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The presence, of at least a majority of the total number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted as present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum for the transaction of business.

Assuming the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting, the voting requirements for the matters presented are as follows:

Our Board urges our stockholders to vote via the Internet, by telephone or by completing, dating and signing the accompanying proxy card and returning it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.

If you abstain from voting on any of the proposals, you will still be considered present at the virtual Annual Meeting for purposes of determining a quorum. Abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of the election of directors. For the purpose of the Say-on-Pay Proposal and the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm, abstentions will have the effect of a vote against the proposal.

Broker non-votes are proxies received from brokers or other nominees holding shares on behalf of their clients who have not been given specific voting instructions from their clients with respect to non-routine matters. Brokers who hold their customers’ shares in “street name” may, under the applicable rules of the exchange and other self-regulatory organizations of which the brokers are members, sign and submit proxies for such shares and may vote such shares on “routine” matters. Proposals 1 and 2 are considered “non-routine” and Proposal 3 is considered “routine” under the applicable rules. Broker non-votes will not be counted as a vote cast or entitled to vote on any matter presented at the Annual Meeting and will therefore have no effect on the outcome of the voting on any matter presented at the Annual Meeting.

Our Board is soliciting proxies from our stockholders. When you deliver a valid proxy, the shares represented by that proxy will be voted by a named agent in accordance with your instructions.

If you are a stockholder and vote by proxy but make no specification on your proxy card that you have otherwise properly executed, the named persons will vote the shares represented by your proxy:

If any other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the proxy will vote the shares represented by such proxy or such matters as determined by a majority of the board of directors.

If you are a stockholder whose shares are registered in your name, you may vote your shares by using one of the following methods:

Via the Internet. If you hold NBT common stock in your own name and not through a broker or other nominee, you can vote your shares of NBT common stock electronically via the Internet. Internet voting procedures are designed to authenticate stockholders by using the individual control number on your proxy card. If you vote via the Internet, you do not need to return your proxy card.

Mail. To grant your proxy by mail, please complete your proxy card and sign, date and return it in the enclosed envelope. To be valid, a returned proxy card must be signed and dated.

Telephone. If you hold NBT common stock in your own name and not through a broker or other nominee, you can vote your shares of NBT common stock by telephone by dialing the toll-free telephone number 1-800-690-6903. Telephone voting is available 24 hours a day until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 16 2022 for shares held directly and by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 12, 2022 for shares held in a Plan. Telephone voting procedures are designed to authenticate stockholders by using the individual control number on your proxy card. If you vote by telephone, you do not need to return your proxy card.

If your shares are registered in the name of a bank or brokerage firm you will receive instructions from your holder of record that must be followed in order for the record holder to vote the shares per your instructions. Many banks and brokerage firms have a process for their beneficial holders to provide instructions over the telephone or via the Internet.

Any NBT stockholder of record giving a proxy may revoke the proxy in one or more of the following ways:

You should send any written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy to NBT Bancorp Inc., 52 South Broad Street, Norwich, New York 13815, Attention: Catherine Scarlett, Corporate Secretary. Any later-dated proxy submitted by telephone or via the Internet must be submitted prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 16, 2022 for shares held directly and by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 12, 2022 for shares held in a Plan.

If you hold shares through a bank or brokerage firm, you must contact that firm to revoke any prior voting instructions.

We will bear our own costs of soliciting of proxies. We will reimburse brokerage houses, fiduciaries, nominees and others for their out-of-pocket expenses in forwarding proxy materials to owners of shares of our common stock held in their names. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by use of the mail, we may solicit proxies from our stockholders by directors, officers and employees acting on our behalf in person or by telephone, facsimile or other appropriate means of communications. We will not pay any additional compensation, except for reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, to our directors, officers and employees in connection with the solicitation. You may direct any questions or requests for assistance regarding this proxy statement to Catherine Scarlett, Corporate Secretary, by telephone at (607) 337-6530 or by email at cscarlett@nbtbank.com.

The Company elects all directors annually. Therefore, all thirteen directors are standing for election at the 2022 Annual Meeting.

The persons named in the enclosed proxy intend to vote the shares of our common stock represented by each proxy properly executed and returned to us FOR the election of the aforementioned nominees as directors, but if the nominees should be unable to serve, they will vote such proxies for those substitute nominees as our Board shall designate to replace those nominees who are unable to serve. Our Board currently believes that each nominee will stand for election and will serve if elected as a director. Assuming the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting, in order for each of the thirteen director nominees to be elected, more votes must be cast FOR the director nominee than AGAINST(Proposal 1). A director who fails to receive more votes FOR his or her election than AGAINST will tender his or her resignation to the Board of Directors for consideration, and our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will recommend to the Board of Directors whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. The Board of Directors will consider the recommendation and publicly disclose its decision and the rationale behind it within 90 days from the date of the certification of election results.

Information regarding the nominees is provided below. Each biography contains information regarding each person’s business experience, director positions held currently or at any time during the last five years, information regarding involvement in certain legal or administrative proceedings, if applicable, and the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that caused the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board of Directors to determine that such person should serve as a director at the time of filing of this proxy statement. Unless otherwise stated, each individual has held his or her current occupation for the last five years. The age indicated in each director’s biography is as of December 31, 2021. There are no family relationships among the directors or executives. All nominees are or will become members of the board of directors of NBT Bank, N.A. (“NBT Bank”).

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” the election of all of its director nominees.

The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee does not have a specific diversity policy with respect to the director nomination process. Rather, the Committee considers diversity in the broader sense of how a candidate’s viewpoints, experience, skills, background and other demographics could assist the Board in light of the Board’s composition at the time. The Board believes that each director contributes to the overall diversity by providing a variety of personal and professional experiences and backgrounds. As shown below, the current directors and nominees reflect a broad diversity of gender, age, race, geographical background and experience. The Board is committed to considering diversity issues in evaluating its composition.

The following summarizes the diversity, independence, age, tenure and the main experience and skills of our Board of Directors.

 

 

The business and affairs of the Company are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors. Members of the Board are kept informed of the Company’s business through discussions with the Company’s executive officers, by reviewing materials provided to them and by participating in meetings and strategic planning sessions of the Board and its committees. The Board has adopted corporate governance practices and policies which the Board and senior management believe promote sound and effective corporate governance.

