As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 26, 2016

Registration No. 333-            

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Chubb Limited

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Switzerland   98-0091805

(State or other jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(IRS employer

identification no.)

Baerengasse 32

CH-8001 Zurich, Switzerland

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan

(Full Title of Plan)

 

 

Christopher J. Kearns

Deputy General Counsel

Chubb Limited

1133 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10036

+1 212-827-4400

(Name, address, including zip code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Check one:

 

Large accelerated filer   x    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨   (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of securities
to be registered
 

Amount

to be

registered (1)(2)(3)

 

Proposed

maximum

offering price

per share (4)

 

Proposed

maximum

aggregate

offering price

 

Amount of

registration fee (5)

Common Shares, par value CHF 24.15 per share, under the Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan

  20,378,636   $125.59   $2,559,352,896   $257,727

 

 

(1) This Registration relates to 19,500,000 common shares of Chubb Limited (“Chubb common shares”) being newly registered and 878,636 Chubb common shares being carried forward to this Registration Statement (the “carryover shares”) previously registered pursuant the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File Number 333-188949) filed on May 30, 2013 (the “2013 Registration Statement”).
(2) Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminate number of Chubb common shares which may become issuable pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of the Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
(3) Represents Chubb common shares reserved for issuance under the Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan, including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units, performance stock units and deferred units in respect of Chubb common shares.
(4) Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rules 457(c) and 457(h) under the Securities Act, based on the average of the high and low sales prices per share of Chubb common shares as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on May 23, 2016.
(5) A registration fee of $10,685 with respect to the carryover shares was previously paid upon the filing of the 2013 Registration Statement (out of a total of $97,281), which amount is being offset against the registration fees due at this time in accordance with Rule 457(p). Accordingly, the Registrant is paying a registration fee of $247,042 at this time.

 

 

 


PART I

Information required by Part I of Form S-8 to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the participants in the Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan as required by Rule 428(b). Such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act.

PART II

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference

The following documents filed by the Chubb Limited (“Chubb” or the “Registrant”) are incorporated herein by reference:

(a) The Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed on February 26, 2016;

(b) The Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2016, filed on May 10, 2016;

(c) The Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed January 14, 2016, January 15, 2016, March 2, 2016, March 25, 2016, April 29, 2016 (filed portion of such Form 8-K only) and May 20, 2016, and the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A dated March 24, 2016; and

(d) The description of Common Shares included in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A dated August 28, 2008 filed under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) (incorporating the description of Common Shares included in the Registration Statement on Form S-4/A (No. 333-150367) filed on May 29, 2008 pursuant to the Securities Act under the captions “Proposal No. 5: APPROVAL OF THE CONTINUATION—Description of Share Capital” and “—Borrowing-Issuance of Debt Securities”).

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents; provided, however, that documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission rules shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

Not applicable.

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

It is generally permissible under Swiss law to agree in a fiduciary agreement to hold a board member harmless for any liabilities that he or she is confronted with during his or her term of office, save for gross negligence, willful intent, contradictory action with regard to legitimate instructions, or in respect of the violation of certain corporate law duties. Swiss law permits the Registrant or each board member or officer individually to purchase and maintain insurance for directors and officers. The coverage of such insurance depends on the individual insurance policy.

 

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The Chubb board members as well as the officers of Chubb are jointly and severally liable to Chubb, the shareholders and the creditors for damage caused by violation of their duties.

A resolution passed at the shareholders’ meeting discharging the members of the Chubb board and management for statutory liability covers only matters that have been disclosed to the shareholders’ meeting and is binding only upon Chubb and upon shareholders that have approved the resolution. The right of the remaining shareholders to claim damages on behalf of the Registrant expires six months after such resolution has been passed.

Chubb’s articles of association provide that Chubb will indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by law, each of the members of the Chubb board and officers out of Chubb’s assets from and against all actions, costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses which they or any of them may incur or sustain by or by reason of any act done, concurred in or omitted in or about the execution of their duty, or supposed duty on behalf of Chubb; provided that this indemnity shall not extend to any matter in which any of said persons is found, in a final judgment or decree not subject to appeal, to have committed fraud or dishonesty. Without limiting the foregoing, Chubb shall advance court costs and attorney’s fees to the members of the Chubb board and officers, except in cases where Chubb itself is the plaintiff. Chubb may however recover such advanced cost if a court holds that the Chubb board or the officer in question has breached relevant duties.

