Exhibit 10.1
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
(the Agreement), entered into and effective as of the 1st day of
January, 2007 (the Effective Date), by and between First Financial Bank, N.A. (the Bank) and
Norman L. Lowery (the Employee).
WHEREAS
, the Employee has heretofore been employed by the Bank as its President and Chief
Executive Officer and has performed valuable services for the Bank; and
WHEREAS
, the Board of Directors of the Bank (the Board) believes it is in the best interest
of the Bank to enter into this Agreement with the Employee in order to assure continuity of
management of the Bank to reinforce and encourage the continued attention and dedication of the
Employee to his assigned duties; and
WHEREAS
, the parties desire, by this writing, to set forth the continuing employment
relationship between the Bank and the Employee.
NOW, THEREFORE
, in consideration of the premises contained herein and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Employee and
the Bank agree as follows:
1.
Employment
. The Employee is employed as the President and Chief Executive Officer
of the Bank. The Employee shall render such administrative and management services for the Bank as
are currently rendered and as are currently performed by persons situated in a similar executive
capacity. The Employee shall also promote, by entertainment or otherwise, as and to the extent
permitted by law, the business of the Bank. The Employees other duties shall be such as the Board
may, from time to time, reasonably direct, including normal duties as an officer of the Bank.
During the term of this Agreement, the Employee shall be nominated and elected to serve as a
Director of the Bank or of any successor to the Bank.
2.
Base Compensation
. The Bank agrees to pay the Employee during the term of this
Agreement a base salary at the rate of $450,395 per annum, payable in cash not less frequently than
monthly. Such base salary shall be effective and calculated commencing as of the Effective Date.
The Bank may consider and declare from time to time increases in the base salary it pays the
Employee. Prior to a Change in Control (as hereinafter defined), the Bank may also declare
decreases in the base salary it pays the Employee if the operating results of the Bank are
significantly less favorable than those for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2001, and the Bank
makes similar decreases in the base salary it pays to other executive officers of the Bank. After
a Change in Control, the Bank shall consider and declare salary increases in base salary based upon
the following standards:
(a) Inflation;
(b) Adjustments to the base salaries of other senior management personnel;
(c) Past performance of the Employee; and
(d) The contribution which the Employee makes to the business and profits of the Bank
during the term of this Agreement.
3.
Bonuses
. The Employee shall participate in any year end bonus granted to other
employees by the Board. The Employee shall further participate in an equitable manner with all
other senior management employees of the Bank in any discretionary bonuses that the Board may award
from time to time to the Banks senior management employees. No other compensation provided for in
this Agreement shall be deemed a substitute for the Employees right to participate in such
discretionary bonuses.
4.
Benefits
.
(a)
Participation in Retirement, Medical and Other Benefit Plans
. During the
term of this Agreement, the Employee shall be eligible to participate in the following
benefit plans; group hospitalization, disability, health, dental, sick leave, retirement,
supplemental retirement, pension, 401(k), employee stock ownership plan, and all other
present or future qualified and/or nonqualified plans provided by the Bank generally, or to
executive officers of the Bank, which benefits, taken as a whole, must be at least as
favorable as those in effect on the Effective Date, unless the continued operation of such
plans or changes in the accounting, legal or tax treatment of such plans would adversely
affect the Banks operating results or financial condition in a material way, and the Board
concludes that modifications to such plans are necessary to avoid such adverse effects and
such modifications apply consistently to all employees of the Bank participating in the
affected plans. In addition, the Employee shall be eligible to participate in any fringe
benefits which are or may become available to the Banks senior management employees,
including, for example, any stock option or incentive compensation (including, but not
limited to the First Financial Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan and 2005 Long-Term
Incentive Plan (LTIP)) or performance-based plans, any insurance programs (including, but
not limited to, any group and executive life insurance programs), and any other benefits
which are commensurate with the responsibilities and functions to be performed by the
Employee under this Agreement. All the employee benefits referenced in this subsection 4(a)
are collectively referred to hereinafter as Employee Benefits.
(b)
Benefits After Retirement
. Upon retirement of the Employee during the term
of this Agreement, the Bank agrees to continue, at no greater cost to Employee than is
generally allocated to all employees, full coverage for the Employee, his spouse and his
children living in his household under the health, life and disability plans as adopted by
the Bank which shall be no less favorable than those in effect on the Effective Date of this
Agreement. The Bank agrees to continue such health coverage until both the
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Employee and his spouse are eligible for coverage by Medicare. When both the Employee
and his spouse become eligible for Medicare coverage, the Bank agrees to pay for
supplemental coverage for both the Employee and his spouse until the death of the Employee
and his spouse. The Employee shall be entitled to a life insurance policy on his life in
the maximum amount established by the group life insurance plan from time to time which
amount shall be no less than the limit on the Effective Date of three times his annual
salary (subject to a $350,000 maximum), provided at the Banks cost. The Employee shall
also be entitled to a life insurance policy on his life in the amount established by the
Banks insurance program for executive officers from time to time. The Bank shall continue
to pay to the Employee the annual premiums, which are required to keep the life insurance
policy in force, on behalf of the Employee pursuant to the Banks insurance program for
executive officers.
(c)
Expenses and Membership
. The Employee shall be reimbursed for all
reasonable out-of-pocket business expenses which he shall incur in connection with his
services under this Agreement, upon substantiation of such expenses in accordance with the
policies of the Bank. In addition, the Employee shall be reimbursed for all reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by him to satisfy his continuing legal education
requirements for his license to practice law in the State of Indiana. So long as the
Employee is employed by the Bank pursuant to this Agreement, the Employee shall be entitled
to continue his memberships in the American, Indiana and Terre Haute Bar Associations, the
American Association for Justice and the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and the Country
Club of Terre Haute, and Bank shall continue to pay or reimburse the Employee for the dues
and assessments for such memberships.
(d)
Automobile
. So long as the Employee is employed by the Bank pursuant to
this Agreement, the Employee shall be entitled to continue to use a Bank-owned automobile of
commensurate quality and value as that presently used by him on the same terms and
conditions in effect with respect to such use on the Effective Date of this Agreement. The
Bank shall provide and pay the premiums for full insurance coverage on the automobile. Such
insurance coverage shall be no less than the coverage provided on the Effective Date of this
Agreement. The Bank shall also pay for the cost of maintenance and repair of the
automobile. All benefits referenced in this subsection 4(d) are collectively referred to
hereinafter as Automobile Benefits.
(e)
Vacation, Sick Leave and Disability
. The Employee shall be entitled to 30
days vacation annually and shall be entitled to the same sick leave and disability leave as
other employees of the Bank.
The Employee shall not receive any additional compensation from the Bank on account of
his failure to take a vacation or sick leave, and the Employee shall not accumulate unused
vacation or sick leave from one fiscal year to the next, except in either case to the extent
authorized by the Board or permitted for other employees of the Bank.
In addition to the aforesaid paid vacations, the Employee shall be entitled, without
loss of pay, to absent himself voluntarily from the performance of his employment with the
Bank for such additional periods of time and for such valid and legitimate reasons as
the Board may in its discretion determine and to attend the continuing legal education
seminars contemplated by subsection 4(c) hereof. Further, the Board may grant to the
Employee a leave or leaves of absence, with or without pay, at such time or times and upon
such terms and conditions as such Board in its discretion may determine.
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(f)
Other Policies
. All other matters relating to the employment of the
Employee by the Bank not specifically addressed in this Agreement shall be subject to the
general policies regarding employees of the Bank as in effect from time to time.
5.
Term of Employment
. The Bank hereby employs the Employee, and the Employee hereby
accepts such employment under the terms of this Agreement, for the period commencing on the
Effective Date and ending sixty months thereafter (or such earlier date as is determined in
accordance with Section 8). Additionally, on each annual anniversary date from the Effective Date,
the Employees term of employment shall be extended for an additional one-year period beyond the
then effective expiration date, provided the Board determines in a duly adopted resolution that
this Agreement shall be extended. Only those members of the Board who have no personal interest in
this Agreement shall discuss and vote on the approval, subsequent review and extension of this
Agreement. The initial term of this Agreement and all extensions thereof are hereinafter referred
to individually and collectively as the Term.
6.
Covenants
.
(a)
Loyalty
.
(i) During the period of his employment hereunder and except for illnesses,
reasonable vacation periods, and reasonable leaves of absence, the Employee shall
devote all of his full business time, attention, skill and efforts to the faithful
performance of his duties hereunder; provided, however, from time to time, the
Employee may serve on the Boards of Directors of, and hold any other offices or
positions in, companies or organizations, and may perform legal services either
directly or as a result of an of counsel or analogous position with a law firm for
clients which will not present any conflict of interest with the Bank or any of its
subsidiaries or affiliates, or unfavorably affect the performance of Employees
duties pursuant to this Agreement, or will not violate any applicable statute or
regulation. Full business time is hereby defined as that amount of time usually
devoted to like companies by similarly situated executive officers. During the term
of his employment under this Agreement, the Employee shall not engage in any
business or activity contrary to the business affairs or interests of the Bank, or
be gainfully employed in any other position or job other than as provided above.
(ii) Nothing contained in this Section shall be deemed to prevent or limit the
Employees right to invest in the capital stock or other securities of any
business dissimilar from that of the Bank, or, solely as a passive or minority
investor, in any business.
(b)
Nonsolicitation
. The Employee hereby understands and acknowledges that, by
virtue of his position with the Bank, he will have advantageous familiarity and personal
contacts with the Banks customers, wherever located, and the business, operations and
affairs of the Bank. Accordingly, while the Employee is employed by the Bank and for a
period of one year after termination of the Employees employment with the Bank for any
reason (whether with or without cause or whether by the Bank or the
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Employee) or the
expiration of the Term, the Employee shall not, directly or indirectly, or individually or
jointly, (i) solicit any non-legal business of any party which is a customer of the Bank at
the time of such termination or any party which was a customer of the Bank during the one
year period immediately preceding such termination, (ii) request or advise any customers or
suppliers of the Bank to terminate, reduce, limit or change their business or relationship
with the Bank, or (iii) induce, request or attempt to influence any employee of the Bank to
terminate his employment with the Bank, unless such actions are taken in connection with
Employee engaging in the practice of law.
For purposes of this Agreement, the term solicit means any direct or indirect
communication of any kind whatsoever, regardless of by whom initiated, which encourages or
requests any person or entity, in any manner, to cease doing business with the Bank.
(c)
Noncompetition
. During the period of his employment hereunder, and for a
period of two years following the termination hereof, the Employee shall not, directly or
indirectly:
(i) As owner, officer, director, stockholder, investor, proprietor, organizer
or otherwise, engage in the same trade or business as the Bank, as conducted on the
date hereof, which would conflict with the interests of the Bank or in a trade or
business competitive with that of the Bank, which would conflict with the interests
of the Bank, as conducted on the date hereof; or
(ii) Offer or provide employment (whether such employment is with the Employee
or any other business or enterprise), either on a full-time or part-time or
consulting basis, to any person who then currently is, or who within one (1) year
prior to such offer or provision of employment has been, a management-level employee
of the Bank. This subsection 6(c)(ii) shall only apply in the event the Employee
voluntarily terminates his employment with the Bank.
The restrictions contained in this paragraph upon the activities of the Employee
following termination of employment shall be limited to the following geographic areas
(hereinafter referred to as Restricted Geographical Area):
(1) Terre Haute, Indiana; and
(2) The thirty mile radius of Terre Haute, Indiana.
Nothing contained in this Section 6 shall prevent or restrict the Employee from
engaging in the practice of law, including within the Restricted Geographical Area. In
addition, nothing contained in this subsection shall prevent or limit the Employees right
to invest in the capital stock or other securities of any business dissimilar from that of
the Bank, or, solely as a passive or minority investor, in any business.
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If the Employee does not comply with the provisions of this Section, the two year
period of non-competition provided herein shall be tolled and deemed not to run during any
period(s) of noncompliance, the intention of the parties being to provide two full years of
non-competition by the Employee after the termination or expiration of this Agreement.
(d)
Nondisclosure
. The term Confidential Information as used herein shall
mean any and all customer lists, computer hardware, software and related material, trade
secrets (as defined in I.C. 24-2-3-2), know-how, skills, knowledge, ideas, knowledge of
customers commercial requirements, pricing methods, sales and marketing techniques, dealer
relationships and agreements, financial information, intellectual property, codes, research,
development, research and development programs, processes, documentation, or devices used in
or pertaining to the Banks business (i) which relate in any way to the Banks business,
products or processes; or (ii) which are discovered, conceived, developed or reduced to
practice by the Employee, either alone or with others either during the Term, at the Banks
expense, or on the Banks premises.
(i) During the course of his services hereunder the Employee may become
knowledgeable about, or become in possession of, Confidential Information. If such
Confidential Information were to be divulged or become known to any competitor of
the Bank or to any other person outside the employ of the Bank, or if the Employee
were to consent to be employed by any competitor of the Bank or to engage in
competition with the Bank, the Bank would be irreparably harmed. In addition, the
Employee has or may develop relationships with the Banks customers which could be
used to solicit the business of such customers away from the Bank. The Bank and the
Employee have entered into this Agreement to guard against such potential harm.
(ii) The Employee shall not, directly or indirectly, use any Confidential
Information for any purpose other than the benefit of the Bank or communicate,
deliver, exhibit or provide any Confidential Information to any person, firm,
partnership, corporation, organization or entity, except as required in the normal
course of the Employees service as a consultant or as an employee of the Bank. The
covenant contained in this subsection shall be binding upon the Employee during the
Term and following the termination hereof until either (i) such Confidential
Information becomes obsolete; or (ii) such Confidential Information becomes
generally known in the Banks trade or industry by means other than a breach of this
covenant.
(iii) The Employee agrees that all Confidential Information and all records,
documents and materials relating to such Confidential Information, shall be and
remain the sole and exclusive property of the Bank.
(e)
Remedies
. The Employee agrees that the Bank will suffer irreparable
damage and injury and will not have an adequate remedy at law in the event of any breach by
the Employee of any provision of this Section. Accordingly, in the event the Bank seeks,
under law or in equity, a temporary restraining order, permanent injunction
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or a decree of
specific performance of the provisions of this Section, no bond or other security shall be
required. The Bank shall be entitled to recover from the Employee, reasonable attorneys
fees and expenses incurred in any action wherein the Bank successfully enforces any of the
provisions of this Section against the breach or threatened breach of those provisions by
the Employee. The remedies described in this Section are not exclusive and are in addition
to all other remedies the Bank may have at law, in equity, or otherwise.
(i) The Employee and the Bank acknowledge and agree that in the event of
termination of the Employees employment for any reason whatsoever, the Employee can
obtain other engagements or employment of a kind and nature similar to that
contemplated herein outside the Restricted Geographical Area and that the issuance
of an injunction to enforce the provisions of this Section will not prevent him from
earning a livelihood.
(ii) The covenants on the part of the Employee contained in this Section are
essential terms and conditions to the Bank entering into this Agreement, and shall
be construed as independent of any other provision in this Agreement.
(f)
Surrender of Records
. Upon termination of the Employees employment for
any reason, the Employee shall immediately surrender to the Bank any and all computer
hardware, software and related materials, records, notes, documents, forms, manuals,
photographs, instructions, lists, drawings, blueprints, programs, diagrams or other written
or printed material (including any and all copies made at any time whatsoever) in his
possession or control which pertain to the business of the Bank or its affiliates including
any Confidential Information in the Employees personal notes, address books, calendars,
rolodexes, personal data assistants, etc.
7.
Standards
. The Employee shall perform his duties under this Agreement in
accordance with such reasonable standards as the Board may establish from time to time. The Bank
will provide the Employee with the working facilities and staff commensurate with his position or
positions and necessary or advisable for him to perform his duties.
8.
Termination and Termination Pay
. Subject to Section 10 hereof, the Employees
employment hereunder may be terminated under the following circumstances:
(a)
Death
. The Employees employment shall terminate upon his death during the
Term of this Agreement, in which event the Employees estate or designated beneficiaries
shall be entitled to receive the base salary, bonuses, vested rights, and Employee Benefits
due the Employee through the last day of the calendar month in which his death occurred.
Any benefits payable under insurance, health, retirement, bonus, incentive (including, but
not limited to, the LTIP), performance or other plans as a result of the Employees
participation in such plans through such date shall be paid when and as due under those
plans.
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(b)
Disability
.
(i) The Bank may terminate the Employees employment, as a result of the
Employees Disability, in a manner consistent with the Banks and the Employees
rights and obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or other applicable
state and federal laws concerning disability. For the purpose of this Agreement,
Disability means the Employee is:
(1) Unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of
any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be
expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous
period of not less than 12 months, or
(2) By reason of any medically determinable physical or mental
impairment which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to
last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, receiving income
replacement benefits for a period of not less than three months under an
accident and health plan covering employees of the Employer.
(ii) During any period that the Employee shall receive disability benefits and
to the extent that the Employee shall be physically and mentally able to do so, he
shall furnish such information, assistance and documents so as to assist in the
continued ongoing business of the Bank.
(iii) In the event of Employees termination of employment by the Bank due to
Disability, the Employee shall be entitled to receive the base salary, bonuses,
vested rights, and Employee Benefits due the Employee through his date of
termination. Any benefits payable under insurance, health, retirement, bonus,
incentive (including, but not limited to, the LTIP), performance or other plans as a
result of Employees participation in such plans through such date of termination
shall be paid when and as due under those plans.
(c)
Just Cause
. The Board may, by written notice to the Employee, immediately
terminate his employment at any time, for Just Cause. The Employee shall have no right to
receive any base salary, bonuses or other Employee Benefits, except as provided by law,
whatsoever for any period after his termination for Just Cause. However, the vested rights
of the Employee as of his date of termination shall not be
affected. Any benefits payable under insurance, health, retirement, bonus, incentive
(including, but not limited to, the LTIP), performance or other plans as a result of
Employees participation in such plans through such date of termination shall be paid when
and as due under those plans. Termination for Just Cause shall mean termination because
of:
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(i) An intentional act of fraud, embezzlement, theft, or personal dishonesty;
willful misconduct, or breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit by the
Employee in the course of his employment or director service. No act or failure to
act shall be deemed to have been intentional or willful if it was due primarily to
an error in judgment or negligence. An act or failure to act shall be considered
intentional or willful if it is not in good faith and if it is without a reasonable
belief that the action or failure to act is in the best interest of the Bank;
(ii) Intentional wrongful damage by the Employee to the business or property of
the Bank, causing material harm to the Bank;
(iii) Breach by the Employee of any confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement
in effect from time to time with the Bank;
(iv) Gross negligence or insubordination by the Employee in the performance of
his duties; or
(v) Removal or permanent prohibition of the Employee from participating in the
conduct of Banks affairs by an order issued under Section 8(e)(4) or 8(g)(1) of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 USC 1818(e)(4) and (g)(1).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of termination for Just Cause there shall
be delivered to the Employee a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of
not less than a majority of the entire membership of the Board at a meeting of the Board
called and held for that purpose (after reasonable notice to the Employee and an opportunity
for the Employee, together with the Employees counsel, to be heard before the Board), such
meeting and the opportunity to be heard to be held prior to, or as soon as reasonably
practicable following, termination, but in no event later than 60 days following such
termination, finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board the Employee was guilty of
conduct constituting Just Cause and specifying the particulars thereof in detail. If,
following such meeting, the Employee is reinstated, he shall be entitled to receive the base
salary, bonuses, all Employee Benefits, and all other fringe benefits provided for under
this Agreement for the period following termination and continuing through reinstatement as
though he was never terminated.
(d)
Without Just Cause
. The Board may, by written notice to the Employee,
immediately terminate his employment at any time for a reason other than Just Cause, in
which event the Employee shall be entitled to receive the following compensation and
benefits (unless such termination occurs within the time period set forth in subsection
10(a) hereof, in which event the benefits and compensation provided for in Section 10
shall apply):
(i) The base salary provided pursuant to Section 2 hereof as in effect on the
date of termination, through the Expiration Date of this Agreement as determined
pursuant to Section 5 hereof (including any renewal or extension of this Agreement)
(the Expiration Date);
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(ii) An amount equal to the bonuses received by or payable to the Employee in
the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the Employee is terminated,
for each year remaining through the Expiration Date; and
(iii) Cash reimbursement to the Employee in an amount equal to the cost to the
Employee (demonstrated by submission to the Bank of invoices, bills, or other proof
of payment by the Employee) of (A) all health insurance premiums for the Employee,
his spouse and child living in the Employees household and Medicare supplement
insurance, and life insurance (all as described in subsection 4(b)); (B) all other
Employee Benefits (all as defined in subsection 4(a) excluding payments under the
LTIP which will be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LTIP);
and (C) professional and club dues, the cost of Employees continuing legal
education requirements (as described in subsection 4(c)), all Automobile Benefits
(as defined in subsection 4(d)) and other benefits which the Employee would
otherwise have been eligible to participate in or receive, through the Expiration
Date, based upon the benefit levels substantially equal to those that the Bank
provided for the Employee at the date of the Employees termination of employment.
The Employee shall also be entitled to receive an amount necessary to provide any
cash payments received under this subsection 8(d)(iii) net of all income and payroll
taxes that would not have been payable by the Employee had he continued
participation in the benefit plan or program instead of receiving cash
reimbursement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, but only to the extent required under federal banking
law, the amount payable under subsection 8(d) shall be reduced to the extent that on the
date of the Employees termination of employment, the present value of the benefits payable
under subsections 8(d)(i), (ii) and (iii) exceed any limitation on severance benefits that
is imposed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the OCC) on such benefits.