Based on a review of the responses of the directors to questions regarding employment and compensation history, affiliations and family and other relationships and on individual discussions with directors, the Board has determined that all directors, excluding Mr. Watt, meet the standards of independence set forth by the NASDAQ Stock Market. In making this determination, the Board considered transactions and relationships between each director or his or her immediate family and the Company and its subsidiaries, including those reported under “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” included herein. Mr. Watt is not independent because he is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

The independent members of the Board meet at least twice annually in an executive session where the non-independent director and management are excused. Lead Director John Mitchell chaired these executive sessions.

The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all employees, as well as each member of the Company’s Board of Directors. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available at the Company’s website at www.nbtbancorp.com/bncp/corporategov.html.

The Board of Directors maintains a process for stockholders to communicate with the Board of Directors. Stockholders wishing to communicate with the Board of Directors should send any communication to Corporate Secretary, NBT Bancorp Inc., 52 South Broad Street, Norwich, New York 13815. Any such communication must state the name of the stockholder and the number of shares beneficially owned by the stockholder making the communication. The Corporate Secretary will forward such communication to the full Board of Directors or to any individual director or directors to whom the communication is directed unless the communication is unduly hostile, threatening, illegal or similarly inappropriate. At each Board meeting, a member of management presents a summary of all communications received since the last meeting, if applicable, that were not forwarded and makes those communications available on request.

The Board of Directors, together with the Audit Committee, the Risk Management Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Compensation and Benefits Committee coordinate with each other to provide enterprise-wide oversight of our management and handling of risk. These committees report regularly to the full Board of Directors on risk-related matters and provide the Board of Directors with insight about our management of strategic, credit, interest rate, liquidity, compliance, operational and reputational risks. In addition, at meetings of the Board of Directors and its committees, directors receive regular updates and reports from management regarding risk management practices, including credit quality, financial reporting, technology, internal controls, compliance, legal matters and asset liability and liquidity management, among others. Furthermore, current risk management issues are discussed regularly with the Board of Directors and its committees.

The Risk Management Committee consists of seven directors, of which six are independent directors, as follows: Ms. Civil (Chair), Ms. Ames, Mr. Dietrich, Mr. Kowalczyk, Mr. Salanger, Mr. Watt and Mr. Webb. Ms. Hoeller was added to the Committee upon her appointment to the Board in January 2022. The primary purpose of the Risk Management Committee is to assist the Board of Directors in:

The Risk Management Committee charter outlines more specific duties and responsibilities of the committee.

The Board of Directors does not have a policy on whether the same person may serve as both the chief executive officer and chair of the board or, if the roles are separate, whether the chair should be selected from the non-employee directors. The Board believes that it should have the flexibility to make these determinations at any given point in time in the way that it believes best to provide appropriate leadership for the Company at that time. Currently, Mr. Watt serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, while Mr. Dietrich serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors believes that this leadership structure best serves the Company at this time because it allows Mr. Watt to focus on the Company’s operations and strategy, while Mr. Dietrich, among other things, can provide leadership for the Board of Directors, set the agenda for meetings and enable other directors to raise issues and concerns for Board consideration without immediately involving the Chief Executive Officer or other management. The Board of Directors believes it currently benefits from having a director, who is also a former executive officer of the Company, as its Chair. Mr. Mitchell serves as the Lead Director, providing an independent point of contact for the Board of Directors.

During 2021, the Board held eight meetings. Each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of: (1) the total number of meetings of the Board held during the period that the individual served; and (2) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board on which the director served during the period that the individual served. In addition, as reflected in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, we have adopted a policy strongly encouraging directors to attend our Annual Meeting of stockholders. All directors attended the 2021 Annual Meeting, and we expect that all directors will attend the 2022 Annual Meeting.

When seeking candidates for director, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may solicit suggestions from incumbent directors, management or others. The Committee also has the authority to retain any search firm to assist in the identification of director candidates. The Committee will review the qualifications and experience of each candidate. If the Committee believes a candidate would be a valuable addition to the Board, it will recommend to the full Board that candidate’s election.

The Company’s Bylaws also permit stockholders eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting to nominate director candidates, but only if such nominations are made pursuant to timely notice in writing to the CEO of NBT. To be timely, notice must be delivered to, or mailed to and received at, the principal executive offices of NBT at least 150 days prior to the one-year anniversary of the date immediately preceding the prior year’s Annual Meeting of stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider candidates for director suggested by stockholders applying the criteria for candidates described above and considering the additional information required by Article III, Section 4 of the Company’s Bylaws, which must be set forth in a stockholder’s notice of nomination. Article III, Section 4 of the Company’s Bylaws requires that the notice include: (1) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director, (a) the name and address of such person and (b) the principal occupation or employment of such person; and (2) as to the stockholder giving notice (a) the name and address of such stockholder, (b) the number of shares of the Company that will be voted for the proposed nominee by such stockholder (including shares to be voted by proxy) and (c) the number of shares of the Company which are beneficially owned by such stockholder.

The Audit Committee represents our Board in fulfilling its statutory and fiduciary responsibilities for independent audits of NBT’s consolidated financial statements, including monitoring accounting and financial reporting practices and financial information distributed to stockholders and the general public. Directors on our Audit Committee meet the expanded independence requirements of audit committee members. In addition, our Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Civil, Ms. Hoeller and Mr. Seifter are “audit committee financial experts” as that term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K.

This Committee met four times in 2021. Responsibilities and duties of this Committee are discussed more fully in the Audit Committee Report herein and in the Audit Committee’s charter, which is available on the Company’s website at www.nbtbancorp.com/bncp/corporategov.html.

All of the Company’s Compensation and Benefits Committee members are independent directors, as determined by the Board, and as such term is defined in the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules as they apply to the Company.

The Committee is responsible for the development, oversight and administration of the Company’s compensation program. The Committee works closely with the Company’s CEO and Executive Vice President of Human Resources to implement our compensation program. In addition, the Committee engages in executive sessions without Company management present.