Chubb has also entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and executive officers. The indemnification agreements are in furtherance of Chubb’s articles of association, which require the Registrant to indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law as well as New York Stock Exchange and Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. The indemnification agreements provide for indemnification arising out of specified indemnifiable events and provide for advancement of expenses. The indemnification agreements set forth procedures relating to indemnification claims.

Swiss law permits a company and each board member or officer individually to purchase and maintain insurance for directors and officers. Chubb maintains directors’ and officers’ insurance for its directors and officers. Directors and officers of Chubb are provided with indemnification against certain liabilities pursuant to a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy. Coverage is afforded for any loss that the insureds become legally obligated to pay by reason of any claim or claims first made against the insureds or any of them during the policy period from any wrongful acts that are actually or allegedly caused, committed or attempted by the insureds prior to the end of the policy period. Wrongful acts are defined as any actual or alleged error, misstatement, misleading statement or act, omission, neglect or breach of duty by the insureds while acting in their individual or collective capacities as directors or officers of Chubb, or any other matter claimed against them by reason of their being directors or officers of Chubb. Certain of Chubb’s directors may also be provided by their employer with indemnification against certain liabilities incurred as directors of Chubb.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed

Not applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits

The exhibits filed herewith or incorporated by reference herein are set forth in the Index to Exhibits filed as part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 9. Undertakings.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in the volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that

 

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which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material changes to such information in this Registration Statement;

provided, however, paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Evan G. Greenberg, Philip V. Bancroft and Joseph F. Wayland, and each of them, the true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents of the undersigned, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for and in the name, place and stead of the undersigned, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and hereby grants to such attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, full to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Zurich, Switzerland, on May 26, 2016.

 

Chubb Limited
By  

/s/ Philip V. Bancroft

Name:   Philip V. Bancroft
Title:  

Executive Vice President and

Chief Financial Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on May 26, 2016.

 

Signature

  

Title

/s/ Evan G. Greenberg

Evan G. Greenberg

  

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer; Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Philip V. Bancroft

Philip V. Bancroft

  

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Paul B. Medini

Paul B. Medini

  

Chief Accounting Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Michael G. Atieh

Michael G. Atieh

   Director

/s/ Sheila P. Burke

Sheila P. Burke

   Director

/s/ James I. Cash, Jr.

James I. Cash, Jr.

   Director

/s/ Mary A. Cirillo

Mary A. Cirillo

   Director

/s/ Michael P. Connors

Michael P. Connors

   Director

 

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/s/ John A. Edwardson

John A. Edwardson

   Director

/s/ Robert M. Hernandez

Robert M. Hernandez

   Director

/s/ Lawrence W. Kellner

Lawrence W. Kellner

   Director

/s/ Leo F. Mullin

Leo F. Mullin

   Director

/s/ Kimberly A. Ross

Kimberly A. Ross

   Director

/s/ Robert W. Scully

Robert W. Scully

   Director

/s/ Eugene B. Shanks, Jr.

Eugene B. Shanks, Jr.

   Director

/s/ Theodore E. Shasta

Theodore E. Shasta

   Director

/s/ David H. Sidwell

David H. Sidwell

   Director

/s/ Olivier Steimer

Olivier Steimer

   Director

/s/ James M. Zimmerman

James M. Zimmerman

   Director

 

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AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the undersigned as the duly authorized representative of Chubb Limited in the United States.

 

/s/ Philip V. Bancroft

Name: Philip V. Bancroft

May 26, 2016

 

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit

  4.1    Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 20, 2016)
  4.2    Organizational Regulations of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 2, 2016)
  4.3    Specimen certificate representing Common Shares (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 18, 2008)
  4.4    Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan
  5.1    Opinion of Bär & Karrer AG
23.1    Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
23.2    Consent of Bär & Karrer AG (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1    Powers of Attorney (included in signature pages)

 

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Exhibit 4.4

CHUBB LIMITED 2016

LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

SECTION 1

GENERAL

1.1.  Purpose . The Chubb Limited 2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) has been established by Chubb Limited (the “Company”) to (i) attract and retain persons eligible to participate in the Plan; (ii) motivate Participants, by means of appropriate incentives, to achieve long-range goals; (iii) provide incentive compensation opportunities that are competitive with those of other similar companies; and (iv) further identify Participants’ interests with those of the Company’s other shareholders through compensation that is based on the Company’s shares of common stock; and thereby promote the long-term financial interest of the Company and the Subsidiaries, including the growth in value of the Company’s equity and enhancement of long-term shareholder return.