All amounts payable to the Employee under subsections 8(d)(i) and (ii) shall be paid in
one lump sum within ten days of such termination. All amounts payable to the Employee under
subsection 8(d)(iii) shall be paid on the first day of each month following the Employees
termination of employment, in an amount equal to the total reimbursable amount (demonstrated
by invoices, bills or other proof of payment submitted by the Employee). Such amounts must
be submitted for reimbursement no later than the earlier of (i) six months after the date
such amounts are paid by the Employee; or (ii) March 15th of the year following the year in
which the Employee paid the amount.
(e)
Voluntary for Good Reason
. The Employee may voluntarily terminate his
employment under this Agreement for Good Reason, and the Employee shall thereupon be
entitled to receive the same amount payable under subsections 8(d) (i) and (ii) hereof,
within 30 days following his date of termination and under subsection 8(d)(iii) as provided
in subsection 8(d). For purposes of this Agreement, Good Reason means the occurrence of
any of the following events, which has not been consented to in advance by the Employee in
writing (unless such voluntary termination occurs within the time period
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set forth in
subsection 10(b) hereof, in which event the benefits and compensation provided for in
Section 10 shall apply):
(i) The requirement that the Employee move his personal residence;
(ii) A reduction of ten percent or more in the Employees base salary, unless
part of an institution-wide reduction and similar to the reduction in the base
salary of all other executive officers of the Bank;
(iii) The removal of the Employee from participation in any incentive
compensation (including, but not limited to, the LTIP) or performance-based
compensation plans or bonus plans unless the Bank terminates participation in the
plan or plans with respect to all other executive officers of the Bank;
(iv) The failure by the Bank to continue to provide the Employee with the base
salary, bonuses or benefits provided for under subsections 4(a), (c), (d) and (e) of
this Agreement, as the same may be increased from time to time, or with benefits
substantially similar to those provided to him under those Sections or under any
benefit plan or program in which the Employee now or hereafter becomes eligible to
participate, or the taking of any action by the Bank which would directly or
indirectly reduce any such benefits or deprive the Employee of any such benefit
enjoyed by him, unless part of an institution-wide reduction and applied similarly
to all other executive officers of the Bank:
(v) The assignment to the Employee of duties and responsibilities materially
different from those normally associated with his position as referenced in Section
1;
(vi) A failure to elect or re-elect the Employee to the Board or a failure on
the part of First Financial Corporation to honor its obligation to nominate Employee
to the Board of Directors of First Financial Corporation;
(vii) A material diminution or reduction in the Employees responsibilities or
authority (including reporting responsibilities) in connection with his employment
with the Bank; or
(viii) A material reduction in the secretarial or administrative support of the
Employee.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, but only to the extent required under federal banking law, the
amount payable under this subsection shall be reduced to the extent that on the date of the
Employees termination of employment, the present value of the benefits payable under
subsections 8(d)(i), (ii) and (iii) exceed any limitation on severance benefits that is imposed by
the OCC on such benefits.
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(f)
Voluntary Termination by Employee
. Subject to subsection 4(b) and Section
10, the Employee may voluntarily terminate employment with the Bank during the term of this
Agreement, upon at least 90 days prior written notice to the Board of Directors, in which
case the Employee shall receive only his base salary, bonuses, vested rights and benefits up
to the date of his termination, such benefits to be paid when and as due under those plans
(unless such termination occurs pursuant to subsection 10(b) hereof, in which event the
benefits, bonuses and base salary provided for in subsection 10(a) shall apply).
(g)
Termination or Suspension Under Federal Law
.
(i) If the Employee is removed and/or permanently prohibited from participating
in the conduct of the Banks affairs by an order issued under Sections 8(e)(4) or
8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) (12 U.S.C. 1818(e)(4) and
(g)(1)), all obligations of the Bank under this Agreement shall terminate, as of the
effective date of the order, but vested rights of the Employee shall not be
affected.
(ii) If the Bank is in default (as defined in Section 3(x)(1) of the FDIA), all
obligations under this Agreement shall terminate as of the date of default; but the
vested rights of the Employee shall not be affected.
(iii) All obligations under this Agreement shall terminate, except to the
extent it is determined that the continuation of this Agreement is necessary for the
continued operation of the Bank; (A) by the OCC or its designee, at the time that
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) enters into an agreement to
provide assistance to or on behalf of the Bank under the authority contained in
Section 13(c) of FDIA; or (B) by the OCC, or its designee, at the time that the OCC
or its designee approves a supervisory merger to resolve problems related to
operation of the Bank or when the Bank is determined by the OCC to be in an unsafe
or unsound condition. Such action shall not affect any vested rights of the
Employee.
(iv) If a notice served under Section 8(e)(3) or (g)(1) of the FDIA suspends
and/or temporarily prohibits the Employee from participating in the conduct of the
Banks affairs, the Banks obligations under this Agreement shall be suspended as of
the date of such service, unless stayed by appropriate proceedings. However, the
vested rights of the Employee as of the date of suspension will not be affected. If
the charges in the notice are dismissed, the Bank may in its discretion (A) pay the
Employee all or part of the compensation withheld while its contract obligations
were suspended, and (B) reinstate (in whole or in part) any of its obligations which
were suspended.
(h)
Separation from Service
. If the Employee qualifies as a Key Employee (as
defined in subsection 8(h)(i)) at the time of his Separation from Service (as defined in
subsection 8(h)(ii)), the Bank may not make a payment pursuant to subsections 8(d)
(disregarding subsection 8(d)(iii)(A)) and 8(e) and Section 10 (disregarding subsection
12
10(a)(1)(ii)(B)) earlier than six months following the date of the Employees Separation
from Service (or, if earlier, the date of the Employees death). Payments to which the Key
Employee would otherwise be entitled during the first six months following the date of his
Separation from Service will be accumulated and paid to the Employee on the first day of the
seventh month following the Employees Separation from Service.
(i) Key Employee means an employee who is:
(1) An officer of the Bank or First Financial Corporation having annual
compensation greater than $140,000;
(2) A five percent owner of the Bank or First Financial Corporation; or
(3) A one percent owner of the Bank or First Financial Corporation
having an annual compensation from the employer of more than $150,000.
The $140,000 amount in subsection 8(h)(i)(1) will be adjusted at the same
time and in the same manner as under Code Section 415(d), except that the
base period shall be the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2001, and any
increase under this sentence which is not a multiple of $5,000 shall be
rounded to the next lower multiple of $5,000.
(ii) Separation from Service means the date on which the Employee dies, retires
or otherwise experiences a Termination of Employment with the Bank. Provided,
however, a Separation from Service does not occur if the Employee is on military
leave, sick leave or other bona fide leave of absence if the period of such leave
does not exceed six months, or if longer, so long as the Employee retains a right to
reemployment with the Bank under an applicable statute or by contract. For purposes
of this subsection 8(h)(ii), a leave of absence constitutes a bona fide leave of
absence only if there is a reasonable expectation that the Employee will return to
perform services for the Bank or First Financial Corporation. If the period of
leave exceeds six months and the Employee does not retain the right to reemployment
under an applicable statute or by contract, the employment relationship is deemed to
terminate on the first date immediately following such six-month period.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, where a leave of absence is due to any medically
determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death
or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than six months,
where such impairment causes the Employee to be unable to perform the duties of his
position of employment or any substantially similar position of employment, a
29-month period of absence may be substituted for such six-month period. The
Employee shall incur a
Termination of Employment for purposes of this subsection 8(h)(ii) when a
termination of employment has occurred under Treasury Regulation 1.409A-1(h)(ii).
13
9.
No Mitigation
. The Employee shall not be required to mitigate the amount of any
payment provided for in this Agreement by seeking other employment or otherwise and no such payment
shall be offset or reduced by the amount of any compensation or benefits provided to the Employee
in any subsequent employment.
10.
Change in Control
.
(a)
Change in Control; Involuntary Termination
.
(1) Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, if the Employees
employment under this Agreement is terminated by the Bank, without the Employees
prior written consent and for a reason other than Just Cause, in connection with or
within 12 months after a Change in Control, as defined in subsection 10(a)(4), the
Employee shall be paid
the greater of
:
(i) The total amount payable under subsection 8(d); or
(ii) The product of 2.99 times the sum of: (A) his base salary in
effect as of the date of the Change in Control; (B) an amount equal to the
bonuses received by or payable to the Employee in the calendar year prior to
the year in which the Change in Control occurs; and (C) cash reimbursement
to the Employee in an amount equal to the cost to the Employee (demonstrated
by submission to the Bank of invoices, bills or other proof of payment by
the Employee) of obtaining all Employee Benefits (all as defined in
subsection 4(a) excluding payments under the LTIP which will be made in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the LTIP), health insurance
premiums for the Employee, his spouse and child living in the Employees
household, Medicare supplement insurance, life insurance (all as described
in subsection 4(b)), professional and club dues, the cost of Employees
continuing legal education requirements (all as described in subsection
4(c)), all Automobile Benefits (as defined in subsection 4(d)) and other
benefits which the Employee would otherwise have been eligible to
participate in or receive, through the Expiration Date, based upon the
benefit levels substantially equal to those that the Bank provided for the
Employee at the date of the Employees termination of employment. The
Employee shall also be entitled to receive an amount necessary to provide
any cash payments received under this subsection 10(a)(ii) net of all income
and payroll taxes that would not have been payable by the Employee had he
continued participation in the benefit plan or program instead of receiving
cash reimbursement.
(2) To the extent payments received based on the Employees termination of
employment in connection with a Change in Control, or within 12 months after a
Change in Control are considered excess parachute payments pursuant to the Code
Section 280G, the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 280G Gross-Up below
shall apply.
14
(3)
Internal Revenue Code Section 280G Gross-Up
.
(i)
Additional Payment to Account for Excise Taxes
. If, as a
result of a termination of employment in connection with a Change in
Control, or with 12 months after a Change in Control, the Employee becomes
entitled to the amount payable under subsection 10(a), or under any other
benefit, compensation, or incentive plan (including, but not limited to, the
LTIP) or arrangement of or with the Bank or First Financial Corporation
(collectively, the
Total Benefits
), and if any part of the Total
Benefits is subject to the Excise Tax under Code Sections 280G and 4999 (the
Excise Tax
), the Bank or First Financial Corporation shall pay to
the Employee the following additional amounts, consisting of (A) a payment
equal to the Excise Tax payable by the Employee on the Total Benefits under
Code Section 4999 (the
Excise Tax Payment
), and (B) a payment
equal to the amount necessary to provide the Excise Tax Payment net of all
income, payroll and excise taxes. Together, the additional amounts
described in clauses (A) and (B) are referred to herein as the Gross-Up
Payments.
(ii)
Calculating the Excise Tax
. Determination of whether any
of the Total Benefits will be subject to the Excise Tax and the
determination of the amount of the Excise Tax shall be made in accordance
with the following:
(A)
Determination of Parachute Payments Subject to the
Excise Tax
.
Any payments or benefits received or to be received
by the Employee in connection with a Change in Control or the
Employees termination of employment in connection with a Change in
Control, or within 12 months after a Change in Control (whether under
the terms of this Agreement or any benefit plan or arrangement with
First Financial Corporation or the Bank) shall be treated as
parachute payments within the meaning of Code Section 280G(b)(2),
and all excess parachute payments within the meaning of Code
Section 280G(b)(1) shall be treated as subject to the Excise Tax,
unless in the opinion of the nationally-recognized certified public
accounting firm, retained by the Bank or First Financial Corporation
as of the date immediately before the Change in Control (the
Accounting Firm
), such payments or benefits do not
constitute, in whole or in part, parachute payments, or such excess
parachute payments represent, in whole or in part, reasonable
compensation for services actually rendered within the
meaning of Code Section 280G(b)(4) or are otherwise not subject
to the Excise Tax.
15
(B)
Calculation of Benefits Subject to Excise Tax
.
The
amount of the Total Benefits that shall be treated as subject to the
Excise Tax shall be equal to the lesser of (1) the total amount of
the Total Benefits reduced by the amount of such Total Benefits that
in the opinion of the Accounting Firm are not parachute payments, or
(2) the amount of excess parachute payments within the meaning of
Code Section 280G(b)(1) (after applying clause (A), above).
(C)
Value of Non-cash Benefits and Deferred Payment
.
The value of any non-cash benefits or any deferred payment or benefit
shall be determined by the Accounting Firm in accordance with the
principles of Code Sections 280G(d)(3) and (4).
(iii)
Assumed Marginal Income Tax Rate
. For purposes of
determining the amount of the Gross-Up Payments, the Employee shall be
deemed to pay federal income taxes at the highest marginal rate of federal
income taxation in the calendar years in which the Gross-Up Payments are to
be made and state and local income taxes at the highest marginal rate of
taxation in the state and locality of the Employees residence on the date
on which such gross up payments are to be made, net of the reduction in
federal income taxes that can be obtained from deduction of such state and
local taxes (calculated by assuming that any reduction under Code Section 68
in the amount of itemized deductions allowable to the Employee applies first
to reduce the amount of such state and local income taxes that would
otherwise be deductible by the Employee, and applicable federal FICA and
Medicare withholding taxes.)
(iv)
The Accounting Firm Shall Determine Whether a Gross-Up Payment
is Required
. Subject to paragraphs (i) through (iii) above, all
determinations required to be made under paragraphs (i) through (viii),
including whether and when a Gross-Up Payment is required, the amount of the
Gross-Up Payment and the assumptions to be used to arrive at the
determination (collectively, the Determination), shall be made by the
Accounting Firm. The Accounting Firm shall provide detailed supporting
calculations both to the Bank or First Financial Corporation and to the
Employee within 15 business days after the Determination has been made, or
such earlier time as is requested by the Bank, First Financial Corporation
or the Employee.
(v)
Fees and Expenses of the Accounting Firm and Agreement with the
Accounting Firm
. All fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm shall be
borne solely by the Bank or First Financial Corporation.
16
(vi)
Accounting Firms Opinion
. If the Accounting Firm
determines that no Excise Tax is payable by the Employee, the Accounting
Firm shall furnish the Employee with a written opinion to that effect, and
to the effect that failure to report Excise Tax, if any, on the Employees
applicable federal income tax return will not result in the imposition of a
negligence or similar penalty.
(vii)
Accounting Firms Determination is Binding
. The
Determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding on the Bank, First
Financial Corporation and the Employee.
(viii)
Underpayment and Overpayment
. Because of the
uncertainty in determining whether any of the Total Benefits will be subject
to the Excise Tax at the time of the Determination, it is possible that
Gross-Up Payments that should have been made will not have been made by the
Bank or First Financial Corporation (Underpayment), or that Gross-Up
Payments will be made that should not have been made by the Bank or First
Financial Corporation (Overpayment).
If, after a Determination by the Accounting Firm, the Employee is
required to make a payment of additional Excise Tax, the Accounting Firm
shall determine the amount of the Underpayment that has occurred. The
Underpayment (together with any interest and penalties imposed by the
Internal Revenue Service shall be paid promptly by the Bank or First
Financial Corporation to or for the benefit of the Employee.
If the amount of the Gross-Up Payments exceeds the amount necessary to
reimburse the Employee for his Excise Tax, the Accounting Firm shall
determine the amount of the Overpayment that has been made. The Overpayment
shall be repaid promptly by the Employee. Provided that his expenses are
reimbursed by the Bank or First Financial Corporation, the Employee shall
cooperate with any reasonable requests by the Bank or First Financial
Corporation in any contests or disputes with the Internal Revenue Service
relating to the Excise Tax.
(ix)
Accounting Firm Conflict of Interest
. If the Accounting
Firm is serving as accountant or auditor for the individual, entity or group
effecting the Change in Control, the Employee may appoint another nationally
recognized certified public accounting firm to make the Determinations
required hereunder (in which case the term Accounting Firm as used herein
shall be deemed to refer to the accounting firm appointed by the Employee
under this paragraph). The Bank or First Financial Corporation shall pay
all fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm appointed by the Employee.
(4) Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred if one of the
following events takes place:
17
(i)
Change in Ownership
. A change in the ownership of the Bank
or First Financial Corporation occurs on the date that any person, or group
of persons, as defined below, acquires ownership of stock of the Bank or
First Financial Corporation that, together with stock held by the person or
group, constitutes more than 50 percent of the total fair market value or
total voting power of the stock of the Bank or First Financial Corporation.
However, if any person or group is considered to own more than 50 percent of
the total fair market value or total voting power of the stock, the
acquisition of additional stock by the same person or group is not
considered to cause a change in the ownership of the Bank or First Financial
Corporation (or to cause a change in the effective control of the Bank or
First Financial Corporation as defined in subsection 10(a)(4)(ii)). An
increase in the percentage of stock owned by any person or group, as a
result of a transaction in which the Bank or First Financial Corporation
acquires its stock in exchange for property will be treated as an
acquisition of stock for purposes of this subsection. This subsection only
applies when there is a transfer of stock of the Bank or First Financial
Corporation (or issuance of stock of a corporation) and stock in the Bank or
First Financial Corporation remains outstanding after the transaction.
For purposes of subsections 10(a)(4)(i) and (ii), persons will not be
considered to be acting as a group solely because they purchase or own stock
of the Bank or First Financial Corporation at the same time, or as a result
of the same public offering. However, persons will be considered to be
acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a
merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock or similar business
transaction with the Bank or First Financial Corporation. If a person,
including an entity, owns stock in both corporations that enter into a
merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock or similar
transaction, such shareholder is considered to be acting as a group with
other shareholders only with respect to the ownership in that corporation
before the transaction giving rise to the change and not with respect to the
ownership interest in the other corporation.
(ii)
Change in the Effective Control
. A change in the
effective control of the Bank or First Financial Corporation will occur
when: (i) any person or group (as defined in subsection 10(a)(4)(i))
acquires, or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of
the most recent acquisition by such person(s), ownership of stock of the
Bank or First Financial Corporation possessing 30 percent or more of the
total voting power; or (ii) a majority of members of the Board is replaced
during any 12-month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not
endorsed by a majority of the members of the Banks or First Financial
Corporations Board prior to the date of the appointment or election.
However, if any person or group is considered to effectively control the
Bank or First Financial Corporation, the acquisition of additional control
18
of the Bank or First Financial Corporation by the same person(s) is not
considered to cause a change in the effective control.
(iii)
Change in the Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the
Banks or First Financial Corporations Assets
. A change in the
ownership of a substantial portion of the Banks or First Financial
Corporations assets occurs on the date that any person or group acquires,
or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most
recent acquisition by such person(s), assets from the Bank or First
Financial Corporation that have a total gross fair market value equal to or
more than 40 percent of the total gross fair market value of all of the
assets of the Bank or First Financial Corporation immediately prior to such
acquisition(s). Gross fair market value means the value of the assets of
the Bank or First Financial Corporation, or the value of the assets being
disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with
such assets.
However, there is no Change in Control under this subsection when there is a
transfer to an entity that is controlled by the shareholders of the Bank or
First Financial Corporation immediately after the transfer. A transfer of
assets by the Bank or First Financial Corporation is not treated as a change
in the ownership of such assets if the assets are transferred to: (i) a
shareholder of the Bank or First Financial Corporation (immediately before
the asset transfer) in exchange for or with respect to its stock; (ii) an
entity, 50 percent or more of the total value or voting power of which is
owned, directly or indirectly, by the Bank or First Financial Corporation;
(iii) a person, or group of persons, that owns, directly or indirectly, 50
percent or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding
stock of the Bank or First Financial Corporation or (iv) an entity, at least
50 percent of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or
indirectly, by a person described in (iii). For purposes of this
subsection, except as otherwise provided, a persons status is determined
immediately after the transfer of the assets. For example, a transfer to a
company in which the Bank or First Financial Corporation has no ownership
interest before the transaction, but which is a majority-owned subsidiary of
the Bank or First Financial Corporation after the transaction, is not
treated as a change in the ownership of the assets of the transferor Bank or
First Financial Corporation.
For purposes of this subsection 10(a)(4)(iii), persons will not be
considered to be acting as a group solely because they purchase assets of
the Bank or First Financial Corporation at the same time. However, persons
will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a
corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or
acquisition of assets, or similar business transaction with the Bank or
First Financial Corporation. If a person, including an entity shareholder,
owns stock in both corporations that enter into a merger, consolidation,
purchase
19
or acquisition of assets, or similar transaction, such shareholder is
considered to be acting as a group with other shareholders in a corporation
only to the extent of the ownership in that corporation before the
transaction giving rise to the change and not with respect to the ownership
interest in the other corporation.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the acquisition of Bank or First Financial Corporation
stock by any retirement plan sponsored by the Bank or an affiliate of the Bank will not
constitute a Change in Control. Additionally, notwithstanding the foregoing, but only to
the extent required under federal banking law, the amount payable under subsection 10(a)
shall be reduced to the extent that on the date of the Employees termination of employment,
the amount payable under subsection 10(a) exceeds any limitation on severance benefits that
is imposed by the OCC.