The Committee regularly reviews our compensation practices and policies and recommends to the Board of Directors the compensation and benefits for the CEO, directors and executive management team, including the named executive officers. In making compensation recommendations to the Board of Directors for the named executive officers, the Committee relies substantially on the recommendations of the CEO and, in the case of the CEO’s compensation, upon the recommendation of the Chair of the Board. The Committee generally determines the compensation for the named executive officers at its December meeting preceding the commencement of the fiscal year in which the compensation will be paid or earned, or in its January meeting of such fiscal year.

The CEO’s compensation reflects the Committee’s evaluation of his performance measured against the following criteria: (1) implementation of the Company’s short and long-term strategies; (2) financial and operating performance; (3) management development; (4) customer service; and (5) leadership in positioning the Company to meet the significant operational and regulatory challenges of the evolving financial services industry. The Committee may use its discretion to deviate from or modify compensation policies and recommendations, but does so rarely, and typically, only in unusual circumstances.

The Committee also administers the Company’s Defined Benefit Pension Plan (“Pension Plan”), 401(k) & Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the “401(k) Plan & ESOP”), the 2008 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2008 Plan”) and the 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan,” and together with the 2008 Plan, the “Omnibus Plans”) and awards outstanding under prior equity plans. Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s 2018 Plan, which is the Company’s active equity plan, the Committee may delegate its authority to grant awards to nonexecutive officers under such plan to a member of the Board and the Committee has granted such authority, within certain defined limits, to Mr. Watt. A charter that reflects these responsibilities and delegated authority, which the Committee and the Board periodically review and revise, governs the Committee. A copy of the charter is available on the Company’s website at www.nbtbancorp.com/bncp/corporategov.html. The Committee met four times in 2021.

The Risk Management Committee was established in 2018 and oversees the Company’s risk management activities and the effectiveness of its ERM framework. The Committee also reviews periodic reports related to the Company’s compliance program and legal and regulatory matters. The Committee is responsible for oversight of operational risk, including Company action related to information security, technology, fraud, privacy, business continuity and disaster recovery, vendor management, data governance and insurance coverage.

Our Board of Directors recognizes that Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) principals are important to the Company’s various stakeholders including stockholders, customers, communities and employees, and desires to drive positive social and environmental impact. The Board further believes that the Company’s reputation for integrity and corporate responsibility are bedrock principles and the ESG framework provides an opportunity to define, measure, and highlight our values to the Company’s stakeholders. Accordingly, the Board has committed to the following:

The Company offers a financing product to homeowners on a national basis which provides an opportunity to power their homes with sustainable solar energy. It enables households to reduce their carbon footprint at an affordable price. Services like mobile and online banking, remote deposit capture, electronic loan payments, eStatements and combined statements enable us to support all customers in their efforts to consume less fuel and paper. We continue to digitize loan origination and deposit account opening processes, reducing trips to the bank and paper documents for our customers. Across our footprint, we host community shred days with multiple confidential document destruction companies to promote safe document disposal and recycling.

The Company is focused on the environment and committed to business practices and activities that encourage sustainability and minimize our environmental impact. In larger facilities, the Company conserves energy through the use of building energy management systems and motion sensor lighting controls. In new construction and renovations, the Company incorporates high-efficiency mechanical equipment, LED lighting, and modern building techniques to reduce our carbon footprint wherever possible. The Company has an ongoing initiative to replace existing lighting with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption.

We are committed to strengthening the communities we serve through volunteerism and philanthropy, serving as a leader in our local communities. The Company is engaged in the communities where we do business and where our employees and directors live and work. We live out our core values of community involvement through investments of both money and the time of our employees.

Through our active contribution program, administered by market-based committees with representation from all lines of business, the Company contributed nearly $2.0 million in 2021, a 43% increase from 2020. Our teams’ efforts to distribute philanthropic resources across our footprint ensure alignment with local needs and support for hundreds of organizations that provide health and human services and promote education, affordable housing, economic development, the arts and agriculture.

A consistent way that the Company and our employees support our communities across our markets is through giving to United Way chapters in the form of corporate pledges and employee campaign contributions. In 2021, these commitments resulted in over $375,000 in funding for United Way chapters that provide resources to local organizations offering critical education, financial, food security and health services.

In addition to corporate financial support of community organizations and causes, employees are encouraged and empowered to volunteer and be a resource in their communities. They invest their financial and other expertise as board members and serve in roles where they offer direct support to those in need by engaging in all manner of volunteer activities. New employees participate in an onboarding experience that includes a community service activity.

We are also committed to helping the individuals in our communities develop their financial health. The Company offers a comprehensive array of financial products and services with options that are beneficial to unbanked and underbanked individuals. Deposit accounts include low balance savings and checking options that features minimal or no monthly service fees, provide assistance rebuilding positive relationships, and assistance for those just starting a new banking relationship. The new NBT iSelect Account was certified as meeting the Bank On National Account Standard with no monthly charges for maintenance, inactivity or dormancy, no overdraft fees and no minimum balance requirement. An enhanced digital banking platform incorporates ready access through online and mobile services to current credit score information and a personal financial management tool for budget and expense tracking.

The Company is focused on making home ownership accessible to everyone in the communities we serve. Our suite of home lending products features innovative and flexible options, including government guaranteed programs like Federal Housing Administration and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs loans as well as programs developed in-house like our First Home Loan, Habitat for Humanity, Home in the City and Portfolio 97 programs. Our home lending team includes affordable housing loan originators, and we maintain longstanding relationships with affordable housing agency partners across our banking footprint that offer first-time homebuyer education programs and assistance with down payments and closing costs.

The Company has a long-standing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) and has retooled our initiatives to take into consideration our remote and hybrid working conditions over the past 18 months. Our Chief Diversity Officer led both grassroots and Executive sponsored strategies to continue our DEI journey. Executive sponsored strategies include providing leadership opportunities with cross-functional/geographic teams, webinars and virtual sessions on topics such as working parents and providing contribution support to employee interests such as fundraisers for the LGBTQ community. Grassroot efforts include more focus and awareness of various cultural and diverse interest from our company-wide DEI Roundtable. The Roundtable also provided an internal forum called NBT Communities where employees with similar interest across our footprint have a way to get to know each other. Our DEI Steering Committee is comprised of members of the executive team, including our Chief Executive Officer. The plan is shared with our Board of Directors, management and employees, who are often included in implementing specific action items. Both the Roundtable and the Steering Committee utilized data from our September 2021 Employee Engagement survey to understand perspectives and create specific initiatives addressing employee feedback and perceptions. More information can be located on the Company’s website at https://www.nbtbank.com/about-us/Diversity-and-Inclusion/.