1.2.  Participation . Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine and designate, from time to time, from among the Eligible Individuals (including transferees of Eligible Individuals to the extent the transfer is permitted by the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement), those persons who will be granted one or more Awards under the Plan, and thereby become “Participants” in the Plan.

1.3.  Operation, Administration, and Definitions . The operation and administration of the Plan, including the Awards made under the Plan, shall be subject to the provisions of Section 5 (relating to operation and administration). Capitalized terms in the Plan shall be defined as set forth in the Plan (including the definition provisions of Section 9).

SECTION 2

OPTIONS AND SARS

2.1.  Definitions .

 

(a) The grant of an “Option” entitles the Participant to purchase shares of Stock at an Exercise Price established by the Committee. Any Option granted under this Section 2 may be either an incentive stock option (an “ISO”) or a non-qualified option (an “NQO”), as determined in the discretion of the Committee. An “ISO” is an Option that is intended to satisfy the requirements applicable to an “incentive stock option” described in section 422(b) of the Code. An “NQO” is an Option that is not intended to be an “incentive stock option” as that term is described in section 422(b) of the Code.

 

(b) A stock appreciation right (an “SAR”) entitles the Participant to receive, in cash or Stock (as determined in accordance with subsection 2.5), value equal to (or otherwise based on) the excess of: (a) the Fair Market Value of a specified number of shares of Stock at the time of exercise; over (b) an Exercise Price established by the Committee.


2.2.  Exercise Price . The “Exercise Price” of each Option and SAR granted under this Section 2 shall be established by the Committee or shall be determined by a method established by the Committee at the time the Option or SAR is granted. The Exercise Price shall not be less than 100 percent of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of grant (or, if greater, the par value of a share of Stock).

2.3.  Exercise . An Option and an SAR shall be exercisable in accordance with such terms and conditions and during such periods as may be established by the Committee. In no event, however, shall an Option or SAR expire later than ten years after the date of its grant. In no event shall an Option or SAR become exercisable or vested prior to the first anniversary of the date on which it is granted (subject to acceleration of vesting, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in the event of the Participant’s death, disability, retirement, change in control or involuntary termination).

2.4.  Payment of Option Exercise Price . The payment of the Exercise Price of an Option granted under this Section 2 shall be subject to the following:

 

(a) Subject to the following provisions of this subsection 2.4, the full Exercise Price for shares of Stock purchased upon the exercise of any Option shall be paid at the time of such exercise (except that, in the case of an exercise arrangement approved by the Committee and described in paragraph 2.4(c), payment may be made as soon as practicable after the exercise).

 

(b) Subject to applicable law, the Exercise Price shall be payable in cash, by promissory note, or by tendering, by either actual delivery of shares or by attestation, shares of Stock (including shares of Stock that would otherwise be distributable upon the exercise of the Option) acceptable to the Committee, and valued at Fair Market Value as of the day of exercise, or in any combination thereof, as determined by the Committee.

 

(c) Subject to applicable law, the Committee may permit a Participant to elect to pay the Exercise Price upon the exercise of an Option by irrevocably authorizing a third party to sell shares of Stock (or a sufficient portion of the shares) acquired upon exercise of the Option and remit to the Company a sufficient portion of the sale proceeds to pay the entire Exercise Price and any tax withholding resulting from such exercise.

