Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Maryland General Corporation Law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made a party by reason of their services in those capacities, unless it is established that:

Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify a present and former officer to the same extent as a director.

In addition to the foregoing, a court of appropriate jurisdiction: (1) shall order indemnification of reasonable expenses incurred by a director who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding identified above, or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter in the proceeding; and (2) may under certain circumstances order indemnification of a director or an officer who the court determines is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all of the relevant circumstances, whether or not the director or officer has met the standards of conduct set forth in the preceding paragraph or has been declared liable on the basis that a personal benefit improperly received in a proceeding charging improper personal benefit to the director or the officer, provided, however, that if the proceeding was an action by or in the right of the corporation or involved a determination that the director or officer received an improper personal benefit, no indemnification may be made if the director or officer is adjudged liable to the corporation, except to the extent of expenses approved by a court of appropriate jurisdiction.

The Maryland General Corporation Law also permits a corporation to pay or reimburse, in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding, reasonable expenses incurred by a present or former director or officer made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity, provided that the corporation shall have received:

The Corporation has provided for indemnification of directors, officers, employees and agents in Article 9 of its Articles of Incorporation, as amended (the “Charter”). This provision of the Charter reads as follows:

(A)            Personal Liability of Directors. A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable for monetary damages for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as a director except to the extent that by law a director’s liability for monetary damages may not be limited.

(B)            Indemnification. The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, including actions by or in the right of the Corporation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgements, fines, excise taxes and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding to the fullest extent permissible under Maryland law.

(C)            Advancement of Expenses. Reasonable expenses incurred by an officer, director, employee or agent of the Corporation in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding described in Section B of this Article 9 may be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such person to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that the person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation.

(D)            Other Rights. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or pursuant to this Article 9 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any insurance or other agreement, vote of stockholders or directors or otherwise, both as to actions in their official capacity and as to actions in another capacity while holding an office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.

(E)            Insurance. The Corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article 9.

(F)            Security Fund; Indemnity Agreements. By action of the Board of Directors (notwithstanding their interest in the transaction), the Corporation may create and fund a trust fund or fund of any nature, and may enter into agreements with its officers, directors, employees and agents for the purpose of securing or insuring in any manner its obligation to indemnify or advance expenses provided for in this Article 9.

(G)            Modification. The duties of the Corporation to indemnify and to advance expenses to any person as provided in this Article 9 shall be in the nature of a contract between the Corporation and each such person, and no amendment or repeal of any provision of this Article 9, and no amendment or termination of any trust or other fund created pursuant to Section F of this Article 9, shall alter to the detriment of such person the right of such person to the advance of expenses or indemnification related to a claim based on an act or failure to act which took place prior to such amendment, repeal or termination.

(H)            Proceedings Initiated by Indemnified Persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article 9, the Corporation shall not indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent for any liability incurred in an action, suit or proceeding initiated (which shall not be deemed to include counter-claims or affirmative defenses) or participated in as an intervener or amicus curiae by the person seeking indemnification unless such initiation of or participation in the action, suit or proceeding is authorized, either before or after its commencement, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors in office.

The Maryland General Corporation Law authorizes a Maryland corporation to limit by provision in its Articles of Incorporation the liability of directors and officers to the corporation or to its stockholders for money damages except to the extent:

The Corporation has limited the liability of its directors and officers for money damages in Article 9 of the Charter as noted above.

As permitted under Section 2-418(k) of the Maryland General Corporation Law, the Corporation has purchased and maintains insurance on behalf of its directors and officers against any liability asserted against such directors and officers in their capacities as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such persons under the provisions of Maryland law governing indemnification.