when a plan acquires an equity
interest in an entity such as a trust, corporation, partnership
or other specified entity, and such interest does not represent
a publicly offered security or a security issued by
an investment company registered under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended, the plans assets include both the
equity interest and an undivided interest in each of the
underlying assets of the entity, unless it is established either
that the entity is an operating company or that
equity participation in the entity by benefit plan
investors is not significant. In general, an
equity interest is defined under the plan asset
regulation as any interest in an entity other than an instrument
which is treated as indebtedness under applicable local law and
which has no
104
substantial equity features. Although there is little statutory
or regulatory guidance on this subject, and there can be no
assurances in this regard, it appears that the transition bonds
should not be treated as an equity interest for purposes of the
plan asset regulation. Accordingly, our assets should not be
treated as the assets of plans investing in the transition bonds.
Prohibited Transaction Exemptions
It should be noted, however, that without regard to the
treatment of the transition bonds as equity interests under the
plan asset regulation, CenterPoint Houston, the underwriters
and/or their affiliates, as providers of services to plans, may
be deemed to be parties in interest with respect to many plans.
The purchase and holding of the transition bonds by or on behalf
of one or more of these plans could result in a prohibited
transaction within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or
Section 4975 of the Code. However, the purchase and holding
of the transition bonds may be subject to one or more
administrative class exemptions from the prohibited transaction
rules of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code.
Examples of Prohibited Transaction Class Exemptions.
Potentially applicable prohibited transaction class exemptions
(PTCEs), issued by the Department of Labor, include
the following:
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PTCE 84-14, which exempts certain transactions effected on
behalf of a Plan by a qualified professional asset
manager (QPAM), with such exemption referred
to as the QPAM exemption; |
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PTCE 90-1, which exempts certain transactions between insurance
company pooled separate accounts and parties in interest; |
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PTCE 91-38, which exempts certain transactions between bank
collective investment funds and parties in interest; |
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PTCE 95-60, which exempts certain transactions between insurance
company general accounts and parties in interest; and |
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PTCE 96-23, which exempts certain transactions effected on
behalf of a plan by an in-house asset manager. |
It should be noted, however, that even if the conditions
specified in one or more of these exemptions are met, the scope
of relief provided by these exemptions may not necessarily cover
all acts that might be construed as prohibited transactions.
Prior to making an investment in the transition bonds of any
series, each fiduciary causing the transition bonds to be
purchased by, on behalf of, or using plan assets of a plan that
is subject to the prohibited transaction rules of ERISA or
Section 4975 of the Code, including without limitation, an
insurance company general account, shall be deemed to have
represented and warranted that, a class exemption from the
prohibited transaction rules applies, so that the use of plan
assets of the plan to purchase and hold the transition bonds
does not and will not constitute or otherwise result in a
nonexempt prohibited transaction in violation of
Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
General Investment Considerations for Prospective Plan
Investors in the Transition Bonds
Prior to making an investment in the transition bonds,
prospective plan investors should consult with their legal
advisors concerning the impact of ERISA and the Code and the
potential consequences of this investment with respect to their
specific circumstances. Moreover, each plan fiduciary should
take into account, among other considerations:
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whether the fiduciary has the authority to make the investment, |
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whether the investment constitutes a direct or indirect
transaction with a party in interest, |
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the composition of the plans portfolio with respect to
diversification by type of asset, |
105
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the plans funding objectives, |
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the tax effects of the investment, and |
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whether, under the general fiduciary standards of investment
prudence and diversification, an investment in the transition
bonds is appropriate for the plan, taking into account the
overall investment policy of the plan and the composition of the
plans investment portfolio. |
Governmental plans and some church plans are generally not
subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA or
the provisions of Section 4975 of the Code. However, these
plans may be subject to substantially similar rules under state
or other federal law and may also be subject to the prohibited
transaction rules of Section 503 of the Code.
The sale of the transition bonds to a plan shall not be deemed a
representation by CenterPoint Houston, the underwriters, or us
that this investment meets all relevant legal requirements with
respect to plans generally or any particular plan.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION FOR THE TRANSITION BONDS
Distribution
The transition bonds of each series may be sold to or through
the underwriters by a negotiated firm commitment underwriting
and public reoffering by the underwriters. The transition bonds
may also be sold to or through any other underwriting
arrangement as may be specified in the related prospectus
supplement or may be offered or placed either directly or
through agents. We intend that the transition bonds may be
offered through various methods from time to time. We also
intend that offerings may be made concurrently through more than
one of these methods or that an offering of a particular series
of the transition bonds may be made through a combination of
these methods.