The Company’s focus on investing in our people includes key initiatives to attract, develop and retain our valued employees. Talent acquisition and more importantly, retention, are top priorities in the post-coronavirus (“COVID-19”) “great resignation” and boomer generation transition to retirement. While our employee retention rate remains consistently high, significant effort is placed on retaining our valued employees - various compensation strategies, stay interviews, career planning conversations, an on-going coaching process instead of annual performance appraisals, and enhanced communications all play a part in employee satisfaction. Our 2021 Employee Engagement

survey provided insights leading to specific initiatives to enhance future engagement including clarity around business strategies, decision making and development opportunities. The Company offers total rewards that address employees at various stages of their personal lives and careers, including a student loan repayment program, enhanced financial and emotional wellness programs and initiatives, undergraduate and graduation tuition, paid parental leave, recently enhanced paid time off, additional flexibility in work schedules with hybrid and remote work, paid leave benefits and a retirement transition option. The Company’s incentive programs recognize all full-time employees at all levels and are designed to motivate employees to support achievement of company success, with appropriate risk assessment and prevention measures designed to prevent fraud.

The Company focuses on the future by encouraging and promoting internal talent development. During the pandemic, emphasis was placed on connecting our employees using Microsoft Teams to ensure employees would be successful working and leading in a remote work environment. This past year the Company doubled the number of participants in our development programs to encourage individual growth and foster retention. The Management Development Program aims at attracting qualified diverse college graduates. The program consists of accelerated advancement, mentoring with senior executives and targeted benefit programs. The Professional Development Program provide an entry point for early career professionals. This 12-18 month program provides an overview of banking functions ultimately placing employees with working knowledge in positions of responsibility around the Company. The Emerging Leaders program is intended for employees who have approximately 5-7 years of professional experience who may or may not have had prior leadership experience but shows potential for becoming a future leader for the Company. This program works on developing the essential leadership skills and building confidence. The Star Impact program is designed to further develop leaders who are already established in their leadership roles who demonstrate potential for assuming expanded responsibility in role or through promotion. This program is designed to further develop and strengthen leadership styles and it includes feedback, coaching, networking and team building. Employees have access to career paths and career exploration programs throughout a variety of business areas, supported by mentors, individual development plans and internal learning resources. To support this process, we employ an internal career manager to work as a liaison with employees and managers to direct their personal career aspirations. The Company also has a robust talent review and succession planning process. Significant time is spent at the Board and Management level identifying and providing development opportunities for potential successors.

The Company seeks to further refine its workforce programs through its employee engagement survey which is planned on an annual basis with follow up pulse surveys in the interim. In addition to the pulse surveys conducted to understand employee well-being, attitudes about remote work, productivity and work-life balance during the last 18 months, a full Engagement Survey was completed in September 2021 to discover more about overall employee engagement. We were pleased at the high level of participation and overall engagement at the same high level as pre-pandemic. Divisional and Corporate actions have been developed to address areas employees would like to be more knowledgeable and involved in. The Company believes our engaged employees will drive retention and effort, ultimately correlating to a better experience for our customers.

We are dedicated to being a financial industry leader in corporate governance and business ethics. The Company’s Board of Directors is composed of individuals with diverse professional and business experience. All of our directors, other than the Chief Executive Officer, are independent. They all share a commitment to fostering an effective risk environment coupled with a strong internal audit structure. Their unwavering commitment protects our clients, stockholders and reputation. Our Code of Ethics reflects the Company’s expectation for the conduct of our directors, officers and employees. Through recurring training and disclosures, as well as periodic communication related to specific topics, the Company maintains the highest level of ethical conduct.

Our Board of Directors believes that a fully engaged Board of Directors is a strategic asset of the Company, and that knowledgeable and fresh viewpoints and perspectives are important for informed decision-making. The Board of Directors regularly evaluates whether it collectively has the right mix of skills, experience, attributes and diverse viewpoints necessary for it to drive stockholder value. The results of this evaluation are used to help identify the desirable skills for potential Board of Directors nominees and to screen director candidates. In the past four years, the Board of Directors has nominated three new directors to the Board, two of them diverse. The Board will continue to seek and recruit highly-talented and diverse director candidates in the future, as we expect several Board positions will become available through natural refreshment due to the Company’s age of 72 retirement standard.

In addition to the foregoing commitments, our Board of Directors believes in strong governance practices, including:

Finally, our Board understands the importance of aligning performance with compensation. Our compensation philosophy and programs for executives are balanced and risk appropriate, demonstrate long-term alignment with sustained performance and stockholder interests, and provide a competitive and effective program to attract, motivate, and retain the best talent.

The Company is committed to cybersecurity and vigilantly protecting all clients, resources and information from unauthorized access. The Company has implemented a strategic approach to cybersecurity and performs semi-annual cybersecurity penetration tests and formal cybersecurity maturity assessments via a third party to ensure that we are consistent with security best practices. The Company's cybersecurity approach incorporates a layered portfolio of technology products and tools, documented policies, end-user training and dedicated resources to manage and monitor the evolving threat landscape. We employ dedicated cybersecurity personnel to focus on preventing, identifying, and detecting cybersecurity risks. We use advanced next generation protection technologies to rapidly detect and investigate any evidence of malicious activity, which allows us to quickly isolate systems to contain and prevent damage and restore systems. Incidents are required to be internally reported, including to the Board of Directors, if material or appropriate. The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing cybersecurity risks and management provides the Board of Directors with updates on current cybersecurity projects and industry trends on at least a quarterly basis. Our cybersecurity personnel regularly evaluate risks and opportunities to improve our cybersecurity program. In addition, controls related to the Company's information technology environment are tested as part of our Sarbanes-Oxley audit.