2.5.  Settlement of Award . Settlement of Options and SARs is subject to subsection 5.7.

2.6.  No Repricing . Except for either adjustments pursuant to paragraph 5.2(f) (relating to the adjustment of shares), or reductions of the Exercise Price approved by the Company’s shareholders, the Exercise Price for any outstanding Option or SAR may not be decreased after the date of grant nor may an outstanding Option or SAR granted under the Plan be surrendered to the Company as consideration for the grant of a replacement Option or SAR with a lower Exercise Price. Except as approved by Company’s shareholders, in no event shall any Option or SAR granted under the Plan be surrendered to Company in consideration for a cash payment or the grant of any other Award if, at the time of such surrender, the Exercise Price of the Option or SAR is greater than the then current Fair Market Value of a Share.

 

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2.7.  Grants of Options and SARs . An Option may but need not be in tandem with an SAR, and an SAR may but need not be in tandem with an Option. If an Option is in tandem with an SAR, the Exercise Price of both the Option and SAR shall be the same, and the exercise of the Option or SAR with respect to a share of Stock shall cancel the corresponding tandem SAR or Option right with respect to such share. If an SAR is in tandem with an Option but is granted after the grant of the Option, or if an Option is in tandem with an SAR but is granted after the grant of the SAR, the later granted tandem Award shall have the same Exercise Price as the earlier granted Award, but the Exercise Price for the later granted Award may be less than the Fair Market Value of the Stock at the time of such grant. No dividend equivalents (current or deferred) with respect to any Option or SAR shall be granted under the Plan.

SECTION 3

FULL VALUE AWARDS

3.1.  Definition . A “Full Value” Award is a grant of one or more shares of Stock or a right to receive one or more shares of Stock in the future, with such grant subject to one or more of the following, as determined by the Committee:

 

(a) The grant shall be in consideration of a Participant’s previously performed services, or surrender of other compensation that may be due.

 

(b) The grant shall be contingent on the achievement of performance or other objectives during a specified period.

 

(c) The grant shall be subject to a risk of forfeiture or other restrictions that will lapse upon the achievement of one or more goals relating to completion of service by the Participant, or achievement of performance or other objectives.

The grant of Full Value Awards may also be subject to such other conditions, restrictions and contingencies, as determined by the Committee.

3.2.  Restrictions on Awards .

 

(a) The Committee may designate a Full Value Award granted to any Participant as “performance-based compensation” as that term is used in section 162(m) of the Code. To the extent required by Code section 162(m), any Full Value Award so designated shall be conditioned on the achievement of one or more performance objectives. The performance objectives shall be based on Performance Measures selected by the Committee. For Awards under this Section 3 intended to be “performance-based compensation,” the grant of the Awards and the establishment of the performance objectives shall be made during the period required under Code section 162(m).

 

3


(b) If the right to become vested in a Full Value Award is conditioned on the completion of a specified period of service with the Company or the Subsidiaries, without achievement of Performance Measures or other performance objectives (whether or not related to the Performance Measures) being required as a condition of vesting, and without it being granted in lieu of other compensation, then the required period of service for full vesting shall be not less than three years (subject to acceleration of vesting, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in the event of the Participant’s death, disability, retirement, change in control or involuntary termination).

 

(c) If the right to become vested in a Full Value Award is conditioned on the achievement of performance targets or other performance objectives (whether or not related to Performance Measures and whether or not such Full Value Award is designated as “performance-based compensation”), then the required performance period for determining the achievement of such performance targets or other performance objectives for vesting shall be not less than one year (subject to acceleration of vesting, to the extent permitted by the Committee, in the event of the Participant’s death, disability, retirement, change in control or involuntary termination).

SECTION 4

CASH INCENTIVE AWARDS

A Cash Incentive Award is the grant of a right to receive a payment of cash (or in the discretion of the Committee, Stock having value equivalent to the cash otherwise payable) that is contingent on achievement of performance or other objectives over a specified period established by the Committee. The grant of Cash Incentive Awards may also be subject to such other conditions, restrictions and contingencies, as determined by the Committee. The Committee may designate a Cash Incentive Award granted to any Participant as “performance-based compensation” as that term is used in section 162(m) of the Code. To the extent required by Code section 162(m), any such Award so designated shall be conditioned on the achievement of one or more performance objectives. The performance objectives shall be based on Performance Measures as selected by the Committee. For Awards under this Section 4 intended to be “performance-based compensation,” the grant of the Awards and the establishment of the performance objectives shall be made during the period required under Code section 162(m). Except as otherwise provided in the applicable plan or arrangement, distribution of any cash incentive awards by the Company or its Subsidiaries (whether granted this Plan or otherwise), for a performance period ending in a calendar year, shall be made to the Participant between January 1 and March 15 of the following calendar year; provided, however, that for purposes of determining compliance with Code section 409A, a payment will be considered to satisfy the requirement of this sentence if distribution is made no later than the end of the calendar year following the end of the applicable performance period.