(b)
Change in Control; Voluntary Termination
. Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Employee may voluntarily terminate his
employment under this Agreement within 12 months following a Change in Control of the Bank
or First Financial Corporation, as defined in subsection 10(a)(4), and the Employee shall
thereupon be entitled to receive the payment described in subsections 10(a)(1), (2) and (3)
of this Agreement, within 30 days following the occurrence of any of the following events,
which has not been consented to in advance by the Employee in writing. During such 30-day
period, the Bank shall not allow the Employees participation in any Employee Benefits to
lapse and shall continue to provide the Employee with the Automobile Benefits described in
subsection 4(d), reimbursement or payment of professional and club dues, and the cost of the
Employees continuing legal education requirements as described in subsection 4(c). In the
event subsection 8(h) applies at the time of the Employees termination, the six-month
suspension period shall not prevent the Employee from continuing to receive reimbursement of
health insurance premiums for himself, his spouse and child living in the Employees
household, Medicare supplement insurance and life insurance (all as described in subsection
4(b)) immediately following his termination of employment, without regard to the six-month
suspension applicable to cash payments and other benefit amounts.
(i) The requirement that the Employee perform his principal executive functions
more than 30 miles from his Terre Haute, Indiana office.
(ii) A reduction of ten percent or more in the Employees base salary as in
effect on the date of the Change in Control or as the same may be changed by mutual
agreement from time to time, unless part of an institution-wide reduction and
similar to the reduction in the base salary of all other executive officers of the
Bank;
(iii) The removal of the Employee from participation in any incentive
(including, but not limited to, the LTIP) or performance-based compensation plans or
bonus plans unless the Bank terminates participation in the plan or plans with
respect to all other executive officers of the Bank;
20
(iv) The failure by the Bank to continue to provide the Employee with the base
salary, bonuses or benefits provided for under subsections 4(a), (c), (d) and (e) of
this Agreement, as the same may be increased from time to time, or with benefits
substantially similar to those provided to him under those subsections or under any
benefit plan or program in which the Employee now or hereafter becomes eligible to
participate, or the taking of any action by the Bank which would directly or
indirectly reduce any such benefits or deprive the Employee of any such benefit
enjoyed by him, unless part of an institution-wide reduction and applied similarly
to all other executive officers of the Bank;
(v) The assignment to the Employee of duties and responsibilities materially
different from those normally associated with his position as referenced in Section
1;
(vi) A failure to elect or re-elect the Employee to the Board or a failure on
the part of First Financial Corporation or its successor to honor any obligation to
nominate Employee to the Board of Directors of First Financial Corporation or its
successor;
(vii) A material diminution or reduction in the Employees responsibilities or
authority (including reporting responsibilities) in connection with his employment
with the Bank; or
(viii) A material reduction in the secretarial or administrative support of the
Employee.
(c)
Compliance with 12 U.S.C. Section 1828(k)
. Any payments made to the
Employee pursuant to this Agreement, or otherwise, are subject to and conditioned upon their
compliance with 12 U.S.C. Section 1828(k) and any regulations promulgated thereunder.
(d)
Trust
.
(1) Within five business days before or after a Change in Control which was not
approved in advance by a resolution of a majority of the Directors of First
Financial Corporation, the Bank or First Financial Corporation shall (i) deposit, or
cause to be deposited, in a grantor trust (the Trust), designed to conform with
Revenue Procedure 93-64 (or any successor) and having a trustee independent of the
Bank, an amount equal to the amounts which would be payable in a lump sum under
subsections 10(a)(1), (2) and (3) hereof if those payment provisions become
applicable, and (ii) provide the trustee of the Trust with a written direction to
hold said amount and any investment return thereon in a segregated account for the
benefit of the Employee, and to follow the procedures set forth in the next
paragraph as to the payment of such amounts from the Trust.
21
(2) During the 12 consecutive month period following the date on which the Bank
makes the deposit referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Employee may provide
the trustee of the Trust with a written notice requesting that the trustee pay to
the Employee, in a single sum, the amount designated in the notice as being payable
pursuant to subsections 10(a)(1), (2) and (3). Within three business days after
receiving said notice, the trustee of the Trust shall send a copy of the notice to
the Bank via overnight and registered mail, return receipt requested. On the tenth
business day after mailing said notice to the Bank, the trustee of the Trust shall
pay the Employee the amount designated therein in immediately available funds,
unless prior thereto the Bank provides the trustee with a written notice directing
the trustee to withhold such payment. In the latter event, the trustee shall submit
the dispute, within ten days of receipt of the notice from the Bank, to
non-appealable binding arbitration for a determination of the amount payable to the
Employee pursuant to subsections 10(a)(1), (2) and (3), and the party responsible
for the payment of the costs of such arbitration (which may include any reasonable
legal fees and expenses incurred by the Employee) shall be determined by the
arbitrator. The trustee shall choose the arbitrator to settle the dispute, and such
arbitrator shall be bound by the rules of the American Arbitration Association in
making his or her determination. The Employee, the Bank and the trustee shall be
bound by the results of the arbitration and, within three days of the determination
by the arbitrator, the trustee shall pay from the Trust the amounts required to be
paid to the Employee and/or the Bank, and in no event shall the trustee be liable to
either party for making the payments as determined by the arbitrator.
(3) Upon the earlier of (i) any payment from the Trust to the Employee, or (ii)
the date twelve months after the date on which the Bank makes the deposit referred
to in the first paragraph of this subsection 10(d)(1), the trustee of the Trust
shall pay to the Bank the entire balance remaining in the segregated account
maintained for the benefit of the Employee, if any. The Employee shall thereafter
have no further interest in the Trust pursuant to this Agreement. However, the
termination of the Trust shall not operate as a forfeiture or relinquishment of any
of the Employees rights under the terms of this Agreement. Furthermore, in the
event of a dispute under subsection 10(d)(2), the trustee of the Trust shall
continue to hold, in trust, the deposit referred to in subsection 10(b)(1) until a
final decision is rendered by the arbitrator pursuant to subsection 10(b)(2).
(e) In the event that any dispute arises between the Employee and the Bank as to the
terms or interpretation of this Agreement or the obligations thereunder, including this
Section, whether instituted by formal legal proceedings or submitted to arbitration pursuant
to subsection 10(d)(2), including any action that the Employee takes to enforce the terms of
this Section or to defend against any action taken by the Bank, the Employee shall be
reimbursed for all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys fees, arising from
such dispute, proceedings or actions, provided that the Employee shall obtain a final
judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction in favor of the Employee or, in the event of
arbitration pursuant to subsection 10(d)(2), a determination is made by the
22
arbitrator that the expenses should be paid by the Bank. Such reimbursement shall be
paid within ten days of Employees furnishing to the Bank written evidence, which may be in
the form, among other things, of a canceled check or receipt, of any costs or expenses
incurred by the Employee.
Should the Employee fail to obtain a final judgment in favor of the Employee and a
final judgment or arbitration decision is entered in favor of the Bank and if decided by
arbitration, the arbitrator, pursuant to subsection 10(d)(2), determines the Employee to be
responsible for the Banks expenses, then the Bank shall be reimbursed for all costs and
expenses, including reasonable attorneys fees arising from such dispute, proceedings or
actions. Such reimbursement shall be paid within ten days of the Bank furnishing to the
Employee written evidence, which may be in the form, among other things, of a canceled check
or receipt, of any costs or expenses incurred by the Bank.
11.
Stock Options
. First Financial Corporation will permit the Employee or his
personal representative(s) or heirs, during a period of three months following Employees
termination of employment by the Bank for the reasons set forth in subsections 8(d), 8(e), 10(a) or
10(b), to require First Financial Corporation, upon written request, to purchase all outstanding,
unexpired stock options previously granted to the Employee under any stock option plan then in
effect to the extent the options are vested at a cash purchase price equal to the amount by which
the aggregate Fair Market Value of the shares subject to such options exceeds the aggregate
option price for such shares. For purposes of this Agreement, the term Fair Market Value shall
mean the higher of (a) the average of the highest asked prices for shares in the over-the-counter
market as reported on the NASDAQ system or other exchange if the shares are traded on such system
for the 30 business days preceding such termination, or (b) the average per share price actually
paid for the most highly priced one percent of the shares acquired in connection with the Change of
Control by any person or group acquiring such control.
12.
Federal Income Tax Withholding
. The Bank may withhold all federal and state
income or other taxes from any benefit payable under this Agreement as shall be required pursuant
to any law or governmental regulation or ruling.
13.
Successors and Assigns
.
(a)
Bank
. This Agreement shall not be assignable by the Bank or First Financial
Corporation, provided that this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon any
corporate or other successor of the Bank or First Financial Corporation which shall acquire,
directly or indirectly, by merger, consolidation, purchase or otherwise, all or substantially all
of the assets or stock of the Bank or First Financial Corporation.
(b)
Employee
. Because the Bank is contracting for the unique and personal skills of
the Employee, the Employee shall be precluded from assigning or delegating his rights or duties
hereunder without first obtaining the written consent of the Bank; provided, however, that nothing
in this paragraph shall preclude (i) the Employee from designating a beneficiary to receive any
benefit payable hereunder upon his death, or (ii) the executors, administrators, or other legal
representatives of the Employee or his estate from assigning any rights hereunder to the person or
persons entitled thereunto.
23
(c)
Attachment
. Except as required by law, no right to receive payments under this
Agreement shall be subject to anticipation, commutation, alienation, sale, assignment, encumbrance,
charge, pledge, or hypothecation or to exclusion, attachment, levy or similar process or assignment
by operation of law, and any attempt, voluntary or involuntary, to effect any such action shall be
null, void and of no effect.
14.
Amendments
. No amendments or additions to this Agreement shall be binding unless
made in writing and signed by the Bank, First Financial Corporation and the Employee, except as
herein otherwise specifically provided.
15.
Applicable Law
. Except to the extent preempted by federal law, the laws of the
State of Indiana, without regard to that States choice of law principles, shall govern this
Agreement in all respects, whether as to its validity, construction, capacity, performance or
otherwise.
16.
Severability
. The provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed severable and the
invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of
the other provisions hereof. Should any particular covenant, provision or clause of this Agreement
be held unreasonable or unenforceable for any reason, including without limitation, the time
period, geographic area and/or scope of activity covered by such covenant, provision or clause, the
Bank and Employee acknowledge and agree that such covenant, provision or clause shall be given
effect and enforced to whatever extent would be reasonable and enforceable under applicable law.
17.
Entire Agreement
. This Agreement: (a) supersedes all other understandings and
agreements, oral or written, between the parties with respect to the subject matter of this
Agreement; and (b) constitutes the sole agreement between the parties with respect to this subject
matter.
18.
Construction
. The rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the
drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of this Agreement.
19.
Headings
. The headings in this Agreement have been inserted solely for ease of
reference and shall not be considered in the interpretation, construction or enforcement of this
Agreement.
20.
Notices
. For purposes of this Agreement, notices and all other communications
provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given (a) if hand
delivered, upon delivery to the party, or (b) if mailed, two days following deposit of the notice
or communication with the United States Postal Service by registered or certified mail, return
receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed as follows:
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If to the Employee:
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Norman L. Lowery
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93 Allendale
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Terre Haute, Indiana 47802
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24
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If to the Bank:
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First Financial Bank, N.A.
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Attn: Chief Financial Officer
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One First Financial Plaza
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P.O. Box 540
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Terre Haute, Indiana 47808-0540
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If to First Financial
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Corporation:
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First Financial Corporation
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Attn: President
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One First Financial Plaza
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P.O. Box 540
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Terre Haute, Indiana 47808-0540
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or to such other address as either party hereto may have furnished to the other party in writing in
accordance herewith, except that notices of change of address shall be effective only upon receipt.
21.
Waiver
. The waiver by either party of a breach of any provision of this
Agreement, or failure to insist upon strict compliance with the terms of this Agreement, shall not
be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach or relinquishment of any right or power under this
Agreement.
22.
Review and Consultation
. Employee acknowledges and agrees he (a) has read this
Agreement in its entirety prior to executing it, (b) understands the provisions and effects of this
Agreement and (c) has consulted with such attorneys, accountants and financial or other advisors as
he has deemed
appropriate in connection with the execution of this Agreement. Employee understands,
acknowledges and agrees that he has not received any advice, counsel or recommendation with respect
to this Agreement from Employers attorneys.
* * *
25
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, the parties have executed this Agreement on this 29
th
day of
August, 2007.
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ATTEST
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FIRST FINANCIAL BANK, N.A.
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/s/ Leticia E. Wright
Title: Transfer Agent
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/s/ Michael A. Carty
Michael A. Carty, Secretary/Treasurer
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EMPLOYEE
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/s/ Norman L. Lowery
Norman L. Lowery
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The undersigned, First Financial Corporation, sole shareholder of the Bank, agrees that if it
shall be determined for any reason that any obligation on the part of the Bank is unenforceable for
any reason or if the Bank fails to perform, First Financial Corporation agrees to honor the terms
of this Agreement and continue to make any such payments due hereunder to Employee or to satisfy
any such obligation pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The undersigned further agrees to
nominate Employee to the Board of Directors of First Financial Corporation during the term of this
Agreement.
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ATTEST
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FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
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/s/ Michael A. Carty
Title: Secretary
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/s/ Donald E. Smith
Donald E. Smith, President
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26
Exhibit 10.5
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION 2005
EXECUTIVES DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
Effective Date: January 1, 2005
Krieg DeVault LLP
One Indiana Square, Suite 2800
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2079
www.kriegdevault.com
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION 2005
EXECUTIVES DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ARTICLE
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PAGE
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INTRODUCTION
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1
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ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
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1
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1.1 Acceleration Event
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1
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1.2 Account
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1
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1.3 Adjustment
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1
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1.4 Board
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1
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1.5 Bonus Compensation
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1
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1.6 Code
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1
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1.7 Committee
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1
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1.8 Company
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1
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1.9 Compensation
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1
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1.10 Deferral Account
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2
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1.11 Effective Date
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2
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1.12 Employee
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2
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1.13 Employer
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2
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1.14 ESOP
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2
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1.15 ESOP Account
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2
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1.16 Key Employee
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2
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1.17 Participant
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2
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1.18 Participant Deferral Contributions
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2
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1.19 Plan
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3
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1.20 Plan Year
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3
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1.21 Separation from Service
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3
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1.22 Unforeseeable Emergency
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3
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ARTICLE II ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
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3
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ARTICLE III CONTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
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4
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3.1 Participant Deferral Contributions
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4
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3.2 Deferral Elections
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4
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3.3 Supplemental Benefit
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5
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3.4 Allocation of Contributions and Adjustments
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6
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ARTICLE IV INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS
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6
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4.1 Investments
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6
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4.2 Unsecured Contractual Rights
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7
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ARTICLE
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PAGE
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ARTICLE V DISTRIBUTIONS
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7
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5.1 Time of Payment of Benefits
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7
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5.2 Method of Payment of Benefits
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7
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5.3 Benefit Payment Elections
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8
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5.4 Death of the Participant and Beneficiary Designation
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8
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5.5 Unforeseeable Emergency
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9
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5.6 Acceleration of Time of Payment
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10
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ARTICLE VI PLAN ADMINISTRATION
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12
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6.1 Administration by the Committee
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12
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6.2 Powers and Responsibilities of the Committee
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13
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6.3 Liabilities
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13
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6.4 Income and Employment Tax Withholding
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13
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ARTICLE VII AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
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14
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7.1 Amendment of the Plan
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14
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7.2 Termination of the Plan
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14
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ARTICLE VIII CLAIMS PROCEDURES
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14
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8.1 Procedures Governing Benefit Claims
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14
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8.2 Notification of Benefit Determinations
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14
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8.3 Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determinations
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14
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8.4 Appeal of Adverse Benefit Determinations
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15
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8.5 Benefit Determination on Review
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15
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8.6 Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
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15
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8.7 Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
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16
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8.8 Court Action
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16
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ARTICLE IX MISCELLANEOUS
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16
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9.1 Governing Law
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16
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9.2 Headings and Gender
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16
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9.3 Participants Rights; Acquittance
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16
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9.4 Spendthrift Clause
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16
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9.5 Counterparts
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17
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9.6 No Enlargement of Employment Rights
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17
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9.7 Limitations on Liability
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17
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9.8 Incapacity of Participant or Beneficiary
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17
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9.9 Corporate Successors
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17
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9.10 Evidence
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17
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9.11 Action by Employer
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17
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9.12 Severability
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17
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-ii-
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this Plan is to permit a select group of management or highly compensated
Employees to elect to defer compensation from the Employer without regard to the limitations
imposed by the Code on the benefits which may accrue to those Employees under the Employers
tax-qualified retirement plans and to provide supplemental retirement benefits to help recompense
the Employees for benefits lost due to the imposition of Code limitations on tax-qualified
retirement benefits. It is the intention of the Employer that the Plan will constitute a deferred
compensation arrangement that complies with Code Section 409A and an unfunded arrangement
maintained for the purpose of providing deferred compensation for a select group of management or
highly compensated employees for federal income tax purposes and for purposes of Title I of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Whenever the initial letter of a word or phrase is capitalized herein, the following words and
phrases will have the meanings stated below unless a different meaning is plainly required by the
context:
1.1 Acceleration Event means those events described in Section 5.6 which permit acceleration
of the time of payment of a Participants benefit under the Plan.
1.2 Account means the Participants ESOP Account and Deferral Account.
1.3 Adjustment means the net increases and decreases in the market value of the Deferral
Account and ESOP Account of each Participant. Such increases and decreases will include such items
as realized or unrealized investment gains and losses, if any, and investment income, if any, and
may, in the discretion of the Committee, include expenses properly attributable to administering
the Plan.
1.4 Board means the Board of Directors of First Financial Corporation.
1.5 Bonus Compensation means amounts received by Participant due to an annual bonus where
the amount of, or entitlement to the bonus, is contingent and not part of the Participants base
salary.
1.6 Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
1.7 Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board.
1.8 Company means First Financial Corporation.
1.9 Compensation means the Participants total compensation from his Employer for a Plan
Year, other than Bonus Compensation or deferred compensation that is currently included in gross
income, but including any salary reduction Employer contributions made on behalf of the Participant
under this Plan or under a plan which qualifies under Code Section
401(k) and/or Code Section 125.
Compensation taken into account under the Plan will not be limited as provided in Code Section
401(a)(17).
1.10 Deferral Account means the individual bookkeeping account maintained for each
Participant in accordance with subsection 3.4(a) and which is credited with Participant Deferral
Contributions for that Participant.
1.11 Effective Date means January 1, 2005.
1.12 Employee means any individual who is employed by an Employer.
1.13 Employer means the Company, First Financial Bank, NA or any other entity First
Financial Corporation allows to adopt and become a co-sponsor of the Plan.
1.14 ESOP means the First Financial Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan, as amended
from time to time.
1.15 ESOP Account means the individual bookkeeping account maintained for each Participant
in accordance with subsection 3.4(b) and which is credited with any Supplemental Benefit
contributed for that Participant pursuant to Section 3.3.
1.16 Key Employee means an Employee who is:
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(a)
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An officer of an Employer having annual compensation greater
than $140,000;
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(b)
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A five-percent owner of the Company; or
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(c)
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A one-percent owner of the Company having annual compensation
greater than $150,000.
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The $140,000 amount in subsection 1.16 (a) will be adjusted at the same time and in the same manner
as under Code Section 415(d), except that the base period will be the calendar quarter beginning
July 1, 2001, and any increase under this sentence which is not a multiple of $5,000 will be
rounded to the next lower multiple of $5,000.
1.17 Participant means a salaried executive Employee of an Employer who becomes a
Participant pursuant to the provisions of Article II of the Plan.
1.18 Participant Deferral Contributions means contributions made to the Plan pursuant to
Section 3.1 by an Employer, at the election of the Participant, in lieu of Compensation or Bonus
Compensation, under a deferral election filed by the Participant. Although the term contribution
is used for ease of reference, credits to Participants individual accounts under the Plan are
merely credits to a bookkeeping account.
-2-
1.19 Plan means the deferred compensation plan embodied herein, as amended from time to
time, known as the First Financial Corporation 2005 Executives Deferred Compensation Plan.
1.20 Plan Year means the 12-month period beginning each January 1 and ending on the
following December 31.
1.21 Separation from Service means the date on which the Participant dies, retires or
otherwise experiences a Termination of Employment with the Employer. Provided, however, a
Separation from Service does not occur if the Participant is on military leave, sick leave or other
bona fide leave of absence if the period of such leave does not exceed six months, or if longer, so
long as the Participant retains a right to reemployment with the Employer under an applicable
statute or by
contract. For purposes of this Section 1.21, a leave of absence constitutes a bona fide leave
of absence only if there is a reasonable expectation that the Participant will return to perform
services for the Employer. If the period of leave exceeds six months and the Participant does not
retain the right to reemployment under an applicable statute or by contract, the employment
relationship is deemed to terminate on the first date immediately following such six-month period.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, where a leave of absence is due to any medically determinable
physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last
for a continuous period of not less than six months, where such impairment causes the Participant
to be unable to perform the duties of his position of employment or any substantially similar
position of employment, a 29-month period of absence may be substituted for such six-month period.
The Participant shall incur a Termination of Employment for purposes of this Section 1.21 when a
termination of employment has occurred under Treasury Regulation 1.409A-1(h)(ii).
1.22 Unforeseeable Emergency means a severe financial hardship of the Participant resulting
from an illness or accident of the Participant, the Participants spouse, the Participants
beneficiary, or the Participants dependent (as defined in Code Section 152(a), without regard to
Code Sections 152(b)(1), (b)(2) and (d)(1)(B)); loss of the Participants property due to casualty
(including the need to rebuild a home following damage to a home not otherwise covered by
insurance, for example, not as a result of a natural disaster); imminent foreclosure of or eviction
from the Participants primary residence; the need to pay for medical expenses, including
non-refundable deductibles, as well as for the costs of prescription drug medication; the need to
pay for the funeral expenses of a spouse or a dependent (as defined in Code Section 152(a)) or
other similar extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances arising as a result of events beyond
the control of the Participant.
