Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-55904
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus Dated March 2, 2001)
9,400,000 Shares
[LOGO OF DOMINION]
Dominion Resources, Inc.
Common Stock
------------
All of the shares of common stock being offered are being sold by Dominion.
Our common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol "D." The shares of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement
will also be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The reported last sale
price of the common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on March 13, 2002 was
$60.60 per share. As of December 31, 2001 we had approximately 264.7 million
outstanding shares of common stock.
------------
Investing in the common stock involves risks. For a description of these
risks, see "Risk Factors" beginning on page S-4.
The underwriter has agreed to purchase 9,400,000 shares of common stock from
Dominion for a purchase price of $59.80 per share. The proceeds to Dominion
from the sale of the shares of common stock will be $562,120,000.
The shares of common stock may be offered by the underwriter from time to
time to purchasers directly or through agents, or through brokers in brokerage
transactions on the New York Stock Exchange, or to dealers in negotiated
transactions or in a combination of such methods of sale, at a fixed price or
prices, which may be changed, or at market prices prevailing at the time of
sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated
prices. The underwriter will receive a commission from investors in the amount
of $.06 for each share of common stock sold in this offering.
------------
The underwriter may also purchase up to an additional 940,000 shares of
common stock from us for $59.80 per share within 30 days of the date of this
prospectus supplement to cover overallotments, if any.
Under a separate prospectus supplement, we are concurrently offering
6,000,000 Upper DECSSM Equity Income Securities, excluding any overallotment
option. This offering and the Equity Income Securities offering are not
contingent upon each other.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if
this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
------------
The shares of common stock will be ready for delivery on or about March 18,
2002.
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Salomon Smith Barney
March 13, 2002
SMService mark of Salomon Smith Barney Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement
Page
----
Where You Can Find More Information........................................ S-3
Forward Looking Information................................................ S-3
Risk Factors............................................................... S-4
Dominion................................................................... S-4
Use of Proceeds............................................................ S-6
Common Stock Price Range and Dividends..................................... S-7
Capitalization............................................................. S-8
Underwriting............................................................... S-9
Legal Matters.............................................................. S-11
Experts.................................................................... S-11
Page
----
About This Prospectus...................................................... 2
Where You Can Find More Information........................................ 2
Dominion................................................................... 3
Use of Proceeds............................................................ 4
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges......................................... 4
Description of Debt Securities............................................. 5
Description of Capital Stock............................................... 31
Virginia Stock Corporation Act and the Articles and the Bylaws............. 33
Plan of Distribution....................................................... 36
Legal Opinions............................................................. 37
Experts.................................................................... 37
This document is in two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement,
which describes the specific terms of the shares of common stock we are
offering and certain other matters relating to us and our financial condition.
The second part, the prospectus, gives more general information about
securities we may offer from time to time, some of which does not apply to the
common stock we are offering. Generally, when we refer to the prospectus, we
are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent the
description of the common stock in the prospectus supplement differs from the
description of common stock in the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on
the information in the prospectus supplement.
You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to
which this document refers you. We have not, and the underwriter has not,
authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides
you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This
document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The
information in this document may only be accurate as of the date of this
document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects may have changed since that date.
S-2
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the
Internet at the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and
copy any document we file at the SEC's public reference rooms in Washington,
D.C., New York, and Chicago. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further
information on the public reference rooms. You may also read and copy these
documents at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New
York, New York 10005.
The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" the information we file
with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by
referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is
considered to be part of this prospectus and later information that we file
with the SEC will automatically update or supersede this information. We
incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made
with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), until such time as all of
the securities covered by this prospectus supplement have been sold:
.. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001; and
.. Current Reports on Form 8-K/A and Form 8-K, filed January 11, 2002 and
January 29, 2002.
You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or
telephoning us at: Corporate Secretary, Dominion, 120 Tredegar Street,
Richmond, Virginia 23219, Telephone (804) 819-2000.
FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION
We have included certain information in this document which is "forward
looking information" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Examples include discussions as to our expectations, beliefs, plans,
goals, objectives and future financial or other performance or assumptions
concerning matters discussed in this document. This information, by its nature,
involves estimates, projections, forecasts and uncertainties that could cause
actual results or outcomes to differ substantially from those expressed.
Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict,
involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and are often
beyond our ability to control. We have identified a number of these factors in
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is
incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and we refer you to that report
for further information. The factors identified include weather conditions,
fluctuations in energy-related commodities prices and the effect these could
have on our earnings and the underlying value of our assets, trading
counterparty credit risk, capital market conditions, the risks of operating
businesses in regulated industries that are in the process of becoming
deregulated and completing the divestiture of Dominion Capital, Inc. and CNG
S-3
International. Although we strive to mitigate market risk through our risk
management activities, changes in commodity prices can have an adverse impact
on earnings and asset values.
RISK FACTORS
Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict,
involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and are often
beyond our control. We have identified a number of these factors in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 under the heading
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations--Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements That May Affect Future
Results," which is specifically incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
See "Where You Can Find More Information" on page S-3 in this prospectus
supplement.
DOMINION
Dominion is a fully integrated gas and electric energy holding company
headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. As of December 31, 2001, we had
approximately $34 billion in assets.
Our primary operating segments are:
Dominion Energy--Dominion Energy manages our 22,000 megawatt portfolio of
electric power generation assets, our 7,600 miles of gas transmission pipeline
and a 959 billion cubic foot natural gas storage network. It also guides our
generation growth strategy and our commodity trading, marketing and risk
management activities. We currently operate generation facilities in Virginia,
West Virginia, Connecticut, North Carolina and Illinois.
Dominion Delivery--Dominion Delivery manages our local electric and gas
distribution systems serving 3.8 million customers, our 6,000 miles of electric
transmission lines and our customer service operations. We currently operate
transmission and distribution systems in Virginia, West Virginia, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Dominion Delivery also includes our managing
equity interest in Dominion Fiber Ventures, LLC, which owns Dominion Telecom
with its 14,700 route-mile fiber optic network (including 4,600 route-miles of
lit fiber) and related telecommunications and advanced data services located
principally in the northeast quadrant of the United States.
Dominion Exploration & Production--Dominion Exploration & Production
manages our onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and production
activities including the properties acquired from our November 2001 acquisition
of Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. With approximately 4.9 trillion cubic feet
of proved natural gas equivalent reserves and 450 billion cubic feet of annual
production, Dominion Exploration & Production is one of the nation's largest
independent oil and gas operators. We operate on the outer continental shelf
and deep water areas of the Gulf of Mexico, western Canada, the Appalachian
Basin, the Permian Basin, the Mid-Continent Region and other selected regions
in the continental United States.
Competitive Strengths
We believe that we are well positioned in the new energy environment based
on our following competitive strengths:
Size and Scale--Our size and scale give us the critical mass needed to
provide
S-4
the financial strength, flexibility and economies of scale necessary to compete
in the new energy marketplace. In addition, our size has provided ready access
to capital and improved opportunities for expansion.
MAIN to Maine Focus--We are concentrating our efforts in the Midwest,
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, which we call the
"MAIN to Maine" region. In the power industry, "MAIN" means the Mid-American
Interconnected Network, which includes Illinois and portions of Missouri,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan. The MAIN to Maine region is home to
approximately 40% of the nation's demand for energy. It also has some of the
nation's highest energy prices and, as a result, is rapidly moving toward
industry deregulation and restructuring.
Integrated Asset Base--We have the capability to discover and produce gas,
store it, sell it or use it to generate power; we can generate electricity to
sell to customers in our retail markets or in wholesale transactions. This
optionality gives us the ability to produce and sell energy in whatever form we
find most useful and economic. We also operate North America's largest natural
gas storage system, which gives us the flexibility to provide supply when it is
most economically advantageous to do so. As a fully integrated enterprise
active in all aspects of the energy supply chain, we have the ability to
optimize the value of our energy portfolio to maximize return on invested
capital.
Market Knowledge--We capitalize on our in-depth knowledge of our trading
and customer markets. Specifically, our knowledge of the energy trading market
allows us to not only manage market risks but also to maximize the value of our
energy portfolio. As our industry deregulates, we know that we must remain
focused on reliably and efficiently serving our customer base in order to
retain existing customers and add new ones.
Investor Focus--The financial interests of our employees and management are
strongly aligned with the interests of our investor base. Employees and
management own approximately 15.5 million shares and together would be
Dominion's largest shareholder. Incentive programs in the form of stock options
further align the interests of our employees with those of our investors.
Focused Growth
Our growth strategy is focused on the MAIN to Maine region and building on
the platform provided by our current asset base.
Dominion Energy--We currently have 22,000 megawatts of generation
capacity and expect this to grow to 26,000 megawatts by 2005. In 2001 we
added the 2,000 megawatt Millstone nuclear facility in Connecticut to our
portfolio and approximately 650 megawatts of gas-fired peaking generation.
We have sited four new generation plants with combined capacity of
approximately 2,000 megawatts along the Dominion gas pipelines in Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Additional anticipated capacity expansion of
2,000 megawatts is also planned. To support these plans, we have contracted
to acquire General Electric turbines sufficient for our generation
expansion.
S-5
Dominion Delivery--We expect continued growth in our distribution
business as a result of increasing our customer base and improving our
operational efficiencies through technological advances and development. We
have targeted expansion of Dominion Telecom's fiber optic network by
focusing on markets not primarily targeted by the expansion strategies of
major telecommunications companies.
Dominion Exploration & Production--Including our acquisition of Louis
Dreyfus, we expect to increase our BCFe production by approximately 25% in
2002 and 15-20% through 2004. We anticipate that this growth will be
primarily drill-bit driven from existing resources including our offshore
and Gulf Coast exploration program and the development of properties
acquired from our acquisition of Louis Dreyfus.
Because of the changes our industry is undergoing we continue to encounter
opportunities for acquisitions of assets and business combinations that would
be consistent with our strategic principles. We regularly investigate any
opportunities we learn about that may increase shareholder value or build on
our existing asset platform. We often participate in bidding and negotiating
processes for those transactions. Any acquisitions or combinations of this type
will likely require us to access external financing sources or issue additional
equity. Additionally, recent capital conditions in our industry have weakened
some of our competitors and may require some of our competitors to divest
assets, which may increase acquisition opportunities for us.
Principal Subsidiaries
Dominion's principal legal subsidiaries include Virginia Electric and Power
Company (Dominion Virginia Power), a regulated public utility engaged in the
generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electric energy in Virginia
and northeastern North Carolina, CNG, a producer, transporter, distributor and
retail marketer of natural gas serving customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West
Virginia, New York and various cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and
Dominion Energy, Inc., an independent power and natural gas subsidiary.
For additional information about our company, see "Where You Can Find More
Information" on page S-3.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the shares of common
stock for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of debt and
equity contributions to subsidiaries. The debt may include a portion of our
short-term debt, including commercial paper. At February 28, 2002, the weighted
average maturity of Dominion's approximately $488 million of outstanding
commercial paper was approximately 38.24 days and the weighted average interest
rate was 2.18%.
S-6
COMMON STOCK PRICE RANGE AND DIVIDENDS
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
"D." The following table sets forth the range of intra-day high and low sale
prices, as reported on the NYSE Composite Tape, and the cash dividends declared
on the common stock for the periods indicated:
Price Range High Low Dividends
----------- --------- --------- ---------
1999
First Quarter................................... $47 1/16 $36 7/8 $0.645
Second Quarter.................................. 44 13/16 36 9/16 0.645
Third Quarter................................... 47 3/16 43 0.645
Fourth Quarter.................................. 49 3/8 39 1/4 0.645
2000
First Quarter................................... $43 1/8 $34 13/16 $0.645
Second Quarter.................................. 47 1/2 38 1/16 0.645
Third Quarter................................... 59 13/16 42 13/16 0.645
Fourth Quarter.................................. 67 15/16 50 3/4 0.645
2001
First Quarter................................... $68.00 $55.31 $0.645
Second Quarter.................................. 69.99 59.47 0.645
Third Quarter................................... 64.15 55.13 0.645
Fourth Quarter.................................. 62.97 55.30 0.645
2002
First Quarter (through March 13, 2002).......... $62.56 $57.34 $0.645
On March 13, 2002, the reported last sale price of the common stock on the
NYSE was $60.60 per share.
Dividends on our common stock are paid as declared by Dominion's board of
directors. On February 15, 2002 our board of directors declared a dividend of
$0.645 per share payable on March 20, 2002 to shareholders of record on March
1, 2002. Dividends are typically paid on the 20th of March, June, September and
December. Dividends can be paid by check or electronic deposit, or may be
reinvested.