SECTION 5

OPERATION AND ADMINISTRATION

5.1.  Effective Date . Subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company at the Company’s 2016 annual meeting of its shareholders, the Plan shall be effective as of February 25, 2016 (the “Effective Date”); provided, however, that, to the extent not prohibited

 

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by applicable law or the applicable rules of any stock exchange, Awards may be granted contingent on approval of the Plan by the shareholders of the Company at such annual meeting. The Plan shall be unlimited in duration and, in the event of Plan termination, shall remain in effect as long as any Awards under it are outstanding; provided, however, that no Awards may be granted under the Plan on or after the ten-year anniversary of February 25, 2016, which is the date on which the Plan was adopted.

5.2.  Shares and Other Amounts Subject to Plan . The shares of Stock for which Awards may be granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following:

 

(a) The shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may be made under the Plan shall be (i) shares currently authorized but unissued; (ii) to the extent permitted by applicable law, currently held or acquired by the Company as treasury shares, including shares purchased in the open market or in private transactions; or (iii) shares purchased in the open market by a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (as determined by the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer or any executive officer of the Company). The Company may contribute to the subsidiary an amount sufficient to accomplish the purchase in the open market of the shares of Stock to be so acquired (as determined by the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer or any executive officer of the Company).

 

(b) Subject to the following provisions of this subsection 5.2, the maximum number of shares of Stock that may be delivered to Participants and their beneficiaries under the Plan shall be equal to the sum of: (i) 19,500,000 shares of Stock (which number includes all shares available for delivery under this clause (i) since the establishment of the Plan, determined in accordance with the terms of the Plan); and (ii) any shares of Stock that have not been delivered pursuant to the ACE Limited 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Prior Plan”) and remain available for grant pursuant to the Prior Plan, including shares of Stock represented by awards granted under the Prior Plan that are forfeited, expire or are canceled after the Effective Date without delivery of shares of Stock or which result in the forfeiture of the shares of Stock back to the Company to the extent that such shares would have been added back to the reserve under the terms of the Prior Plan.

 

(c) To the extent provided by the Committee, any Award may be settled in cash rather than Stock.

 

(d) Shares of Stock with respect to an Award will be treated as delivered for purposes of the determination under paragraph (b) above, subject to the following:

 

  (i) To the extent any shares of Stock covered by an Award are not delivered to a Participant or beneficiary because the Award is forfeited or canceled, such shares shall not be deemed to have been delivered for purposes of the determination under paragraph (b) above.

 

  (ii)

Subject to the provisions of paragraph (i) above, the total number of shares covered by an Award will be treated as delivered for purposes of this paragraph (b) to the extent payments or benefits are delivered to the Participant with respect to such shares. Accordingly (A) if an Award denominated in shares of Stock is

 

5


  settled in cash, the total number of shares with respect to which such payment is made shall be considered to have been delivered; (B) if shares covered by an Award are used to satisfy the applicable tax withholding obligation, the number of shares held back by the Company to satisfy such withholding obligation shall be considered to have been delivered; (C) if the exercise price of any Option granted under the Plan is satisfied by tendering shares of Stock to the Company (by either actual delivery or by attestation, including shares of Stock that would otherwise be distributable upon the exercise of the Option), the number of shares tendered to satisfy such exercise price shall be considered to have been delivered; (D) if cash or shares of Stock are delivered in settlement of the exercise of an SAR, the total number of shares with respect to which such SAR is exercised shall be deemed delivered; and (E) if shares of Stock are repurchased by the Company with proceeds received from the exercise of an option issued under this Plan, the total number of such shares repurchased shall be deemed delivered.

 

(e) Subject to paragraph 5.2(f), the following additional maximums are imposed under the Plan.

