As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30, 2003
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
WILLIS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Bermuda (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
98-0352587 (I.R.S. Employee Identification Number) |
Ten Trinity Square
London EC3P 3AX, England
+44 20 7488 8111
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of Registrant's principal executive offices)
William P. Bowden, Jr., Esq.
Willis Group Holdings Limited
7 Hanover Square
New York, New York 10004
(212) 344-8888
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent for service)
With copies to:
Edward P. Tolley III, Esq. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett 425 Lexington Avenue New York, New York 10017 (212) 455-2000 |
Andrew J. Pitts, Esq. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP 825 Eighth Avenue New York, New York 10019 (212) 474-1000 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. o
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. o
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ý 333-104439
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box. o
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of each Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount to be Registered |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Price Per Security |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Amount of Registration Fee |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Common Stock, par value $0.000115 per share(1) | 3,678,710 shares | $31.00 | $114,040,000 | $9,225.87 | ||||
EXPLANATORY NOTE AND INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
This registration statement is being filed with respect to the registration of additional shares of Common Stock, par value $0.00115 per share, of Willis Group Holdings Limited, a company with limited liability organized under the laws of Bermuda, pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The contents of the earlier effective registration statement (File No. 333-104439) are incorporated in this registration statement by reference.
The earlier effective registration statement registered for offering and sale on a delayed basis (1) $500 million of unallocated securities to be sold by the registrant and/or certain of its subsidiaries and (2) 20 million of separately allocated shares of common stock to be sold by certain selling shareholders. The offering to which this registration statement relates depletes all remaining shares of common stock of the selling shareholders registered under the separately allocated portion of the earlier registration statement.
The required opinions and consents are listed on an Exhibit Index attached hereto and filed herewith.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
ITEM 16. EXHIBITS
All exhibits filed with or incorporated by reference in Registration Statement No. 333-104439 are incorporated by reference into, and shall be deemed part of, this registration statement, except the following, which are filed herewith.
Exhibit No. |
Description of Exhibit |
|
---|---|---|
5.1 |
Opinion of Appleby, Spurling & Kempe. |
|
23.1 | Consent of Deloitte & Touche. | |
23.2 | Consent of Appelby, Spurling & Kempe (included in Exhibit 5.1). |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-3 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, Country of United States, on April 30, 2003.
WILLIS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED | |||
By: |
/s/ WILLIAM P. BOWDEN, JR. Name: William P. Bowden, Jr. Title: General Counsel |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date |
||
---|---|---|---|---|
* Joseph J. Plumeri |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer) | April 30, 2003 | ||
/s/ THOMAS COLRAINE Thomas Colraine |
Group Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Henry R. Kravis |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* George R. Roberts |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Perry Golkin |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Todd A. Fisher |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Scott C. Nuttall |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* James R. Fisher |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Paul M. Hazen |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Senator William Bradley |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
* Douglas B. Roberts |
Director |
April 30, 2003 |
||
/s/ WILLIAM P. BOWDEN, JR. William P. Bowden, Jr. |
Authorized U.S. Representative |
April 30, 2003 |
*By: |
/s/ WILLIAM P. BOWDEN, JR. William P. Bowden, Jr. |
Attorney-in-fact |
April 30, 2003 |
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Exhibit No. |
Description of Exhibit |
|
---|---|---|
5.1 |
Opinion of Appleby, Spurling & Kempe. |
|
23.1 |
Consent of Deloitte & Touche. |
|
23.2 |
Consent of Appleby, Spurling & Kempe (included Exhibit 5.1). |
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[Letterhead of Appleby Spurling & Kempe]
30 April 2003
Willis
Group Holdings Limited
Cedar House
41 Cedar Avenue
Hamilton HM 12
Bermuda
Dear Sirs
Willis Group Holdings Limited (the "Company")
You have asked us to render this opinion in our capacity as your counsel as to Bermuda law in connection with the filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of the United States of America (the "Securities Act"), of a Registration Statement filed on 15 April 2003 on Form S-3 (the "Initial Registration Statement") and related documents and the Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) (the "462(b) Registration Statement") (together, the "Registration Statements") of the Company's issued common shares that are to be offered and sold by certain shareholders ("the Selling Shareholder Shares").
For the purposes of this opinion we have examined and relied upon the Registration Statements and documents listed in the Schedule to this opinion. The Registration Statements and such documents are collectively referred to as the "Documents".
Assumptions
In stating our opinion we have assumed:
Opinion
Based upon and subject to the foregoing and subject to the reservations set out below and to any matters not disclosed to us, we are of the opinion that:
Reservations
We have the following reservations:
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jurisdiction except Bermuda. This opinion is limited to Bermuda law as applied by the Courts of Bermuda at the date hereof.
Furthermore, in the absence of a statutorily defined system for the registration of charges created by companies incorporated outside Bermuda ("overseas companies") over their assets located in Bermuda, it is not possible to determine definitively from searches of the Register of Charges maintained by the Registrar of Companies in respect of such overseas companies what charges have been registered over any of their assets located in Bermuda or whether any one charge has priority over any other charge over such assets.
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payment for their shares, to satisfy claims of creditors of the Company, or otherwise; and no shareholder shall be bound by an alteration of the Memorandum of Association or Bye-Laws of the Company after the date on which he became a shareholder, if and so far as the alteration requires him to take, or subscribe for additional shares, or in any way increases his liability to contribute to the share capital of, or otherwise to pay money to, the company.
Disclosure
This opinion is addressed to you in connection with the filing by the Company of the Registration Statements with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. We consent to the inclusion of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the 462(b) Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the caption "Risk FactorsUnenforceability of certain United States Judgments" and "Legal Matters" in the prospectus included as part of the Initial Registration Statement. In giving the foregoing consents, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of Persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of the United States, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder. Except as stated above, without our prior written consent, this opinion may not be furnished or quoted to or relied upon by any Person for any purpose.
Further, this opinion speaks as of its date and is strictly limited to the matters stated herein and we assume no obligation to review or update this opinion if applicable laws or the existing facts or circumstances should change.
This opinion is governed by and is to be construed in accordance with Bermuda law. It is given on the basis that it will not give rise to any legal proceedings with respect thereto in any jurisdiction other than Bermuda.
Yours faithfully,
/s/ Appleby Spurling & Kempe
Appleby Spurling & Kempe
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We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of Willis Group Holdings Limited on Form S-3 of our report dated February 5, 2003, except for Notes 20 and 21, as to which the date is April 16, 2003 (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company's adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets"), appearing in the Current Report on Form 8-K of Willis Group Holdings Limited dated April 16, 2003 and to the reference to us under the heading "Experts" in the Prospectus, which is incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement.
/s/
Deloitte & Touche
DELOITTE & TOUCHE
London
April 30, 2003