In the event of a restatement of incorrect financial results, the Company’s Compensation and Benefits Committee (the “Committee”) will review all cash and equity incentive awards made under the Company’s Omnibus Plans that were paid or awarded to executive officers (within the meaning of Rule 3b-7 of the Exchange Act) for performance periods beginning on and after January 1, 2019, which occur during the restatement period. If any such awards would have been lower had the level of achievement of applicable financial performance goals been calculated based on such restated financial results, the Committee will, if it determines appropriate in its sole discretion, to the extent permitted by governing law, require the reimbursement of the incremental portion of the awards in excess of the awards that would have been paid based on the restated financial results.

Furthermore, if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company as a result of misconduct with regard to any financial reporting requirement under applicable securities laws, the individuals subject to the automatic forfeiture provisions under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and any other employee who knowingly engaged in the misconduct, was grossly negligent in engaging in the misconduct, knowingly failed to prevent the misconduct or was grossly negligent in failing to prevent the misconduct, shall reimburse the Company the amount of any payment in settlement of an award earned or accrued during the 12-month period following the first public issuance or filing with the SEC (whichever first occurred) of the financial document that contained such material noncompliance.

The Committee may specify in an award that a grantee’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to the award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of the award. Such events may include, but

shall not be limited to, termination of employment for cause, termination of the grantee’s provision of services to the Company, violation of material Company policies, breach of noncompetition, confidentiality, or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the grantee, or other conduct by the grantee that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company. These provisions will generally be limited to a three year look-back from the occurrence of the event that gives rise to the forfeiture.

This section discusses the Company’s executive compensation philosophy, guidelines and programs, and the material factors affecting the Company’s decisions regarding the compensation of its named executive officers (“NEOs”). This information is presented to give our stockholders a clear and comprehensive picture of the Company’s executive compensation program and its individual components. It also describes the process followed by the Compensation and Benefits Committee (the “Committee”) for making compensation decisions, as well as its rationale for specific decisions related to 2021.

Biographical information regarding the NEOs is set forth below. Information regarding Mr. Watt can be found under the section Board Nominees for 2022 found herein.

The Company has a strong pay for performance culture. Our executive compensation programs are designed to reward the NEOs for making decisions that lead to consistent financial performance and value creation for our stockholders. In 2021, the Company achieved record earnings. The NEOs achieved 113% of their targeted opportunity under the annual Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (“EICP”) and 120.0% of their targeted opportunity in performance-vesting stock awards in the first year of the performance period.

The following highlights demonstrate the Company’s financial performance during 2021:

Below is a summary of key financial metrics and results for 2021. Refer to the “Pay for Performance” section herein for a summary of our pay for performance analysis.

The following table provides the non-GAAP reconciliation:

The Company’s continued focus is on aligning its compensation plans with business objectives, performance, stockholder interests and the practices of its peers. The Company considered the 97.0% non-binding advisory basis approval of the executive compensation of its NEOs by its stockholders at the Annual Meeting on May 25, 2021 to be a strong endorsement of its compensation programs. The Company also considered feedback from stockholders and commentary received from proxy advisory groups and independent compensation consultants to evaluate compensation practices. Proxy advisory groups were generally supportive of the Company’s pay practices, and no significant concerns have been identified.

Based on the results of the most recent non-binding stockholder advisory vote on the frequency of stockholder votes on executive compensation, the Compensation Committee and the Board determined that a stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation will take place every year, until and unless our stockholders vote to hold such an advisory vote with a different frequency, at which time the Board will carefully consider the stockholder vote resulting from the proposal and continue to evaluate the options for how frequently it holds “say-on-pay” votes.

Recently, the Compensation Committee of the Board (“the Committee”) adopted a formal Executive Officer Compensation Philosophy to guide compensation decisions. At the heart of this is a belief in a strong pay for performance culture and that its executive compensation philosophy must create long-term stockholder value. The strategy of the Committee is to design an executive compensation program that is both competitive with comparably sized financial institutions and furthers the objectives of the Company through strong performance results. The Committee regularly evaluates the compensation components in order to ensure that the NEOs’ compensation remains competitive and aligned with Company performance.

The primary objectives of the Company’s executive compensation program are to:

The following guiding principles are at the core of the Company’s executive compensation program. Executive compensation should be:

The Company recognizes and rewards results that are consistent with its strategy and business objectives.

Executives should balance potential outcomes with appropriate risk-taking. Executives must comply with Company risk policies and control mechanisms.

It is expected that executives act in a manner consistent with the highest ethical standards. The Company has incorporated this thinking into all compensation programs, practices and policies. Results obtained through deceptive tactics or are inconsistent with our values and culture are not rewarded and are subject to, but are not limited to, clawbacks, discretionary downward adjustments to incentive compensation, employment decisions and disciplinary actions.

Executives are also subject to clawbacks in cases of fraud, errors/omissions and improper risk-taking for material adverse outcomes in the years following incentive compensation payouts.

The Company’s policies and practices promote strong compensation governance by:

While we have an obligation to protect stockholder interests, we also are accountable to other key stakeholders including our employees, customers and community. Our compensation programs, practices and policies recognize this responsibility.

Factors such as performance, knowledge, skills and experience play a role in compensation decision-making for individual executives. Discretionary factors are also considered in making appropriate compensation decisions in a balanced and wholistic approach. It is strongly believed that executive performance should be considered in tandem with our values. These include Customer Focus, Integrity, Accountability, Teamwork, Positive Attitude, Mutual Respect and Community Involvement.

The Company’s compensation program centers on Total Direct Compensation (“TDC”), which is the sum of base salary, short-term incentives and long-term equity-based incentives. Our TDC is weighted heavily toward rewarding results, with a substantial portion of direct total compensation “at risk” and performance-based. The following table shows the principal components of TDC, each one contributing to the accomplishment of our compensation program goals:

 

Our ability to attract and retain an exceptional leadership team is also dependent on having a full complement of compensation tools available to us and the flexibility to use them. This includes retirement and other limited benefits and perquisites, as well as the ability to leverage employment, change of control and severance agreements:

Risk management controls are developed to reduce the potential for imprudent risk taking. Controls are in place for the proper administration and oversight of the compensation programs.

