Item 1.01Item 1.01 - Entry into Material Agreement
Item
1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
On
August 21, 2026, Silver Bow Mining Corp. (the “Company”) entered into an asset purchase agreement (the “APA”)
with and among Silver Bow Tunnels Corp., a Montana corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“SBTC”),
Montana Goldfields, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“MTGF”) and Montana Tunnels Mining, Inc., a Delaware corporation
and wholly-owned subsidiary of MTGF (“MTMI”). Pursuant to the APA, SBTC will acquire (the “Acquisition”)
certain of the assets of MTMI related to certain assets and rights comprising the Montana Tunnels Mine located in Jefferson County,
Montana (the “Montana Tunnels Mine”) and the Diamond Hill Mill (the “Diamond Hill Mill”), including all
related mineral and real property interests, improvements, tangible personal property, water rights and permits, books and records,
intellectual property and other assets as described in the APA and the schedules thereto (the “Purchased Assets”).
Under
the terms of the APA, SBTC will acquire ownership of the Purchased Assets, free and clear of liens and encumbrances, except certain
permitted encumbrances as set forth in the APA. The APA provides a staged transaction structure, including a first closing (the
“First Closing”) and a subsequent final closing (the “Final Closing”), in each case following satisfaction
or waiver of the applicable closing conditions.
The
Acquisition is being conducted through a Chapter 11 sale process involving MTMI, which filed for bankruptcy protection on July
27, 2026. The Acquisition is expected to proceed pursuant to Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and remains subject to approval
by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana (the “Final Order”).
In
relation to the Final Order and pursuant to the APA, on August 24, 2026, the Company will fund into an escrow account approximately
$28.6 million to satisfy specified creditors associated with the Purchased Assets (the “Escrowed Funds”), including
approximately $4.27 million to satisfy amounts owing to Jefferson County and approximately $20.8 million to satisfy specified
obligations owing to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (“Montana DEQ”). The Escrowed Funds will be either
(i) released upon issuance of the Final Order at the First Closing to satisfy the specified creditors, or (ii) released back to
the Company if the Final Order has not been issued by September 30, 2026.
The
First Closing will occur immediately following the issuance of the Final Order. At the First Closing, the Escrowed Funds will
be released to the specified creditors with any amounts funded into escrow that exceed the amounts necessary to satisfy the specified
creditors being released to MTGF (the payment of such creditors and release of excess cash, if any, the “Cash Payment”).
In consideration for the Cash Payment, MTGF will issue to the Company a senior secured promissory note, in the form of Exhibit
G to the APA (the “Note”), and enter into related general security agreement, in the form of Exhibit H to the APA,
a guaranty and pledge agreement, in the form of Exhibit I to the APA and a mortgage, security agreement and fixture financing
statement, in the form of Exhibit J to the APA, securing the Note against the Purchased Assets. The Note does not bear any interest
(except with respect to any principal amount not paid at the maturity date, which will bear interest at a rate of 10% per annum)
and, if not extinguished at the Final Closing as set forth below, will mature upon the earlier to occur of (i) any event of default
(subject to applicable cure periods), (ii) termination of the APA by the Company due to a material breach by MTGF that remains
uncured after written notice and a 30 day cure period, or (iii) 5:00 p.m. Denver Time on November 30, 2026.
The
Final Closing will occur upon satisfaction of the remaining closing conditions, including, but not limited to, receipt of all
necessary governmental approvals, approval of the shareholders of the Company of the issuance of the contingent value rights and
the underlying common shares and approval of the NYSE American of the supplemental listing of the underlying common shares.
At
the Final Closing, MTMI will sell, transfer and assign to SBTC the Purchased Assets pursuant to an assignment and assumption agreement,
in the form of Exhibit A to the APA, a bill of sale, in the form of Exhibit B to the APA, a mining claim quitclaim deed, in the
form of Exhibit C to the APA, a special warranty deed, in the form of Exhibit D to the APA, a water rights quitclaim deed, in
the form of Exhibit E to the APA, and an intellectual property purchase agreement, in the form of Exhibit F to the APA.