The distribution of the transition bonds may be effected from
time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or
prices, which may be changed, or at market prices prevailing at
the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market
prices or in negotiated transactions or otherwise at varying
prices to be determined at the time of sale.
The transition bonds may be offered through one or more
different methods, including offerings through underwriters. It
is not anticipated that transition bonds bearing interest at a
fixed rate will be listed on any securities exchange. Transition
bonds bearing interest at a floating rate may be listed on a
securities exchange. Information regarding any such listing will
be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. The
underwriters may, from time to time, buy and sell transition
bonds, but there can be no assurance that a secondary market for
any series of the transition bonds will develop or, if one does
develop, that it will continue.
Compensation to Underwriters
In connection with the sale of any series of transition bonds,
underwriters or agents may receive compensation in the form of
discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell
transition bonds to particular dealers at prices less a
concession. Underwriters may allow, and these dealers may
reallow, a concession to other dealers. Underwriters, dealers
and agents that participate in the distribution of the
transition bonds of a series may be deemed to be underwriters.
Any discounts or commissions received by the underwriters from
us and any profit on the resale of the transition bonds by them
may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under
the Securities Act of 1933. These underwriters or agents will be
identified, and any compensation received from us will be
described, in the related prospectus supplement.
Other Distribution Matters
Under agreements which may be entered into by CenterPoint
Houston, us and the trustee, underwriters and agents who
participate in the distribution of transition bonds may be
entitled to indemnification by CenterPoint Houston and us
against liabilities specified therein, including under the
Securities Act of 1933.
106
RISK WEIGHTING UNDER CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL
GUIDELINES
If held by financial institutions subject to regulation in
countries (other than the United States) that have adopted the
1988 International Convergence of Capital Measurement and
Capital Standards of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
(as amended, Basel Accord), the transition bonds may
attract the same risk weighting as claims on or
claims guaranteed by non-central government bodies
within the United States, which are accorded a 20% risk
weighting. Please read CenterPoint Houstons
Financing OrderStatutorily Guaranteed True-Ups and
Statutorily Guaranteed True-Ups: Entire Private
Sector Default.
The United Kingdoms Financial Services Authority has
issued individual guidance letters to one or more
investors that an investment in Texas transition bonds issued
under the Restructuring Act may be accorded a 20% risk
weighting, similar to the risk weighting assigned to U. S.
Agency corporate securities.
There is no assurance that transition bonds will attract a 20%
risk weighting treatment under any national law, regulation,
multi-national directives or policy implementing the Basel
Accord. Investors should consult their regulators before making
any investment.
RATINGS FOR THE TRANSITION BONDS
It is a condition of any underwriters obligation to
purchase the transition bonds that each series or tranche be
rated in the highest rating category by each of Standard &
Poors, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,
Moodys Investors Service Inc. and Fitch, Inc.
Limitations of Security Ratings. A security rating is not
a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be
subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning
rating agency. Each rating should be evaluated independently of
any other rating. No person is obligated to maintain the rating
on any series or tranche of transition bonds and, accordingly,
we can give no assurance that the ratings assigned to any series
or tranche of the transition bonds upon initial issuance will
not be lowered or withdrawn by a rating agency at any time
thereafter. If a rating of any series or tranche of transition
bonds is revised or withdrawn, the liquidity of this series or
tranche may be adversely affected. In general, ratings address
credit risk and do not represent any assessment of any
particular rate of principal payments on the transition bonds
other than the payment in full of each series or tranche of
transition bonds by the applicable series final maturity date or
tranche final maturity date, as well as the timely payment of
interest.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we have
filed with the SEC relating to the transition bonds. This
prospectus and each prospectus supplement describe the material
terms of some of the documents we have filed as exhibits to the
registration statement. However, this prospectus and each
prospectus supplement do not contain all of the information
contained in the registration statement and the exhibits. Any
statements contained in this prospectus or any prospectus
supplement concerning the provisions of any document filed as an
exhibit to the registration statement or otherwise filed with
the SEC are not necessarily complete. Each statement concerning
those provisions is qualified in its entirety by reference to
the respective exhibit. Information filed with the SEC can be
inspected at the SECs Internet site located at
http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy the registration
statement, the exhibits and any other documents we file with the
SEC at the SECs Public Reference Room located at 100F
Street, N.E, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain further
information regarding the operation of the SECs Public
Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may
also obtain a copy of our filings with the SEC at no cost, by
writing to or telephoning us at the following address:
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC
1111 Louisiana, Suite 4655B
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 207-5222
We will also file with the SEC all of the periodic reports we
are required to file under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
and the rules, regulations or orders of the SEC thereunder.