All components of NBT’s executive incentive compensation plans include mechanisms through metric selection, discretion and/or plan design to adjust compensation payments for risk. Poor risk management practices and imprudent risk-taking will lead to an adverse impact on incentive compensation, such as reductions or loss of current and/or previously awarded incentive compensation.

The Committee involves the Company’s control functions (e.g., internal audit, risk and compliance) as well as outside advisors in its deliberations. Risk assessments of the Company’s compensation programs are conducted regularly.

We operate within the rules, regulations and laws concerning compensation, employee rights and protections. Compensation programs, practices and policies are designed to promote the long-term sustainability of our Company, stockholders, employees and the communities we serve.

The Committee approves the compensation for “Named Executive Officers” as defined under SEC Item 402 of Regulation S-K.

In addition to providing annual assessments, the consultant advises the Committee on best practices in light of the changes in the banking and corporate regulatory environment and assists the Committee in designing compensation arrangements that reflect the Company’s compensation philosophy. While the Committee considers input from the consultant when making compensation decisions, the Committee’s final decisions reflect many factors and considerations.

Pearl Meyer served as the Committee’s compensation consultant in 2020 and in determining 2021 compensation decisions. Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (“Meridian”) was engaged in mid-2021 to serve as the Committee’s compensation consultant for 2022 compensation decisions. Both consultants reported directly to the Committee and did not provide any other services to the Company. The Committee has analyzed the work of both consulting firms to determine any conflicts of interest, taking into consideration the following factors, among others: (1) the provision of other services to the Company; (2) the amount of fees from the Company paid as a percentage of each firm’s total revenue; (3) internal policies and procedures within each consulting firm that are designed to prevent conflicts of interest; (4) any business or personal relationship of either Pearl Meyer or Meridian or the individual compensation advisors employed by each with an executive officer of the Company; (5) any business or personal relationship of the individual compensation advisors with any member of the Committee; and (6) any stock of the Company owned by the firms or the individual compensation advisors employed. The Committee has determined, based on its analysis of the above factors, among others, that the work of Pearl Meyer and Meridian and the individual compensation advisors employed by each as compensation consultants to the Company has not created any conflict of interest.

The Committee generally sets target TDC (base salary, short-term incentives and long-term incentives) for the NEOs at levels that are commensurate with individual’s role and market practice. After reviewing the benchmark study, the Committee determined the TDC targets are appropriate and consistent with this approach. It is important to note that this market data was not the sole determinant in setting executive pay levels. The Committee also considers Corporate and individual performance, the nature of an individual’s role within the Company, as well as his or her experience and contributions to his or her current role when making its compensation-related decisions.

At the request of the Committee, the consultant conducts regular analyses to monitor pay and performance alignment (both financial and operational), particularly with regards to the CEO. The goal is to use this information proactively to set appropriate pay opportunity ranges and retroactively to assess the actual pay delivered based on performance.

It is the Committee’s philosophy to reward the NEOs for operational excellence. Operational excellence is achieved by selecting a composite of key financial metrics which define management’s strategic objectives and tie to strategy execution and the resulting increase in stockholder value. The Committee reviews TDC regularly in light of the Company’s financial performance. The 2021 study revealed that TDC of the Company’s CEO and top five executives (combined, including CEO) is aligned with operational performance using a composite of five key metrics (ROAA, ROATE, NPA/Total Assets, Efficiency Ratio, and Net Interest Margin). The table below indicates the percentile rankings for the Company in one-year and three-year average performance periods as of year-end 2020, and TDC, versus the peer group. This analysis informed the Committee of the Company’s pay and performance alignment.

The Committee reviews executive base salaries annually. Base salary is the only fixed portion of compensation for salaried employees of the Company, including the NEOs. The Company has entered into employment agreements with each NEO providing for a minimum base salary, subject to annual adjustments upon the Committee’s approval.

In 2021, the Committee determined the base salaries of the NEOs based on the Company’s guiding principles, unique pandemic environment and the competitive market. Messrs. Watt and Stagliano maintained their current salaries for 2021. Ms. Wiles received a 4% salary increase, Mr. Moran and Ms. Burns each received a 6% salary increase and Ms. Halliday received a 7% salary increase in order to maintain market competitive base salaries and recognize their performance and contributions. The Committee’s recommendations were in line with the results of the compensation analysis. Below are the base salaries for the NEOs for 2021.

In addition to fixed base salaries, the Company provides cash and equity-based incentive compensation. Incentive compensation varies in amount depending on the factors discussed below and is designed to promote superior performance and achievement of corporate goals, to encourage the growth of stockholder value, and to share the long-term growth and profitability of the Company with key employees.

The EICP is a component of the 2018 Omnibus Plan, a stockholder-approved incentive plan authorizing several forms of cash and equity- based incentive compensation.

The EICP is a short-term cash incentive plan that directly ties annual cash awards to the Company’s performance as measured by EPS, ROAA and individual performance objectives. EICP target opportunities are defined as a percentage of base salary with payouts considering a combination of corporate performance goals and individual performance objectives reflecting each executive’s role and responsibilities. If the threshold EPS goal is not achieved, no awards will be paid to any executives. When determining the payouts under the EICP, the Committee may objectively adjust the reported performance results considering any of the following events that occur during a performance period: (1) the effect of changes in tax laws, accounting principles, or other laws or provisions affecting reported results, (2) any reorganization and restructuring programs, (3) acquisitions or divestitures activity and related expenses and (4) other unusual or unplanned events.

At the beginning of each year, the Committee determines the participants, performance metrics and goals under the EICP. The Committee recognizes the current interest rate environment and macroeconomic conditions when setting the performance targets, with a long-term view in building stockholder value, and discourages undue risk taking for short-term gains. The primary incentive funding metric is EPS with potential negative adjustments for ROAA and individual performance. The EPS target level for 2021 was set at $2.13, a 10.1% decrease from 2020 reported EPS primarily due to forecasted margin compression and the uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic on Company’s earnings, including an increase in expected credit losses. The Committee maintained the target award opportunities for each participant given the desire to retain the alignment of NEOs’ TDC with peer median to retain and attract executive talent in the Company’s markets.