As of December 31, 2001, we had approximately 264.7 million shares of
common stock outstanding.
S-7
CAPITALIZATION
The table below shows our capitalization on a consolidated basis as of
December 31, 2001. The "As Adjusted for Completed or Pending Offerings" column
reflects our capitalization after giving effect to our January 22, 2002
issuance of $250,000,000 3.875% Medium Term Notes; the January 30, 2002
offering by Dominion Virginia Power of $650,000,000 of 5 3/8% Senior Notes due
2007; the redemption by Dominion Virginia Power of approximately $200 million
of outstanding mortgage bonds on February 8, 2002; and the March 13, 2002
agreement to sell 6,000,000 Equity Income Securities to Salomon Smith Barney
Inc. which is expected to settle on March 20, 2002 (the "Completed or Pending
Offerings"), and the use of the net proceeds from the Completed or Pending
Offerings.
The "As Fully Adjusted" column reflects our capitalization after giving
effect to the Completed or Pending Offerings, this offering of common stock,
and the use of the net proceeds from these offerings.
You should read this table along with our audited financial statements
contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. See "Where You Can
Find More Information" on page S-3.
December 31, 2001
------------------------------
As Adjusted
for Completed
or Pending As Fully
Actual Offerings Adjusted
------- ------------- --------
(in millions)
Short-term debt/1........................./.. $ 3,213 $ 2,236 $ 1,674
Long-term debt:
Upper DECS Equity Income Securities and
other stock purchase units................. 413 713 713
Other....................................... 11,706 12,406 12,406
------- ------- -------
Total....................................... 12,119 13,119 13,119
Obligated mandatorily redeemable preferred
securities of subsidiary trusts............. 1,132 1,132 1,132
Preferred stock.............................. 384 384 384
Total common shareholders' equity............ 8,368 8,335/2/ 8,897/2/
------- ------- -------
Total capitalization......................... $25,216 $25,206 $25,206
======= ======= =======
--------
/1/ Includes securities due within one year.
/2/ Reflects an adjustment of approximately $33 million representing the
present value of the contract adjustment payments related to the Equity Income
Securities.
S-8
UNDERWRITING
Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in a purchase
agreement dated March 13, 2002, we have agreed to sell to Salomon Smith Barney
Inc. (the Underwriter) and the Underwriter has agreed to purchase from us
9,400,000 shares of common stock.
The purchase agreement provides that the Underwriter is obligated to
purchase all the shares of common stock in the offering if any are purchased.
The Underwriter has agreed to purchase the shares of common stock offered
hereby for a purchase price of $59.80 share. The proceeds to Dominion from the
sale of the shares of common stock will be $562,120,000.
We estimate that our out of pocket expenses for this offering will be
approximately $200,000.
The distribution of the shares of common stock by the Underwriter may be
effected from time to time to purchasers directly or through agents, or through
brokers in brokerage transactions on the New York Stock Exchange, or to dealers
in negotiated transactions or in a combination of such methods of sale, at a
fixed price or prices, which may be changed, or at market prices prevailing at
the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at
negotiated prices. In connection with the sale of any shares of common stock
hereby, the Underwriter may be deemed to have received compensation from
Dominion equal to the difference between the amount received by the Underwriter
upon the sale of such common stock and the price at which the Underwriter
purchased such common stock from Dominion. In addition, if the Underwriter
sells common stock to or through certain dealers, such dealers may receive
compensation in the form of underwriting discounts, concessions or commissions
from the Underwriter and/or any purchasers of common stock for whom they may
act as agent. The Underwriter will receive a commission from investors in the
amount of $.06 for each share of common stock sold in this offering.
The shares of common stock are being offered by the Underwriter, subject to
prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by it, subject to approval
of certain legal matters by counsel for the Underwriter and certain other
conditions. The Underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify
such offer and to reject orders in whole or in part.
We have agreed to indemnify the Underwriter against liabilities under the
Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the Underwriter may be required
to make in that respect.
We have granted an option to the Underwriter to purchase up to an
additional 940,000 shares of common stock from us at $59.80 per share. The
Underwriter may exercise this option for 30 days from the date of this
prospectus supplement solely to cover any overallotments.
Dominion and our executive officers and directors have agreed, subject to
limited exceptions, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter,
during the period ending 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement,
not to directly or indirectly:
S-9
.. offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to
purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right
or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares
of common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for common stock, or file any registration statement under the
Securities Act with respect to any of the above; or
.. enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole
or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of common stock,
whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of
common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.
These restrictions do not apply to:
.. the sale of the shares of common stock or a concurrent sale of Equity Income
Securities to the Underwriter;
.. the issuance by Dominion of any shares of common stock upon the exercise of
an option or warrant, or the conversion of a security outstanding on the
date of this prospectus supplement;
.. the creation or re-creation of Dominion's stock purchase units or the
issuance of shares of common stock upon early settlement of Dominion's stock
purchase units;
.. the issuance by Dominion of shares of common stock, or options to purchase
any shares of common stock granted, or the sale by any of our executive
officers or directors of common stock received as dividends, in connection
with our employee benefit plans, employee share purchase plans, non-employee
director stock plans, dividend reinvestment plans and the Dominion Direct
Investment plan;
.. the sale or surrender to Dominion by any of our executive officers or
directors of any options or shares of common stock underlying options in
order to pay the exercise price or taxes associated with the exercise of
options;
.. the issuance by us of shares of common stock in connection with acquisitions
that close more than 90 days after this offering or any acquisition in which
the party receiving the shares of common stock agrees to be bound by such
restrictions;
.. transactions by any person other than Dominion relating to shares of common
stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the
completion of the offering of the shares of common stock;
.. transfers by any person, other than Dominion, by gift, will or intestacy, or
to affiliates or immediate family members, provided that the transferee
agrees to be bound by such restriction; or
.. the filing by Dominion of a shelf registration statement from which Dominion
will not offer any such securities during the 90-day period.
Until the distribution of the shares is completed, rules of the Securities
and Exchange Commission may limit the ability of the Underwriter to bid for
and purchase our common stock. If the Underwriter creates a short position in
our common stock in connection with the offering (i.e.,
S-10
if it sells more shares of common stock than are set forth on the cover page of
this prospectus supplement), the Underwriter may reduce that short position by
purchasing common stock in the open market. In general, purchases of a security
to reduce a short position could cause the price of the security to be higher
than it might be in the absence of such purchases.
Neither we nor the Underwriter makes any representation or prediction as to
the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above
may have on the price of the common stock. In addition, neither we nor the
Underwriter makes any representation that the Underwriter will engage in such
transactions or that such transactions, once commenced, will not be
discontinued without notice.
Salomon Smith Barney Inc. has from time to time provided investment or
commercial banking services to us in the past and is likely to do so in the
future. It receives customary fees and commissions for these services.
LEGAL MATTERS
Certain legal matters in connection with the offering of the common shares
will be passed upon for Dominion by McGuireWoods LLP, and for the underwriters
by Troutman Sanders Mays & Valentine LLP, who also performs certain legal
services for us and our affiliates on other matters.
EXPERTS
The financial statements and the related financial statement schedule
incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference from the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001, have been
audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their
reports, which are incorporated herein by reference, (which contain an
explanatory paragraph that describes a change in the method of accounting used
to develop the market-related value of pension plan assets, discussed in Note 3
to the consolidated financial statements, and the adoption of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, "Accounting for Derivative Instruments
and Hedging Activities", as amended, discussed in Note 15 to the consolidated
financial statements), and have been so incorporated in reliance upon the
reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and
auditing.
S-11
Prospectus
[LOGO OF DOMINION RESOURCES INC.]
DOMINION RESOURCES, INC.
120 Tredegar Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 819-2000
$2,000,000,000
Senior Debt Securities
Junior Subordinated Debentures
Trust Preferred Securities, Related Guarantee and Agreement as to Expenses and
Liabilities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Stock Purchase Contracts
Stock Purchase Units
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the
adequacy or accuracy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is
a criminal offense.
This prospectus is dated March 2, 2001.
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission utilizing a shelf registration process.
Under this shelf process, we may, from time to time, sell any combination of
the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a
total dollar amount of $2,000,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a
general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell
securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific
information about the terms of that offering. Material United States federal
income tax considerations applicable to the offered securities will also be
discussed in the applicable prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement
may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You
should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with
additional information described under the heading WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the
Internet at the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and
copy any document we file at the SEC's public reference rooms in Washington,
D.C., New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. Please call the SEC at 1-800-
SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference rooms. You may also
read and copy these documents at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, 20
Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with
them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by
referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is
an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with
the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We
incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made
with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 until we sell all of the securities.
.. Annual Report on Form 10-K and Forms 10-K/A for the year ended December 31,
1999;
.. Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2000, June
30, 2000 and September 30, 2000;
.. Current Reports on Form 8-K and Forms 8-K/A filed January 3, 2000, February
1, 2000, March 23, 2000, June 21, 2000, June 22, 2000, July 11, 2000,
September 11, 2000, October 12, 2000, November 2, 2000, November 16, 2000,
November 22, 2000, January 12, 2000, and January 24, 2001; and
.. The description of our common stock contained in Form 8-B (Item 4) dated
April 29, 1983.
You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or
telephoning us at the following address:
Corporate Secretary
Dominion
120 Tredegar Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 819-2000
2
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or
provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not
authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. We are not
making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not
permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any
prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the
front of those documents.
DOMINION
Dominion is a fully integrated gas and electric energy holding company
headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. As of December 31, 2000, we had
approximately 28.7 billion in assets.
Primary Operating Segments
Dominion's primary operating segments are:
Dominion Energy--Dominion Energy manages Dominion's 19,000 megawatt
portfolio of electric power generation, its 7,600 miles of gas transmission
pipeline and a 959 billion cubic foot natural gas storage network. It also
guides Dominion's generation growth strategy and its commodity trading,
marketing and risk management activities. Dominion currently operates
generation facilities in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Illinois.
Dominion Delivery--Dominion Delivery manages Dominion's local electric and
gas distribution systems serving 3.8 million customers, its 6,000 miles of
electric transmission lines and its customer service operations. Dominion
currently operates transmission and distribution systems in Virginia, West
Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Dominion Delivery also
includes Dominion Telecom with its 3,620 route-mile fiber optic network and
related telecommunications and advanced data services located principally in
the northeast quadrant of the United States.
Dominion Exploration & Production--Dominion Exploration & Production
manages Dominion's onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and production
activities. With approximately 2.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas
equivalent reserves and 320 billion cubic feet of annual production, Dominion
Exploration & Production is one of the nation's largest independent oil and gas
operators. It operates on the outer continental shelf and deep water areas of
the Gulf of Mexico, western Canada, the Appalachian Basin and other selected
regions in the continental United States.
Principal Legal Subsidiaries
Dominion's principal legal subsidiaries include Virginia Electric and Power
Company (Dominion Virginia Power), a regulated public utility engaged in the
generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electric energy in Virginia
and northeastern North Carolina, and Consolidated Natural Gas Company, a
producer, transporter, distributor and retail marketer of natural gas serving
customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York and various cities in
the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Dominion's other major legal subsidiaries
include Dominion Energy, Inc., an independent power and natural gas subsidiary,
and Dominion Capital, Inc., a financial services subsidiary.
3
Dominion's address and telephone number are 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond,
Virginia 23219, telephone (804) 819-2100.
For additional information about Dominion, see WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION on page 2.
THE TRUST
Dominion Resources Capital Trust IV is a statutory business trust newly
formed under Delaware law by us, as sponsor for the Trust, and Chase Manhattan
Bank USA, National Association, who will serve as trustee in the State of
Delaware for the purpose of complying with the provisions of the Delaware
Business Trust Act. The trust agreement for the Trust will be amended and
restated substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the registration
statement, effective when securities of the Trust are initially issued. The
amended trust agreement will be qualified as an indenture under the Trust
Indenture Act of 1939.
The Trust exists for the exclusive purposes of
.. issuing two classes of trust securities, Trust Preferred Securities and trust
common securities, which together represent undivided beneficial interests in
the assets of the Trust;
.. investing the gross proceeds of the trust securities in our Junior
Subordinated Debentures;
.. making distributions; and
.. engaging in only those other activities necessary, advisable or incidental to
the purposes listed above.
The Junior Subordinated Debentures will be the sole assets of the Trust,
and our payments under the Junior Subordinated Debentures and the Agreement as
to Expenses and Liabilities will be the sole revenue of the Trust.
No separate financial statements of any Trust are included in this
prospectus. We consider that these financial statements would not be material
to holders of the Trust Preferred Securities because the Trust has no
independent operations and the purpose of the Trust is as described above. The
Trust is not required to file annual, quarterly or special reports with the
SEC.
