The first press release from the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Finance, as per the official and newly created PSI website:
HELLENIC REPUBLIC MINISTRY OF FINANCE
Press Release
For Immediate Release
24 February, 2012
Athens, Greece. The Ministerial Council of the Hellenic Republic today approved the terms of invitations to be made to private sector holders outside the United States of bonds issued or guaranteed by the Republic and selected to participate in the exchange offers and/or consent solicitations to be made by the Republic in furtherance of the 26 October 2011 Euro Summit Statement and the 21 February 2012 Eurogroup Statement, referred to as the Private Sector Involvement. The bonds invited to participate in PSI (listed by series in Annex I) have an aggregate outstanding face amount of approximately Euro 206 billion.
The exchange offers and/or consent solicitations will permit private sector holders to exchange bonds selected to participate in PSI for (i) new bonds to be issued by the Republic on the PSI settlement date having a face amount equal to 31.5% of the face amount of their exchanged bonds, (ii) European Financial Stability Facility notes with a maturity date of two years or less from the PSI settlement date and having a face amount equal to 15% of the face amount of their exchanged bonds, and (iii) detachable GDP-linked securities issued by the Republic having a notional amount equal to the face amount of each holder’s new bonds. On the PSI settlement date, the Republic will also deliver short-term EFSF notes in discharge of all unpaid interest accrued up to 24 February 2012 on exchanged bonds. The terms of the new bonds, GDP-linked securities and EFSF notes are summarized in Annex II.
The consent solicitation relating to Greek-law governed bonds issued by the Republic prior to 31 December, 2011 (having an aggregate outstanding amount of approximately Euro 177 billion) will seek the consent of the affected holders to the amendment of these bonds in reliance on Law 4050/2012 (the Greek Bondholder Act) enacted by the Greek Parliament on 23 February 2012. The proposed amendments provide for the redemption of the affected bonds in exchange for the PSI consideration described above. Under the collective action procedures
introduced by the Greek Bondholder Act, the proposed amendments will become binding on the holders of all the Republic’s Greek-law governed bonds issued prior to 31 December 2011 identified in the act of the Ministerial Council approving the PSI invitations, if at least two thirds by face amount of a quorum of these bonds, voting collectively without distinction by series, approve the proposed amendments. One half by face amount of all the Republic’s bonds subject to the collective action procedures will constitute a quorum for these purposes. The Republic will also separately solicit consents in favour of equivalent amendments from the holders of its foreign-law governed bonds and its foreign-law guaranteed bonds in accordance with the terms of those bonds.
To satisfy regulatory requirements applicable in a number of jurisdictions, the Republic will invite the holders of certain series of bonds to participate in the Republic’s exchange offer but not its consent solicitation, and holders of the Republic’s Swiss-law governed bonds may not exchange their bonds but will be solicited to consent to their amendment. Holders will receive substantially the same consideration irrespective of whether they participate in the exchange offer and/or a consent solicitation. The Republic also intends to invite holders in the United States of America to participate in a concurrent exchange offer and consent solicitation on substantially the same terms. The Republic will not, however, deliver any EFSF notes to holders in the United States of America, who will instead be paid the cash proceeds realized from the sale of the EFSF notes they would otherwise have received.
The full terms of each invitation will be made available in electronic form only through www.greekbonds.gr. In order to participate in an invitation, holders will need to comply with the procedures and offer and distribution restrictions described in the Republic’s related invitation memorandum available online at www.greekbonds.gr.
The invitations will be subject to certain conditions, including a financing condition and a minimum participation condition. Under the financing condition, the Republic will not proceed with any of the transactions contemplated in the invitations unless it meets all of the conditions under the financing agreements entered into with the EFSF for the Republic to be entitled to receive the EFSF notes, which include the approval by EWG, at its absolute discretion, of such disbursements. In addition, unless bonds representing at least 90% of the aggregate face amount of all bonds selected to participate in PSI are validly tendered for exchange, the Republic will not be required to settle any of the exchanges. However, if the Republic receives consents to the proposed amendments that would result in at least 90% of the aggregate face amount of all bonds selected to participate in PSI (including bonds tendered for exchange) being exchanged on the terms proposed by the Republic, the Republic intends, subject to all other conditions being satisfied and in consultation with its official sector creditors, to declare the proposed amendments effective and to complete the exchange of all bonds selected to participate in PSI that would be bound by the proposed amendments.
If at least 75% but less than 90% of the aggregate face amount of all bonds selected to participate in PSI are validly tendered for exchange, the Republic, in consultation with its official sector creditors, may proceed to exchange the tendered bonds without putting any of the proposed amendments into effect. However, if less than 75% of the aggregate face amount of the bonds selected to participate in PSI are validly tendered for exchange, and the Republic does not receive consents that would enable it to complete the proposed exchange with respect to bonds selected to participate in PSI representing at least 75% of the aggregate face amount of all bonds selected to participate in PSI, the Republic will not proceed with any of the transactions described above.
Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, and HSBC Bank plc have been appointed to act as Closing Agents for the invitations made outside the United States. Bondholder Communications Group LLC and Hellenic Exchanges, S.A. have been appointed to act as the joint Information, Exchange and Tabulation Agent.