In
consideration for the sale, transfer and assignment of the Purchased Assets, the Company will (i) extinguish its previously issued
$1 million secured note (the “Prior Note”) with MTGF and the Note, each as satisfied in full with the principal amounts
of the Prior Note and the Note being credited as part of the purchase price for the Purchased Assets, (ii) issue to MTGF 3,500,000
contingent value rights (“Final Closing CVRs”), each of which is convertible into one common share of Silver Bow Mining
180 days following the Final Closing, subject to anti-dilution adjustments and certain terms and limitations as set forth in the
Final Closing CVR terms, (iii) issue to MTGF 11,500,000 additional deferred compensation CVRs, representing potential future consideration
contingent on future contingent milestones (the “Deferred Compensation CVRs” and together with the Final Closing CVRs,
the “CVRs”), including potential M-Pit exploration, development and commercial production, (iv) execute and deliver
the toll milling agreement, in the form of Exhibit L to the APA (the “Toll Milling Agreement”), (v) execute and deliver
the net smelter royalty agreement, in the form of Exhibit M to the APA (the “NSR”), (vi) execute and deliver the net
profits interest agreement for the tailings at Montana Tunnels Mine, in the form of Exhibit N to the APA (the “Tailings
NPI”) and (vii) execute and deliver the net profits interests for placer mining on Clancy Creek at the Montana Tunnels Mine,
in the form of Exhibit O to the APA (the “Clancy Creek NPI”).
6,250,000
of the Deferred Compensation CVRs will convert into 6,250,000 common shares of the Company (subject to anti-dilution adjustments)
upon the earlier of (A) a positive construction decision on the M-Pit Expansion or (B) nine months following completion of an
M-Pit feasibility study (the “M-Pit Feasibility Study”) which has positive economics for the project. The remaining
5,250,000 Deferred Compensation CVRs will convert into 5,250,000 common shares of the Company (subject to anti-dilution adjustments)
upon the earlier of (i) the achievement of a specified M-Pit commercial production milestone or (ii) 36 months following a positive
construction decision on the M-Pit Expansion, provided that such date will be automatically extended on a day-by-day basis for
any delay in construction, permitting or production, directly or indirectly, caused by delays (i) in obtaining necessary permitting
or regulatory approvals, including, but not limited to, all environmental permits and approvals from Montana DEQ, (ii) in obtaining
acceptance by the Montana DEQ (or any other applicable regulatory authority) of a qualified Engineer of Record for any tailings
storage facility or tailings dam associated with the Montana Tunnels Mine, as required under Montana Code Annotated (“MCA”)
§ 82-4-375 and MCA § 82-4-376, including any related review, certification, independence, or qualification requirements,
(iii) due to the occurrence of a force majeure event, (iv) caused by the suspension of mining activities in the United States
or in the State of Montana or (v) due to the entry of any court or governmental order preventing construction, permitting or production
at the Montana Tunnels Mine.
The
CVRs will be governed by a contingent value rights agreement, in the form of Exhibit K to the APA (the “CVR Agreement”),
by and between the Company, MTGF and Odyssey Trust Company, acting as the rights agent for the CVRs (the “Rights Agent”).
Pursuant to the CVR Agreement, the CVRs will be subject to certain eligibility and transfer restrictions, including restrictions
intended to prevent persons who are ineligible under MCA §82-4-360 from converting CVRs into common shares of the Company
(a “Bad Actor”). MCA § 82-4-360 limits the ability of certain persons to engage in hard-rock mining or exploration
activities in Montana. No CVRs that are held by a Bad Actor on the relevant conversion date will be permitted to convert into
common shares of the Company and instead will continue to exist for a period of five years from such conversion date with the
right to convert into common shares of the Company upon the transfer of such CVRs to a qualified investor that is not a Bad Actor;
if such CVRs are not transferred to a qualified investor that is not a Bad Actor by the end of the five-year period then they
will be immediately forfeited back to the Company upon payment of a price of $0.01 per common share underlying each CVR forfeited.