The principal place of business of the Trust will be c/o Dominion
Resources, Inc., 120 Tredegar Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The net proceeds from the sale of the offered securities will be used for
financing our $1.3 billion acquisition of the approximately 2,000 megawatt
Millstone Nuclear facility in Connecticut, and for other general corporate
purposes including financing future acquisitions.
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
The ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods indicated is
as follows:
Nine
Months Twelve Months ended Dec.
ended 31,
Sept. 30, -----------------------------
2000(/1/) 1995 1996 1997(/3/) 1998 1999(/2/)
--------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
1.64 2.55 2.71 1.97 2.36 2.02
These computations reflect Dominion's consolidated earnings and
consolidated fixed charges including proportionate interests in the earnings
and fixed charges of certain other companies in which we hold an equity
interest. For these ratios, earnings is determined by adding total fixed
4
charges (excluding interest capitalized), income taxes, minority common
stockholders equity in net income and amortization of interest capitalized to
income from continuing operations after eliminating equity in undistributed
earnings and adding back losses of companies in which at least 20% but less
than 50% equity is owned by Dominion. For this purpose, total fixed charges
consists of (1) interest on all indebtedness and amortization of debt discount
and expense, (2) interest capitalized and (3) an interest factor attributable
to rentals.
(1)If Dominion had completed the CNG acquisition as of January 1, 2000, the
pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the nine months ended
September 30, 2000 would be 1.18x. Net income for the nine months ended
September 30, 2000 includes $411 million in restructuring and other
acquisition-related costs resulting from the CNG acquisition and a write-
down at Dominion Capital, Inc. Dominion is required to divest its
financial services business as a result of the acquisition of CNG.
Excluding this charge, from the calculation above results in a ratio of
earnings to fixed charges for the nine months ended September 30, 2000 of
2.17x.
(2)Net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 1999 includes the one-
time after-tax charge of $255 million resulting from the discontinued
application by Virginia Power of Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 71, "Accounting for the Effects of Certain Types of
Regulation," to its generation operations. Excluding this charge from the
calculation above results in a ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the
twelve months ended December 31, 1999 of 2.48x.
(3)Net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 1997 includes the one-
time charge of $157 million for the windfall profits tax levied by the
United Kingdom government. Excluding this charge from the calculation
above results in a ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the twelve
months ended December 31, 1997 of 2.22x.
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The term Debt Securities includes the Senior Debt Securities and the
Junior Subordinated Debentures. We will issue the Senior Debt Securities in
one or more series under our Senior Indenture dated as of June 1, 2000 between
us and The Chase Manhattan Bank as Trustee, as supplemented from time to time.
We will issue the Junior Subordinated Debentures in one or more series under
our Junior Subordinated Indenture dated as of December 1, 1997 between us and
The Chase Manhattan Bank as Trustee, as supplemented from time to time. The
indenture related to the Junior Subordinated Debentures is called the
Subordinated Indenture in this prospectus, and together, the Senior Indenture
and the Subordinated Indenture are called Indentures. We have summarized
selected provisions of the Indentures below. The Senior Indenture and the
Subordinated Indenture have been filed as exhibits to the registration
statement and you should read the Indentures for provisions that may be
important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to section
numbers of the
5
Indentures so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms
used in the summary have the meanings specified in the Indentures.
General
The Senior Debt Securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and
will rank equally with all of our other senior and unsubordinated debt. The
Junior Subordinated Debentures will be our unsecured obligations and are junior
in right of payment to our Senior Indebtedness, as described under the caption
ADDITIONAL TERMS OF THE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES--SUBORDINATION.
Because we are a holding company that conducts all of our operations
through our subsidiaries, our ability to meet our obligations under the Debt
Securities is dependent on the earnings and cash flows of those subsidiaries
and the ability of those subsidiaries to pay dividends or to advance or repay
funds to us. Holders of Debt Securities will generally have a junior position
to claims of creditors of our subsidiaries, including trade creditors,
debtholders, secured creditors, taxing authorities, guarantee holders and any
preferred stockholders. Dominion Virginia Power has approximately 5.1 million
issued and outstanding shares of preferred stock. In addition to trade debt,
all of our operating subsidiaries have ongoing corporate debt programs used to
finance their business activities. As of December 31, 2000, our subsidiaries
had approximately $8.9 billion of outstanding debt.
Neither of the Indentures limits the amount of Debt Securites that we may
issue under it. We may issue Debt Securities from time to time under the
Indentures in one or more series by entering into supplemental indentures or by
our Board of Directors or duly authorized officers authorizing the issuance. A
form of supplemental indenture to each of the Indentures is an exhibit to the
registration statement.
The Indentures do not protect the holders of Debt Securities if we engage
in a highly leveraged transaction.
Provisions of a Particular Series
The Debt Securities of a series need not be issued at the same time, bear
interest at the same rate or mature on the same date. Unless otherwise provided
in the terms of a series, a series may be reopened, without notice to or
consent of any holder of outstanding Debt Securities, for issuances of
additional Debt Securities of that series. The prospectus supplement for a
particular series of Debt Securities will specify the terms of that series,
including, if applicable, some or all of the following:
.. the title and type of the Debt Securities;
.. the total principal amount of the Debt Securities;
.. the portion of the principal payable upon acceleration of maturity, if other
than the entire principal;
.. the date or dates on which principal is payable or the method for determining
the date or dates, and any right that we have to change the date on which
principal is payable;
.. the interest rate or rates, if any, or the method for determining the rate or
rates, and the date or dates from which interest will accrue;
6
.. any interest payment dates and the regular record date for the interest
payable on each interest payment date, if any;
.. any payments due if the maturity of the Debt Securities is accelerated;
.. any optional redemption terms, or, with respect to the Senior Debt
Securities, any repayment terms;
.. any provisions that would obligate us to repurchase or otherwise redeem the
Debt Securities, or, with respect to the Senior Debt Securities, any sinking
fund provisions;
.. the currency in which payments will be made if other than U.S. dollars, and
the manner of determining the equivalent of those amounts in U.S. dollars;
.. if payments may be made, at our election or at the holder's election, in a
currency other than that in which the Debt Securities are stated to be
payable, then the currency in which those payments may be made, the terms and
conditions of the election and the manner of determining those amounts;
.. any index or formula used for determining principal, interest, or premium, if
any;
.. the percentage of the principal amount at which the Debt Securities will be
issued, if other than 100% of the principal amount;
.. whether the Debt Securities will be issued in fully registered certificated
form or book-entry form, represented by certificates deposited with, or on
behalf of, a securities depositary and registered in the name of the
depositary's nominee (Book-Entry Debt Securities);
.. denominations, if other than $1,000 each or multiples of $1,000;
.. any changes to events of defaults or covenants; and
.. any other terms of the Debt Securities. (Sections 201 & 301 of the Senior
Indenture & Sections 2.1 & 2.3 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
The prospectus supplement will also indicate any special tax implications
of the Debt Securities and any provisions granting special rights to holders
when a specified event occurs.
Conversion or Redemption
No Debt Security will be subject to conversion, amortization, or
redemption, unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Any provisions relating to the conversion or redemption of Debt Securities will
be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, including whether
conversion is mandatory or at our option. If no redemption date or redemption
price is indicated with respect to a Debt Security, we may not redeem the Debt
Security prior to its stated maturity. Debt Securities subject to redemption by
us will be subject to the following terms:
.. redeemable on and after the applicable redemption dates;
.. redemption dates and redemption prices fixed at the time of sale and set
forth on the Debt Security; and
.. redeemable in whole or in part (provided that any remaining principal amount
of the Debt Security will be equal to an authorized denomination) at our
option at the applicable redemption price, together with interest, payable to
the date of redemption, on notice given not more
7
than 60 nor less than 20 days prior to the date of redemption. (Section 1104
of the Senior Indenture & Section 3.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
We will not be required to:
.. issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any Debt Securities of a series
during the period beginning 15 days before the date the notice is mailed
identifying the Debt Securities of that series that have been selected for
redemption; or
.. register the transfer of, or exchange any Debt Security of that series
selected for redemption except the unredeemed portion of a Debt Security
being partially redeemed. (Section 305 of the Senior Indenture & Section 2.5
of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Payment and Transfer; Paying Agent
The paying agent will pay the principal of any Debt Securities only if
those Debt Securities are surrendered to it. Unless we state otherwise in the
applicable prospectus supplement, the paying agent will pay principal,
interest and premium, if any, on Debt Securities, subject to such surrender,
where applicable, at its office or, at our option:
.. by wire transfer to an account at a banking institution in the United States
that is designated in writing to the Trustee prior to the deadline set forth
in the applicable prospectus supplement by the person entitled to that
payment (which in the case of Book-Entry Debt Securities is the securities
depositary or its nominee); or
.. by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to that interest as
that address appears in the security register for those Debt Securities.
(Sections 307 & 1001 of the Senior Indenture & Section 4.1 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
Neither we nor the Trustee will have any responsibility or liability for
any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of
beneficial ownership interests in a Book-Entry Debt Security, or for
maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to the beneficial
ownership interests. We expect that the securities depositary, upon receipt of
any payment of principal, interest or premium, if any, in a Book-Entry Debt
Security, will credit immediately the accounts of the related participants
with payment in amounts proportionate to their respective holdings in
principal amount of beneficial interest in the Book-Entry Debt Security as
shown on the records of the securities depositary. We also expect that
payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a Book-Entry
Debt Security will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary
practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of
customers in bearer form or registered in "street name" and will be the
responsibility of the participants.
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the
Trustee will act as paying agent for the Debt Securities, and the principal
corporate trust office of the Trustee will be the office through which the
paying agent acts. We may, however, change or add paying agents or approve a
change in the office through which a paying agent acts. (Section 1002 of the
Senior Indenture & Section 4.4 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
8
Any money that we have paid to a paying agent for principal or interest on
any Debt Securities which remains unclaimed at the end of two years after that
principal or interest has become due will be repaid to us at our request. After
any repayment, holders should look only to us for those payments. (Section 1003
of the Senior Indenture & Section 12.4 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Fully registered securities may be transferred or exchanged at the
corporate trust office of the Trustee or at any other office or agency we
maintain for those purposes, without the payment of any service charge except
for any tax or governmental charge. (Section 1002 of the Senior Indenture &
Section 2.5 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Global Securities
We may issue some or all of the Debt Securities as Book-Entry Debt
Securities. Book-Entry Debt Securities will be represented by one or more fully
registered global certificates. Book-Entry Debt Securities of like tenor and
terms up to $400,000,000 aggregate principal amount may be represented by a
single global certificate. Each global certificate will be deposited and
registered with the securities depositary or its nominee or a custodian for the
securities depositary. Unless it is exchanged in whole or in part for Debt
Securities in definitive form, a global certificate may generally be
transferred only as a whole unless it is being transferred to certain nominees
of the depositary. (Section 305 of the Senior Indenture & Section 2.5 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
Unless otherwise stated in any prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust
Company will act as the securities depositary. Beneficial interests in global
certificates will be shown on, and transfers of global certificates will be
effected only through, records maintained by the securities depositary and its
participants. If there are any additional or differing terms of the depositary
arrangement with respect to the Book-Entry Debt Securities, we will describe
them in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Holders of beneficial interests in Book-Entry Debt Securities represented
by a global certificate are referred to as beneficial owners. Beneficial owners
will be limited to institutions having accounts with the securities depositary
or its nominee, which are called participants in this discussion, and to
persons that hold beneficial interests through participants. When a global
certificate representing Book-Entry Debt Securities is issued, the securities
depositary will credit on its book-entry, registration and transfer system the
principal amounts of Book-Entry Debt Securities the global certificate
represents to the accounts of its participants. Ownership of beneficial
interests in a global certificate will be shown only on, and the transfer of
those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by:
.. the securities depositary, with respect to participants' interests; and
.. any participant, with respect to interests the participant holds on behalf of
other persons.
As long as the securities depositary or its nominee is the registered
holder of a global certificate representing Book-Entry Debt Securities, that
person will be considered the sole owner and holder of the global certificate
and the Book-Entry Debt
9
Securities it represents for all purposes. Except in limited circumstances,
beneficial owners:
.. may not have the global certificate or any Book-Entry Debt Securities it
represents registered in their names;
.. may not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated
Book-Entry Debt Securities in exchange for the global certificate; and
.. will not be considered the owners or holders of the global certificate or any
Book-Entry Debt Securities it represents for any purposes under the Debt
Securities or the Indentures. (Section 2.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
We will make all payments of principal, interest and premium, if any, on a
Book-Entry Debt Security to the securities depositary or its nominee as the
holder of the global certificate. The laws of some jurisdictions require that
certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in
definitive form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial
interests in a global certificate.