107
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference into
this prospectus information we file with the SEC. This means we
can disclose important information to you by referring you to
the documents containing the information. The information we
incorporate by reference is considered to be part of this
prospectus, unless we update or supersede that information by
the information contained in a prospectus supplement or
information that we file subsequently that is incorporated by
reference into this prospectus. We are incorporating into this
prospectus our future filings with the SEC under
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 until the offering of the transition bonds
is completed. Any statement contained in this prospectus, in any
prospectus supplement or in a document incorporated or deemed to
be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any
prospectus supplement will be deemed to be modified or
superseded for purposes of this prospectus and any prospectus
supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this
prospectus, any prospectus supplement or in any separately filed
document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein modifies or supersedes that statement. Any
statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except
as so modified or superseded, to constitute part of this
prospectus or the prospectus supplement.
LEGAL MATTERS
Some legal matters relating to us and the issuance of transition
bonds will be passed upon for CenterPoint Houston and for us by
Baker Botts L.L.P., Houston, Texas. Some legal matters relating
to the federal income tax consequences of the issuance of the
transition bonds will be passed upon for us by Baker Botts
L.L.P. Underwriters will be advised about certain legal matters
relating to the issuance of transition bonds by counsel named in
the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond
Company II, LLC as of December 31, 2004 and for the period
from December 3, 2004 (date of inception) to
December 31, 2004, included in this prospectus have been
audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered
public accounting firm, as stated in their report appearing
herein, and have been so included in reliance upon the report of
such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting
and auditing.
108
APPENDIX A
GLOSSARY OF DEFINED TERMS
The following definitions are used in this prospectus and in any
accompanying prospectus supplement:
Adjustment request with regard to the transition charges
means a request filed by the servicer with the Texas commission
requesting modifications to the transition charges.
Clearstream means Clearstream Banking, Luxembourg, S.A.
Collection account means the segregated trust account
relating to a series of transition bonds designated the
collection account for that series and held by the trustee under
the indenture.
DTC means the Depository Trust Company, New York,
New York, and its nominee holder, Cede & Co.
ERCOT means the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
ERISA means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of 1974, as amended.
Euroclear means the Euroclear System.
Excess payments means advances paid to the servicer by
the retail electric provider in excess of amounts paid by retail
electric customers to the retail electric provider on an annual
basis.
Financing order, as used in this prospectus, means an
order issued by the Texas commission to CenterPoint Houston
which, among other things, governs the amount of transition
bonds that may be issued and terms for collections of related
transition charges, unless the context indicates that the
reference applies to the financing order issued by the Texas
commission on March 16, 2005 applicable to the initial
series of transition bonds. As used in a prospectus supplement,
the term may be used to refer to a financing order relating to a
specific series of transition bonds, including the order issued
on March 16, 2005.
Fitch means Fitch Ratings.
Indenture means the indenture to be entered into between
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC and the
trustee, providing for the issuance of transition bonds, as the
same may be amended and supplemented from time to time by one or
more indentures supplemental thereto.
Integrated utility means Reliant Energy, Incorporated,
the legal predecessor to CenterPoint Houston, as it existed
prior to its corporate restructuring on August 31, 2002 in
response to the Restructuring Act.
kWh means kilowatt-hour.
Moodys means Moodys Investors Service, Inc.
MWh means megawatt-hour.
Nonbypassable refers to the right of the servicer to
collect the transition charges from all existing and future
retail electric customers located within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory, subject to certain limitations
specified in the Restructuring Act, even if those customers
elect to purchase electricity from another supplier or choose to
operate new on-site generation or if the utility goes out of
business and its service area is acquired by another utility or
is municipalized.
Payment date means the date or dates on which interest
and principal are to be payable on a series of transition bonds.
Qualified costs means the costs of an electric utility
recoverable through the issuance of transition bonds, the costs
of issuing, supporting and servicing the transition bonds, and
any costs of retiring and refunding existing debt and equity
securities in connection with the issuance of transition bonds.
Rating agencies means Moodys, S&P and Fitch.
A-1
Rating agency condition means, with respect to any
action, the notification in writing to each rating agency of
such action and the confirmation by S&P and Fitch to the
trustee and CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC
that such action will not result in a reduction or withdrawal of
the then rating by such rating agency of any outstanding series
or tranche of transition bonds.
Record date means the date or dates with respect to each
payment date on which it is determined the person in whose name
each transition bond is registered will be paid on the
respective payment date.
Restructuring Act means the Texas legislation adopted in
June 1999 that substantially amended the regulatory structure
governing electric utilities in order to allow retail
competition beginning on January 1, 2002.