For the 2021 performance year, the Committee also set the following individual performance objectives and the payout percentage for the other NEOs who remained with the Company at the end of 2021:

Mr. Kingsley, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Kingsley was hired in July of 2021. Mr, Kingsley received a prorated award based on his numerous contributions in the areas of strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting and investor relations.

Ms. Burns, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, Former Interim Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Burns’ invaluable leadership provided stability during transitional times. She evolved our capital plan and stress testing for regulatory compliance, completed the foundation for technology advancements in several of our financial systems, and supported DEI initiatives including by providing development opportunities for staff. These achievements resulted in Ms. Burns earning 100% of her potential incentive at level 5.

Mr. Stagliano, Executive Vice President, President of Retail Community Banking and Chief Information Officer. Mr. Stagliano’s individual performance objectives were aligned with the Company’s strategic focus areas of organic growth, investment in human capital, optimizing our cost structure and enhancing our customer and employee experiences. Further, he was instrumental in driving our key initiative of evolving our technology roadmap with a focus on innovation, efficiencies and end user awareness. Mr. Stagliano’s continued leadership during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a steady hand during the constant shifting of the pandemic and resulting protocols for customers and employees. Mr. Stagliano provided an environment for continuous learning and coaching whether remote, hybrid or onsite. Mr. Stagliano achieved the majority of his revenue and operational goals in Retail Banking, Business Banking, Operations, IT and Marketing. These achievements resulted in Mr. Stagliano earning 100% of his potential incentive at Level 5.

Ms. Halliday, Executive Vice President and President of Commercial Banking. Ms. Halliday’s individual performance goals were aligned with the Company’s strategic focus areas of growth, optimizing our cost structure, investment in human capital, and enhancing our customer and employee experiences. Ms. Halliday provided pivotal leadership in achieving disciplined net loan growth, expanding our customer base with organic growth, successful implementation of our new commercial loan origination system that improves both our customer and employee experiences, and actively supporting our DEI initiatives. These achievements earned Ms. Halliday 100% of her potential incentive at level 5.

Ms. Wiles, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit and Risk Officer. Ms. Wiles’ individual performance objectives were aligned with the Company’s strategic focus areas of optimizing our cost structure, enhancing our customer and employee experiences and motivating and retaining our workforce. Ms. Wiles assisted with the Libor transition, co-lead our ESG efforts, drove our risk and compliance initiatives related to our growth – particularly CFPB requirements as we crossed $10B, developed more sophisticated ERM program and successfully implemented numerous organizational change strategies including technology advancements, career pathing, employee development and diversity actions. Ms. Wiles achieved 100% of her potential incentive at level 5.

The Committee considered such results together with the corporate component results in determining awards under the EICP as follows:

Salary Increases: Mr. Kingsley received a 2.5% increase, Mmes. Halliday and Wiles each received a 3.0% increase and Mr. Stagliano received a 4.0% increase.

In addition, the Committee is actively monitoring the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, our operations and future results. In light of these developments, the Committee may re-evaluate the performance goals and incentives associated with incentive compensation during 2022. Any material changes will be communicated in accordance with applicable disclosure requirements.

To more directly align their interests with stockholders’ interests, the Committee maintains stock ownership guidelines for the Board of Directors and the Company’s executive management team, including the NEOs. The guidelines include retention requirements for restricted stock units and the NEOs’ required ownership levels are based on a multiple of salary. The guidelines require directors to own 5,000 shares of Company common stock. The NEO share requirements are based upon a multiple of salary with the CEO to own a number of shares of Company common stock equal to at least 3 times his base salary, each of Messrs. Kingsley and Stagliano and Ms. Halliday to own a number of shares of Company common stock equal to at least 1.5 times their base salary and Ms. Wiles to own a number of shares of Company common stock equal to at least 0.75 times her base salary. Vested restricted stock units are included in an individual’s ownership for purposes of compliance with guidelines. The executives and Board members must comply with the guidelines within five years from the date of promotion to the executive management team or election to the Board of Directors. Failure to meet the guidelines could, at the Committee’s discretion, affect future equity-based awards. As of December 31, 2021, all NEOs (other than Mr. Moran, who resigned on May 7, 2021 and Ms. Burns, who is not subject to the stock ownership guidelines) and all directors were in compliance or expect to be in compliance with the guidelines.

All directors and employees, including the NEOs, are prohibited from engaging in any speculative transaction designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the market value of the Company’s securities, including hedging of the Company’s common stock. The Company also prohibits any pledging of Company securities in a margin account and restricts all other pledging of any Company securities by requiring directors and employees to obtain the prior approval of the CEO, CFO or General Counsel before entering into any such agreement.

The Company has a clawback policy to require NEOs to reimburse the Company, all or in part, for incentive compensation awards received in a period where restatement was required due to incorrect financial results. Furthermore, if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company as a result of misconduct, with regard to any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, the NEOs’ incentive compensation would also be subject to clawback.

A formal risk assessment of the Company’s incentive compensation plans is performed annually. A risk assessment matrix is used which considers and analyzes the following factors:

The annual risk assessment is overseen by the Chief Risk Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer/Chief Ethics Officer and reviewed annually by the Committee.

The eligible NEOs participate in the Pension Plan, which is a noncontributory, tax-qualified defined benefit pension plan. The Pension Plan is available to all Company employees who have attained age 21 and have completed one year of service, as defined in the Pension Plan. The Pension Plan provides for 100% vesting after three years of qualified service. The Pension Plan has a cash balance feature, in which all of the eligible NEOs participate. The footnotes to the Pension Benefits Table included herein, including the narrative discussion that follows such table, contain a detailed description of the defined benefit/cash balance pension plan, including a description of the eligibility, crediting, vesting, mortality, and other terms and assumptions used for the calculation of Pension Plan benefits. Participants in the Pension Plan are eligible for additional discretionary contributions to the 401(k) Plan & ESOP in lieu of interest credits to the cash balance portion of the Pension Plan.