ARTICLE II
ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
A member of a select group of management or highly compensated Employees is eligible to become
a Participant in the Plan provided the Employee is designated as a Participant by the Committee in
writing. A designated Employee will become a Participant as of the later of the Effective Date or
the date specified by the Committee. A Participant may be removed as an active Participant by the
Committee effective as of any date, so that the Participant will not be
-3-
entitled to make deferrals
or receive benefit accruals under Article III on or after that date, except that no removal shall
retroactively impair or otherwise adversely affect (without written consent) the rights of a
Participant or beneficiary which have accrued prior to the date of such action.
ARTICLE III
CONTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
3.1
Participant Deferral Contributions
.
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(a)
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Compensation Deferral Elections
. Subject to the terms
and limitations of this Article, a Participant may elect to have a portion of
the Participants Compensation withheld by the Company and credited as a
Participant Deferral Contribution under this Plan.
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(b)
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Bonus Deferral Elections
. Subject to the terms and
limitations of this Article, a Participant may elect to have all or a portion
of the Participants Bonus Compensation withheld by the Company and credited as
a Participant Deferral Contribution under this Plan.
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(c)
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Limit on Contributions
. The maximum amount of a
Participants Compensation or Bonus Compensation that may be subject to
Participant Deferral Contributions for a Plan Year will be (i) 50 percent of
the Participants Compensation, and (ii) 100 percent of any Bonus Compensation.
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3.2
Deferral Elections
. Participant Deferral Contributions will be withheld from a
Participants Compensation or Bonus Compensation in accordance with the following terms and
conditions.
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(a)
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Requirement for Deferral Elections
. As a condition to
Banks obligation to withhold and the Committees obligation to credit
Participant Deferral Contributions for the benefit of a Participant pursuant to
Section 3.1, the Participant must complete and file a deferral election form
with the Committee (in a format prescribed by the Committee).
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(b)
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Timing of Execution and Delivery of Elections
. To be
effective to defer any portion of a Participants Compensation or Bonus
Compensation, a deferral election form must be filed with the Committee with
respect to that Compensation or Bonus Compensation on or prior to the last day
of the calendar year preceding the Plan Year in which the services giving rise
to the Compensation or Bonus Compensation are performed. For example, to defer
Compensation or Bonus Compensation payable with respect to services performed
during the 2007 Plan Year, an election must be filed on or before December 31,
2006.
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-4-
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(c)
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Initial Eligibility
. In the case of the first Plan
Year in which an individual becomes a Participant, the deferral election form
may be filed with the Committee at any time within 30 days of the date the
individual becomes a Participant (rather than the date specified under
subsection (b)). This initial election will only apply to Compensation or
Bonus Compensation paid for services performed after the filing of the deferral
election form. This special initial eligibility election rule will not apply
if the Participant is or has been a participant in a deferred compensation
arrangement required to be aggregated with this Plan under the rules of Section
409A.
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(d)
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Modification of Deferral Elections
. Subject to the
provisions of subsection 3.2(e), once made, a deferral election will remain in
effect for a Plan Year, unless the election is revoked or a new election filed
prior to the beginning of the Plan Year. The revocation or new election must
be filed in accordance with the requirements of subsection (b) above. No
election may be changed for Compensation or Bonus Compensation payable for a
Plan Year after the last day of the election period described in subsection
(b). For example, any election in place for 2007 Compensation may not be
changed after December 31, 2006, except as provided in subsection 3.2(e).
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(e)
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Unforeseeable Emergency
. The Committee, in its sole
discretion, may cancel a Participants election to defer Compensation or Bonus
Compensation if the Committee determines the Participant has suffered an
Unforeseeable Emergency, as defined in Section 1.22. The cancellation will
apply to the period after the Committees determination. The Participant must
submit a signed statement of the facts causing the severe financial hardship
and any other information required by the Committee, in its sole discretion.
An Unforeseeable Emergency will be deemed to occur for purposes of this
Section if a Participant receives a hardship withdrawal from the First
Financial Corporation 401(k) Plan pursuant to Code Section 401(k) and Treasury
Regulation 1.401(k)-1(d)(3).
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3.3
Supplemental Benefit
. An Employer will make a contribution to each Participants
ESOP Account for each Plan Year in an amount equal to the amount that would have been contributed
to the ESOP, but was not, due to the limitation of Code Section 401(a)(17), for the benefit of the
Participant for the ESOPs plan year that ends with or within that Plan Year.
-5-
3.4
Allocation of Contributions and Adjustments
.
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(a)
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Deferral Account
. The Committee will establish and
maintain a Deferral Account in the name of each Participant, to which the
Committee will credit all amounts to be allocated to each Participant pursuant
to Sections 3.1, 3.2 and 4.1 and from which the Committee will debit all
amounts paid to the Participant or his designated beneficiary(ies) pursuant to
Article V.
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(b)
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ESOP Account
. The Committee will also establish and
maintain an ESOP account in the name of each Participant, to which the
Committee will credit all amounts to be allocated to each Participant pursuant
to Sections 3.3 and 4.1 and from which the Committee will debit all amounts
paid to the Participant or his designated beneficiary(ies) pursuant to Article
V.
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(c)
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Determination of Adjustments
. Following the
allocations made pursuant to the foregoing, the Committee will determine the
Adjustments for December 31st of each Plan Year, and on such other dates as the
Committee deems necessary or advisable, by adding together all income received,
and realized and unrealized gains and losses, and deducting therefrom all
taxes, charges or expenses (unless paid separately by the Employers in the
Committees discretion, outside the confines of this Plan) and any realized and
unrealized losses since the most recent allocation of Adjustments to
Participants Deferral and ESOP Accounts.
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(d)
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Allocation of Adjustments
. The Adjustments will be
allocated as of the allocation date specified in subsection (c) to the Deferral
and ESOP Accounts of Participants who maintain a credit balance in their
Deferral and ESOP Accounts as of such date as provided in Section 1.3.
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ARTICLE IV
INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS
4.1
Investments
. All contributions under the Plan will be credited to each
Participants Deferral Account or ESOP Account as provided in Section 3.4. The Adjustment to each
Participants Deferral Account will be determined by the earnings on the investments made under the
Plan through a so-called irrevocable rabbi trust established and maintained by the Company to
provide for the benefits created by this Plan. The Participant may direct the trustee of the rabbi
trust to invest his Deferral Account in any investment approved by the Committee from time to time,
including whole shares of Company common stock. The Committee may establish any rule or procedure
it deems necessary or desirable concerning the Participants ability to direct or failure to direct
the investment of the rabbi trust funds. A Participants ESOP Account will be invested in whole
shares of Company common stock through the rabbi trust. Fractional shares will be invested in
shares of Company common stock or in cash or cash equivalents as determined from time to time by
the Committee. No provision of the Plan will impose or be deemed to impose any obligation upon the
Employers, other than an unsecured contractual obligation to make a payment to a Participant or his
beneficiary(ies) in accordance
-6-
with the terms of the Plan. Benefits payable under the Plan will be
paid directly by the Employers from their general assets to the extent not paid from the rabbi
trust established by the Company.
4.2
Unsecured Contractual Rights
. The Plan at all times will be unfunded and will
constitute a mere promise by the Employers to make benefit payments in the future. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Plan, neither a Participant nor his designated beneficiary(ies) will
have any preferred claim on, or any beneficial ownership interest in, any assets of the Employers
prior to the time benefits are paid as provided in Article V, including any Compensation or Bonus
Compensation deferred by the Participant. All rights created under this Plan will be mere
unsecured contractual rights of the Participant against the Employers.
ARTICLE V
DISTRIBUTIONS
5.1
Time of Payment of Benefits
. Distribution of all amounts credited to a
Participants Deferral and ESOP Accounts, including any Adjustments credited in accordance with
Section 3.4, will commence within 60 days after the Participants Separation from Service, except
as provided in Sections 5.4 through 5.6. If at the time of the Participants Separation from
Service, for any reason other than death, the Participant meets the definition of a Key Employee,
payment of all amounts under this Section will be suspended for six months immediately following
the Participants Separation from Service. If the Participant elected to receive payment of his
benefit in the form of installments, payment of any installments that the Participant was otherwise
entitled to receive during the six-month suspension period will be accumulated and paid in the form
of a lump sum on the first day following the six-month suspension period. The remainder of the
Participants benefit will then commence distribution in the manner and at the time elected by the
Participant. If the Participant elected to receive payment of his benefit in the form of a lump
sum, he will receive payment of that amount on the first day following the six-month suspension
period. If the Participant incurs a Separation from Service due to death, regardless of whether
the Participant meets the definition of a Key Employee, payment of his benefit will not be
suspended.
5.2
Method of Payment of Benefits
. The balance of a Participants Deferral and ESOP
Accounts will be distributed in cash or kind, as determined by the Committee, in one of the
following methods effectively elected by the Participant in his payment election form:
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(a)
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A single lump sum.
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(b)
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Installments payable at such monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or
annual intervals as will be elected by the Participant, over a period not in
excess of 20 years.
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(c)
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A combination of the methods specified in subsections (a) and (b).
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-7-
5.3
Benefit Payment Elections
.
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(a)
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Initial Election
. A Participant may elect the manner
in which his Account balance will be paid to him under Section 5.2 and to his
beneficiaries under Section 5.4 in accordance with the terms and conditions of
this Section. To make an election a Participant must file an election with the
Committee (on a form or forms prescribed by the Committee). To be effective,
the election under this Section must be filed with the Committee no later than
the later of: (i) the time the Participant first makes a deferral election
under the Plan (or under any other plan required to be aggregated with this
Plan pursuant to the requirements of Code Section 409A); or (ii) December 31,
2007. If no election is made or if the election is not timely or properly
made, distribution will be made in the form of a single lump sum payment.
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(b)
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Change of Election
. An election as to the manner of
payment may not be changed after the payment has been made or installment
payments have commenced. Prior to that time, a Participant may change his
election by filing a new election form with the Committee; provided, however,
that: (i) the new election will not take effect until at least 12 months after
the date the new election is filed; (ii) the single lump sum payment or the
commencement of installment payments with respect to which such election is
made must be deferred for a period of not less than five years from the date
such payment would otherwise have been made; and (iii) the new election is
filed at least 12 months prior to the date of the first scheduled payment under
the Plan.
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(c)
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Installments
. If installment distributions are
elected, the initial installment amount will be the Account balance otherwise
payable in a single sum multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is one
and the denominator of which is the total number of installment distributions.
Subsequent installments will also be a fraction of the unpaid Account balance,
the numerator of which is always one but the denominator of which is the
denominator used in calculating the previous installment minus one. For
example, if five annual installment payments are elected, the initial
installment will be one-fifth of the vested single sum Account balance, the
second installment will be one-fourth of the remaining Account balance and the
third installment will be one-third of the remaining Account balance, and so
on.
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5.4
Death of the Participant and Beneficiary Designation
.
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(a)
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Form and Time of Payment
. In the event a Participant
dies prior to the time his benefits under the Plan are distributed, the balance
in his Deferral and ESOP Accounts will be paid to his designated
beneficiary(ies) in a single lump sum. Such distribution will be made within
60 days of the
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-8-
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date of the Participants death. If the Participant dies after
distribution of his benefits under the Plan has commenced, his remaining
benefit, if any, will be paid to his designated beneficiary(ies) in a single
lump sum.
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(b)
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Designation of Beneficiaries
. The Participant may
designate a primary and contingent beneficiary(ies) to receive any amount
payable under subsection 5.4(a). Such designation may be changed at any time
for any reason by the Participant. If the Participant fails to designate a
beneficiary, or if such designation will for any reason be illegal or
ineffective, or if the designated beneficiary(ies) will not survive the
Participant, his benefits under the Plan will be paid: (i) to his surviving
spouse; (ii) if there is no surviving spouse, to the duly appointed and
qualified executor or other personal representative of the Participant to be
distributed in accordance with the Participants will or applicable intestacy
law; or (iii) in the event there is no such representative appointed and
qualified within 45 days after the Participants death, then to such persons
as, at the date of death, would be entitled to share in the distribution of the
Participants estate under the provisions of the applicable statutes then in
force governing the descent of intestate property, in the proportions specified
in such statute.
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5.5
Unforeseeable Emergency
. In the event the Committee determines in its sole
discretion that a Participant has experienced an Unforeseeable Emergency, as defined in Section
1.22, all or a portion of a Participants Account may be distributed in a single lump sum payment
no later than 60 days after the Committees determination. The Participant must submit a signed
statement of the facts causing the severe financial hardship and any other information required by
the Committee, in its sole discretion. Payment under this section is subject to the following
conditions:
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(a)
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The emergency must not be able to be relieved through
reimbursement or compensation from insurance or otherwise, by liquidation of
the Participants assets, to the extent liquidation of such assets would not
cause severe financial hardship, or by cessation of deferrals under this Plan.
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(b)
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The amount of the distribution must be limited to the amount
reasonably necessary to satisfy the emergency need (which may include amounts
necessary to pay any Federal, state, or local income taxes or penalties
reasonably anticipated to result from the distribution) and must take into
account any additional compensation available due to cancellation of a
deferral election under Section 3.2(e). However, the determination of
amounts reasonably necessary to satisfy the emergency need is not required
to take into account any additional compensation that due to the
unforeseeable emergency is available under another nonqualified deferred
compensation plan but has not actually been paid, or that is available due
to the unforeseeable emergency under another plan that would provide for
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-9-
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deferred compensation except due to the application of the effective date
provisions of Treasury Regulation 1.409A-6. The payment may be made from
any plan in which the Participant participates that provides for payment
upon an Unforeseeable Emergency, provided that the plan under which the
payment was made must be designated at the time of payment.
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5.6
Acceleration of Time of Payment
. Except as provided in Section 5.5 or this
Section 5.6, the time or schedule of payment of a Participants Account provided in Sections 5.1
through 5.4 may not be accelerated. The time or schedule of payment of a Participants Account may
be accelerated in the following circumstances, each of which is an Acceleration Event, to a time
that is no later than 60 days following the Committees determination that one of the Acceleration
Events has occurred:
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(a)
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Domestic Relations Order
. The time or schedule of a
payment from a Participants Account may be accelerated to make a payment to an
individual other than the Participant as may be necessary to fulfill a domestic
relations order (as defined in Code Section 414(p)(1)(B)).
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(b)
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Conflicts of Interest
. The time or schedule of a
payment from a Participants Account may be accelerated to the extent
reasonably necessary to avoid the violation of an applicable Federal, state,
local, or foreign ethics law or conflicts of interest law (including where such
payment is reasonably necessary to permit the service provider to participate
in activities in the normal course of his or her position in which the service
provider would otherwise not be able to participate under an applicable rule).
A payment is reasonably necessary to avoid the violation of Federal, state,
local, or foreign ethics laws or conflicts of interest law if the payment is a
necessary part of a course of action that results in compliance with a Federal,
state, local, or foreign ethics law or conflicts of interest law that would be
violated absent such course of action, regardless of whether other actions
would also result in compliance with the Federal, state, local, or foreign
ethics law or conflicts of interest law.
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(c)
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Payment of Employment Taxes
. The time or schedule of a
payment from a Participants Account may be accelerated to pay the Federal
Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) tax imposed under Code Sections 3101,
3121(a) and 3121(v)(2) on compensation deferred under the Plan.
Additionally, the time or schedule of a payment from a Participants Account
may be accelerated under the Plan to pay the income tax at source on wages
imposed under Code Section 3401 or the corresponding withholding provisions
of state, local or foreign tax laws as a result of payment of the FICA
amount, and to pay the additional income tax at source on wages attributable
to the pyramiding section 3401 wages and taxes. However, the total payment
under this paragraph will not exceed the aggregate of the FICA amount and
the related income tax withholding on such FICA amount.
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-10-
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(d)
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Income Inclusion Under Code Section 409A
. The time or
schedule of a payment from a Participants Account may be accelerated to pay
the income tax, interest and penalties imposed if the Plan fails to meet the
requirements of Code Section 409A and related regulations; provided, however,
such payment will not exceed the amount required to be included in income as a
result of the failure to comply with the requirements of Code Section 409A and
related regulations.
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(e)
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Plan Termination
. The time or schedule of payment or
commencement of payments from a Participants Account may be accelerated when
the Plan is terminated in accordance with one of the following:
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(i)
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The Company terminates the Plan within 12
months of a corporate dissolution taxed under Code Section 331, or with
the approval of a bankruptcy court pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §503(b)(1)(A),
provided that the amounts deferred under the Plan are included in the
Participants gross incomes in the latest of the following years (or,
if earlier, the taxable year in which the amount is constructively
received).
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(A)
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The calendar year in which the
Plan termination and liquidation occurs;
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(B)
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The first calendar year in which
the amount is no longer subject to a substantial risk of
forfeiture; or
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(C)
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The first calendar year in which
the payment is administratively practicable.
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(ii)
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The Companys irrevocable action to terminate
and liquidate the Plan within the 30 days preceding or the 12 months
following a change in control as defined in Treasury Regulation
1.409A-3(i)(5). For purposes of this subsection 5.6(e), the Plan may
be terminated only if all agreements, methods, programs, and other
arrangements sponsored by the Employer immediately after the
time of the change in control with respect to which deferrals of
compensation are treated as having been deferred under a single plan
under Treasury Regulation 1.409A-1(c)(2) are terminated and
liquidated with respect to each Participant that experienced the
change in control, so that under the terms of the termination and
liquidation all such Participants are required to receive all amounts
of compensation deferred under the Plan and other arrangements within
12 months of the date the Company irrevocably takes all necessary
action to terminate and liquidate the Plan and other arrangements.
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-11-
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(iii)
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The Companys termination and liquidation of
the Plan, provided that:
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(A)
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The termination and liquidation
does not occur proximate to a downturn in the financial health
of the Company;
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(B)
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The Company terminates and
liquidates all agreements, programs, and other arrangements that
would be aggregated under Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(c) if
the Participant had deferrals of compensation under all of the
agreements, methods, programs, and other arrangements that are
terminated and liquidated;
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(C)
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No payments in liquidation of the
Plan are made within 12 months of the date the Company takes all
necessary action to irrevocably terminate and liquidate the plan
other than payments that would be payable under the terms of the
Plan if the action to terminate and liquidate the Plan had not
occurred;
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(D)
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All payments are made within 24
months of the date the Company takes all necessary action to
irrevocably terminate and liquidate the Plan; and
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(E)
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The Company does not adopt a new
plan or arrangement that would be aggregated with any terminated
and liquidated plan or arrangement under Treasury Regulation
§1.409A-1(c) if the same Participant participated in both plans
or arrangements, at any time within three years following the
date the Company takes all necessary action to irrevocably
terminate and liquidate the Plan.
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(iv)
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Such other events and conditions as the
Internal Revenue Service may prescribe in generally applicable guidance
published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.
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ARTICLE VI
PLAN ADMINISTRATION
6.1
Administration by the Committee
. The Committee will be responsible for
administering the Plan. Except as the Company will otherwise expressly determine, the Committee
will be charged with the full power and the responsibility for administering the Plan in all its
details.
-12-
6.2
Powers and Responsibilities of the Committee
.
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(a)
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The Committee will have all powers necessary to administer the
Plan, including the power to construe and interpret the Plan documents; to
decide all questions relating to an individuals eligibility to participate in
the Plan; to determine whether a Participant has actually incurred a Separation
from Service; to determine the amount, manner and timing of any distribution of
benefits or withdrawal under the Plan; to resolve any claim for benefits in
accordance with Article VIII, and to appoint or employ advisors, including
legal counsel, to render advice with respect to any of the Committees
responsibilities under the Plan. Any construction, interpretation or
application of the Plan by the Committee will be final, conclusive and binding.
All actions by the Committee will be taken pursuant to uniform standards
applied to all persons similarly situated.
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(b)
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Records and Reports
. The Committee will be responsible
for maintaining sufficient records to determine each Participants eligibility
to participate in the Plan, and the Compensation and Bonus Compensation of each
Participant for purposes of determining the amount of contributions that may be
made by or on behalf of the Participant under the Plan.
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(c)
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Rules and Decisions
. The Committee may adopt such
rules as it deems necessary, desirable or appropriate in the administration of
the Plan. All rules and decisions of the Committee will be applied uniformly
and consistently to all Participants in similar circumstances. When making a
determination or calculation, the Committee will be entitled to rely upon
information furnished by a Participant or beneficiary(ies), the Employers or
the legal counsel of an Employer.
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(d)
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Application and Forms for Benefits
. The Committee may
require a Participant or beneficiary to complete and file with it an
application for a benefit, and to furnish all pertinent information requested
by it. The Committee may rely upon all such information so furnished to it,
including the Participants or beneficiarys current mailing address.
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6.3
Liabilities
. The individual members of the Committee will be indemnified and held harmless by the
Employers with respect to any actual or alleged breach of responsibilities performed or to be
performed hereunder.
6.4
Income and Employment Tax Withholding
. The Employers will be responsible for
withholding from the Participants Compensation or Bonus Compensation or from the distribution of
his benefit under the Plan of all applicable federal, state, city and local taxes.
-13-
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
7.1
Amendment of the Plan
. The Company will have the right at any time to modify,
alter or amend the Plan in whole or in part, except that no amendment or suspension shall
retroactively impair or otherwise adversely affect (without written consent) the rights of a
Participant or beneficiary which have accrued prior to the date of such action.