Payments participants make to beneficial owners holding interests through
those participants will be the responsibility of those participants. The
securities depositary may from time to time adopt various policies and
procedures governing payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating
to beneficial interests in a global certificate. None of the following will
have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the securities
depositary's or any participant's records relating to beneficial interests in a
global certificate representing Book-Entry Debt Securities, for payments made
on account of those beneficial interests or for maintaining, supervising or
reviewing any records relating to those beneficial interests:
.. Dominion;
.. the Trustee;
.. the Trust (only with respect to the Junior Subordinated Debentures if the
Junior Subordinated Debentures are issued to a Trust); or
.. any agent of any of the above.
Covenants
Under the Indentures we will:
.. pay the principal, interest and premium, if any, on the Debt Securities when
due;
.. maintain a place of payment;
.. deliver an officer's certificate to the Trustee at the end of each fiscal
year confirming our compliance with our obligations under each of the
Indentures; and
.. deposit sufficient funds with any paying agent on or before the due date for
any principal, interest or premium, if any. (Sections 1001, 1002, 1003 & 1006
of the Senior Indenture & Sections 4.1, 4.2 4.4 & 4.6 of the Subordinated
Indenture.)
Consolidation, Merger or Sale
The Indentures provide that we may consolidate or merge with or into, or
sell all or substantially all of our properties and assets to, another
corporation or other entity, provided that any successor assumes our
obligations under the Indentures and the Debt Securities issued under the
Indentures. We must also deliver an opinion of counsel to the Trustee affirming
our compliance with all conditions in the applicable Indenture relating to the
transaction. When
10
the conditions are satisfied, the successor will succeed to and be substituted
for us under the Senior Indenture, and we will be relieved of our obligations
under the Senior Indenture and the Debt Securities issued under them. (Sections
801 & 802 of the Senior Indenture & Sections 11.1, 11.2 & 11.3 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
Events of Default
Event of Default when used in each of the Indentures, will mean any of the
following:
.. failure to pay the principal or any premium on any Debt Security when due;
.. with respect to the Senior Debt Securities, failure to deposit any sinking
fund payment when due that continues for 60 days;
.. failure to pay any interest on any Debt Securities of that series, when due,
that continues for 60 days (or for 30 days in the case of any Junior
Subordinated Debentures); provided that, if applicable, for this purpose, the
date on which interest is due is the date on which we are required to make
payment following any deferral of interest payments by us under the terms of
Junior Subordinated Debentures that permit such deferrals;
.. failure to perform any other covenant in the Indentures (other than a
covenant expressly included solely for the benefit of other series) that
continues for 90 days after the Trustee or the holders of at least 33% of the
outstanding Debt Securities (25% in the case of the Junior Subordinated
Debentures) of that series give us written notice of the default;
.. certain events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Dominion; or
.. any other Event of Default included in the Indentures or any supplemental
indenture. (Section 501 of the Senior Indenture & Section 6.1 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
In the case of a general covenant default described above, the Trustee may
extend the grace period. In addition, if holders of a particular series have
given a notice of default, then holders of at least the same percentage of Debt
Securities of that series, together with the Trustee, may also extend the grace
period. The grace period will be automatically extended if we have initiated
and are diligently pursuing corrective action.
An Event of Default for a particular series of Debt Securities does not
necessarily constitute an Event of Default for any other series of Debt
Securities issued under the Indentures. Additional events of default may be
established for a particular series and, if established, will be described in
the applicable prospectus supplement.
If an Event of Default for any series of Debt Securities occurs and
continues, the Trustee or the holders of at least 33% (25%, in the case of the
Junior Subordinated Debentures) in aggregate principal amount of the Debt
Securities of the series may declare the entire principal of all the Debt
Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately. If this happens,
subject to certain conditions, the holders of a majority of the aggregate
principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series can void the trust
agreement. (Section 502 of the Senior Indenture & Section 6.1 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
The Trustee may withhold notice to the holders of Debt Securities of any
11
default (except in the payment of principal or interest) if it considers the
withholding of notice to be in the best interests of the holders. Other than
its duties in case of a default, a Trustee is not obligated to exercise any of
its rights or powers under the Indentures at the request, order or direction of
any holders, unless the holders offer the Trustee reasonable indemnity. If they
provide this reasonable indemnification, the holders of a majority in principal
amount of any series of Debt Securities may direct the time, method and place
of conducting any proceeding or any remedy available to the Trustee, or
exercising any power conferred upon the Trustee, for any series of Debt
Securities. (Sections 512, 601 & 602 of the Senior Indenture & Sections 6.6,
7.1 & 7.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
The holder of any Debt Security will have an absolute and unconditional
right to receive payment of the principal, any premium and, within certain
limitations, any interest on that Debt Security on its maturity date or
redemption date and to enforce those payments. (Section 508 of the Senior
Indenture & Section 14.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Satisfaction; Discharge
We may discharge all our obligations (except those described below) to
holders of the Debt Securities issued under the Indentures, which Debt
Securities have not already been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation and
which either have become due and payable or are by their terms due and payable
within one year, or are to be called for redemption within one year, by
depositing with the Trustee an amount certified to be sufficient to pay when
due the principal, interest and premium, if any, on all outstanding Debt
Securities. However, certain of our obligations under the Indentures will
survive, including with respect to the following:
.. remaining rights to register the transfer, conversion, substitution or
exchange of Debt Securities of the applicable series;
.. rights of holders to receive payments of principal of, and any interest on,
the Debt Securities of the applicable series, and other rights, duties and
obligations of the holders of Debt Securities with respect to any amounts
deposited with the Trustee; and
.. the rights, obligations and immunities of the Trustee under the Indentures.
(Section 401 of Senior Indenture & Section 12.1 of Subordinated Indenture.)
Modification of Indentures; Waiver
Under the Indentures our rights and obligations and the rights of the
holders may be modified with the consent of the holders of a majority in
aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of each series
affected by the modification. No modification of the principal or interest
payment terms, and no modification reducing the percentage required for
modifications, is effective against any holder without its consent. (Section
902 of the Senior Indenture & Section 10.2 of the Subordinated Indenture.) In
addition, we may supplement the Indentures to create new series of Debt
Securities and for certain other purposes, without the consent of any holders
of Debt Securities. (Section 901 of the Senior Indenture & Section 10.1 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
The holders of a majority of the outstanding Debt Securities of all series
under the applicable Indenture with respect
12
to which a default has occurred and is continuing may waive a default for all
those series, except a default in the payment of principal or interest, or any
premium, on any Debt Securities or a default with respect to a covenant or
provision which cannot be amended or modified without the consent of the holder
of each outstanding Debt Security of the series affected. (Section 513 of the
Senior Indenture & Section 6.6 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
In addition, under certain circumstances, the holders of a majority of the
outstanding Junior Subordinated Debentures of any series may waive in advance,
for that series, our compliance with certain restrictive provisions of the
Subordinated Indenture under which those Junior Subordinated Debentures were
issued. (Section 4.7 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Concerning the Trustee
The Chase Manhattan Bank is the Subordinated Indenture Trustee and the
Trustee under the Senior Indenture. We and certain of our affiliates maintain
deposit accounts and banking relationships with The Chase Manhattan Bank. The
Chase Manhattan Bank also serves as trustee under other indentures pursuant to
which securities of ours and of certain of our affiliates are outstanding. It
has purchased, and is likely to purchase in the future, our securities and
securities of our affiliates.
The Trustee will perform only those duties that are specifically set forth
in the Indentures unless an event of default under an Indenture occurs and is
continuing. The Trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of its powers
under the Indentures at the request of any holder of Debt Securities unless
that holder offers reasonable indemnity to the Trustee against the costs,
expenses and liabilities which it might incur as a result. (Section 601 of the
Senior Indenture & Section 7.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
The Trustee administers its corporate trust business at 450 West 33rd
Street, New York, New York 10001 (Attention: Institutional Trust Services).
ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SENIOR DEBT SECURITIES
Repayment at the Option of the Holder; Repurchases by Dominion
We must repay the Senior Debt Securities at the option of the holders prior
to the Stated Maturity Date only if specified in the applicable prospectus
supplement. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, the Senior
Debt Securities subject to repayment at the option of the holder will be
subject to repayment:
.. on the specified Repayment Dates; and
.. at a repayment price equal to 100% of the unpaid principal amount to be
repaid, together with unpaid interest accrued to the Repayment Date. (Section
1302 of the Senior Indenture.)
For any Senior Debt Security to be repaid, the Trustee must receive, at its
office maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, New York City
not more than 60 nor less than 30 calendar days prior to the date of repayment:
.. in the case of a certificated Senior Debt Security, the certificated Senior
Debt Security and the form in the Senior Debt Security entitled Option of
Holder to Elect Purchase duly completed; or
13
.. in the case of a book-entry Senior Debt Security, instructions to that effect
from the beneficial owner to the securities depositary and forwarded by the
securities depositary. Exercise of the repayment option by the holder will be
irrevocable. (Section 1303 of the Senior Indenture.)
Only the securities depositary may exercise the repayment option in respect
of beneficial interests in the book-entry Senior Debt Securities. Accordingly,
beneficial owners that desire repayment in respect of all or any portion of
their beneficial interests must instruct the participants through which they
own their interests to direct the securities depositary to exercise the
repayment option on their behalf. All instructions given to participants from
beneficial owners relating to the option to elect repayment will be
irrevocable. In addition, at the time the instructions are given, each
beneficial owner will cause the participant through which it owns its interest
to transfer its interest in the book-entry Senior Debt Securites or the global
certificate representing the related book-entry Senior Debt Securities, on the
securities depositary's records, to the Trustee. See DESCRIPTION OF DEBT
SECURITIES--GLOBAL SECURITIES.
Defeasance
We will be discharged from our obligations on the Senior Debt Securities of
any series at any time if we deposit with the Trustee sufficient cash or
government securities to pay the principal, interest, any premium and any other
sums due to the stated maturity date or a redemption date of the Senior Debt
Securities of the series. If this happens, the holders of the Senior Debt
Securities of the series will not be entitled to the benefits of the Senior
Indenture except for registration of transfer and exchange of Senior Debt
Securities and replacement of lost, stolen or mutilated Senior Debt Securities.
(Section 402 of the Senior Indenture.)
Under federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, a discharge
may be treated as an exchange of the related Senior Debt Securities. Each
holder might be required to recognize gain or loss equal to the difference
between the holder's cost or other tax basis for the Senior Debt Securities and
the value of the holder's interest in the trust. Holders might be required to
include as income a different amount than would be includable without the
discharge. We urge prospective investors to consult their own tax advisers as
to the consequences of a discharge, including the applicability and effect of
tax laws other than the federal income tax law.
ADDITIONAL TERMS OF THE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES
Additional Covenants Applicable to Junior Subordinated Debentures
Under the Subordinated Indenture, we will:
.. maintain 100% ownership of any Trust to which the Junior Subordinated
Debentures have been issued while the Junior Subordinated Debentures remain
outstanding; and
.. pay to any Trust to which the Junior Subordinated Debentures have been issued
any taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature
(other than withholding taxes) imposed by the United States or any other
taxing
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authority on that Trust, so that the net amounts received and retained by
that Trust (after paying any taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental
charges) will be not less than the Trust would have received had no such
taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges been imposed.
(Sections 4.8 & 4.9 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Option to Extend Interest Payment Period
We can defer interest payments by extending the interest payment period for
the number of consecutive extension periods specified in the applicable
prospectus supplement (each, an Extension Period). Other details regarding the
Extension Period will also be specified in the applicable prospectus
supplement. No Extension Period may extend beyond the maturity of the Junior
Subordinated Debentures. At the end of the Extension Period(s), we will pay all
interest then accrued and unpaid, together with interest compounded quarterly
at the rate for the Junior Subordinated Debentures, to the extent permitted by
applicable law. (Section 2.10 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
During any Extension Period, we will not make distributions related to our
capital stock, including dividends, redemptions, repurchases, liquidation
payments, or guarantee payments. Also we will not make any payments, redeem or
repurchase any debt securities of equal or junior rank to the Junior
Subordinated Debentures or make any guarantee payments on any such debt
securities. We may, however, make the following types of distributions:
.. dividends paid in common stock;
.. dividends in connection with the implementation of a shareholder rights plan;
.. payments to a trust holding securities of the same series under a guarantee;
or
.. repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of our capital stock
in connection with any employment contract, benefit plan or other similar
arrangement with or for the benefit of employees, officers, directors or
consultants.