The CVRs do not grant the holder thereof any right to vote in matters presented to the shareholders of the Company, including, but not
limited to, the election of directors, or any other rights held by a shareholder of the Company.
At
the Final Closing, SBTC will enter into the NSR with MTGF, granting MTGF a two percent net smelter return royalty on all minerals
produced and sold from lode mining at the Montana Tunnels Mine and the Purchased Assets (excluding production from tailings reprocessing
at the Montana Tunnels Mine site or placer mining at the Clancy Creek Project), calculated in accordance with standard industry
practices for net smelter returns (net of customary smelting, refining, transportation, and insurance costs). The NSR will be
payable by SBTC to MTGF quarterly within 45 days following the end of each calendar quarter following the start of commercial
production, accompanied by a statement detailing the amount of minerals sold during the relevant quarter, the price received and
the calculation of the NSR. SBTC will have a one-time right exercisable in its sole discretion to purchase and permanently extinguish
the entire NSR for a total cash payment to MTGF of $10,000,000 (the “Buydown Price”), which right may be exercised
by SBTC at any time prior to commercial production. One-half of the Buydown Price ($5,000,000) will automatically expire and be
of no further force or effect if SBTC has not completed and delivered an M-Pit Feasibility Study prior to nine months following
the Final Closing (as extended by certain events set forth in the NSR). The remaining one-half of the Buydown Price will automatically
expire and be of no further force or effect if SBTC has not made a positive internal construction decision to proceed with construction
of the M-Pit Expansion within nine months of the receipt of the M-Pit Feasibility Study that has positive economics. SBTC will
have a right of first refusal on any transfer, sale or assignment of the NSR or any portion thereof.
At the Final Closing, SBTC will enter into the Toll Milling Agreement with MTGF for the processing of ores produced from the Diamond Hill Mine and Golden Dream Project (the “Toll Ore”). The toll milling fee will be equal to SBTC’s direct operating costs plus tailings handling and disposal costs plus a proportionate share of amortized tailings capital costs, plus a 15% markup. The Toll Milling
Agreement will provide MTGF the right to have up to 7,019 tons of ore processed per week (up to 365,000 tons of ore processed per year) at the Diamond Hill Mill from MTGF’s projects, with the actual timing for such processing during the course of mill operations on any given week being determined by SBTC. MTGF will have the right to use the gravity circuit for processing ores from waste dumps sourced from Diamond Hill Mine and Golden Dream Project within twelve months of Final Closing. MTGF
or its operating subsidiary must have (and maintain) all necessary governmental authorizations for mining and extraction of Toll Ore and waste dumps from the Diamond Hill Mine and Golden Dream Project and shipment to the Diamond Hill Mill, and must be (and its principals must be) in good standing with the State of Montana. SBTC’s obligation to process Toll Ore under the Toll Milling Agreement is conditioned upon the Diamond Hill Mill achieving “Fully Operational” status. “Fully
Operational” status requires, among other things, that the mill has received all necessary governmental authorizations to operate, has been refurbished and re-commissioned, and is capable of operating safely at an average throughput of 90% of nominal design capacity. Prior to the first delivery of Toll Ore, SBTC is required to have received all governmental authorizations necessary for SBTC to operate the Diamond Hill Mill and to process such Toll Ores (including authorizations relating to
the storage, handling, treatment, and disposal of tailings and other waste products generated during processing).
At the Final Closing, SBTC will enter into the Tailings NPI with MTGF granting MTGF a net profits interest in the net profits received by SBTC from any production and sales from the tailings reprocessing project at the Montana Tunnels Mine site, with 25% of net profits payable to MTGF until SBTC has realized a 1.5
times return on all capital investments in the tailings reprocessing project, increasing to 50% of net profits thereafter. MTGF will have no rights in relation to directing or managing operations on the tailings reprocessing project.