7.2
Termination of the Plan
. The Company reserves the right at any time to terminate
the Plan or to reduce or cease benefit accruals at any time, except that no amendment or suspension
shall retroactively impair or otherwise adversely affect (without written consent) the rights of a
Participant or beneficiary which have accrued prior to the date of such action.
ARTICLE VIII
CLAIMS PROCEDURES
8.1
Procedures Governing Benefit Claims
. For purposes of the Plan, a Benefit Claim
means a request for a Plan benefit or benefits, made by a Claimant or by an authorized
representative of a Claimant, which complies with the Plans procedures for making benefit claims.
Claimant means a Participant, a surviving spouse of a Participant, a beneficiary, an Alternate
Payee or a personal representative of the Participants estate who is claiming entitlement to the
payment of any benefit under the Plan. Alternate Payee means any spouse, former spouse, child or
other dependent of a Participant who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right
to receive all, or a portion of, the benefits payable under the Plan with respect to such
Participant.
8.2
Notification of Benefit Determinations
. The Committee will notify a Claimant, in
accordance with Section 8.3, of the Plans benefit determination within a reasonable period of time
after a Participants Separation from Service or after the Committees receipt of a Benefit Claim,
but not later than 90 days after
receipt of the Benefit Claim by the Committee. If special circumstances require an extension
of time for processing the Benefit Claim, the Committee will notify the Claimant of the extension
prior to the termination of the initial period described above. The notice will indicate the
special circumstances requiring the extension of time and the date by which the Plan expects to
make the benefit determination. In no event will the extension exceed a period of 90 days from the
end of the initial period.
8.3
Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determinations
. All notices given
by the Committee under this Article will be given to a Claimant, or to his authorized
representative, in a manner that satisfies the standards of 29 CFR 2520.104b-1(b) as appropriate
with respect to the particular material required to be furnished or made available to that
individual. The Committee may provide a Claimant with either a written or an electronic notice of
the Plans benefit determination. Any electronic notification will comply with the standards
imposed by 29 CFR 2520.104b-1(c)(1)(i), (iii) and (iv). In the case of an Adverse Benefit
Determination, the notice will set forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant:
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(a)
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The specific reasons for the adverse determination;
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-14-
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(b)
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Reference to the specific Plan provisions (including any
internal rules, guidelines, protocols, criteria, etc.) on which the
determination is based;
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(c)
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A description of any additional material or information
necessary for the Claimant to complete the claim and an explanation of why such
material or information is necessary; and
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(d)
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A description of the Plans review procedures and the time
limits applicable to such procedures.
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The term Adverse Benefit Determination means a denial, reduction or termination of, or a
failure to provide or make payment (in whole or in part) for any benefit payable under the Plan.
8.4
Appeal of Adverse Benefit Determinations
. A Claimant who receives an Adverse
Benefit Determination and desires a review of that determination must file, or his authorized
representative must file on his behalf, a written request for a review of the Adverse Benefit
Determination, not later than 60 days after receiving the determination.
The written request for a review must be filed with the Board. Upon receiving the written
request for review, the Board will advise the Claimant, or his authorized representative, in
writing that:
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(a)
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The Claimant, or his authorized representative, may submit
written comments, documents, records and any other information relating to the
claim for benefits; and
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(b)
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The Claimant will be provided, upon request of the Claimant or
his authorized representative, reasonable access to, and copies of, all
documents, records, and other information relevant to the Claimants Benefit
Claim, without regard to whether those documents, records, and information were
considered or relied upon in making the Adverse Benefit Determination that is
the subject of the appeal.
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8.5
Benefit Determination on Review
. All appeals by a Claimant of an Adverse Benefit
Determination will receive a full and fair review by the Board.
8.6
Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
. The Board will notify a
Claimant, in accordance with Section 8.7, of the Plans benefit determination on review within a
reasonable period of time, but not later than 60 days after the Plans receipt of the Claimants
request for review of an Adverse Benefit Determination. If, however, special circumstances require
an extension of time for processing the review by the Board, the Claimant will be notified, prior
to the termination of the initial 60 day period, of the special circumstances requiring the
extension and the date by which the Plan expects to render the Plans benefit determination on
review, which will not be later than 120 days after receipt of a request for review.
-15-
8.7
Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
. The Board
will provide a Claimant with notification of its benefit determination on review in the method
described in Section 8.3.
In the case of an Adverse Benefit Determination on review, the notification must set forth, in
a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant:
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(a)
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The specific reasons for the adverse determination on review;
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(b)
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Reference to the specific Plan provisions (including any
internal rules, guidelines, protocols, criteria, etc.) on which the benefit
determination on review is based;
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(c)
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A statement that the Claimant is entitled to receive, upon
request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents,
records and other information relevant to the Claimants Benefit Claim, without
regard to whether those records were considered or relied upon in making the
Adverse Benefit Determination on review, including any reports, and the
identities, of any experts whose advice was obtained.
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8.8
Court Action
. No Participant or beneficiary will have the right to seek judicial
review of a denial of benefits, or to bring any action in any court to enforce a claim for
benefits, prior to filing a claim for benefits and exhausting his rights to review under this
Section.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
9.1
Governing Law
. The Plan will be construed, regulated and administered according
to the laws of the State of Indiana, except in those areas preempted by the laws of the United
States of America in which case such laws will control.
9.2
Headings and Gender
. The headings and subheadings in the Plan have been inserted
for convenience of reference only and will not affect the construction of the provisions hereof.
In any necessary construction the masculine will include the feminine and the singular the plural,
and vice versa.
9.3
Participants Rights; Acquittance
. No Participant will acquire any right to be
retained in an Employers employ by virtue of the Plan, nor, upon his Separation from Service, will
he have any right or interest in or to any Plan assets other than as specifically provided herein.
9.4
Spendthrift Clause
. No benefit or interest available hereunder will be subject in
any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, attachment
or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participants designated beneficiary(ies),
either voluntarily or involuntarily.
-16-
9.5
Counterparts
. This Plan may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which will constitute but one and the same instrument and may be sufficiently evidenced by any one
counterpart.
9.6
No Enlargement of Employment Rights
. Nothing contained in the Plan will be
construed as a contract of employment between an Employer and any person, nor will the Plan be
deemed to give any person the right to be retained in the employ of an Employer or limit the right
of an Employer to employ or discharge any person with or without cause, or to discipline any
Employee.
9.7
Limitations on Liability
. Notwithstanding any of the preceding provisions of the Plan, none of the Employer, the
Committee and each individual acting as an employee or agent of any of them will be liable to any
Participant, Employee, Alternate Payee or beneficiary(ies) for any claim (other than a claim for
benefits), loss, liability or expense incurred in connection with the Plan, except when the same
will have been judicially determined to be due to the gross negligence or willful misconduct of
such person.
9.8
Incapacity of Participant or Beneficiary
. If any person entitled to receive a
distribution under the Plan is physically or mentally incapable of personally receiving and giving
a valid receipt for any payment due (unless prior claim therefore will have been made by a duly
qualified guardian or other legal representative), then, unless and until claim therefore will have
been made by a duly appointed guardian or other legal representative of such person, the Committee
may provide for such payment or any part thereof to be made to any other person or institution then
contributing toward or providing for the care and maintenance of such person.
9.9
Corporate Successors
. The Plan will not be automatically terminated by a transfer
or sale of assets of the Company or by the merger or consolidation of the Company into or with any
other corporation or other entity (Transaction), but the Plan will be continued after the
Transaction only if and to the extent that the transferee, purchaser or successor entity agrees to
continue the Plan.
9.10
Evidence
. Evidence required of anyone under the Plan may be by certificate,
affidavit, document or other information which the person relying thereon considers pertinent and
reliable, and signed, made or presented by the proper party or parties.
9.11
Action by Employer
. Any action required of or permitted by an Employer under the
Plan will be by resolution of its board or, for the Company, by resolution of the Board or the
Committee or by a person or persons authorized by resolution of the Board or the Committee.
9.12
Severability
. In the event any provisions of the Plan will be held to be illegal
or invalid for any reason, such illegality or invalidity will not affect the remaining parts of the
Plan, and the Plan will be construed and endorsed as if such illegal or invalid provisions had
never been contained in the Plan.
-17-
SIGNATURES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this First Financial Corporation 2005 Executives
Deferred Compensation Plan to be executed by its officers thereunder duly authorized, this
29
th
day of August, 2007, but effective as of January 1, 2005.
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FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
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By:
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/s/ Norman L. Lowery
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Norman L. Lowery, Chief Executive Officer
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ATTEST:
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By:
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/s/ Michael A. Carty
Michael A. Carty, Secretary and Treasurer
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-18-
Exhibit 10.6
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION 2005
EXECUTIVES SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT PLAN
Effective Date: January 1, 2005
Krieg DeVault LLP
One Indiana Square, Suite 2800
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2079
www.kriegdevault.com
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION 2005
EXECUTIVES SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ARTICLE
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PAGE
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INTRODUCTION
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i
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Article I DEFINITIONS
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i
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1.1 2005 EDCP
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i
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1.2 Board
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i
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1.3 Code
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i
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1.4 Committee
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i
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1.5 Company
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i
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1.6 Effective Date
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i
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1.7 Employee
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i
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1.8 Employer
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i
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1.9 ESOP
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i
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1.10 Frozen EDCP
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i
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1.11 Frozen ESRP
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i
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1.12 Key Employee
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i
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1.13 Participant
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ii
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1.14 Participant Benefit
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ii
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1.15 Pension Plan
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ii
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1.16 Plan
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ii
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1.17 Plan Year
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ii
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1.18 Separation from Service
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ii
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Article II ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
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iii
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Article III BENEFITS
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iii
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3.1 Amount of Benefit
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iii
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3.2 Sample Calculation of Benefit
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iv
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Article IV INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS
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iv
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4.1 Investments
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iv
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4.2 Unsecured Contractual Rights
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iv
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Article V DISTRIBUTIONS
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iv
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5.1 Time of Payment of Benefits
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iv
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5.2 Method of Payment of Benefits
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v
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5.3 Benefit Payment Elections
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v
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5.4 Death of the Participant and Beneficiary Designation
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v
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5.5 Acceleration of Time of Payment
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vi
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-i-
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ARTICLE
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PAGE
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Article VI PLAN ADMINISTRATION
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ix
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6.1 Administration by the Committee
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ix
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6.2 Powers and Responsibilities of the Committee
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ix
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6.3 Liabilities
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x
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6.4 Income and Employment Tax Withholding
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x
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Article VII AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
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x
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7.1 Amendment of the Plan
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x
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7.2 Termination of the Plan
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x
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Article VIII CLAIMS PROCEDURES
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x
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8.1 Procedures Governing Benefit Claims
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x
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8.2 Notification of Benefit Determinations
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x
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8.3 Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determinations
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x
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8.4 Appeal of Adverse Benefit Determinations
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xi
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8.5 Benefit Determination on Review
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xi
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8.6 Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
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xi
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8.7 Manner
and Content of Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
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xii
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8.8 Court Action
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xii
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Article IX MISCELLANEOUS
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xii
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9.1 Governing Law
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xii
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9.2 Headings and Gender
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xii
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9.3 Participants Rights; Acquittance
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xiii
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9.4 Spendthrift Clause
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xiii
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9.5 Counterparts
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xiii
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9.6 No Enlargement of Employment Rights
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xiii
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9.7 Limitations on Liability
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xiii
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9.8 Incapacity of Participant or Beneficiary
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xiii
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9.9 Corporate Successors
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xiii
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9.10 Evidence
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xiii
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9.11 Action by Employer
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xiv
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9.12 Severability
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xiv
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SIGNATURES
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xiv
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APPENDIX A SAMPLE CALCUATION DESCRIPTION
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1
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-ii-
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this Plan is to provide supplemental retirement benefits for a select group of
management or highly compensated Employees to help recompense the Employees for benefits lost due
to the imposition of Code limitations on benefits under the Companys tax-qualified defined benefit
pension plan. It is the intention of the Employers that the Plan will constitute a deferred
compensation arrangement that complies with Code Section 409A and an unfunded arrangement
maintained for the purpose of providing deferred compensation for a select group of management or
highly compensated employees for federal income tax purposes and for purposes of Title I of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Whenever the initial letter of a word or phrase is capitalized herein, the following words and
phrases will have the meanings stated below unless a different meaning is plainly required by the
context:
1.1 2005 EDCP means the First Financial Corporation 2005 Executives Deferred Compensation
Plan, that was originally effective January 1, 2005, as amended from time to time.
1.2 Board means the Board of Directors of First Financial Corporation.
1.3 Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
1.4 Committee means the Compensation Committee of the Board.
1.5 Company means First Financial Corporation.
1.6 Effective Date means January 1, 2005.
1.7 Employee means any individual who is employed by an Employer.
1.8 Employer means the Company, First Financial Bank N.A. and any other entity First Financial
Corporation
allows to adopt and become a co-sponsor of the Plan.
1.9 ESOP means the First Financial Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan, as amended
from time to time.
1.10 Frozen EDCP means the First Financial Executives Deferred Compensation Plan that was
originally effective January 1, 1996, and frozen effective December 31, 2004.
1.11 Frozen ESRP means the First Financial Executives Supplemental Retirement Plan that was
originally effective January 1, 1997, and frozen effective December 31, 2004.
1.12 Key Employee means an Employee who is:
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(a)
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An officer of an Employer having annual compensation greater
than $140,000;
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-i-
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(b)
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A five-percent owner of the Company; or
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(c)
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A one-percent owner of the Company having an annual
compensation greater than $150,000.
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The $140,000 amount in subsection 1.12(a) will be adjusted at the same time and in
the same manner as under Code Section 415(d), except that the base period will be
the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2001, and any increase under this sentence
which is not a multiple of $5,000 will be rounded to the next lower multiple of
$5,000.
1.13 Participant means a salaried executive Employee of an Employer who becomes a
Participant pursuant to the provisions of Article II of the Plan.
1.14 Participant Benefit means the benefit payable to a Participant under the Plan.
1.15 Pension Plan means the First Financial Corporation Employees Pension Plan, as amended
from time to time.
1.16 Plan
means the deferred compensation plan embodied herein, as amended from time to time, known as
the First Financial Corporation 2005 Executives Supplemental Retirement Plan.
1.17 Plan Year means the 12-month period beginning each January 1 and ending on the
following December 31.
1.18 Separation from Service means the date on which the Participant dies, retires or
otherwise experiences a Termination of Employment with the Employer. Provided, however, a
Separation from Service does not occur if the Participant is on military leave, sick leave or other
bona fide leave of absence if the period of such leave does not exceed six months, or if longer, so
long as the Participant retains a right to reemployment with the Employer under an applicable
statute or by contract. For purposes of this Section, a leave of absence constitutes a bona fide
leave of absence only if there is a reasonable expectation that the Participant will return to
perform services for the Employer. If the period of leave exceeds six months and the Participant
does not retain the right to reemployment under an applicable statute or by contract, the
employment relationship is deemed to terminate on the first date immediately following such
six-month period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where a leave of absence is due to any medically
determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be
expected to last for a continuous period of not less than six months, where such impairment causes
the Participant to be unable to perform the duties of his position of employment or any
substantially similar position of employment, a 29-month period of absence may be substituted for
such six-month period. The Participant shall incur a Termination of Employment for purposes of
this Section when a termination of employment has occurred under Treasury Regulation
1.409A-1(h)(ii).
-ii-
ARTICLE II
ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
A member of a select group of management or highly compensated Employees is eligible to become
a Participant in the Plan provided the Employee is designated as a Participant by the Board or the
Committee in writing. A designated Employee will become a Participant as of the later of the
Effective Date or the date specified by the Committee. A Participant may be removed as an active
Participant by the Committee effective as of any date, so that the Participant will not be entitled
to accrue additional benefits under the Plan on or after that date.
ARTICLE III
BENEFITS
3.1
Amount of Benefit
. The amount, if any, of the Participant Benefit payable to or
on account of a Participant pursuant to the Plan will, subject to subsection 5.5(a), equal the
excess of (a) less (b) less (c) less (d), adjusted for the factors in (e), as determined by the
Committee, where:
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(a)
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is the Participants Normal Benefit (as defined by Section 3.1
of the
Pension Plan, but prior to reduction of such amount by the ESOP Monthly
Benefit, as also defined by the Pension Plan) that would otherwise be
payable to or on account of the Participant under the Pension Plan,
calculated as of the Participants Normal Retirement Date (as defined by
the Pension Plan) and ending on his death, on the basis of a monthly
retirement income, which is the normal form of payment (as defined by the
Pension Plan), determined as if the provisions of the Pension Plan were
administered without regard to the limitations imposed by Code Sections
401(a)(17) and 415. For purposes of determining the Normal Benefit under
this subsection (a), any salary deferral made by or on account of the
Participant under the Frozen EDCP or the 2005 EDCP from the definition of
compensation used to determine the Normal Benefit under the Pension Plan are
to be included as compensation; and
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(b)
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is the Participants Normal Benefit (as defined by the Pension
Plan, but prior to reduction of such amount by the ESOP Monthly Benefit, as
also defined by the Pension Plan) that is payable to or on account of the
Participant under the Pension Plan, calculated as of the Participants Normal
Retirement Date (as defined by the Pension Plan) and ending on his death, on
the basis of a monthly retirement income, which is the normal form of payment
(as defined by the Pension Plan); and
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(c)
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is the Participants accrued benefit under the Frozen ESRP that
is payable to or on account of the Participant under the Frozen ESRP,
calculated as of the Participants Normal Retirement Date (as defined by the
Pension Plan) on the basis of a monthly retirement income, which is the normal
form of payment (as defined by the Pension Plan)(such Frozen ESRP benefit being
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-iii-
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calculated in similar manner, but with such benefit accruals being frozen in
accordance with the Second Amendment to the Frozen ESRP; and
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(d)
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is the Participants Supplemental Benefit under Section 3.3 of
the 2005 EDCP, converted to a monthly annuity in the same manner as provided
for in the Pension Plan with regard to the Participants benefit under the
ESOP; and
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(e)
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the result of calculating subsection (a) less subsection (b)
less subsection (c) less subsection (d), above, will be adjusted by:
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(i)
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applying the actuarial factors provided by the
Pension Plan, to reduce the Participants benefit for payments prior to
or after the Participants Normal Retirement Date (as defined by the
Pension Plan), if applicable; and
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(ii)
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applying the actuarial factors provided by the
Pension Plan, to convert the monthly retirement income to the form of
payment elected by the Participant pursuant to Section 5.3.
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3.2
Sample Calculation of Benefit
.
A sample calculation of the amount payable under the Plan is provided in
Appendix A
.
ARTICLE IV
INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS
4.1
Investments
. Contributions to fund the benefits that may become payable under the
Plan may be made to a so-called irrevocable rabbi trust established and maintained by the Company
to provide for the benefits created by this Plan. The amount of contributions to be made by the
Employers to the rabbi trust will be determined from time to time by the Committee in its sole
discretion. No provision of the Plan will impose or be deemed to impose any obligation upon the
Employers, other than an unsecured contractual obligation to make a cash payment to Participants
and their beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of the Plan. Benefits payable under the Plan
will be paid directly by the Employers from their general assets to the extent not paid from the
rabbi trust established by the Company.
4.2
Unsecured Contractual Rights
. The Plan at all times will be unfunded and will
constitute a mere promise by the Employers to make benefit payments in the future. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Plan, neither a Participant nor his beneficiary will have any preferred
claim on, or any beneficial ownership interest in, any assets of the Employers prior to the time
benefits are paid as provided in Article V. All rights created under this Plan will be mere
unsecured contractual rights of the Participant against the Employers.
ARTICLE V
DISTRIBUTIONS
5.1
Time of Payment of Benefits
. Except as provided in Section 5.5, a Participant or
his beneficiary will receive or begin to receive payment of his Participant Benefit within 120
-iv-
days
after the Participants Separation from Service. If at the time of the Participants Separation
from Service, for any reason other than death, the Participant meets the definition of a Key
Employee at the time of the Participants Separation from Service, payment of all amounts under
this Section will be suspended for six months immediately following the date of his Separation from
Service for reasons other than death. Payment of any installments that the Participant was
otherwise entitled to receive during the six-month suspension period will be accumulated and paid
in the form of a lump sum on the first day following the six-month suspension period. The
remainder of the Participants Benefit will then commence distribution in the manner and at the
time elected by the Participant. If the Participant incurs a Separation from Service due to death,
regardless of whether the Participant meets the definition of a Key Employee, payment of his
Participant Benefit will not be suspended.
5.2
Method of Payment of Benefits
. Except as provided in Sections 5.4 and 5.5, a
Participants Benefit will be distributed in cash, in the number of installments effectively
elected by the Participant. Installments will be
payable at monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual intervals over a period not less than 3
years and not in excess of 20 years.
5.3
Benefit Payment Elections
.
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(a)
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Initial Election
. A Participant may elect the manner
in which his Participant Benefit under the Plan will be paid to him under
Section 5.2 in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Section. To
make an election a Participant must file an election with the Committee (on a
form or forms prescribed by the Committee). To be effective, the election
under this Section must be filed with the Committee no later than the later of:
(i) the time the Participant first begins participating in the Plan (or under
any other plan required to be aggregated with this Plan pursuant to the
requirements of Code Section 409A); or (ii) December 31, 2007. If no election
is made or if the election is not timely or properly made, distribution will be
made in the form of five annual installments.