Subordination
Each series of Junior Subordinated Debentures will be subordinate and
junior in right of payment, to the extent set forth in the Subordinated
Indenture, to all Senior Indebtedness as defined below. If:
.. we make a payment or distribution of any of our assets to creditors upon our
dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, whether in
bankruptcy, insolvency or otherwise;
.. a default beyond any grace period has occurred and is continuing with respect
to the payment of principal, interest or any other monetary amounts due and
payable on any Senior Indebtedness; or
.. the maturity of any Senior Indebtedness has been accelerated because of a
default on that Senior Indebtedness,
then the holders of Senior Indebtedness generally will have the right to
receive payment, in the case of the first instance, of all amounts due or to
become due upon that Senior Indebtedness, and, in the case of the second and
third instances, of all amounts due on that Senior Indebtedness, or we will
make provision for those payments, before the holders of any Junior
Subordinated
15
Debentures have the right to receive any payments of principal or interest on
their Junior Subordinated Debentures. (Sections 14.1 and 14.9 of the
Subordinated Indenture.)
Senior Indebtedness means, with respect to any series of Junior
Subordinated Debentures, the principal, premium, interest and any other payment
in respect of any
of the following:
.. all of our indebtedness for borrowed or purchased money that is evidenced by
notes, debentures, bonds or other written instruments;
.. our obligations for reimbursement under letters of credit, banker's
acceptances, security purchase facilities or similar facilities issued for
our account;
.. any of our other indebtedness or obligations with respect to commodity
contracts, interest rate commodity and currency swap agreements and other
similar agreements or arrangements; and
.. all indebtedness of others of the kinds described in the preceding categories
which we have assumed or guaranteed.
Senior Indebtedness will not include our obligations to trade creditors or
indebtedness to our subsidiaries. (Section 1.1 of the Subordinated Indenture.)
Senior Indebtedness will be entitled to the benefits of the subordination
provisions in the Subordinated Indenture irrespective of the amendment,
modification or waiver of any term of the Senior Indebtedness. We may not amend
the Subordinated Indenture to change the subordination of any outstanding
Junior Subordinated Debentures without the consent of each holder of Senior
Indebtedness that the amendment would adversely affect. (Sections 10.2 & 14.7
of the Subordinated Indenture.)
The Subordinated Indenture does not limit the amount of Senior Indebtedness
that we may issue.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES
The following is a summary of the principal terms of the Trust Preferred
Securities. The form of amended trust agreement is filed as an exhibit to the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, or is
incorporated by reference. The terms of the Trust Preferred Securities will
include those stated in the amended trust agreement and those made part of the
amended trust agreement by the Trust Indenture Act.
General
The Trust will exist until terminated as provided in its amended trust
agreement. Except under certain circumstances, we will be entitled to appoint,
remove, or replace trustees, who will conduct the business and affairs of the
Trust. The trustees of the Trust will consist of:
.. two employees, officers or affiliates of the Company as Administrative
Trustees;
.. a financial institution unaffiliated with us that will act as property
trustee and as indenture trustee for purposes of the Trust Indenture Act,
under the terms set forth in a prospectus supplement (the Property Trustee);
and
.. one trustee with its principal place of business or who resides in the State
of Delaware and who will act under the terms set forth in a prospectus
supplement. (Sections 6.1 through 6.5 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
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The amended trust agreement will authorize the Administrative Trustees to
issue, on behalf of the Trust, two classes of trust securities, Trust Preferred
Securities and trust common securities, each of which will have the terms
described in this prospectus and in the prospectus supplement. We will own all
of the trust common securities. The trust common securities will rank equally
in right of payment, and payments will be made on the trust common securities,
proportionately with the Trust Preferred Securities. However, if an event of
default occurs and is continuing under the amended trust agreement, the rights
of the holders of the trust common securities to payment for distributions and
payments upon liquidation, redemption and otherwise, will be subordinated to
the rights of the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities. We will acquire,
directly or indirectly, trust common securities in a total liquidation amount
of approximately 3% of the total capital of the Trust. (Sections 3.6, 5.1, 5.2
and 7.1 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
The proceeds from the sale of the Trust Preferred Securities will be used
by the Trust to purchase our Junior Subordinated Debentures. These Junior
Subordinated Debentures will be held in trust by the Property Trustee for the
benefit of the holders of the trust securities. We will guarantee the payments
of distributions and payments on redemption or liquidation with respect to the
Trust Preferred Securities, but only to the extent the Trust has funds
available to make those payments and has not made the payments. See DESCRIPTION
OF THE GUARANTEE.
The assets of the Trust available for distribution to the holders of Trust
Preferred Securities will be limited to payments from us under the Junior
Subordinated Debentures held by the Trust. If we fail to make a payment on the
Junior Subordinated Debentures, the Trust will not have sufficient funds to
make related payments, including distributions, on its Trust Preferred
Securities.
The Guarantee, when taken together with our obligations under the Junior
Subordinated Debentures, the Subordinated Indenture and the amended trust
agreement, will provide a full and unconditional guarantee of amounts due on
the Trust Preferred Securities issued by the Trust.
The Trust Preferred Securities will have the terms, including
distributions, redemption, voting, liquidation rights and other preferred,
deferred or other special rights or restrictions that will be described in the
amended trust agreement or made part of the amended trust agreement by the
Trust Indenture Act or the Delaware Business Trust Act. The terms of the Trust
Preferred Securities will mirror the terms of the Junior Subordinated
Debentures held by the Trust. In other words, the distribution rate and the
distribution payment dates and other payment dates for the Trust Preferred
Securities will correspond to the interest rate and interest payment dates and
other payment dates on the Junior Subordinated Debentures. Holders of Trust
Preferred Securities have no preemptive or similar rights. (Section 7.1 of the
Amended Trust Agreement.)
Provisions of a Particular Series
The Trust may issue only one series of Trust Preferred Securities. The
applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the
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principal terms of the Trust Preferred Securities that will be offered,
including:
.. the name of the Trust Preferred Securities;
.. the liquidation amount and number of Trust Preferred Securities issued;
.. the annual distribution rate(s) or method of determining such rate(s), the
payment date(s) and the record dates used to determine the holders who are to
receive distributions;
.. the date from which distributions will be cumulative;
.. the optional redemption provisions, if any, including the prices, time
periods and other terms and conditions on which the Trust Preferred
Securities will be purchased or redeemed, in whole or in part;
.. the terms and conditions, if any, upon which the Junior Subordinated
Debentures and the related Guarantee may be distributed to holders of those
Trust Preferred Securities;
.. any securities exchange on which the Trust Preferred Securities will be
listed;
.. whether the Trust Preferred Securities are to be issued in book-entry form
and represented by one or more global certificates, and if so, the depository
for those global certificates and the specific terms of the depositary
arrangements; and
.. any other relevant rights, preferences, privileges, limitations or
restrictions of the Trust Preferred Securities. (Article 7 of the Amended
Trust Agreement.)
The interest rate and interest and other payment dates of each series of
Junior Subordinated Debentures issued to a Trust will correspond to the rate at
which distributions will be paid and the distribution and other payment dates
of the Trust Preferred Securities of the Trust.
Extensions
We have the right under the Subordinated Indenture to defer payments of
interest on the Junior Subordinated Debentures by extending the interest
payment period from time to time on the Junior Subordinated Debentures. The
Administrative Trustees will give the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities
notice of any Extension Period upon their receipt of notice from us. If
distributions are deferred, the deferred distributions and accrued interest
will be paid to holders of record of the Trust Preferred Securities as they
appear on the books and records of the Trust on the record date next following
the termination of such deferral period. See ADDITIONAL TERMS OF THE JUNIOR
SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES--OPTION TO EXTEND INTEREST PAYMENT PERIOD.
Distributions
Distributions on the Trust Preferred Securities will be made on the dates
payable to the extent that the Trust has funds available for the payment of
distributions in the Property Account held by the Property Trustee. The Trust's
funds available for distribution to the holders of the trust securities will be
limited to payments received from us on the Junior Subordinated Debentures. We
have guaranteed the payment of distributions out of monies held by the Trust to
the extent set forth under DESCRIPTION OF THE GUARANTEE.
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Distributions on the Trust Preferred Securities will be payable to the
holders named on the securities register of the Trust at the close of business
on the record dates, which, as long as the Trust Preferred Securities remain in
book-entry only form, will be one business day prior to the relevant payment
dates. Distributions will be paid through the Property Trustee who will hold
amounts received in respect of the Junior Subordinated Debentures in the
Property Account for the benefit of the holders of the trust securities. In the
event that the Trust Preferred Securities do not continue to remain in book-
entry only form, the relevant record dates will conform to the rules of any
securities exchange on which the Trust Preferred Securities are listed and, if
none, the Administrative Trustees will have the right to select relevant record
dates, which will be more than 14 days but less than 60 days prior to the
relevant payment dates. In the event that any date on which distributions are
to be made on the Trust Preferred Securities is not a business day, then
payment of the distributions payable on that date will be made on the next
succeeding day which is a business day and without any interest or other
payment in respect of that delay, except that, if that business day is in the
next succeeding calendar year, the payment will be made on the immediately
preceding business day, in each case with the same force and effect as if made
on the record date. (Section 7.2 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Mandatory Redemption of Trust Preferred Securities
The Trust Preferred Securities have no stated maturity date, but will be
redeemed upon the maturity of the Junior Subordinated Debentures or to the
extent the Junior Subordinated Debentures are redeemed prior to maturity. The
Junior Subordinated Debentures will mature on the date specified in the
applicable prospectus supplement and may be redeemed at any time, in whole but
not in part, in certain circumstances upon the occurrence of a Tax Event or an
Investment Company Event as described under SPECIAL EVENT REDEMPTION.
Upon the maturity of the Junior Subordinated Debentures, the proceeds of
their repayment will simultaneously be applied to redeem all the outstanding
trust securities at the Redemption Price. Upon the redemption of the Junior
Subordinated Debentures, either at our option or as a result of a Tax Event or
an Investment Company Event, the proceeds from the redemption will
simultaneously be applied to redeem trust securities having a total liquidation
amount equal to the total principal amount of the Junior Subordinated
Debentures so redeemed at the redemption price; provided, that holders of trust
securities will be given not less than 20 nor more than 60 days' notice of the
redemption. In the event that fewer than all of the outstanding trust
securities are to be redeemed, the trust securities will be redeemed
proportionately. (Section 7.3 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Special Event Redemption
Both a Tax Event and an Investment Company Act Event constitute Special
Events for purposes of the redemption provisions described in the preceding
paragraph.
A Tax Event means that the Administrative Trustees have received an opinion
of independent tax counsel
19
experienced in those matters to the effect that, as a result of any amendment
to, change or announced proposed change in:
.. the laws or regulations of the United States or any of its political
subdivisions or taxing authorities, or
.. any official administrative pronouncement, action or judicial decision
interpreting or applying those laws or regulations,
.. which amendment or change becomes effective or proposed change,
pronouncement, action or decision is announced on or after the date the Trust
Preferred Securities are issued and sold, there is more than an insubstantial
risk that:
.. the Trust is or within 90 days would be subject to U.S. federal income tax
with respect to income accrued or received on the Junior Subordinated
Debentures,
.. interest payable to the Trust on the Junior Subordinated Debentures is not or
within 90 days would not be deductible, in whole or in part, by us for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, or
.. the Trust is or within 90 days would be subject to a material amount of other
taxes, duties or other governmental charges.
An Investment Company Event means that the Administrative Trustees have
received an opinion of a nationally recognized independent counsel to the
effect that, as a result of an amendment to or change in the Investment Company
Act or regulations thereunder on or after the date the Trust Preferred
Securities are issued and sold, there is more than an insubstantial risk that
the Trust is or will be considered an investment company and be required to be
registered under the Investment Company Act. (Section 1.1 of the Amended Trust
Agreement.)
Redemption Procedures
The Trust may not redeem fewer than all the outstanding trust securities
unless all accrued and unpaid distributions have been paid on all trust
securities for all distribution periods terminating on or before the date of
redemption. In the event that fewer than all of the outstanding trust
securities are to be redeemed, the trust securities will be redeemed
proportionately.