Retail electric customers means the consumers of
electricity and related services within CenterPoint
Houstons service territory.
Retail electric providers means entities certified under
state law that provide electricity and related services to
retail electric customers within CenterPoint Houstons
service territory.
S&P means Standard and Poors, a Division of The
McGraw-Hill Companies.
Sale agreement means a sale agreement to be entered into
between CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC
and CenterPoint Houston, pursuant to which CenterPoint Houston
sells and CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC
buys transition property.
Service territory means, with regard to CenterPoint
Houston, the certificated service area of the integrated utility
as it existed on May 1, 1999, within which CenterPoint
Houston may recover qualified costs through nonbypassable
transition charges assessed on retail electric customers within
that area.
Servicer means CenterPoint Houston, acting as the
servicer, and any successor or assignee servicer, which will
service the applicable transition property under a servicing
agreement with CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II,
LLC.
Servicing agreement means a servicing agreement to be
entered into between CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company
II, LLC and CenterPoint Houston, as the same may be amended and
supplemented from time to time, pursuant to which CenterPoint
Houston undertakes to service transition property.
Texas commission means the Public Utility Commission of
Texas.
Transition charges means, with regard to CenterPoint
Houston, the amounts authorized to be imposed on all retail
electric customer bills within CenterPoint Houstons
service territory and collected, through a nonbypassable
mechanism, by the servicer, to recover qualified costs pursuant
to a financing order.
Transition property means, with regard to CenterPoint
Houston, all of CenterPoint Houstons right, title, and
interest in and to a financing order that are transferred to
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC pursuant to a
sale agreement. Transition property includes the right to
impose, collect and receive transition charges in amounts
sufficient to pay principal and interest on the related series
of transition bonds and make deposits to the various subaccounts
within the collection account relating to such series.
True-up provision means a mechanism required by the
financing order whereby the servicer will apply to the Texas
commission for adjustments to the applicable transition charges
based on actual collected transition charges and updated
assumptions by the servicer as to future collections of
transition charges. The Texas commission will approve properly
filed adjustments. Adjustments will immediately be reflected in
the customers next billing cycle. Any corrections for
mathematical errors will be reflected in the next true-up.
A-2
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF CENTERPOINT ENERGY
TRANSITION BOND COMPANY II, LLC
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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F-2 |
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2004 and
September 30, 2005 (unaudited)
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F-3 |
Statements of Members Equity for the period from
December 3, 2004 (date of inception) to December 31,
2004 and the nine months ended September 30, 2005
(unaudited)
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F-4 |
Statements of Cash Flows for the period from December 3,
2004 (date of inception) to December 31, 2004 and the nine
months ended September 30, 2005 (unaudited)
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F-5 |
Notes to Financial Statements
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F-6 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Member of CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II,
LLC:
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of CenterPoint
Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC (the
Company), a wholly owned subsidiary of CenterPoint
Energy Houston Electric, LLC, as of December 31, 2004, and
the related statements of members equity and cash flows
for the period from December 3, 2004 (date of inception) to
December 31, 2004. These financial statements are the
responsibility of the Companys management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial
statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with standards of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to
have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal
control over financial reporting. Our audit included
consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a
basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion
on the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over
financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An
audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements, assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating
the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that
our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, such financial statements present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of the Company as of
December 31, 2004, and its cash flows for the period from
December 3, 2004 (date of inception) to December 31,
2004, in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Houston, Texas
September 12, 2005
F-2
CENTERPOINT ENERGY TRANSITION BOND COMPANY II, LLC
BALANCE SHEETS
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December 31, 2004 | |
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September 30, 2005 | |
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(unaudited) | |
Total assets cash
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$ |
1,000 |
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$ |
1,000 |
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Members equity
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$ |
1,000 |
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$ |
1,000 |
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See Notes to Companys Financial Statements
F-3
CENTERPOINT ENERGY TRANSITION BOND COMPANY II, LLC
STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS EQUITY
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Initial contribution on December 3, 2004 (date of inception)
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$ |
1,000 |
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Net income for the period from December 3, 2004 (date of
inception) to December 31, 2004
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Members equity at December 31, 2004
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$ |
1,000 |
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Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2005
(unaudited)
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Members equity at September 30, 2005 (unaudited)
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$ |
1,000 |
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See Notes to Companys Financial Statements
F-4
CENTERPOINT ENERGY TRANSITION BOND COMPANY II, LLC
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
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December 3, 2004 | |
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(inception) to | |
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Nine Months Ended | |
|
|
December 31, 2004 | |
|
September 30, 2005 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
(unaudited) | |
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contribution from member
|
|
$ |
1,000 |
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Increase in Cash
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash at Beginning of Period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash at End of Period
|
|
$ |
1,000 |
|
|
$ |
1,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See Notes to Companys Financial Statements
F-5
CENTERPOINT ENERGY TRANSITION BOND COMPANY II, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(1) Basis of Presentation
CenterPoint Energy Transition Bond Company II, LLC (Company) is
a special purpose Delaware limited liability company, whose sole
member is CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC (CenterPoint
Houston). CenterPoint Houston is a regulated utility engaged in
the transmission and distribution of electric energy in a
5,000 square mile area located along the Texas Gulf Coast,
including the City of Houston.