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(b)
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Change of Election
. An election as to the manner of
payment may not be changed after the payment has been made or installment
payments have commenced. Prior to that time, a Participant may change his
election by filing a new election form with the Committee; provided, however,
that: (i) the new election will not take effect until at least 12 months after
the date the new election is filed; (ii) the commencement of installment
payments with respect to which such election is made must be deferred for a
period of not less than five years from the date such payment would otherwise
have been made; and (iii) the new election is filed at least 12 months prior to
the date of the first scheduled payment under the Plan.
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5.4
Death of the Participant and Beneficiary Designation
.
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(a)
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Form and Time of Payment
. In the event a Participant
dies prior to the time his Participant Benefit under the Plan is distributed,
his Participant Benefit will be paid to his designated beneficiary(ies) in five
annual
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-v-
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installments. Such distribution will commence within 120 days of the
date of the Participants death. If the Participant dies after distribution of
his Participant Benefit has commenced, his remaining installments, if any, will
be paid to his designated beneficiary(ies).
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(b)
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Designation of Beneficiaries
. The Participant may
designate a primary and contingent beneficiary(ies) to receive any amount
payable under subsection 5.4(a). Such designation may be changed at any time
for any reason by the Participant. If the Participant fails to designate a
beneficiary, or if such designation will for any reason be illegal or
ineffective, or if the designated beneficiary(ies) will not survive the
Participant, his Participant Benefit under the Plan will be paid: (i) to
his surviving spouse; (ii) if there is no surviving spouse, to the duly
appointed and qualified executor or other personal representative of the
Participant to be distributed in accordance with the Participants will or
applicable intestacy law; or (iii) in the event there is no such
representative appointed and qualified within 45 days after the
Participants death, then to such persons as, at the date of death, would be
entitled to share in the distribution of the Participants estate under the
provisions of the applicable statutes then in force governing the descent of
intestate property, in the proportions specified in such statute.
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5.5
Acceleration of Time of Payment
. Except as provided in this Section, the schedule
of payment of a Participants Benefit provided in Sections 5.1 through 5.4 may not be accelerated.
The time of payment of a Participants Benefit may be accelerated in the following circumstances,
each of which is an Acceleration Event, to payment in a single lump sum at a time that is no
later than 60 days following the Committees determination that one of the Acceleration Events has
occurred:
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(a)
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Domestic Relations Order
. The time or schedule of a
payment of a Participants Benefit may be accelerated to make a payment to an
individual other than the Participant as may be necessary to fulfill a domestic
relations order (as defined in Code Section 414(p)(1)(B)).
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(b)
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Conflicts of Interest
. The time or schedule of a
payment of a Participants Benefit may be accelerated to the extent reasonably
necessary to avoid the violation of an applicable Federal, state, local, or
foreign ethics law or conflicts of interest law (including where such payment
is reasonably necessary to permit the service provider to participate in
activities in the normal course of his or her position in which the service
provider would otherwise not be able to participate under an applicable rule).
A payment is reasonably necessary to avoid the violation of Federal, state,
local, or foreign ethics laws or conflicts of interest law if the payment is a
necessary part of a course of action that results in compliance with a Federal,
state, local, or foreign ethics law or conflicts of interest law that would be
violated absent such course of action, regardless of whether
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-vi-
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other actions
would also result in compliance with the Federal, state, local, or foreign
ethics law or conflicts of interest law.
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(c)
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Payment of Employment Taxes
. The time or schedule of a
payment of a Participants Benefit may be accelerated to pay the Federal
Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) tax imposed under Code Sections 3101,
3121(a) and 3121(v)(2) on compensation deferred under the Plan. Additionally,
the time or schedule of a payment of a Participants Benefit may be accelerated
under the Plan to pay the income tax at source on wages imposed under Code
Section 3401 or the corresponding withholding provisions of state, local or
foreign tax laws as a result of payment of the FICA amount, and to pay the
additional income tax at
source on wages attributable to the pyramiding section 3401 wages and taxes.
However, the total payment under this paragraph will not exceed the
aggregate of the FICA amount and the related income tax withholding on such
FICA amount.
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(d)
|
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Income Inclusion Under Code Section 409A
. The time or
schedule of a payment of a Participants Benefit under the Plan may be
accelerated to pay the income tax, interest and penalties imposed if the Plan
fails to meet the requirements of Code Section 409A and related regulations;
provided, however, such payment will not exceed the amount required to be
included in income as a result of the failure to comply with the requirements
of Code Section 409A and related regulations.
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(e)
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Plan Termination
. The time or schedule of payment or
commencement of payments from a Participants Benefit may be accelerated when
the Plan is terminated in accordance with one of the following and the
Participants Benefit is calculated as if the Participant Separated from
Service on the date of the Plan termination:
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(i)
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The Company terminates the Plan within 12
months of a corporate dissolution taxed under Code Section 331, or with
the approval of a bankruptcy court pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §503(b)(1)(A),
provided that the amounts deferred under the Plan are included in the
Participants gross incomes in the latest of the following years (or,
if earlier, the taxable year in which the amount is constructively
received).
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A.
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The calendar year in which the
Plan termination and liquidation occurs;
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B.
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The first calendar year in which
the amount is no longer subject to a substantial risk of
forfeiture; or
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C.
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The first calendar year in which
the payment is administratively practicable.
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-vii-
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(ii)
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The Companys irrevocable action to terminate
and liquidate the Plan within the 30 days preceding or the 12 months
following a change in control (as defined in Treasury Regulation
1.409A-3(i)(5)). For purposes of this subsection 5.5(b), the Plan may
be terminated only if all agreements, methods, programs, and other
arrangements sponsored by the Employer immediately after the time of
the change in control with respect to which deferrals of compensation
are treated as having been deferred under a single plan under Treasury
Regulation 1.409A-1(c)(2) are terminated and liquidated with respect to
each Participant that experienced the change in control, so that under
the terms of the termination and liquidation all such Participants are
required to receive all amounts
of compensation deferred under the Plan and other arrangements within
12 months of the date the Company irrevocably takes all necessary
action to terminate and liquidate the Plan and other arrangements.
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(iii)
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The Companys termination and liquidation of
the Plan, provided that:
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A.
|
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The termination and liquidation
does not occur proximate to a downturn in the financial health
of the Company;
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B.
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The Company terminates and
liquidates all agreements, programs, and other arrangements that
would be aggregated under Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(c) if
the Participant had deferrals of compensation under all of the
agreements, methods, programs, and other arrangements that are
terminated and liquidated;
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C.
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No payments in liquidation of the
Plan are made within 12 months of the date the Company takes all
necessary action to irrevocably terminate and liquidate the plan
other than payments that would be payable under the terms of the
Plan if the action to terminate and liquidate the Plan had not
occurred;
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D.
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All payments are made within 24
months of the date the Company takes all necessary action to
irrevocably terminate and liquidate the Plan; and
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E.
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The Company does not adopt a new
plan or arrangement that would be aggregated with any terminated
and liquidated plan or arrangement under Treasury Regulation
§1.409A-1(c) if the same Participant participated in both plans
or arrangements, at any time within three years following the
date the Company takes all necessary action
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-viii-
to irrevocably
terminate and liquidate the Plan.
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(iv)
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Such other events and conditions as the
Internal Revenue Service may prescribe in generally applicable guidance
published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.
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ARTICLE VI
PLAN ADMINISTRATION
6.1
Administration by the Committee
. The Committee will be responsible for
administering the Plan. Except as the Company will otherwise expressly determine, the Committee
will be charged with the full power and the responsibility for administering the Plan in all its
details.
6.2
Powers and Responsibilities of the Committee
.
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(a)
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The Committee will have all powers necessary to administer the
Plan, including the power to construe and interpret the Plan documents; to
decide all questions relating to an individuals eligibility to participate in
the Plan; to determine whether a Participant has actually retired; to determine
the amount, manner and timing of any distribution of benefits or withdrawal
under the Plan; to resolve any claim for benefits in accordance with Article
VIII, and to appoint or employ advisors, including legal counsel, to render
advice with respect to any of the Committees responsibilities under the Plan.
Any construction, interpretation or application of the Plan by the Committee
will be final, conclusive and binding. All actions by the Committee will be
taken pursuant to uniform standards applied to all persons similarly situated.
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(b)
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Records and Reports
. The Committee will be responsible
for maintaining sufficient records to determine each Participants eligibility
to participate in the Plan.
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(c)
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Rules and Decisions
. The Committee may adopt such
rules as it deems necessary, desirable or appropriate in the administration of
the Plan. All rules and decisions of the Committee will be applied uniformly
and consistently to all Participants in similar circumstances. When making a
determination or calculation, the Committee will be entitled to rely upon
information furnished by a Participant or beneficiary, the Employers or the
legal counsel of an Employer.
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(d)
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Application and Forms for Benefits
. The Committee may
require a Participant or beneficiary to complete and file with it an
application for a benefit, and to furnish all pertinent information requested
by it. The Committee may rely upon all such information so furnished to it,
including the Participants or beneficiarys current mailing address.
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-ix-
6.3
Liabilities
. The individual members of the Committee will be indemnified and held
harmless by the Employers with respect to any actual or alleged breach of responsibilities
performed or to be performed hereunder.
6.4
Income and Employment Tax Withholding
. The Employers will be responsible for
withholding, and the Participant and each beneficiary will agree to such withholdings from the
distribution of his Participant Benefit under the Plan of all applicable federal, state, city and
local taxes.
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
7.1
Amendment of the Plan
. The Company will have the right at any time to modify,
alter or amend the Plan in whole or in part, except that no amendment or suspension shall
retroactively impair or otherwise adversely affect (without written consent) the rights of a
Participant or beneficiary which have accrued prior to the date of such action.
7.2
Termination of the Plan
. The Company reserves the right at any time to terminate
the Plan or to reduce or cease benefit accruals at any time, except that no amendment or suspension
shall retroactively impair or otherwise adversely affect (without written consent) the rights of a
Participant or beneficiary which have accrued prior to the date of such action.
ARTICLE VIII
CLAIMS PROCEDURES
8.1
Procedures Governing Benefit Claims
. For purposes of the Plan, a Benefit Claim
means a request for a Plan benefit or benefits, made by a Claimant or by an authorized
representative of a Claimant, which complies with the Plans procedures for making benefit claims.
Claimant means a Participant, a surviving spouse of a Participant, a beneficiary, an Alternate
Payee or a personal representative of the Participants estate who is claiming entitlement to the
payment of any benefit under the Plan. Alternate Payee means any spouse, former spouse, child or
other dependent of a Participant who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right
to receive all, or a portion of, the Participant Benefits payable under the Plan with respect to
such Participant.
8.2
Notification of Benefit Determinations
. The Committee will notify a Claimant, in
accordance with Section 8.3, of the Plans benefit determination within a reasonable period of time
after a Separation from Service or after the Committees receipt of a Benefit Claim, but not later
than 90 days after receipt of the Benefit Claim by the Committee. If special circumstances require
an extension of time for processing the Benefit Claim, the Committee will notify the Claimant of
the extension prior to the termination of the initial period described above. The notice will
indicate the special circumstances requiring the extension of time and the date by which the Plan
expects to make the benefit determination. In no event will the extension exceed a period of 90
days from the end of the initial period.
8.3
Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determinations
. All notices given
by the Committee under this Article will be given to a Claimant, or to his authorized
-x-
representative, in a manner that satisfies the standards of 29 CFR 2520.104b-1(b) as appropriate
with respect to the particular material required to be furnished or made available to that
individual. The Committee may provide a Claimant with either a written or an electronic notice of
the Plans benefit determination. Any electronic notification will comply with the standards
imposed by 29 CFR 2520.104b-1(c)(1)(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv). In the case of an Adverse Benefit
Determination, the notice will set forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the
Claimant:
|
(a)
|
|
The specific reasons for the adverse determination;
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
Reference to the specific Plan provisions (including any
internal rules, guidelines, protocols, criteria, etc.) on which the
determination is based;
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
A description of any additional material or information
necessary for the Claimant to complete the claim and an explanation of why such
material or information is necessary; and
|
|
|
(d)
|
|
A description of the Plans review procedures and the time
limits applicable to such procedures.
|
The term Adverse Benefit Determination means a denial, reduction or termination of, or a
failure to provide or make payment (in whole or in part) for any benefit payable under the Plan.
8.4
Appeal of Adverse Benefit Determinations
. A Claimant who receives an
Adverse Benefit Determination and desires a review of that determination must file, or his
authorized representative must file on his behalf, a written request for a review of the Adverse
Benefit Determination, not later than 60 days after receiving the determination.
The written request for a review must be filed with the Board. Upon receiving the written
request for review, the Board will advise the Claimant, or his authorized representative, in
writing that:
|
(a)
|
|
The Claimant, or his authorized representative, may submit
written comments, documents, records and any other information relating to the
claim for benefits; and
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|
|
(b)
|
|
The Claimant will be provided, upon request of the Claimant or
his authorized representative, reasonable access to, and copies of, all
documents, records and other information relevant to the Claimants Benefit
Claim, without regard to whether those documents, records, and information were
considered or relied upon in making the Adverse Benefit Determination that is
the subject of the appeal.
|
8.5
Benefit Determination on Review
. All appeals by a Claimant of an Adverse Benefit
Determination will receive a full and fair review by the Board.
8.6
Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
. The Board will notify a
Claimant, in accordance with Section 8.7, of the Plans benefit determination on review within a
-xi-
reasonable period of time, but not later than 60 days after the
Plans receipt of the Claimants request for review of an Adverse Benefit Determination. If,
however, special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the review by the named
fiduciary, the Claimant will be notified, prior to the termination of the initial 60 day period, of
the special circumstances requiring the extension and the date by which the Plan expects to render
the Plans benefit determination on review, which will not be later than 120 days after receipt of
a request for review. Provided, however, in the case of a Plan with a committee or other group
designated as the appropriate named fiduciary that holds regularly scheduled meetings at least
quarterly, the time limit of this subsection will be modified in accordance with 29 CFR
2560.503-1(i)(1)(ii) or 29 CFR 2560.503-1(i)(3)(ii), whichever is applicable.
8.7
Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
. The Board
will provide a Claimant with notification of its benefit determination on review in a method
described in Section 8.3.
In the case of an Adverse Benefit Determination on review, the notification must set forth, in
a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant:
|
(a)
|
|
The specific reasons for the adverse determination on review;
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
Reference to the specific Plan provisions (including any
internal rules, guidelines, protocols, criteria, etc.) on which the benefit
determination on review is based;
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
A statement that the Claimant is entitled to receive, upon
request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents,
records and other information relevant to the Claimants Benefit Claim, without
regard to whether those records were considered or relied upon in making the
Adverse Benefit Determination on review, including any reports, and the
identities, of any experts whose advice was obtained.
|
8.8
Court Action
. No Participant or beneficiary will have the right to seek judicial
review of a denial of benefits, or to bring any action in any court to enforce a claim for
benefits, prior to filing a claim for benefits and exhausting his rights to review under this
Section.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
9.1
Governing Law
. The Plan will be construed, regulated and administered according
to the laws of the State of Indiana, except in those areas preempted by the laws of the United
States of America in which case such laws will control.
9.2
Headings and Gender
. The headings and subheadings in the Plan have been inserted for convenience of reference
only and will not affect the construction of the provisions hereof. In any necessary construction
the masculine will include the feminine and the singular the plural, and vice versa.
-xii-
9.3
Participants Rights; Acquittance
. No Participant will acquire any right to be
retained in an Employers employ by virtue of the Plan, nor, upon his dismissal, or upon his
voluntary termination of employment, will he have any right or interest in or to any Plan assets
other than as specifically provided herein.
9.4
Spendthrift Clause
. No benefit or interest available hereunder will be subject in
any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, attachment
or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participants beneficiary, either voluntarily
or involuntarily.
9.5
Counterparts
. This Plan may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which will constitute but one and the same instrument and may be sufficiently evidenced by any one
counterpart.
9.6
No Enlargement of Employment Rights
. Nothing contained in the Plan will be
construed as a contract of employment between an Employer and any person, nor will the Plan be
deemed to give any person the right to be retained in the employ of an Employer or limit the right
of an Employer to employ or discharge any person with or without cause, or to discipline any
Employee.
9.7
Limitations on Liability
. Notwithstanding any of the preceding provisions of the
Plan, none of the Employers, the Committee and each individual acting as an employee or agent of
any of them will be liable to any Participant, Employee or beneficiary for any claim (other than a
claim for the Participants benefit), loss, liability or expense incurred in connection with the
Plan, except when the same will have been judicially determined to be due to the gross negligence
or willful misconduct of such person.
9.8
Incapacity of Participant or Beneficiary
. If any person entitled to receive a
distribution under the Plan is physically or mentally incapable of personally receiving and giving
a valid receipt for any payment due (unless prior claim therefor will have been made by a duly
qualified guardian or other legal representative), then, unless and until claim therefor will have
been made by a duly appointed guardian or other legal representative of such person, the Committee
may provide for such payment or any part thereof to be made to any other person or institution then
contributing toward or providing for the care and maintenance of such person.
9.9
Corporate Successors
. The Plan will not be automatically terminated by a transfer or sale of assets of the
Company or by the merger or consolidation of the Company into or with any other corporation or
other entity (Transaction), but the Plan will be continued after the Transaction only if and to
the extent that the transferee, purchaser or successor entity agrees to continue the Plan.
9.10
Evidence
. Evidence required of anyone under the Plan may be by certificate,
affidavit, document or other information which the person relying thereon considers pertinent and
reliable, and signed, made or presented by the proper party or parties.
-xiii-
9.11
Action by Employer
. Any action required of or permitted by an Employer under the
Plan will be by resolution of its board or, for the Company, by resolution of the Board or the
Committee or by a person or persons authorized by resolution of the Board or the Committee.
9.12
Severability
. In the event any provisions of the Plan will be held to be illegal
or invalid for any reason, such illegality or invalidity will not affect the remaining parts of the
Plan, and the Plan will be construed and endorsed as if such illegal or invalid provisions had
never been contained in the Plan.
SIGNATURES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this First Financial Corporation 2005 Executives
Supplemental Retirement Plan to be executed by its officers thereunder duly authorized, this
29
th
day of August, 2007, but effective as of January 1, 2005.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Norman L. Lowery
|
|
|
|
Norman L. Lowery, Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ATTEST:
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
/s/ Michael A. Carty
|
|
|
|
|
Michael A. Carty, Secretary/Treasurer
|
|
|
-xiv-
APPENDIX A
SAMPLE CALCULATION DESCRIPTION
|
|
|
Item 1.
|
|
Determine the vested Normal Benefit payable to the
Participant under the Pension Plan, calculated as of the
Participants Normal Retirement Date on the basis of the
normal form of payment as defined in the Pension Plan
(monthly retirement income) without taking into account the
offset by the Participants ESOP Monthly Benefit, and without
regard to the limitations imposed by Code Sections 401(a)(17)
and 415 and including deferrals to the Frozen EDCP and 2005
EDCP as compensation.
|
|
|
|
Item 2.
|
|
Determine the vested Normal Benefit payable to the
Participant under the Pension Plan, calculated as of the
Participants Normal Retirement Date, on the basis of the
normal form of payment as defined in the Pension Plan
(monthly retirement income) without taking into account the
offset by the Participants ESOP Monthly Benefit (as defined
in Section 3.6 of the Pension Plan).
|
|
|
|
Item 3.
|
|
Subtract Item 2 from Item 1 to determine the amount of the
monthly retirement income benefit that is not payable to the
Participant under the Pension Plan due to the restrictions
imposed by the Code.
|
|
|
|
Item 4.
|
|
Determine the unadjusted monthly benefit that would be
payable to the Participant under the Frozen ESRP.
|
|
|
|
Item 5.
|
|
Subtract Item 4 from Item 3.
|
|
|
|
Item 6.
|
|
Determine the Participants Supplemental Benefit payable due
to contributions under Section 3.3 of the 2005 EDCP and
earnings thereon and convert it to a monthly annuity in the
same manner as provided for in the Pension Plan with regard
to the Participants benefit under the ESOP.
|
|
|
|
Item 7.
|
|
Subtract Item 6 from Item 5 to determine the unadjusted
benefit payable under this Plan.
|
|
|
|
Item 8.
|
|
Adjust the amounts determined in Item 7 by the actuarial
adjustments provided in the Pension Plan to convert the
monthly retirement income to the form of benefit elected by
the Participant and to adjust for payments prior to or after
the Participants Normal Retirement Date, if applicable.
|
1
Sample Payment of Benefit Calculation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pension Payments Exceed ESOP Payments
|
|
|
|
|
Item 1
|
|
Calculate Pension Plan Monthly Benefit without Code Limits
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 2
|
|
Calculate Pension Plan Monthly Benefit with normal limits under the Code
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 3
|
|
Subtract Item 2 from Item 1
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 4
|
|
Calculate the benefit payable under the frozen ESRP
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 5
|
|
Subtract Item 4 from Item 3
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 6
|
|
Calculate the unadjusted monthly benefit payable under the 2005 EDCP
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 7
|
|
Subtract Item 6 from Item 5
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Item 8
|
|
Adjust Item 7 by the actuarial factors provided by the Pension Plan to convert the monthly retirement income to the form of benefit selected by the Participant and to adjust for payments received prior to or after Normal Retirement Date.