If the Trust gives a notice of redemption in respect of the trust
securities (which notice will be irrevocable), then, by 12:00 noon, New York
City time, on the redemption date, and if we have paid to the Property Trustee
a sufficient amount of cash in connection with the related redemption or
maturity of the Junior Subordinated Debentures, the Property Trustee will
irrevocably deposit with the depositary funds sufficient to pay the applicable
redemption price and will give the depositary irrevocable instructions and
authority to pay the redemption price to the holders of the Trust Preferred
Securities, and the paying agent will pay the applicable redemption price to
the holders of the trust common securities by check. If notice of redemption
has been given and funds deposited as required, then, immediately prior to the
close of business on the date of the deposit, distributions will cease to
accrue and all rights of holders of Trust Preferred Securities called for
redemption will cease, except the right of the holders of the Trust Preferred
Securities to receive the redemption price but without interest on the
redemption price. In the event that any date
20
fixed for redemption of Trust Preferred Securities is not a business day, then
payment of the redemption price payable on that date will be made on the next
succeeding day that is a business day, without any interest or other payment in
respect of any such delay, except that, if that business day falls in the next
calendar year, payment will be made on the immediately preceding business day.
In the event that payment of the redemption price in respect of Trust Preferred
Securities is improperly withheld or refused and not paid either by the Trust
or by us under the Guarantee, distributions on the Trust Preferred Securities
will continue to accrue at the then applicable rate from the original
redemption date to the date of payment, in which case the actual payment date
will be considered the date fixed for redemption for purposes of calculating
the redemption price.
Subject to the foregoing and applicable law, including, without limitation,
U.S. federal securities laws, we or our subsidiaries may at any time, and from
time to time, purchase outstanding Trust Preferred Securities by tender, in the
open market or by private agreement. (Section 7.4 of the Amended Trust
Agreement.)
Conversion or Exchange Rights
The terms on which the Trust Preferred Securities are convertible into or
exchangeable for common stock or our other securities will be contained in the
applicable prospectus supplement. Those terms will include provisions as to
whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at
our option, and may include provisions under which the number of shares of
common stock or our other securities to be received by the holders of Trust
Preferred Securities would be subject to adjustment.
Distribution of the Junior Subordinated Debentures
We will have the right at any time to dissolve the Trust and, after
satisfaction of the liabilities of creditors of the Trust as provided by
applicable law, to cause Junior Subordinated Debentures to be distributed to
the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities in a total stated principal
amount equal to the total stated liquidation amount of the Trust Preferred
Securities then outstanding. Prior to any such dissolution, we will obtain any
required regulatory approvals. The right to dissolve the trust and distribute
the Junior Subordinated Debentures will be conditioned on our receipt of an
opinion rendered by an independent tax counsel that the distribution would not
result in the recognition of gain or loss for federal income tax purposes by
the holders. (Section 8.1 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Liquidation Distribution Upon Dissolution
The amended trust agreement will state that the Trust will be dissolved:
.. upon our bankruptcy;
.. upon the filing of a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent with
respect to us;
.. upon the filing of a certificate of cancellation with respect to the Trust
after obtaining the consent of at least a majority in liquidation amount of
the Trust Preferred Securities, voting together as a single class;
21
.. 90 days after the revocation of our charter, but only if the charter is not
reinstated during that 90-day period;
.. upon the distribution of the related Junior Subordinated Debentures directly
to the holders of the trust securities;
.. upon the redemption of all of the trust securities; or
.. upon entry of a court order for the dissolution of us or the Trust. (Section
8.1 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
In the event of a dissolution, after the Trust pays all amounts owed to
creditors, the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities will be entitled to
receive:
.. cash equal to the total liquidation amount of each Trust Preferred Security
specified in an accompanying prospectus supplement, plus accumulated and
unpaid distributions to the date of payment, or
.. Junior Subordinated Debentures in a total principal amount equal to the total
liquidation amount of the Trust Preferred Securities.
If the Trust cannot pay the full amount due on its trust securities because
insufficient assets are available for payment, then the amounts payable by the
Trust on its trust securities will be paid proportionately. However, if an
event of default under the related amended trust agreement occurs, the total
amounts due on the Trust Preferred Securities will be paid before any
distribution on the trust common securities. Under certain circumstances
involving the dissolution of the Trust, subject to obtaining any required
regulatory approval, Junior Subordinated Debentures will be distributed to the
holders of the trust securities in liquidation of the Trust. (Section 8.2 of
the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Trust Enforcement Events
An event of default under the Subordinated Indenture relating to the Junior
Subordinated Debentures will be an event of default under the amended trust
agreement (a Trust Enforcement Event). See DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES--
EVENTS OF DEFAULT.
In addition, the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, winding up or
termination of the Trust is also a Trust Enforcement Event, except in
connection with:
.. the distribution of the Junior Subordinated Debentures to holders of the
trust securities of the Trust,
.. the redemption of all of the trust securities of the Trust, and
.. mergers, consolidations or amalgamations permitted by the amended trust
agreement of the Trust.
Under the amended trust agreement, the holder of the trust common
securities will be deemed to have waived any Trust Enforcement Event with
respect to the trust common securities until all Trust Enforcement Events with
respect to the Trust Preferred Securities have been cured, waived or otherwise
eliminated. Until all Trust Enforcement Events with respect to the Trust
Preferred Securities have been so cured, waived, or otherwise eliminated, the
Property Trustee will be deemed to be acting solely on behalf of the holders of
the Trust Preferred Securities and only the holders of the Trust Preferred
Securities will have the right to direct the Property Trustee with respect to
certain matters under the amended trust agreement and the Subordinated
Indenture. In the event that
22
any Trust Enforcement Event with respect to the Trust Preferred Securities is
waived by the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities as provided in the
amended trust agreement, under the amended trust agreement the holders of trust
common securities have agreed that the waiver also constitutes a waiver of the
Trust Enforcement Event with respect to the trust common securities for all
purposes under the amended trust agreement without any further act, vote or
consent of the holders of trust common securities. (Section 2.6 of the Amended
Trust Agreement.)
We and the Administrative Trustees must file annually with the Property
Trustee a certificate evidencing compliance with all the applicable conditions
and covenants under the amended trust agreement. (Section 2.4 of the Amended
Trust Agreement.)
Upon the occurrence of a Trust Enforcement Event the Property Trustee, as
the sole holder of the Junior Subordinated Debentures, will have the right
under the Subordinated Indenture to declare the principal of, interest and
premium, if any, on the Junior Subordinated Debentures to be immediately due
and payable.
If a Property Trustee fails to enforce its rights under the amended trust
agreement or the Subordinated Indenture to the fullest extent permitted by law
and subject to the terms of the amended trust agreement and the Subordinated
Indenture, any holder of Trust Preferred Securities may sue us, or seek other
remedies, to enforce the Property Trustee's rights under the amended trust
agreement or the Subordinated Indenture without first instituting a legal
proceeding against the Property Trustee or any other person. If a Trust
Enforcement Event occurs and is continuing as a result of our failure to pay
principal of or interest or premium, if any, on the Junior Subordinated
Debentures when payable, then a holder of the Trust Preferred Securities may
directly sue us or seek other remedies, to collect its proportionate share of
payments owned. See RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES, THE
GUARANTEE AND THE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES HELD BY THE TRUST.
Removal and Replacement of Trustees
Only the holders of trust common securities have the right to remove or
replace the trustees of the Trust, except that while an event of default in
respect of the Junior Subordinated Debentures has occurred or is continuing,
the holders of a majority of the Trust Preferred Securities will have this
right. The resignation or removal of any trustee and the appointment of a
successor trustee will be effective only on the acceptance of appointment by
the successor trustee in accordance with the provisions of the amended trust
agreement. (Section 6.6 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Mergers, Consolidations or Amalgamations of the Trust
The Trust may not consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or be
replaced by or convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets
substantially as an entirety to any other corporation or other body (each, a
Merger Event), except as described below. The Trust may, with the consent of a
majority of its Administrative Trustees and without the consent of the holders
of its trust securities, consolidate,
23
amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by another trust, provided that:
.. the successor entity either
.. assumes all of the obligations of the Trust relating to its trust securities,
or
.. substitutes other securities for the trust securities that are substantially
similar to the trust securities, so long as the successor securities rank the
same as the trust securities for distributions and payments upon liquidation,
redemption and otherwise;
.. we acknowledge a trustee of the successor entity who has the same powers and
duties as the Property Trustee of the Trust, as the holder of the Junior
Subordinated Debentures;
.. the Trust Preferred Securities are listed, or any successor securities will
be listed, upon notice of issuance, on the same securities exchange or other
organization that the Trust Preferred Securities are then listed;
.. the Merger Event does not cause the Trust Preferred Securities or successor
securities to be downgraded by any nationally recognized rating agency;
.. the Merger Event does not adversely affect the rights, preferences and
privileges of the holders of the trust securities or successor securities in
any material way, other than with respect to any dilution of the holders'
interest in the new entity;
.. the successor entity has a purpose identical to that of the Trust;
.. prior to the Merger Event, we have received an opinion of counsel from a
nationally recognized law firm stating that
.. the Merger Event does not adversely affect the rights of the holders of the
Trust Preferred Securities or any successor securities in any material way,
other than with respect to any dilution of the holders' interest in the new
entity, and
.. following the Merger Event, neither the Trust nor the successor entity will
be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company
Act; and
.. we guarantee the obligations of the successor entity under the successor
securities in the same manner as in the Guarantee.
In addition, unless all of the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities
and trust common securities approve otherwise, the Trust will not consolidate,
amalgamate, merge with or into, or be replaced by any other entity or permit
any other entity to consolidate, amalgamate, merge with or into, or replace it,
if, in the opinion of a nationally recognized tax counsel experienced in such
matters, the transaction would cause the Trust or the successor entity to be
classified other than as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
(Section 3.15 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Voting Rights; Amendment of Trust Agreement
The holders of Trust Preferred Securities have no voting rights except as
discussed under MERGERS, CONSOLIDATIONS OR AMALGAMATIONS OF THE TRUST and
DESCRIPTION OF THE GUARANTEE--AMENDMENTS, and as otherwise required by law and
the amended trust agreement.
24
The amended trust agreement may be amended if approved by a majority of the
Administrative Trustees of the Trust. However, if any proposed amendment
provides for, or the Administrative Trustees otherwise propose to effect,
.. any action that would adversely affect the powers, preferences or special
rights of the trust securities, whether by way of amendment to the amended
trust agreement or otherwise, or
.. the dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust other than under the
terms of its amended trust agreement,
.. then the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities as a single class will be
entitled to vote on the amendment or proposal. In that case, the amendment or
proposal will only be effective if approved by at least a majority in
liquidation amount of the Trust Preferred Securities affected by the
amendment or proposal.
No amendment may be made to an amended trust agreement if that amendment
would:
.. cause the Trust to be characterized as other than a grantor trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes;
.. reduce or otherwise adversely affect the powers of the Property Trustee; or
.. cause the Trust to be deemed to be an investment company which is required to
be registered under the Investment Company Act. (Section 11.1 of the Amended
Trust Agreement.)
The holders of a majority of the total liquidation amount of the Trust
Preferred Securities have the right to:
.. direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy
available to the Property Trustee; or
.. direct the exercise of any power conferred upon the Property Trustee under
the amended trust agreement, including the right to direct the Property
Trustee, as the holder of the Junior Subordinated Debentures, to:
.. exercise the remedies available under the Subordinated Indenture with respect
to the Junior Subordinated Debentures,
.. waive any event of default under the Subordinated Indenture that is waivable,
or
.. cancel an acceleration of the principal of the Junior Subordinated
Debentures.
In addition, before taking any of the foregoing actions, the Property
Trustee must obtain an opinion of counsel stating that, as a result of that
action, the Trust will continue to be classified as a grantor trust for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. (Section 7.5 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
As described in the form of amended trust agreement, the Property Trustee
may hold a meeting to have holders of Trust Preferred Securities vote on a
change or have them approve a change by written consent.
If a vote by the holders of Trust Preferred Securities is taken or a
consent is obtained, any Trust Preferred Securities owned by us or any of our
affiliates will, for purposes of the vote or consent, be treated as if they
were not outstanding,
25
which will have the following consequences:
.. we and any of our affiliates will not be able to vote on or consent to
matters requiring the vote or consent of holders of Trust Preferred
Securities; and
.. any Trust Preferred Securities owned by us or any of our affiliates will not
be counted in determining whether the required percentage of votes or
consents has been obtained. Section 7.5 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Information Concerning the Property Trustee
The Chase Manhattan Bank is the Property Trustee. It is also the Guarantee
Trustee, the Subordinated Indenture Trustee and the Senior Indenture Trustee.
Dominion and certain of it affiliates maintain deposit accounts and banking
relationships with The Chase Manhattan Bank. The Chase Manhattan Bank also
serves as trustee under other indentures pursuant to which Dominion securities
and securities of certain of its affiliates are outstanding.