 

  (i) The maximum number of shares of Stock that may be delivered to Participants and their beneficiaries with respect to ISOs granted under the Plan shall be 19,500,000 shares; provided, however, that to the extent that shares not delivered must be counted against this limit as a condition of satisfying the rules applicable to ISOs, such rules shall apply to the limit on ISOs granted under the Plan.

 

  (ii) The maximum number of shares that may be covered by Awards granted to any one Participant during any one calendar-year period pursuant to Section 2 (relating to Options and SARs) shall be 500,000 shares. For purposes of this paragraph (ii), if an Option is in tandem with an SAR, such that the exercise of the Option or SAR with respect to a share of Stock cancels the tandem SAR or Option right, respectively, with respect to such share, the tandem Option and SAR rights with respect to each share of Stock shall be counted as covering but one share of Stock for purposes of applying the limitations of this paragraph (ii).

 

  (iii) The maximum number of shares of Stock that may be issued in conjunction with Awards granted pursuant to Section 3 (relating to Full Value Awards) shall be 9,750,000 shares.

 

  (iv) For Full Value Awards that are intended to be “performance-based compensation” (as that term is used for purposes of Code section 162(m)), no more than 250,000 shares of Stock may be delivered pursuant to such Awards granted to any Participant during any one-calendar-year period; provided that Awards described in this paragraph (iv), that are intended to be performance-based compensation, shall be subject to the following:

 

  (A) If the Awards are denominated in Stock but an equivalent amount of cash is delivered in lieu of delivery of shares of Stock, the foregoing limit shall be applied based on the methodology used by the Committee to convert the number of shares of Stock into cash.

 

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  (B) If delivery of Stock or cash is deferred until after shares of Stock have been earned, any adjustment in the amount delivered to reflect actual or deemed investment experience after the date the shares are earned shall be disregarded.

 

  (v) For Cash Incentive Value Awards that are intended to be “performance-based compensation” (as that term is used for purposes of Code section 162(m)), the maximum amount payable to any Participant with respect to a performance period shall equal $1,000,000 multiplied by the number of calendar months included in that performance period; provided that Awards described in this paragraph (v), that are intended to be performance-based compensation, shall be subject to the following:

 

  (A) If the Awards are denominated in cash but an equivalent amount of Stock is delivered in lieu of delivery of cash, the foregoing limit shall be applied to the cash based on the methodology used by the Committee to convert the cash into shares of Stock.

 

  (B) If delivery of Stock or cash is deferred until after cash has been earned, any adjustment in the amount delivered to reflect actual or deemed investment experience after the date the cash is earned shall be disregarded.

 

(f) The following shall apply with respect to the terms of the Plan and Awards granted thereunder:

 

  (i) In the event of a corporate transaction involving the Company (including, without limitation, any stock dividend, stock split, extraordinary cash dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, sale of assets or subsidiaries, combination or exchange of shares), the Committee shall, in the manner it determines equitable in its sole discretion, adjust Awards to reflect the transactions. Action by the Committee may include, in its sole discretion, equitable adjustment to (A) the number and kind of shares available for grant under the Plan, (B) the number of shares or Awards that may be granted to any individual under the Plan or that may be granted pursuant to any provision or types of Awards and (C) the number and kind of shares or units subject to and the Exercise Price of an Option or SAR of any then outstanding Awards of or related to shares of Stock.

 

  (ii) In the event of any change in corporate capitalization (other than as described in paragraph (i) above), such as a merger, consolidation, any reorganization (whether or not such reorganization comes within the definition of such term in Section 368 of the Code) or any partial or complete liquidation of the Company, such equitable adjustments described in the foregoing sentence shall be made as may be determined to be appropriate and equitable by the Committee, in its sole discretion, to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights.

 

7


  (iii) Action by the Committee under this paragraph (f) may include: (A) adjustment of the number and kind of shares which may be delivered under the Plan; (B) adjustment of the number and kind of shares subject to outstanding Awards; (C) adjustment of the Exercise Price of outstanding Options and SARs; and (D) any other adjustments that the Committee determines to be equitable (which may include, without limitation, (I) replacement of Awards with other Awards which the Committee determines have comparable value and which are based on stock of a company resulting from the transaction, and (II) cancellation of the Award in return for cash payment of the current value of the Award, determined as though the Award is fully vested at the time of payment, provided that in the case of an Option, the amount of such payment may be the excess of value of the Stock subject to the Option at the time of the transaction over the exercise price).