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
Exhibit 10.7
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
2005 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
Effective Date: January 1, 2005
Krieg DeVault LLP
One Indiana Square, Suite 2800
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2079
www.kriegdevault.com
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
2005 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
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Section
|
|
Page
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1. PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
|
|
|
1
|
|
2. DEFINITIONS
|
|
|
1
|
|
3. AWARDS AND PLAN ADMINISTRATION
|
|
|
7
|
|
4. ELIGIBILITY
|
|
|
8
|
|
5. ESTABLISHMENT OF ACCOUNT; NO SEGREGATION OF ASSETS
|
|
|
9
|
|
6. PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
|
|
|
9
|
|
7. PAYMENT OF AWARDS
|
|
|
9
|
|
8. SEPARATION FROM SERVICE
|
|
|
12
|
|
9. NONASSIGNABILITY
|
|
|
13
|
|
10. BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION
|
|
|
13
|
|
11. TAXES
|
|
|
14
|
|
12. REGULATORY APPROVALS AND RULE 16b-3
|
|
|
14
|
|
13. CLAIMS
|
|
|
14
|
|
14. PLAN ADMINISTRATOR
|
|
|
18
|
|
15. EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE PLAN
|
|
|
18
|
|
16. LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY
|
|
|
18
|
|
17. INCAPACITY OF PARTICIPANT OR BENEFICIARY
|
|
|
18
|
|
18. MISCELLANEOUS
|
|
|
18
|
|
i
FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
2005 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
1. PURPOSE OF THE PLAN.
The purpose of the Plan is to promote the best interests of the Company and its Subsidiaries,
and to enhance stockholder value of the Company by attracting and retaining directors, officers and
other key employees and providing them with an incentive to give their maximum effort to the
continued growth and success of the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Plan is intended to
constitute an unfunded, nonqualified plan of deferred compensation for a select group of management
or highly compensated employees, within the meaning of Section 201(2) of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), that is exempt from the requirements of Title 1
of ERISA and that complies with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(Code).
2. DEFINITIONS.
Wherever the initial letter of the following words or phrases is capitalized in the Plan,
including any Appendices or Supplements, they will have the respective meaning set forth below
unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
(a)
Account
means the account established and administered for the benefit of a Participant
under the Plan, reflecting Awards made to the Participant under the Plan and changes in the value
of Awards made hereunder.
(b)
Award
means the cash compensation payable to a Participant pursuant to the Plan and the
Participants Award Document.
(c)
Award Document
means a written document, including schedules thereto, issued by the
Committee to a Participant, setting forth the terms and conditions of the Award. No Award under
the Plan is valid unless it is set forth in an Award Document. In case of conflict between the
Award Document and the Plan, the terms of the Award Document shall govern unless the inconsistent
term is one for which the Committee lacks authority to vary from the terms set forth in the Plan.
(d)
Board
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(e)
Cause
means any of the following:
(1) An intentional act of fraud, embezzlement, theft or personal dishonesty; willful
misconduct, or breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit by the Participant in the
course of his or her employment or director service. No act or failure to act shall be
deemed to have been intentional or willful if it was due primarily to an error
in judgment or negligence. An act or failure to act shall be considered intentional or
willful if it is not in good faith and if it is without a reasonable belief that the action
or failure to act is in the best interest of the Company or its Subsidiaries;
1
(2) Intentional wrongful damage by the Participant to the business or property of the
Company or its Subsidiaries, causing material harm to the Company or its Subsidiaries;
(3) Breach by the Participant of any confidentiality or non-disclosure and
non-solicitation agreement in effect from time to time with the Company or its Subsidiaries;
(4) Gross negligence or insubordination by the Participant in the performance of his or
her duties; or
(5) Removal or permanent prohibition of the Participant from participating in the
conduct of the affairs of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, by an order issued under
Section 8(e)(4) or 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 USC 1818(e)(4) and
(g)(1).
(f)
Change in Control
means any of the following:
(1)
Change in Ownership
. A change in the ownership of the Company or an
Employer occurs on the date that any person, or group of persons, as defined below, acquires
ownership of stock of the Company or an Employer that, together with stock held by the
person or group, constitutes more than 50 percent of the total fair market value or total
voting power of the stock of the Company or an Employer. However, if any person or group is
considered to own more than 50 percent of the total fair market value or total voting power
of the stock, the acquisition of additional stock by the same person or group is not
considered to cause a change in the ownership of the Company or an Employer (or to cause a
change in the effective control of the Company or an Employer as defined in subsection
2(f)(2)). An increase in the percentage of stock owned by any person or group, as a result
of a transaction in which the Company or an Employer acquires its stock in exchange for
property will be treated as an acquisition of stock for purposes of this subsection 2(f)(1).
This subsection 2(f)(1) only applies when there is a transfer of stock of the Company or an
Employer (or issuance of stock of a corporation) and stock in the Company or an Employer
remains outstanding after the transaction.
For purposes of subsections 2(f)(1) and (2), persons will not be considered to be
acting as a group solely because they purchase or own stock of the Company or an Employer at
the same time, or as a result of the same public offering. However, persons will be
considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a
merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock or similar business transaction with
the Company or an Employer. If a person, including an entity, owns stock in both
corporations that enter into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock or
similar transaction, such shareholder is considered to be acting as a group with other
shareholders only with respect to the ownership in that corporation before the
transaction giving rise to the change and not with respect to the ownership interest in
the other corporation.
2
(2)
Change in the Effective Control
. A change in the effective control of the
Company or an Employer will occur when: (i) any person or group acquires, or has acquired
during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such
person(s), ownership of stock of the Company or an Employer possessing 30 percent or more of
the total voting power; or (ii) a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any
12-month period by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of
the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. However, if any
person or group is considered to effectively control the Company or an Employer, the
acquisition of additional control of the Company or an Employer by the same person(s) is not
considered to cause a change in the effective control.
(3)
Change in the Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Employers or Companys
Assets
. A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Companys or
Employers assets occurs on the date that any person or group acquires, or has acquired
during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such
person(s), assets from the Company or an Employer that have a total gross fair market value
equal to or more than 40 percent of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets
of the Company or an Employer immediately prior to such acquisition(s). Gross fair market
value means the value of the assets of the Company or an Employer, or the value of the
assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such
assets.
However, there is no Change in Control under this subsection when there is a transfer
to an entity that is controlled by the shareholders of the Company or an Employer
immediately after the transfer. A transfer of assets by the Company or an Employer is not
treated as a change in the ownership of such assets if the assets are transferred to: (i) a
shareholder of the Company or an Employer (immediately before the asset transfer) in
exchange for or with respect to its stock; (ii) an entity, 50 percent or more of the total
value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company or an
Employer; (iii) a person, or group of persons, that owns, directly or indirectly, 50 percent
or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of the Company or an
Employer or (iv) an entity, at least 50 percent of the total value or voting power of which
is owned, directly or indirectly, by a person described in (iii). For purposes of this
subsection 2(f)(3), except as otherwise provided, a persons status is determined
immediately after the transfer of the assets. For example, a transfer to a corporation in
which the Company or an Employer has no ownership interest before the transaction, but which
is a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company or an Employer after the transaction, is not
treated as a change in the ownership of the assets of the Company or an Employer.
For purposes of this subsection 2(f)(3), persons will not be considered to be acting as
a group solely because they purchase assets of the Company or an Employer at the same time.
However, persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are
owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or
acquisition of assets, or similar business transaction with the Company or an Employer. If
a person, including an entity shareholder, owns stock in both corporations that enter into a
merger,
3
consolidation, purchase or acquisition of assets, or similar transaction, such
shareholder is considered to be acting as a group with other shareholders in a corporation
only to the extent of the ownership in that corporation before the transaction giving rise
to the change and not with respect to the ownership interest in the other corporation.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the acquisition of Company or Employer stock by any
retirement plan sponsored by the Company or an Employer or an affiliate of the Company or an
Employer will not constitute a Change in Control.
(g)
Company
means First Financial Corporation.
(h)
Committee
means the Compensation Committee of the Board.
(i)
Disability
means if the Participant is covered by a disability policy of the Company or
the Employer, total disability as defined in such policy without regard to any waiting period. If
the Participant is not covered by such a policy, Disability means the Participant suffers a
sickness, accident or injury that, in the judgment of a physician satisfactory to the Committee,
prevents the Participant from performing substantially all of his or her normal duties.
(j)
Employer
means the Company and any Subsidiary the Company allows to adopt and become a
co-sponsor of the Plan.
(k)
Good Reason
shall mean, following a Change in Control, the occurrence without the
express prior written consent of the Participant of any of the events or conditions described in
subsections (2)(k)(1) through 2(k)(5):
(1)
Change in Office, Position or Termination as a Director
. Failure to elect or
reelect or otherwise to maintain the Participant in the office or position, or a
substantially equivalent office or position, of or with the Company or the Employer, that
the Participant held immediately before the Change in Control, or the removal or failure to
nominate the Participant as a director (excluding participation on a Company or Employer
regional advisory board) of the Company, the Employer or the successor of the Company or the
Employer provided the Participant was a director of the Company or the Employer immediately
before the Change in Control;
(2)
Adverse Change in the Scope of the Participants Duties, Compensation or Benefits
.
(a) A significant adverse change in the nature or scope of the authorities,
powers, functions, responsibilities or duties associated with the Participants
position compared to the nature or scope of the authorities, powers, functions,
responsibilities or duties associated with the position immediately before the
Change in Control;
4
(b) A material reduction in the aggregate of the Participants annual
compensation, unless part of an institution-wide reduction. For this purpose,
material means a reduction of ten percent or more in such compensation. Annual
compensation means the Participants total compensation from the Employer for a
calendar year, including compensation deferred at the election of the Participant,
and including any salary reduction contributions made by the Employer for, or on
behalf of, the Participant under a qualified or other compensation, benefit or
retirement plan of the Company or a Subsidiary. Compensation taken into account for
purposes of this subsection shall be calculated without regard to any Internal
Revenue Code limitations;
(c) The termination or denial of the Participants rights to benefits under the
Companys or Employers benefit, compensation or incentive plans and arrangements or
reduction in the scope or value thereof, which situation is not remedied within ten
calendar days after written notice to the Company from the Participant; or
(d) Termination or denial of the Participants rights to benefits under the
Plan and/or the Participants Award Document, other than for Cause as provided in
subsection 8(d), which situation is not remedied within ten calendar days after
written notice to the Company from the Participant;
(3)
Adverse Change in Circumstances
. The Participant determines that a change in
circumstances has occurred after a Change in Control, including, without limitation, a
change in the scope of the business or other activities for which the Participant is
responsible compared to his or her responsibilities immediately before the Change in Control
or a material reduction in the Participants secretarial or administrative support, (a)
which renders the Participant substantially unable to carry out, substantially hinders the
Participants performance of, or causes the Participant to suffer a substantial reduction in
any of the authorities, powers, functions, responsibilities or duties associated with the
office or position held by the Participant immediately before the Change in Control, and (b)
which situation is not remedied within ten calendar days after written notice to the Company
from the Participant of such determination. Provided the Participants determination is
made in good faith, the Participants determination will be conclusive and binding upon the
parties hereto. The Participants determination will be presumed to have been made in good
faith, unless the Company establishes by clear and convincing evidence that it was not made
in good faith;
(4)
Liquidation or Merger
. The liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation or
reorganization of the Company or transfer of all or substantially all of the business or
assets of the Company to a Person not affiliated with the Company, unless the successor or
successors (by liquidation, merger, consolidation, reorganization, transfer or otherwise) to
which all or substantially all of the business or assets have been transferred (directly or
by operation of law) assumes all duties and obligations of the Company and the Employer
under this Plan and Awards hereunder; or
5
(5)
Relocation of the Participant
. The Company or the Employer relocates its principal
executive offices, or requires the Participant to have his or her personal residence or
principal location of work change, to any location that is more than 30 miles from the
location thereof immediately before the Change in Control, or requires the Participant to
travel away from his or her office in the course of discharging his or her responsibilities
or duties at least ten percent more (in terms of aggregate days in any calendar year or in
any calendar quarter when annualized for purposes of comparison to any prior year) than was
required of the Participant in any of the three full years immediately before the Change in
Control.
(l)
Key Employee
means a Top Hat Employee who is:
(1) An officer of an Employer having annual compensation greater than $140,000;
(2) A five-percent owner of the Company; or
(3) A one-percent owner of the Company having an annual compensation greater than
$150,000.
The $140,000 amount in subsection 2(l)(1) will be adjusted at the same time and in the
same manner as under Code Section 415(d), except that the base period shall be the calendar
quarter beginning July 1, 2001, and any increase under this sentence which is not a multiple
of $5,000 shall be rounded to the next lower multiple of $5,000.
(m)
Normal Retirement Age
means age 65.
(n)
Participant
means a director or a Top Hat Employee of an Employer designated by the
Committee to be a participant in the Plan. A director who is also an employee of the Company or an
Employer must be a Top Hat Employee in order to participate in the Plan.
(o)
Person
or
Persons
means individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts, associations,
joint ventures, pools, syndicates, sole proprietorships, unincorporated organizations or other
entities.
(p)
Plan
means the First Financial Corporation 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
(q)
Separation from Service
means the date on which the Participant dies, retires or
otherwise experiences a Termination of Employment with the Employer. Provided, however, a
Separation from Service does not occur if the Participant is on military leave, sick leave or other
bona fide leave of absence if the period of such leave does not exceed six months, or if longer, so
long as the Participant retains a right to reemployment with the Employer under an applicable
statute or by contract. For purposes of this subsection 2(q), a leave of absence constitutes a
bona fide leave of absence only if there is a reasonable expectation that the Participant will
return to perform services for the Employer. If the period of leave exceeds six months and the
Participant does not retain the right to reemployment under an applicable statute or by contract,
the employment relationship is deemed to terminate on the first date immediately following such
six-month period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where a leave of absence is
6
due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result
in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than six months, where such
impairment causes the Participant to be unable to perform the duties of his position of employment
or any substantially similar position of employment, a 29-month period of absence may be
substituted for such six-month period. The Participant shall incur a Termination of Employment
for purposes of this subsection 2(q) when a termination of employment has occurred under Treasury
Regulation 1.409A-1(h)(ii).
(r)
Subsidiary
means a corporation more than 50 percent of whose voting stock is owned or
controlled by the Company. The term shall also mean any other entity or organization of which the
Company owns or controls a majority of its voting power, including, but not limited to, a
partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, trust, association, joint venture,
pool, syndicate, unincorporated organization or other entity.
(s)
Top Hat Employee
means an employee of an Employer who is a member of a select group of
management or highly compensated employees within the meaning of ERISA Section 201(2).
3. AWARDS AND PLAN ADMINISTRATION.
(a)
Committee
. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. The Committee may appoint
and employ agents and advisors, including, but not limited to, legal counsel, to render advice and
assistance to the Committee.
(b)
Awards
. The Committee shall set forth the terms and conditions of the Participants
Awards in an Award Document. The amount of a Participants Award may take into account such
factors as the Committee determines in its discretion, including, but not limited to, the nature of
the services rendered by the Participant, his or her current and potential contributions to the
success of the Company, the Participants annual compensation or board fees, and such other factors
as the Committee, in its sole discretion, considers relevant. An Award may increase in value as
provided in the Award Document.
(c)
Committee Authority
. The Committee is authorized to interpret and construe the Plan and
Award Documents and to adopt such rules, regulations and procedures for the administration of the
Plan as the Committee deems necessary or advisable, provided the Committee may take action only
upon the vote of a majority of its members. The Committees interpretations of the Plan and Award
Documents, and all decisions and determinations made by the Committee, shall be conclusive and
binding on all parties, including the Company or an Employer and any person claiming an Award under
the Plan. The Committee shall have sole authority, in its discretion, to select who among eligible
persons shall be Participants, the amount and other terms and conditions of Awards credited to a
Participants Account, the performance criteria governing the amount of additional Awards, the
period to which the performance criteria will be applied, which shall consist of one or more
calendar years, and the schedule under subsection 3(d) for vesting of Accounts; provided, however,
that an individual who is a Participant and a member of the Committee must abstain from taking
action on a matter before the Committee that would have a direct effect on his eligibility to
Participate in the Plan, receive Awards under the Plan, or his vesting schedule under the Plan.
No Award or Award Document
7
may provide for (1) an Award to a person who is not an outside Director or Top Hat Employee,
(2) an Award for a fiscal year beginning after December 31, 2009, or (3) a vesting schedule that is
inconsistent with subsection 3(d) (or a change in the vesting schedule originally stated in the
Award Document) in the case of an Award to a Participant who does not have five years of continuous
employment or director service. The performance criteria and other terms and conditions stated in
Award Documents may, but need not be, uniform from one Award Document to the next.
Neither the Committee nor the Board shall have any authority to repeal or revoke the terms and
provisions of an Award stated in an Award Document or reduce the amount of any Award without the
Participants written consent, except in the case of a Participant who is terminated for Cause (as
defined in subsection 8(d) of the Plan). The Committee shall have the authority to terminate a
Participants participation in the Plan and his or her right to previous Awards hereunder if the
Committee determines that Cause exists.
(d)
Vesting Schedule for Participants Who Do Not Have Five Years of Continuous Employment or
Director Service
. Unless otherwise determined in connection with a Participants initial
designation as a Participant, a Participants Account shall be subject to a vesting schedule
established by the Committee if the Participant has been employed by or has served as a director of
the Company or an Employer for fewer than five continuous years. The vesting schedule shall be
stated in the Award Document. The vesting schedule stated in the Award Document may not be changed
by the Committee without the Participants written consent.
(e)
Annual Account Statement
. The Committee may, but shall not be obligated to, issue to each
Participant an annual statement or more frequent statement of a Participants Account. The
statement of a Participants Account may take the form of an updated Award Document, in which case
the updated Award Document shall supersede the Award Documents previously issued to the Participant
by the Committee.
4. ELIGIBILITY.
With the exception of those Participants exempted from the age requirement of this Section by
the Committee, only outside directors and Top Hat Employees of the Company or an Employer who are
age 65 or under shall be eligible to be Participants under the Plan, provided that the outside
director or Top Hat Employee is designated as a Participant by the Committee in writing. A
director who is also an employee of the Company or an Employer must be a Top Hat Employee in order
to be eligible to participate in the Plan. A designated director or Top Hat Employee of the
Company or an Employer shall become a Participant as of the later of the effective date or the date
specified by the Committee. Except as otherwise provided in the first sentence of this Section, a
Participant who remains employed with or continues to serve as a director for the Company or an
Employer will not be eligible to receive Awards under the Plan for the years beginning after the
year in which he or she attains Normal Retirement Age. Except as otherwise provided in the first
sentence of this Section, the Committee shall have no authority to change the eligibility criteria
of this Section 4.
8
5. ESTABLISHMENT OF ACCOUNT; NO SEGREGATION OF ASSETS.
The Company shall establish on its books of account a separate Account for each Participant.
Accounts shall be maintained solely for record keeping purposes. No assets of the Company or any
Subsidiaries shall be segregated or subject to any trust for any Participants benefit by reason of
the establishment of the Participants Account. This Plan and Awards made hereunder shall be
unfunded and shall constitute a mere unsecured promise by the Company to make benefit payments in
the future. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan or the Award Document, neither a
Participant nor his or her designated beneficiary(ies) shall have any preferred claim on, or any
beneficial ownership interest in, any assets of the Company or any Subsidiary prior to the time
benefits are paid as provided herein and in the Award Document. All rights created under this Plan
and the Award Documents shall be mere unsecured contractual rights of the Participant against the
Company or any Subsidiary.
6. PERFORMANCE CRITERIA.
The Committee shall: (a) establish performance criteria governing Awards; (b) the length of
the performance period, which may be one or more calendar years; (c) the performance objectives to
be achieved during the performance period (including defining terms, the exclusion of extraordinary
items or any other adjustments considered proper); and (d) determine the measure of whether and to
what degree the objectives have been attained, which determination shall be conclusive.
7. PAYMENT OF AWARDS.
(a)
Cash Payments Only
. The Committee shall cause the value of the Participants Account to
be paid in cash only. No Award shall be made if the Committee concludes that the performance
criteria to which the Award is subject were not satisfied and no payment of an Award shall be made
if the Participant is terminated for Cause. This subsection may not be superceded by any action of
the Board or the Committee in an Award Document or otherwise.
(b)
When Payments Begin
. Payment of the cash value of the vested portion of a Participants
Account shall be paid in the manner specified in the Award Document and begin on the earlier of (1)
January 1, 2015, or (2) the date specified in the Award Document on or after Normal Retirement Age.
Provided, further, however, if the Participant is a Key Employee at the time the Participant has a
Separation from Service, payment of his Account shall be suspended, for a period of six months
immediately following the date of his Separation from Service for reasons other than death.
Amounts that would otherwise have been paid during the six-month suspension period will be accrued
and will be paid on the first day following the end of the six-month suspension period. The
remainder of the Participants Account will be paid as provided in the Award Document. It is not
necessary for a Participant to experience a Separation from Service as a condition to receiving
payment of the cash value of his or her Account.
(c)
Acceleration of Time of Payment
. Except as provided in this Section, the time or schedule
of payment of a Participants Account provided in subsection 7(b) may not be accelerated. The time
or schedule of payment of a Participants Account may be accelerated in the following
circumstances, each of which is an Acceleration Event, to a time that is no later
9
than 60 days
following the Committees determination that one of the Acceleration Events has occurred:
(1)
Domestic Relations Order
. The time or schedule of a payment from a
Participants Account may be accelerated to make a payment to an individual other than the
Participant as may be necessary to fulfill a domestic relations order (as defined in Code
Section 414(p)(1)(B)).