The Texas Electric Utility Restructuring Act (Texas electric
restructuring law), enacted in 1999, authorized competition in
the retail and generation markets for electricity beginning in
January 2002 and provides for recovery of certain qualified
costs through irrevocable non-bypassable transition charges
assessed on all retail electric customers within a
utilitys geographical certificated service area as it
existed on May 1, 1999, subject to certain limitations
specified in the Texas electric restructuring law (Transition
Charges). The Texas electric restructuring law authorizes the
Public Utility Commission of Texas (Texas Utility Commission) to
issue financing orders approving the issuance of transition
bonds to recover qualified costs. The Texas electric
restructuring law and the financing order permit an electric
utility to transfer its rights and interests in the financing
order, including the right to collect Transition Charges
pursuant to the Texas electric restructuring law, to a special
purpose entity formed by the electric utility to issue debt
securities secured by the right to receive revenues arising from
the Transition Charges. The electric utilitys right to
receive the Transition Charges and its other rights and
interests under the financing order constitute Transition
Property. The Texas Utility Commission issued a financing
order to CenterPoint Houston on March 16, 2005 (Financing
Order) that authorizes CenterPoint Houston to cause the Company
to issue transition bonds (Transition Bonds) in an aggregate
principal amount not to exceed $1,493,747,264 plus (a) the
amount of excess mitigation credits provided by CenterPoint
Houston after August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance
of the Transition Bonds or the date of the termination of such
excess mitigation credits, whichever is earlier,
(b) interest on stranded costs accrued after
August 31, 2004 through the date of issuance of the
Transition Bonds, and (c) up-front qualified costs as set
forth in the Financing Order. The excess mitigation credits were
terminated as of April 29, 2005.
The Company was organized on December 3, 2004 under the
laws of the State of Delaware for the sole purpose of issuing
transition bonds, using the proceeds therefrom to acquire
Transition Property from CenterPoint Houston, holding the
Transition Property and taking certain other actions related
thereto. The Company had no operations during the period from
December 3, 2004 (date of inception) to December 31,
2004 and the unaudited nine-month period ended
September 30, 2005, and therefore has not presented a
separate statement of operations.
CenterPoint Houstons parent company, CenterPoint Energy,
Inc. (CenterPoint Energy), is a registered public utility
holding company under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of
1935, as amended (1935 Act). The 1935 Act and related rules and
regulations impose a number of restrictions on the activities of
CenterPoint Energy and its subsidiaries, including CenterPoint
Houston. The 1935 Act has been repealed by the Energy Policy Act
of 2005. However, the Company is required to obtain approval
from the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1935 Act
in order to issue transition bonds prior to February 2006, which
is when the repeal becomes effective.
The Company is restricted by its organizational documents from
engaging in any activity not directly related to the specific
purposes for which the Company was created. The Company is a
separate and distinct legal entity from CenterPoint Houston, and
the Companys organizational documents require it to
operate in a manner to avoid consolidation with the bankruptcy
estate of CenterPoint Houston in the event CenterPoint Houston
becomes subject to such a proceeding. Upon the consummation of
the transactions described above, CenterPoint Houston will not
be the owner of the Transition Property. The assets of the
Company are not available to pay creditors of CenterPoint
Houston or any of its affiliates.
Under a servicing agreement to be entered into by the Company
and CenterPoint Houston concurrently with the issuance of the
Transition Bonds, CenterPoint Houston, as servicer, will be
required to manage and administer the Transition Property and to
collect the Transition Charges on behalf of the Company. The
Company will pay an annual servicing fee to CenterPoint Houston
for these services.
(2) Subsequent Event (unaudited)
The Company obtained approval from the Securities and Exchange
Commission under the 1935 Act on September 30, 2005 to
issue up to $2.0 billion of transition bonds.
F-6
CenterPoint Energy Transition
Bond Company II, LLC