 

  (iv) In no event shall this paragraph (f) be construed to permit a modification (including a replacement) of an Option or SAR if such modification either: (A) would result in accelerated recognition of income or imposition of additional tax under Code section 409A; or (B) would cause the Option or SAR subject to the modification (or cause a replacement Option or SAR) to be subject to Code section 409A, provided that the restriction of this clause (B) shall not apply to any Option or SAR that, at the time it is granted or otherwise, is designated as being deferred compensation subject to Code section 409A.

 

(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.3 and paragraphs 3.2(b) and 3.2(c) of the Plan, the Committee may grant Awards that are not subject to the minimum vesting limitations of subsection 2.3 (with respect to Options and SARs) and of paragraphs 3.2(b) and 3.2(c) (with respect to Full Value Awards); provided, however, that the aggregate number of shares of Stock subject to Options, SARs and Full Value Awards granted pursuant to the Plan that are not subject to the minimum vesting limitations of subsection 2.3 and of paragraphs 3.2(b) and 3.2(c) (excluding any such Awards to the extent that they have been forfeited or cancelled) may not exceed 5% of the limit imposed by paragraph 5.2(b) (relating to the limit on shares of Stock granted under the Plan).

5.3.  General Restrictions . Delivery of shares of Stock or other amounts under the Plan shall be subject to the following:

 

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Company shall have no obligation to deliver any shares of Stock or make any other distribution of benefits under the Plan unless such delivery or distribution complies with all applicable laws (including, without limitation, the requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933), and the applicable requirements of any securities exchange or similar entity.

 

(b) To the extent that the Plan provides for issuance of stock certificates to reflect the issuance of shares of Stock, the issuance may be effected on a non-certificated basis, to the extent not prohibited by applicable law or the applicable rules of any stock exchange.

 

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5.4.  Tax Withholding . All distributions under the Plan are subject to withholding of all applicable taxes, and the Committee may condition the delivery of any shares or other benefits under the Plan on satisfaction of the applicable withholding obligations. Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, such withholding obligations may be satisfied (i) through cash payment by the Participant; (ii) through the surrender of shares of Stock which the Participant already owns (provided, however, that to the extent shares described in this clause (ii) are used to satisfy more than the minimum statutory withholding obligation, as described below, then, except as otherwise provided by the Committee, payments made with shares of Stock in accordance with this clause (ii) shall be limited to shares held by the Participant for not less than six months prior to the payment date); or (iii) through the surrender of shares of Stock to which the Participant is otherwise entitled under the Plan, provided, however, that such shares under this clause (iii) may be used to satisfy not more than the Company’s minimum statutory withholding obligation (based on minimum statutory withholding rates for Federal and state tax purposes, including payroll taxes, that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income).

5.5.  Grant and Use of Awards . In the discretion of the Committee, a Participant may be granted any Award permitted under the provisions of the Plan, and more than one Award may be granted to a Participant. Awards may be granted as alternatives to or replacement of awards granted or outstanding under the Plan, or any other plan or arrangement of the Company or a Subsidiary (including a plan or arrangement of a business or entity, all or a portion of which is acquired by the Company or a Subsidiary). Subject to the overall limitation on the number of shares of Stock that may be delivered under the Plan, the Committee may use available shares of Stock as the form of payment for compensation, grants or rights earned or due under any other compensation plans or arrangements of the Company or a Subsidiary, including the plans and arrangements of the Company or a Subsidiary assumed in business combinations. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.2, Options and SARs granted under the Plan in replacement for awards under plans and arrangements of the Company or a Subsidiary assumed in business combinations may provide for Exercise Prices that are less than the Fair Market Value of the Stock at the time of the replacement grants, if the Committee determines that such Exercise Price is appropriate to preserve the economic benefit of the award. The provisions of this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of subsection 5.16.