For matters relating to compliance with the Trust Indenture Act, the
Property Trustee will have all of the duties and responsibilities of an
indenture trustee under the Trust Indenture Act. The Property Trustee, other
than during the occurrence and continuance of a Trust Enforcement Event,
undertakes to perform only the duties that are specifically described in the
amended trust agreement and, upon a Trust Enforcement Event, must use the same
degree of care and skill as a prudent person would exercise or use in the
conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the Property
Trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the
applicable amended trust agreement at the request of any holder of Trust
Preferred Securities unless it is offered reasonable security or indemnity
against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur. However, the
holders of the Trust Preferred Securities will not be required to offer such an
indemnity where the holders, by exercising their voting rights, direct the
Property Trustee to take any action following a Trust Enforcement Event.
(Section 3.9 of the Amended Trust Agreement.)
Information Concerning the Delaware Trustee
Chase Manhattan Bank USA, National Association, will serve as trustee of
the Trust in the State of Delaware for the purpose of complying with the
provisions of the Delaware Business Trust Act. It is an affiliate of The Chase
Manhattan Bank which serves as Property Trustee and in the other capacities
described above under "Information Concerning the Property Trustee."
Information Concerning the Administrative Trustees
The Administrative Trustees are authorized and directed to conduct the
affairs of and to operate the Trust in a way that:
.. will not cause it to be deemed to be an investment company required to be
registered under the Investment Company Act;
.. will cause it to be classified as a grantor trust for U.S. federal income tax
purposes; and
.. will cause the Junior Subordinated Debentures it holds to be treated as our
indebtedness for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
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We and the Administrative Trustees are authorized to take any action, so
long as it is consistent with applicable law or the certificate of trust or
amended trust agreement, that we and the Administrative Trustees determine to
be necessary or desirable for those purposes. (Section 3.6 of the Amended Trust
Agreement.)
DESCRIPTION OF THE GUARANTEE
We will execute the Guarantee from time to time for the benefit of the
holders of the Trust Preferred Securities.
The Chase Manhattan Bank will act as Guarantee Trustee under the Guarantee.
The Guarantee Trustee will hold the Guarantee for the benefit of the holders of
the Trust Preferred Securities.
The following description of the Guarantee is only a summary. The form of
Guarantee is an exhibit to the registration statement.
General
We will irrevocably and unconditionally agree under the Guarantee to pay
the Guarantee Payments that are defined below, to the extent specified in the
Guarantee, to the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities, to the extent that
the Guarantee Payments are not paid by or on behalf of the Trust. We are
required to pay the Guarantee Payments to the extent specified in the Guarantee
regardless of any defense, right of set-off or counterclaim that we may have or
may assert against any person. (Section 5.1 of the Guarantee.)
The following payments and distributions on the Trust Preferred Securities
of the Trust are Guarantee Payments:
.. any accrued and unpaid distributions required to be paid on the Trust
Preferred Securities of the Trust, but only to the extent that the Trust has
funds legally and immediately available for those distributions;
.. the redemption price for any Trust Preferred Securities that the Trust calls
for redemption, including all accrued and unpaid distributions to the
redemption date, but only to the extent that the Trust has funds legally and
immediately available for the payment; and
.. upon a dissolution, winding-up or termination of the Trust, other than in
connection with the distribution of Junior Subordinated Debentures to the
holders of Trust Securities of the Trust or the redemption of all the Trust
Preferred Securities of the Trust, the lesser of:
.. the sum of the liquidation amount and all accrued and unpaid distributions on
the Trust Preferred Securities of the Trust to the payment date, to the
extent that the Trust has funds legally and immediately available for the
payment; and
.. the amount of assets of the Trust remaining available for distribution to
holders of the Trust Preferred Securities of the Trust in liquidation of the
Trust. (Section 1.1 of the Guarantee.)
We may satisfy our obligation to make a Guarantee Payment by making that
payment directly to the holders of the related Trust Preferred Securities or by
causing the Trust to make the payment to those holders. (Section 5.1 of the
Guarantee.)
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The Guarantee will be a full and unconditional guarantee, subject to
certain subordination provisions, of the Guarantee Payments with respect to the
Trust Preferred Securities from the time of issuance of the Trust Preferred
Securities, except that the Guarantee will only apply to the payment of
distributions and other payments on the Trust Preferred Securities when the
Trust has sufficient funds legally and immediately available to make those
distributions or other payments.
If we do not make the required payments on the Junior Subordinated
Debentures that the Property Trustee holds under the Trust, the Trust will not
make the related payments on the Trust Preferred Securities.
Subordination
Our obligations under the Guarantee will be unsecured obligations. Those
obligations will rank:
.. subordinate and junior in right of payment to all of our other liabilities,
other than obligations or liabilities that rank equal in priority or
subordinate by their terms;
.. equal in priority with the Junior Subordinated Debentures that we may issue
and similar guarantees; and
.. senior to our preferred and common stock. (Section 6.2 of the Guarantee.)
We have approximately $825 million in Junior Subordinated Debentures
outstanding that will rank equal in priority with the Guarantee. We have common
stock outstanding that will rank junior to the Guarantee.
The Guarantee will be a guarantee of payment and not of collection. This
means that the guaranteed party may institute a legal proceeding directly
against us, as guarantor, to enforce its rights under the Guarantee without
first instituting a legal proceeding against any other person or entity.
(Section 5.4 of the Guarantee.)
The terms of the Trust Preferred Securities will provide that each holder
of the Trust Preferred Securities, by accepting those Trust Preferred
Securities, agrees to the subordination provisions and other terms of the
Guarantee.
Amendments
We may amend the Guarantee without the consent of any holder of the Trust
Preferred Securities to which the Guarantee relates if the amendment does not
materially and adversely affect the rights of those holders. We may otherwise
amend the Guarantee with the approval of the holders of at least 50% of the
outstanding Trust Preferred Securities to which the Guarantee relates. (Section
9.2 of the Guarantee.)
Termination
The Guarantee will terminate and be of no further effect when:
.. the redemption price of the Trust Preferred Securities to which the Guarantee
relates is fully paid;
.. we distribute the related Junior Subordinated Debentures to the holders of
those Trust Preferred Securities; or
.. the amounts payable upon liquidation of the related Trust are fully paid.
(Section 7.1 of the Guarantee.)
The Guarantee will remain in effect or will be reinstated if at any time
any holder of the related Trust Preferred Securities must restore payment of
any sums paid to
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that holder with respect to those Trust Preferred Securities or under the
Guarantee.
Material Covenants
We will covenant that, so long as any Trust Preferred Securities remain
outstanding, if there is an event of default under the Guarantee or the amended
trust agreement:
.. we will not make distributions related to our debt securities that rank
equally with or junior to the Junior Subordinated Debentures, including any
payment of interest, principal or premium, or repayments, repurchases or
redemptions; and
.. we will not make distributions related to our capital stock, including
dividends, redemptions, repurchases, liquidation payments, or guarantee
payments. We may, however, make the following types of distributions:
.dividends paid in common stock;
.dividends in connection with the implementation of a shareholder rights
plan;
.payments to a trust holding securities of the same series under a guarantee;
and
.repurchases, redemptions or other acquisitions of shares of our capital
stock in connection with any benefit plan or other similar arrangement with
or for the benefit of employees, officers, directors or consultants.
(Section 6.1 of the Guarantee.)
Because we are a holding company that conducts all of our operations
through our subsidiaries, our ability to meet our obligations under the
Guarantee is dependent on the earnings and cash flows of those subsidiaries and
the ability of those subsidiaries to pay dividends or to advance or repay funds
to us. The Trust, as holder of the Guarantee and the Junior Subordinated
Debentures will generally have a junior position to claims of creditors of our
subsidiaries, including trade creditors, debtholders, secured creditors, taxing
authorities, guarantee holders and any preferred stockholders.
Events of Default
An event of default will occur under the Guarantee if we fail to perform
any of our payment obligations under the Guarantee. The holders of a majority
of the Trust Preferred Securities of any series may waive any such event of
default and its consequences on behalf of all of the holders of the Trust
Preferred Securities of that series. (Section 2.6 of the Guarantee.) The
Guarantee Trustee is entitled to enforce the Guarantee for the benefit of the
holders of the Trust Preferred Securities of a series if an event of default
occurs under the related Guarantee. (Section 3.1 of the Guarantee.)
The holders of a majority of the Trust Preferred Securities to which the
Guarantee relates have the right to direct the time, method and place of
conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Guarantee Trustee
with respect to the Guarantee or to direct the exercise of any trust or power
that the Guarantee Trustee holds under the Guarantee. Any holder of the related
Trust Preferred Securities may institute a legal proceeding directly against us
to enforce that holder's rights under the Guarantee without first instituting a
legal proceeding against the Guarantee Trustee or any other person or entity.
(Section 5.4 of the Guarantee.)
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Concerning the Guarantee Trustee
The Chase Manhattan Bank is the Guarantee Trustee. It is also the Property
Trustee, the Subordinated Indenture Trustee and the Senior Indenture Trustee.
We and certain of our affiliates maintain deposit accounts and banking
relationships with The Chase Manhattan Bank. The Chase Manhattan Bank also
serves as trustee under other indentures pursuant to which securities of ours
and certain of our affiliates are outstanding.
The Guarantee Trustee will perform only those duties that are specifically
set forth in each Guarantee unless an event of default under the Guarantee
occurs and is continuing. In case an event of default occurs and is continuing,
the Guarantee Trustee will exercise the same degree of care as a prudent
individual would exercise in the conduct of his or her own affairs. (Section
3.1 of the Guarantee.) Subject to those provisions, the Guarantee Trustee is
under no obligation to exercise any of its powers under any Guarantee at the
request of any holder of the related Trust Preferred Securities unless that
holder offers reasonable indemnity to the Guarantee Trustee against the costs,
expenses and liabilities which it might incur as a result. (Section 3.2 of the
Guarantee.)
Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities
We will enter into an Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities as required
under the Trust Agreement. The Agreement as to Expenses and Liabilities will
provide that we will, with certain exceptions, irrevocably and unconditionally
guarantee the full payment of any indebtedness, expenses or liabilities of the
Trust to each person or entity to whom the Trust becomes indebted or liable.
The exceptions are the obligations of the Trust to pay to the holders of the
trust common securities or other similar interests in the Trust the amounts due
to the holders under the terms of the trust common securities or the similar
interests.
RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES, THE GUARANTEE AND THE JUNIOR
SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES HELD BY THE TRUST
We will guarantee payments of distributions and redemption and liquidation
payments due on the Trust Preferred Securities, to the extent the Trust has
funds available for the payments, to the extent described under DESCRIPTION OF
THE GUARANTEE. No single document executed by us in connection with the
issuance of the Trust Preferred Securities will provide for our full,
irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of the Trust Preferred Securities. It
is only the combined operation of our obligations under the Guarantee, the
amended trust agreement and the Subordinated Indenture that has the effect of
providing a full, irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of the Trust's
obligations under the Trust Preferred Securities.
As long as we make payments of interest and other payments when due on the
Junior Subordinated Debentures held by the Trust, those payments will be
sufficient to cover the payment of distributions and redemption and liquidation
payments due on the Trust Preferred Securities issued by the Trust, primarily
because:
.. the total principal amount of the Junior Subordinated Debentures will be
equal to the sum of the total liquidation amount of the trust securities;
30
.. the interest rate and interest and other payment dates on the Junior
Subordinated Debentures will match the distribution rate and distribution and
other payment dates for the Trust Preferred Securities;
.. we will pay for any and all costs, expenses and liabilities of the Trust
except its obligations under its Trust Preferred Securities; and
.. the amended trust agreement will provide that the Trust will not engage in
any activity that is not consistent with the limited purposes of the Trust.
If and to the extent that we do not make payments on the Junior
Subordinated Debentures, the Trust will not have funds available to make
payments of distributions or other amounts due on its Trust Preferred
Securities. In those circumstances, you will not be able to rely upon the
Guarantee for payment of these amounts. Instead, you may directly sue us or
seek other remedies to collect your proportionate share of payments owed. If
you sue us to collect payment, then we will assume your rights as a holder of
Trust Preferred Securities under the amended trust agreement to the extent we
make a payment to you in any such legal action.