The CEO participates in a SERP, which is principally designed to restore benefits that would have been paid to him if certain federal tax limitations were not in effect, as well as to attract and retain qualified and experienced executive officers. The SERP is embodied in an agreement between the Company and the CEO. The narrative that follows the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table included herein contains a detailed description of the SERP.

The 401(k) Plan & ESOP is a tax-qualified defined contribution retirement savings plan available to all Company employees who have attained age 21 and are either scheduled to complete one year of service or have completed one year of service (1,000 hours of service in a twelve-month period), as defined by the 401(k) Plan & ESOP. Employees are eligible to enroll on the first of the month following 30 days of service. Participants in the 401(k) Plan & ESOP may contribute up to the limit prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service on a before-tax or after-tax basis. The Company matches 100% of the first 1% of pay contributed to the plan plus 50% of the next 5% of compensation for a total matching contribution of 3.5% of compensation. Additionally, the Company can make discretionary contributions to the 401(k) Plan & ESOP based on its financial performance. All Company contributions to this retirement plan since 2013 have been made in cash and vest at the rate of 20% per year with full vesting following five years of benefit service. Prior to 2013, Company contributions were made in Company stock. The NEOs participate in the 401(k) Plan & ESOP. The Company may make discretionary contributions to the 401(k) portion of the 401(k) Plan & ESOP to offset the elimination of interest credits to the Pension Plan, as described above. The value of Company contributions to the 401(k) Plan & ESOP are included in the Summary Compensation Table included herein.

The Deferred Compensation Plan allows the NEOs, and such other key employees as the Committee may approve annually, to defer some or all of their salary, commissions and/or bonus, to a future date. The Deferred Compensation Plan also permits the Company to make discretionary contributions to the accounts of eligible employees. Eligible employees are generally those employees determined to be highly-compensated employees of the Company. In addition, the Omnibus Plans permit award recipients to defer receipt of vested equity awards to a future date. Certain NEOs elected to defer compensation or received discretionary contributions as detailed in the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table included herein. The Company awarded Messrs. Watt, Kingsley, Stagliano and Mmes. Halliday and Wiles $284,000, $76,875, $65,870, $57,571, and $55,804, respectively, as discretionary contributions to the Deferred Compensation Plan based upon their 2021 performance. Company contributions are not subject to vesting provisions.

The Company provides NEOs with perquisites and other personal benefits that the Committee and the Company believe are reasonable and consistent with the Company’s guiding compensation principles. These benefits enable the Company to attract and retain superior employees for key positions. During 2021, these benefits included the use of Company-owned automobiles or car allowance, disability insurance, long-term care insurance, and for certain NEOs, club memberships. For the CEO, the Company also maintains a split-dollar bank-owned life insurance policy for the benefit of the Company and the CEO. For NEOs that have the use of a Company-owned automobile, any personal mileage incurred by the executive is taxed as additional compensation in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regulations. The Committee periodically reviews the levels of perquisites and other personal benefits provided to NEOs. The dollar amount of these benefits is reflected in the Summary Compensation Table included herein. The aggregate amounts of perquisites and other personal benefits paid to Messrs. Kingsley, Moran and Stagliano and Mmes. Burns, Halliday and Wiles were determined to be less than the established reporting thresholds for detailed disclosure.

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 162(m)”) generally disallows a tax deduction to a company for compensation in excess of one million dollars paid per year to a company’s chief executive officer, chief financial officer and each of its three other most highly compensated executive officers, including certain former executive officers. Prior to January 1, 2018, certain “performance based” compensation exceeding one million dollars annually paid to such executive officers was excluded from Section 162(m)’s limitation and was deductible if certain requirements were met, and compensation paid to the Company’s chief financial officer and former executive officers were excluded from Section 162(m)’s limitation. Compensation arrangements that qualify for transition relief under certain “grandfather” rules may continue to be deductible in the future, but it is uncertain whether previous compensation that the Committee believed to be “performance based” compensation or believed would not otherwise be subject to Section 162(m)’s limitation will be deductible going forward.

The Committee considers the tax deductibility of compensation as one factor when considering executive compensation program alternatives. The Committee has in the past approved and has reserved the right in the future to approve compensation that does not qualify for deductibility in circumstances it deems in the Company’s best interests. The Committee believes that its primary responsibility is to provide a compensation program that attracts, retains and rewards the executive talent necessary for our success.

Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 409A”) generally provides that amounts deferred under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan are currently includible in a service provider’s gross income to the extent not subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, unless certain requirements are met or exemptions apply. Section 409A applies to most forms of deferred compensation, including but not limited to, nonqualified deferred compensation plans or arrangements, certain equity-based performance awards, and severance plans or individual severance arrangements contained within employment agreements. Generally, under Section 409A, any severance arrangement not in compliance with Section 409A covering an NEO pursuant to an employment or change in control agreement, any deferrals under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan that do not comply with Section 409A, or any stock option award grants with an exercise price of less than fair market value on the date of grant may subject the applicable service provider to: (1) current income inclusion of the relevant amounts; (2) interest at the IRS underpayment rate; and (3) an additional 20% excise tax. The Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table included herein provides detailed information about the Company’s nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements.

Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes a 20% excise tax on certain “excess parachute payments” made to “disqualified individuals.” Under Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code, such excess parachute payments are also nondeductible to the Company. If payments that are contingent on a change in control to a disqualified individual (which terms include the NEOs) equal or exceed three times the individual’s “base amount,” they constitute “excess parachute payments” to the extent they exceed one times the individual’s base amount.

All the Company’s NEO employment agreements provide for a cutback of change in control benefits in circumstances where the executive would not be better off on a net after-tax basis by at least $50,000 by being paid the full change in control benefit. In circumstances where the executive will be better off by at least $50,000 on a net after-tax basis by being paid the full change in control benefit owed, the executive will be responsible for the payment of all excise taxes. However, neither the Company nor NBT Bank will be permitted to claim a federal income tax deduction for the portion of the change in control benefit that constitutes an “excess parachute payment.”

The Committee is informed of the financial statement implications of the components of the compensation program for NEOs. However, a compensation component’s contribution to the objectives of the Company’s compensation program and its projected economic cost, which may or may not be reflected on the Company’s financial statements, are the main elements of NEO compensation decisions.