(2)
Conflicts of Interest
. The time or schedule of a payment from a
Participants Account may be accelerated to the extent reasonably necessary to avoid the
violation of an applicable Federal, state, local, or foreign ethics law or conflicts of
interest law (including where such payment is reasonably necessary to permit the Participant
to participate in activities in the normal course of his or her position in which the
Participant would otherwise not be able to participate under an applicable rule). A payment
is reasonably necessary to avoid the violation of Federal, state, local, or foreign ethics
laws or conflicts of interest law if the payment is a necessary part of a course of action
that results in compliance with a Federal, state, local, or foreign ethics law or conflicts
of interest law that would be violated absent such course of action, regardless of whether
other actions would also result in compliance with the Federal, state, local, or foreign
ethics law or conflicts of interest law.
(3)
Payment of Employment Taxes
. The time or schedule of a payment from a
Participants Account may be accelerated to pay the Federal Insurance Contribution Act
(FICA) tax imposed under Code Sections 3101, 3121(a) and 3121(v)(2) on compensation
deferred under the Plan. Additionally, the time or schedule of a payment from a
Participants Account may be accelerated under the Plan to pay the income tax at source on
wages imposed under Code Section 3401 or the corresponding withholding provisions of state,
local or foreign tax laws as a result of payment of the FICA amount, and to pay the
additional income tax at source on wages attributable to the pyramiding section 3401 wages
and taxes. However, the total payment under this paragraph will not exceed the aggregate of
the FICA amount and the related income tax withholding on such FICA amount.
(4)
Income Inclusion Under Code Section 409A
. The time or schedule of a
payment from a Participants Account may be accelerated to pay the income tax, interest and
penalties imposed if the Plan fails to meet the requirements of Code Section 409A and
related regulations; provided, however, such payment will not exceed the amount required to
be included in income as a result of the failure to comply with the requirements of Code
Section 409A and related regulations.
(5)
Plan Termination
. The time or schedule of payment or commencement of
payments from a Participants Account may be accelerated when the Plan is terminated in
accordance with one of the following:
10
(a) The Company terminates the Plan within 12 months of a corporate dissolution
taxed under Code Section 331, or with the approval of a bankruptcy court pursuant to
11 U.S.C. §503(b)(1)(A), provided that the amounts deferred under the Plan are
included in the Participants gross incomes in the latest of the following years
(or, if earlier, the taxable year in which the amount is constructively received).
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(i)
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The calendar year in which the
Plan termination and liquidation occurs;
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(ii)
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The first calendar year in which
the amount is no longer subject to a substantial risk of
forfeiture; or
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(iii)
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The first calendar year in which
the payment is administratively practicable.
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(b) The Companys irrevocable action to terminate and liquidate the Plan within
the 30 days preceding or the 12 months following a Change in Control. For purposes
of this subsection 7(c)(5)(b), the Plan may be terminated only if all agreements,
methods, programs, and other arrangements sponsored by the Employer immediately
after the time of the Change in Control with respect to which deferrals of
compensation are treated as having been deferred under a single plan under Treasury
Regulation 1.409A-1(c)(2) are terminated and liquidated with respect to each
Participant that experienced the Change in Control, so that under the terms of the
termination and liquidation all such Participants are required to receive all
amounts of compensation deferred under the Plan and other arrangements within 12
months of the date the Company irrevocably takes all necessary action to terminate
and liquidate the Plan and other arrangements.
(c) The Companys termination and liquidation of the Plan, provided that:
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(i)
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The termination and liquidation
does not occur proximate to a downturn in the financial health
of the Company;
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(ii)
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The Company terminates and
liquidates all agreements, programs, and other arrangements that
would be aggregated under Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(c) if
the Participant had deferrals of compensation under all of the
agreements, methods, programs, and other arrangements that are
terminated and liquidated;
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(iii)
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No payments in liquidation of
the Plan are made within 12 months of the date the Company takes
all necessary action to irrevocably terminate and liquidate the
plan other than payments that would be payable under the terms
of the Plan if the action to terminate and liquidate the Plan
had not occurred;
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11
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(iv)
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All payments are made within 24
months of the date the Company takes all necessary action to
irrevocably terminate and liquidate the Plan; and
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(v)
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The Company does not adopt a new
plan or arrangement that would be aggregated with any terminated
and liquidated plan or arrangement under Treasury Regulation
§1.409A-1(c) if the same Participant participated in both plans
or arrangements, at any time within three years following the
date the Company takes all necessary action to irrevocably
terminate and liquidate the Plan.
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(d) Such other events and conditions as the Internal Revenue Service may
prescribe in generally applicable guidance published in the Internal Revenue
Bulletin.
8. SEPARATION FROM SERVICE.
(a)
No Additional Awards After Separation from Service
. A Participant whose employment or
director service terminates, resulting in a Separation from Service, shall not be entitled to any
additional Awards under this Plan on and after Separation from Service.
(b)
Payment Upon Separation from Service After Specified Date
. Subject to subsection 7(b),
any Participant who Separates from Service with the Company or an Employer on or after January 1,
2015 or attains Normal Retirement Age, shall be entitled to continue to receive payment of the
vested portion of the cash value of his or her Account with interest as specified in the Award
Document.
(c)
Payment Upon Separation from Service Prior to Specified Date
. Subject to subsection 7(b)
with regard to time of payment, any Participant who Separates from Service with the Company or an
Employer for reasons other than death, Disability, Cause or within 12 months after a Change in
Control prior to January 1, 2015 or attainment of Normal Retirement Age, shall be entitled to
receive payment of the vested portion of the cash value of his or her Account balance as of
December 31 of the year immediately before the year in which the Separation from Service occurred,
with interest credited on the Account balance at the rate specified in the Participants Award
Document. Payment of the vested portion will be made in the manner prescribed in the Participants
Award Document.
(d)
Participants Death
. In the event any Participant Separates from Service with the Company
or an Employer because of the Participants death prior to full payment of the vested portion of
his or her Account balance, the Participants designated beneficiary(ies), as provided in Section
10, or the Participants estate, if there is no valid beneficiary designation on file at the time
of the Participants death, shall receive payment of the Participants vested death benefit in the
amount provided for in the Participants Award Document in a single sum within 90 days following
the receipt by the Committee of acceptable proof of the Participants death.
12
(e)
Payment Upon Separation from Service due to Disability
. Subject to subsection 7(b), a
Participant who Separates from Service with the Company or an Employer prior to January 1, 2015 or
attainment of Normal Retirement Age as a result of a Disability shall be entitled to receive
payment of the vested portion of the cash value of his or her Disability benefit set forth in his
or her Award Document. Payment will be made according to the Participants Award Document.
(f)
Payment Upon Termination for Cause
. A Participants participation in this Plan may be
terminated by the Committee and his or her right to Awards hereunder, including Awards and the cash
value of Awards previously made to the Participants Account shall be forfeited if the
Participants service is terminated for Cause. The Committees determination that a Participants
participation shall be terminated for Cause shall be conclusive and binding on the Company, the
Employer, the Participant, his or her beneficiary(ies) and all other persons. If a Participants
participation is terminated for Cause, he or she shall forfeit all rights and interests in this
Plan, and in his or her right to Awards hereunder, including Awards and the cash value of Awards
previously made or that may be made thereafter.
(g)
Payment Upon Termination Within 12 Months after a Change in Control
. Subject to
subsection 7(b), any Participant whose employment or director service with the Company terminates
within 12 months after a Change in Control but before the date specified in subsection 7(b), shall
receive the Change in Control benefit set forth in his or her Award Document provided that
termination is not for Cause or because of death or Disability. Termination of a Participants
service within 12 months after a Change in Control includes, but is not limited to, termination by
the Participant for Good Reason within 12 months after a Change in Control. Payment shall be made
according to the Participants Award Document.
9. NONASSIGNABILITY.
No benefit, interest, Accounts or any payment under this Plan shall be subject in any manner
to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, attachment or
garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participants designated beneficiary(ies),
either voluntarily or involuntarily. Any attempt to alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge,
attach, garnish or otherwise encumber any benefit, interest, account or any payment under the Plan
shall be void and of no legal effect.
10. BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION.
If a Participant dies before distribution to him or her of all amounts payable under the Plan,
the amounts otherwise distributable to the Participant, if living, shall be distributed to his or
her designated beneficiary(ies). All beneficiary designations shall be made in the form prescribed
by the Committee from time to time and shall be delivered to the Committee. The Participant shall
designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries by filing a written designation with the Committee. The
Participant may revoke or modify the designation at any time by filing a new designation.
Designations shall be effective only if signed by the Participant and accepted by the Committee
during the Participants lifetime. The Participants beneficiary designation shall be deemed
automatically revoked if the beneficiary predeceases the Participant or if the Participant
13
names a spouse as beneficiary and the marriage is subsequently dissolved. If there is no
effective beneficiary designation on file at the time of the Participants death, or if the
designated beneficiary(ies) will not survive the Participant, his benefits under the Plan will be
paid: (i) to his surviving spouse; (ii) if there is no surviving spouse, to the duly appointed and
qualified executor or other personal representative of the Participant to be distributed in
accordance with the Participants will or applicable intestacy law; or (iii) in the event there is
no such representative appointed and qualified within 45 days after the Participants death, then
to such persons as, at the date of death, would be entitled to share in the distribution of the
Participants estate under the provisions of the applicable statutes then in force governing the
descent of intestate property, in the proportions specified in such statute. The Committee shall
have no responsibility for the validity of any beneficiary designation made by a Participant.
11. TAXES.
The Company shall be entitled to pay or withhold the amount of any tax it believes is required
as a result of the payment of any amounts under this Plan. The Company may defer making payments
hereunder until arrangements satisfactory to the Company have been made with respect to any such
withholding obligations. The Company shall have the right to rely on a written opinion of legal
counsel, which may be independent legal counsel or legal counsel regularly employed by the Company,
if any question should arise as to the payment or withholding of taxes.
12. REGULATORY APPROVALS AND RULE 16b-3.
It is intended that the Plan and any Award made to a person subject to Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and any transaction or election hereunder by any such person, meet
all the requirements of Rule 16b-3, if the Plan or Awards made hereunder are subject to Section 16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act is applicable
and if any provision of the Plan or any Award hereunder would disqualify the Plan or such Award
under, or would not comply with, Rule 16b-3, such provision or Award shall be construed or deemed
to conform to Rule 16b-3.
13. CLAIMS.
(a) Claims Procedure.
(1)
Procedures Governing the Filing of Benefit Claims
. All Benefit Claims must
be filed on the appropriate claim forms available from the Committee or in accordance with
the procedures established by the Committee for claim purposes. A Benefit Claim means a
request for a Plan benefit or benefits, made by a Claimant or by an authorized
representative of a Claimant, that complies with the Plans procedures for making benefit
claims. Claimant means a Participant, a surviving spouse of a Participant, a beneficiary,
an Alternate Payee or a personal representative of the Participants estate who is claiming
entitlement to the payment of any benefit under the Plan. Alternate Payee means any
spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent of a
14
Participant who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to
receive all, or a portion of the benefits payable under the Plan with respect to such
Participant.
(2)
Notification of Benefit Determinations
. The Committee will notify a
Claimant, in accordance with Section 13(a)(3) below, of the Plans benefit determination
within a reasonable period of time after receipt of a Benefit Claim, but not later than 90
days (45 days in the case of a Disability Claim) after receipt of the Benefit Claim by the
Plan.
If special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the Benefit Claim,
the Committee will notify the Claimant of the extension prior to the termination of the
initial period described above. The notice will indicate the special circumstances
requiring the extension of time and the date by which the Plan expects to make the benefit
determination. In no event will the extension exceed a period of 90 days from the end of
the initial period.
In the case of a Disability Claim, the extension period will not exceed 30 days, unless
prior to the end of first 30-day extension period, the Committee determines that, due to
matters beyond its control, a decision cannot be rendered within the extension period, in
which case the period for making the determination may be extended for an additional 30
days. Every Disability Claim notice will specifically explain the standards on which
entitlement to a benefit is based, the unresolved issues that prevent a decision on the
claim, the additional information needed to resolve those issues and the Claimants right to
provide the specified information within 45 days. If the extension is in effect due to the
Claimants failure to submit information necessary to decide a Disability Claim, the period
for making the benefit determination will be tolled from the date on which the notice of the
extension is sent to the Claimant until the date on which the Claimant responds to the
request for information. The term Disability Claim means a request for a Plan benefit
made by a Claimant due to the purported Disability of a Plan Participant.
(3)
Manner And Content of Notification of Benefit Determinations
. All notices
given by the Committee under the Plan will be given to a Claimant, or to his authorized
representative, in a manner that satisfies the standards of 29 CFR 2520.104b-1(b) as
appropriate with respect to the particular material required to be furnished or made
available to that individual. The Committee may provide a Claimant with either a written or
an electronic notice of the Plans benefit determination. Any electronic notification will
comply with the standards imposed by 29 CFR 2520.104b-1(c)(1)(i), (iii) and (iv). In the
case of an Adverse Benefit Determination, the notice will set forth, in a manner calculated
to be understood by the Claimant:
(a) The specific reasons for the adverse determination;
(b) Reference to the specific Plan provisions (including any internal rules,
guidelines, protocols, criteria, etc.) on which the determination is based;
15
(c) A description of any additional material or information necessary for the
Claimant to complete the claim and an explanation of why such material or
information is necessary;
(d) For a Disability Claim, the identification of any medical or vocational
experts whose advice was obtained on behalf of the Plan in connection with
Claimants Adverse Benefit Determination, without regard to whether the advice was
relied upon; and
(e) A description of the Plans review procedures and the time limits
applicable to such procedures.
The term Adverse Benefit Determination means a denial, reduction, or termination of,
or a failure to provide or make payment (in whole or in part) for, any benefit claimed to be
payable under the Plan.
(4)
Appeal of Adverse Benefit Determinations
. A Claimant who receives an
Adverse Benefit Determination and desires a review of that determination must file, or his
authorized representative must file on his behalf, a written request for a review of the
Adverse Benefit Determination, not later than 60 days (180 days for a Disability Claim)
after receiving the determination.
The written request for a review must be filed with the Board. Upon receiving the
written request for review, the Board will advise the Claimant, or his authorized
representative, in writing that:
(a) The Claimant, or his authorized representative, may submit written
comments, documents, records, and any other information relating to the claim for
benefits; and
(b) The Claimant will be provided free of charge, upon request of the Claimant
or his authorized representative, reasonable access to, and copies of, all
documents, records, and other information relevant to the Claimants Benefit Claim,
without regard to whether those documents, records, and information were considered
or relied upon in making the Adverse Benefit Determination that is the subject of
the appeal.
(5)
Benefit Determination on Review
. All appeals by a Claimant of an Adverse
Benefit Determination will receive a full and fair review by the Board. In performing this
review for a Disability Claim, the Board will take into account all comments, documents,
records, and other information submitted by the Claimant (or the Claimants authorized
representative) relating to the claim, without regard to whether the information was
submitted or considered in the initial benefit determination, and will not afford deference
to the initial Adverse Benefit Determination. For a Disability Claim, the Board will
consult with a healthcare professional who has appropriate training and experience in the
field of medicine involved in the medical judgment and who was not consulted in connection
with the Adverse Benefit Determination and who is not the
16
subordinate of such an individual if the Board believes that such a consultation is
necessary to properly complete the review process.
(6)
Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
. The Board will notify a
Claimant, in accordance with Section 13(a)(7) below, of the Plans benefit determination on
review within a reasonable period of time, but not later than 60 days (45 in the case of a
Disability Claim) after the Plans receipt of the Claimants request for review of an
Adverse Benefit Determination. If, however, special circumstances require an extension of
time for processing the review by the Board, the Claimant will be notified, prior to the
termination of the initial 60 (or 45) day period, of the special circumstances requiring the
extension and the date by which the Plan expects to render the Plans benefit determination
on review, which will not be later than 120 days (90 days in the case of a Disability Claim)
after receipt of a request for review.
If the extension period is in effect for a Disability Claim but the extension is due to
the Claimants failure to submit information necessary to decide a claim, the period for
making the benefit determination on review will be tolled from the date on which
notification of the extension is sent to the Claimant until the date on which the Claimant
responds to the request for additional information.
(7)
Manner and Content of Notification of Benefit Determination on Review
. The
Board will provide a Claimant with notification of its benefit determination on review in
the method described in Section 13(a)(3) above.
In the case of an Adverse Benefit Determination on review, the notification must set
forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the Claimant:
(a) The specific reasons for the adverse determination on review;
(b) Reference to the specific Plan provisions (including any internal rules,
guidelines, protocols, criteria, etc.) on which the benefit determination on review
is based;
(c) A statement that the Claimant is entitled to receive, upon request and free
of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records and other
information relevant to the Claimants Benefit Claim, without regard to whether
those records were considered or relied upon in making the Adverse Benefit
Determination on review, including any reports, and the identities, of any experts
whose advice was obtained.
(8)
Court Action
. No Participant or beneficiary shall have the right to seek
judicial review of a denial or limitation of benefits, or to bring any action in any court
to enforce a claim for benefits, prior to filing a claim for benefits or exhausting his or
her rights to review under this Section.
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14. PLAN ADMINISTRATOR.
The Company shall be the plan administrator under the Plan. The Company may delegate aspects
of the management and operation responsibilities of the Plan, including the employment of advisors
and the delegation of ministerial duties to qualified individuals.
15. EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE PLAN.
The Plan is effective January 1, 2005.
16. LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY.
Notwithstanding any of the preceding provisions of this Plan, none of the Company, its
Subsidiaries, any Employer, the Committee and each individual acting as an employee or agent of any
of them shall be liable to any Participant or beneficiary for any claim (other than a claim for
benefits), loss, liability or expense incurred in connection with the Plan, except when the same
shall have been judicially determined to be due to the gross negligence or willful misconduct of
such person. By participating in the Plan, each Participant agrees to release and hold harmless
the Company and its Subsidiaries (and their respective directors, officers and employees) and the
Committee from and against any tax liability, including, but not limited to, interest and
penalties, incurred by the Participant in connection with his receipt of Awards under this Plan and
the deferral, and payment thereof.
17. INCAPACITY OF PARTICIPANT OR BENEFICIARY.
If any person entitled to receive a distribution or payment under the Plan is physically or
mentally incapable of personally receiving and giving a valid receipt for any payment due (unless
prior claim therefore shall have been made by duly qualified guardian or other legal
representative), then, unless and until claim therefore shall have been made by duly appointed
guardian or other legal representative of such person, the Committee may provide for such payment
or any part thereof to be made to any other person or institution then contributing toward or
providing for the care and maintenance of such person.
18. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a)
Termination and Amendment
. The Plan may be terminated, modified or amended by the Board,
provided, however, that no termination, modification, or amendment of the Plan may, without the
prior written consent of the Participant, adversely affect the rights of a Participant in or to his
or her Account.
(b)
Governing Law
. The Plan shall be construed, regulated and administered according to the
laws of the State of Indiana without reference to that states choice of law principles, except in
those areas preempted by the laws of the United States of America in which case such laws will
control.
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(c)
Headings and Gender
. The headings and subheadings in the Plan have been inserted for
convenience of reference only and shall not affect the construction of the provisions hereof. In
any necessary construction, the masculine shall include the feminine and the singular, the plural,
and vice versa.
(d)
No Right to Employment or Director Service
. Neither the Plan or Award Document confers
upon any Participant: (1) any right to continued employment by the Company or any Employer, nor
shall it interfere in any way with the right of the Company to terminate any Participants
employment at any time, with or without cause; (2) the right to continued service on the Board of
the Company or any Employer, the right to be nominated for service on the Board or the right of the
Companys stockholder(s) to decline to elect a Participant or the right of the stockholder(s) of a
Subsidiary of the Company to decline to elect a Participant as a director of the Subsidiary.
Neither this Plan nor any Award Document under this Plan is an employment policy or employment
contract.
No Participant shall have any right or interest in or to the Plan assets other than as
specifically provided in the Plan or in the Award Document.
(e)
Spendthrift Clause
. No benefit or interest available hereunder will be subject in any
manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, attachment or
garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participants designated beneficiary(ies),
either voluntarily or involuntarily.
(f)
Counterparts
. This Plan may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which
shall constitute but one and the same instrument and may be sufficiently evidenced by any one
counterpart.
(g)
Evidence
. Evidence required of anyone under the Plan may be by certificate, affidavit,
document or other information which the person relying thereon considers pertinent and reliable,
and signed, made or presented by the proper party or parties.
(h)
Severability
. In the event any provisions of the Plan or Award Document shall be held to
be illegal or invalid for any reason, such illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining
parts of the Plan or Award Document and the Plan or Award Document shall be construed and endorsed
as if such illegal or invalid provisions had never been contained in the Plan or Award Document.
(i)
Action by Company
. Any action required of or permitted by the Company shall be by
resolution of the Board or the Committee or by a person or persons duly authorized by resolution of
the Board or the Committee.
(j)
Corporate Successors
. The Plan will not be automatically terminated by a transfer or sale
of assets of the Company or by the merger or consolidation of the Company into or with any other
corporation or other entity (Transaction), but the Plan will be continued after the Transaction
only if and to the extent that the transferee, purchaser or successor entity agrees to continue the
Plan.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, the Company has caused the Plan to be executed by its officers thereunder
duly authorized, this 29th day of August, 2007, but effective as of January 1, 2005.
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FIRST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
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By:
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/s/ Norman L. Lowery
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Norman L. Lowery, Chief Executive Officer
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ATTEST:
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By:
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/s/ Michael A. Carty
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Michael A. Carty, Secretary
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