ACCOUNTING TREATMENT
The Trust will be treated as a subsidiary of ours for financial reporting
purposes. Accordingly, our consolidated financial statements will include the
accounts of the Trust. The Trust Preferred Securities, along with other trust
preferred securities that we guarantee on an equivalent basis, will be
presented as a separate line item in our consolidated balance sheets, and
appropriate disclosures about the Trust Preferred Securities, the Guarantee and
the Junior Subordinated Debentures will be included in the notes to the
consolidated financial statements. We will record distributions that the Trust
pays on the Trust Preferred Securities as an expense in our consolidated
statement of income.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
As of December 31, 2000, our authorized capital stock was 520,000,000
shares. Those shares consisted of: (a) 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock,
none of which were outstanding; and (b) 500,000,000 shares of common stock, of
which approximately 245,800,000 shares were outstanding as of December 31,
2000. On February 16, 2001 our Board of Directors established the terms of and
authorized the issuance of at least 665,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock
in connection with a proposed financing of Dominion Telecom's capital expansion
program. No holder of shares of common stock or preferred stock has any
preemptive rights.
Common Stock
Listing
Our outstanding shares of common stock are listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol "D". Any additional common stock we issue will also
be listed on the NYSE.
Dividends
Common shareholders may receive dividends when declared by the Board of
Directors. Dividends may be paid in cash, stock or other form. In certain
cases, common shareholders may not receive
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dividends until we have satisfied our obligations to any preferred
shareholders. Under certain circumstances, the Subordinated Indenture also
restricts our ability to pay cash dividends.
Fully Paid
All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.
Any additional common stock we issue will also be fully paid and non-
assessable.
Voting Rights
Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote in the election of
directors and other matters. Common shareholders are not entitled to cumulative
voting rights.
Other Rights
We will notify common shareholders of any shareholders' meetings according
to applicable law. If we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our business, either
voluntarily or not, common shareholders will share equally in the assets
remaining after we pay our creditors and preferred shareholders.
Transfer Agents and Registrars
We, along with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, are transfer
agent and registrar. You may contact us at the address listed on page 2 or
Continental located in New York, New York.
Preferred Stock
The following description of the terms of the preferred stock sets forth
certain
general terms and provisions of our authorized preferred stock. If we issue
preferred stock, the specific designations and rights will be described in the
prospectus supplement and a description will be filed with the SEC.
Our Board of Directors can, without approval of shareholders, issue one or
more series of preferred stock. The Board can also determine the number of
shares of each series and the rights, preferences and limitations of each
series including the dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights,
redemption rights and any liquidation preferences of any wholly unissued series
of preferred stock, the number of shares constituting each series and the terms
and conditions of issue. In some cases, the issuance of preferred stock could
delay a change in control of the Company and make it harder to remove present
management. Under certain circumstances, preferred stock could also restrict
dividend payments to holders of our common stock.
The preferred stock will, when issued, be fully paid and non-assessable.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the
preferred stock will rank on a parity in all respects with any outstanding
preferred stock we may have and will have priority over our common stock as to
dividends and distributions of assets. Therefore, the rights of any preferred
stock that may subsequently be issued may limit the rights of the holders of
our common stock and preferred stock.
The transfer agent, registrar, and dividend disbursement agent for a series
of preferred stock will be named in a prospectus supplement. The registrar for
shares of preferred stock will send notices
to shareholders of any meetings at which holders of the preferred stock have
the right to elect directors or to vote on any other matter.
32
VIRGINIA STOCK CORPORATION ACT AND THE ARTICLES AND THE BYLAWS
General
We are a Virginia corporation subject to the Virginia Stock Corporation Act
(the Virginia Act). Provisions of the Virginia Act, in addition to provisions
of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, address corporate governance
issues, including the rights of shareholders. Some of these provisions could
hinder management changes while others could have an anti-takeover effect. This
anti-takeover effect may, in some circumstances, reduce the control premium
that might otherwise be reflected in the value of our common stock. If you are
buying this stock as part of a short-term investment strategy, this might be
especially important to you.
We have summarized the key provisions below. You should read the actual
provisions of our Articles and Bylaws and the Virginia Act that relate to your
individual investment strategy.
Business Combinations
Our Articles require that any merger, share exchange or sale of
substantially all of the assets of the Company be approved by a plurality of
the shares represented at a meeting where a quorum is present. Abstentions and
broker non-votes have the same effect as a vote against the matter.
Section 13.1-725 of the Virginia Act contains several provisions relating
to transactions with interested shareholders.
Interested shareholders are holders of more than 10% of any class of a
corporation's outstanding voting shares. Transactions between a corporation and
an interested shareholder are referred to as affiliated transactions. The
Virginia Act requires that material affiliated transactions must be approved by
at least two-thirds of the shareholders not including the interested
shareholder. Affiliated transactions requiring this two-thirds approval include
mergers, share exchanges, material dispositions of corporate assets,
dissolution or any reclassification of the corporation with its subsidiaries
which increases the percentage of voting shares owned by an interested
shareholder by more than five percent.
For three years following the time that a shareholder becomes an interested
shareholder, a Virginia corporation cannot engage in an affiliated transaction
with the interested shareholder without approval of two-thirds of the
disinterested voting shares, and majority approval of disinterested directors.
A disinterested director is a director who was a director on the date on which
an interested shareholder became an interested shareholder and was recommended
for election or elected by a majority of the disinterested directors then on
the board. After three years, the approval of the disinterested directors is no
longer required.
The provisions of the Virginia Act relating to affiliated transactions do
not apply if a majority of disinterested directors approve the acquisition of
shares making a person an interested shareholder.
The Virginia Act permits corporations to opt out of the affiliated
transactions provisions. We have not opted out.
The Virginia Act also contains provisions regulating certain control share
acquisitions, which are transactions causing
33
the voting strength of any person acquiring beneficial ownership of shares of a
public corporation in Virginia to meet or exceed certain threshold voting
percentages (20%, 331/3%, or 50%). Shares acquired in a control share
acquisition have no voting rights unless the voting rights are granted by a
majority vote of all outstanding shares other than those held by the acquiring
person or any officer or employee-director of the corporation. The acquiring
person may require that a special meeting of the shareholders be held to
consider the grant of voting rights to the shares acquired in the control share
acquisition.
Our Bylaws give us the right to redeem the shares purchased by an acquiring
person in a control share acquisition. We can do this if the acquiring person
fails to deliver a statement to us listing information required by the Virginia
Act or if our shareholders vote not to grant voting rights to the acquiring
person.
The Virginia Act permits corporations to opt out of the control share
acquisition provisions. We have not opted out.
Directors' Duties
The standards of conduct for directors of Virginia corporations are listed
in Section 13.1-690 of the Virginia Act. Directors must discharge their duties
in accordance with their good faith business judgement of the best interest of
the corporation. Directors may rely on the advice or acts of others, including
officers, employees, attorneys, accountants and board committees if they have a
good faith belief in their competence. Directors'
actions are not subject to a reasonableness or prudent person standard.
Virginia's federal and state courts have focused on the process involved with
directors' decision-making and are generally supportive of directors if they
have based their decision on an informed process. These elements of Virginia
law could make it more difficult to take over a Virginia corporation than
corporations in other states.
Board of Directors
Members of our Board of Directors serve one-year terms and are elected
annually. Directors may be removed from office for cause by the vote of two-
thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote.
Shareholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our shareholders can submit shareholder proposals and nominate candidates
for the Board of Directors if the shareholders follow advance notice procedures
described in our Bylaws.
To nominate directors, shareholders must submit a written notice to our
corporate secretary at least 60 days before a scheduled meeting. The notice
must include the name and address of the shareholder and of the nominee, a
description of any arrangements between the shareholder and the nominee,
information about the nominee required by the SEC, the written consent of the
nominee to serve as a director and other information.
Shareholder proposals must be submitted to our corporate secretary at least
90 days before the first anniversary of the date of our last annual meeting.
The notice must include a description of the proposal,
the reasons for presenting the proposal at the annual meeting, the text of any
resolutions to be presented, the shareholder's name and address and number of
shares held and any material interest of the shareholder in the proposal.
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Director nominations and shareholder proposals that are late or that do not
include all required information may be rejected. This could prevent
shareholders from bringing certain matters before an annual or special meeting,
including making nominations for directors.
Meetings of Shareholders
Under our Bylaws, meetings of the shareholders may be called only by the
chairman of the board, the president or a majority of the Board of Directors.
This provision could have the effect of delaying until the next annual
shareholders' meeting shareholder actions which are favored by the holders of a
majority of our outstanding voting securities, because such person or entity,
even if it acquired a majority of our outstanding voting securities, would be
able to take action as a shareholder, such as electing new directors or
approving a merger, only at a duly called shareholders' meeting.
Amendment of Articles
Generally, our Articles may be amended by a plurality of the shares
represented at a meeting where a quorum is present. Some provisions of the
Articles, however, may only be amended or repealed by a vote of at least two-
thirds of the outstanding shares entitled to vote.
Indemnification
We indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted
under Virginia law against all liabilities incurred in connection with their
service to us.
Limitation of Liability
Our Articles provide that our directors and officers will not be personally
liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their fiduciary duty as
directors or officers, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our
shareholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law,
authorized illegal dividends or redemptions or derived an improper personal
benefit from their action as directors or officers. This provision applies only
to claims against directors or officers arising out of their role as directors
or officers and not in any other capacity. Directors and officers remain liable
for violations of the federal securities laws and we retain the right to pursue
legal remedies other than monetary damages, such as an injunction or rescission
for breach of the officer's or director's duty of care.
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS
We may issue stock purchase contracts, including contracts obligating
holders to purchase from us, and us to sell to the holders, a specified number
of shares of common stock at a future date or dates, which we refer to in this
prospectus as stock purchase contracts. The price per share of common stock and
the number of shares of common stock may be fixed at the time the stock
purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific
formula set forth in the stock purchase contracts. The stock purchase contracts
may be issued separately or as
part of units consisting of a stock purchase contract and beneficial interests
in debt securities, trust preferred securities, preferred stock or debt
obligations of third parties, including U.S. treasury securities, securing the
holders' obligations to purchase the common stock under the stock purchase
contracts, which we refer to in
35
this prospectus as stock purchase units. The stock purchase contracts may
require us to make periodic payments to the holders of the stock purchase units
or vice versa, and these payments may be unsecured or refunded on some basis.
The stock purchase contracts may require holders to secure their obligations
under those contracts in a specified manner.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the stock
purchase contracts or stock purchase units, including, if applicable,
collateral or depositary arrangements, relating to the stock purchase contracts
or stock purchase units.
We currently have 8,250,000 stock purchase units outstanding. These stock
purchase units trade on the NYSE under the symbol "DCP." They obligate holders
to purchase up to 8,088,300 shares of our common stock from us by November 16,
2004.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the offered securities (a) through agents; (b) through
underwriters or dealers; or (c) directly to one or more purchasers.
By Agents
Offered securities may be sold through agents that we designate. The agents
agree to use their reasonable best efforts to solicit
purchases for the period of their appointment.
By Underwriters
If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered securities will be
acquired by the underwriters for their own account. The underwriters may resell
the securities in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions,
at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of
sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be
subject to certain conditions. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase
all the securities of the series offered if any of the securities are
purchased. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions
allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
Direct Sales
We may also sell offered securities directly. This may include sales of our
common stock to holders of our stock purchase units. In this case, no
underwriters or agents would be involved.
General Information
Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of
the offered securities may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act of
1933 (the Act), and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and
any profit on the resale of the offered securities by them may be treated as
underwriting discounts and commissions under the Act. Any underwriters or
agents will be identified and their compensation described in a prospectus
supplement.
We may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers and agents to
indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under
the Act, or to contribute with respect to payments which the underwriters,
dealers or agents may be required to make.
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Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with, or
perform services for, us or our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of their
businesses.
LEGAL OPINIONS
McGuireWoods LLP, counsel to the Company, will issue an opinion about the
legality of the offered securities for us. As of December 31, 2000, partners of
McGuireWoods LLP own less than one half of one percent of our common stock.
Certain matters relating to the formation of the Trust and the issuance of the
Trust Preferred Securities under Delaware law and the Trust Agreements will be
passed upon by Richards, Layton & Finger, special Delaware counsel to the
Trusts and the Company. Any underwriters will be advised about other issues
relating to any offering by their own legal counsel.
EXPERTS
The financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference from
the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999
have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in
their report, which is incorporated herein by reference, and have been so
incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their
authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
The audited historical consolidated financial statements of CNG
incorporated by reference in Dominion's Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February
1, 2000, incorporated by reference in this prospectus, have been so
incorporated in reliance of the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP,
independent accountants, given the authority of said firm as experts in
auditing and accounting.
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9,400,000 Shares
Dominion Resources, Inc.
Common Stock
[LOGO OF DOMINION RESOURCES INC.]
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
March 13, 2002
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Salomon Smith Barney
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