At
the Final Closing, SBTC will enter into the Clancy Creek NPI with MTGF granting MTGF a net profits interest in the net profits
received by SBTC from any production and sales from the placer mining project on Clancy Creek located at the Montana Tunnels Mine
site, with 25% of net profits payable to MTGF until SBTC has realized a 1.5 times return on all capital investments in Clancy
Creek placer mining project, increasing to 75% of net profits thereafter. MTGF will have no rights in relation to directing or
managing operations at Clancy Creek. SBTC will appoint a third-party contractor to manage placer mining at Clancy Creek (the “Clancy
Creek Contractor”), which Clancy Creek Contractor will meet typical industry standards for competence and due care and will
be compensated at a rate typical for the industry for operations of similar size, scope and location, each to be determined in
the reasonable judgment of SBTC. SBTC will appoint at least two executive officers to an oversight committee that will provide
oversight management of the Clancy Creek Contractor and meet at least quarterly for such purpose (the “Oversight Committee”).
MTGF will have the right to appoint one person to the Oversight Committee for observation and advisory purposes only (the “MTGF
Advisor”), but such MTGF Advisor will have no rights to direct or manage operations at Clancy Creek. The MTGF Advisor will
have a quarterly right to inspect the operations at Clancy Creek, subject to reasonable notice, time and manner restrictions as
set forth in the Clancy Creek NPI.
Pursuant
to the APA, the Company has agreed to undertake specified technical work programs associated with the Purchased Assets following
the Final Closing. These include a $5 million work program directed toward completion of the M-Pit Feasibility Study and a $3
million program to advance detailed engineering and regulatory work associated with the Clancy Creek Bypass Channel.
The
APA contains customary representations and warranties of MTGF, MTMI, the Company and SBTC relating to their respective businesses
and certain matters related to the APA. The APA contains certain covenants providing for (i) the parties to use their reasonable
efforts to cause the transactions contemplated by the APA to be consummated, (ii) MTGF and MTMI to conduct their respective business
in the ordinary course of business in all material respects during the period from the date of the APA until the earlier of the
Final Closing or the termination of the APA, including using commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the Purchased Assets,
and (iii) the Company to hold a meeting of its shareholders to approval the issuance of the CVRs and the underlying common shares
of the Company, to prepare, file and clear the proxy statement related to such meeting and to mail the proxy statement and solicit
proxies for such approval by the shareholders.
The
APA obligates MTGF and MTMI to abide by customary “no-shop” restrictions on their ability to solicit alternative acquisition
proposals from third parties and to provide non-public information to and enter into discussions or negotiations with third parties
regarding alternative acquisition proposals.
The
APA contains certain customary termination rights for both the Company and MTGF, including a right to terminate if the Acquisition
is not completed by November 30, 2026. The APA further provides that, upon termination of the APA under certain specified circumstances,
MTGF will be obliged to pay the Company a termination fee of $3 million. The APA contains certain customary indemnification obligations.
The
foregoing summary of the material terms of the APA and the Acquisition contemplated thereby does not purport to be complete and
is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the APA attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated
herein by reference.
A
copy of the APA has been included as Exhibit 10.1 hereto to provide investors with information regarding its terms. It is not
intended to provide any other factual information about the parties thereto or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates.
The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the APA were made only for purposes of that agreement and as of specific
dates; were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the APA; may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the parties thereto,
including being qualified by confidential disclosures; may not have been intended to be statements of fact, but rather, as a method
of allocating contractual risk and governing the contractual rights and relationships between the parties to the APA; and may
be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors should
not rely on the representations, warranties or covenants or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state
of facts or condition of the parties thereto or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information concerning
the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the APA, which subsequent information
may or may not be fully reflected in any public disclosures. Accordingly, investors should read the representations, warranties
and covenants in the APA not in isolation but only in conjunction with the other information about the parties or any of their
respective subsidiaries or affiliates that they include in reports, statements and other filings they make with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian Securities Regulators.