5.6.  Dividends and Dividend Equivalents . An Award (other than an Option or SAR Award) may provide the Participant with the right to receive dividend or dividend equivalent payments with respect to Stock subject to the Award (both before and after the Stock subject to the Award is earned, vested, or acquired), which payments may be either made currently or credited to an account for the Participant, and may be settled in cash or Stock, as determined by the Committee; provided, however, that no dividend or dividend equivalents granted in relation to Full Value Awards that are subject to vesting based on the achievement of Performance Measures or other performance objectives shall be settled prior to the date that such Full Value Award (or applicable portion thereof) becomes vested and is settled. Any such settlements, and any such crediting of dividends or dividend equivalents or reinvestment in shares of Stock, may be subject to such conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the Committee shall establish, including the reinvestment of such credited amounts in Stock equivalents. The provisions of this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of subsection 5.16.

 

9


5.7.  Settlement of Awards . The obligation to make payments and distributions with respect to Awards may be satisfied through cash payments, the delivery of shares of Stock, the granting of replacement Awards (subject to subsection 2.6), or combination thereof as the Committee shall determine. Satisfaction of any such obligations under an Award, which is sometimes referred to as “settlement” of the Award, may be subject to such conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the Committee shall determine. The Committee may permit or require the deferral of any Award payment, subject to such rules and procedures as it may establish, which may include provisions for the payment or crediting of interest or dividend equivalents, and may include converting such credits into deferred Stock equivalents. Except for Options and SARs designated at the time of grant or otherwise as intended to be subject to Code section 409A, this subsection 5.7 shall not be construed to permit the deferred settlement of Options or SARs, if such settlement would result in deferral of compensation under Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(b)(5)(i)(A)(3) (except as permitted in paragraphs (i) and (ii) of that section). Each Subsidiary shall be liable for payment of cash due under the Plan with respect to any Participant to the extent that such benefits are attributable to the services rendered for that Subsidiary by the Participant. Any disputes relating to liability of a Subsidiary for cash payments shall be resolved by the Committee. The provisions of this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of subsection 5.16.

5.8.  Transferability . Awards under the Plan are not transferable except as designated by the Participant by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and except for transfers without consideration to the extent permitted by the Committee.

5.9.  Form and Time of Elections . Unless otherwise specified herein, each election required or permitted to be made by any Participant or other person entitled to benefits under the Plan, and any permitted modification, or revocation thereof, shall be in writing filed with the Committee at such times, in such form, and subject to such restrictions and limitations, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall require.

5.10.  Agreement With Company . An Award under the Plan shall be subject to such terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the Plan, as the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, prescribe. The terms and conditions of any Award to any Participant shall be reflected in such form of written (including electronic) document as is determined by the Committee. A copy of such document shall be provided to the Participant, and the Committee may, but need not require that the Participant sign a copy of such document. Such document is referred to in the Plan as an “Award Agreement” regardless of whether any Participant signature is required.

5.11.  Action by Company or Subsidiary . Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Company or any Subsidiary shall be by resolution of its board of directors, or by action of one or more members of the board (including a committee of the board) who are duly authorized to act for the board, or (except to the extent prohibited by applicable law or applicable rules of any stock exchange) by a duly authorized officer of such company.

5.12.  Gender and Number . Where the context admits, words in any gender shall include any other gender, words in the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular.

 

10


5.13.  Limitation of Implied Rights .

 

(a) Neither a Participant nor any other person shall, by reason of participation in the Plan, acquire any right in or title to any assets, funds or property of the Company or any Subsidiary whatsoever, including, without limitation, any specific funds, assets, or other property which the Company or any Subsidiary, in its sole discretion, may set aside in anticipation of a liability under the Plan. A Participant shall have only a contractual right to the Stock or amounts, if any, payable under the Plan, unsecured by any assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, and nothing contained in the Plan shall constitute a guarantee that the assets of the Company or any Subsidiary shall be sufficient to pay any benefits to any person.

 

(b) The Plan does not constitute a contract of employment, and selection as a Participant will not give any participating employee or other individual the right to be retained in the employ of the Company or any Subsidiary or the right to continue to provide services to the Company or any Subsidiary, nor any right or claim to any benefit under the Plan, unless such right or claim has specifically accrued under the terms of the Plan. Except as otherwise provided in the Plan, no Award under the Plan shall confer upon the holder thereof any rights as a shareholder of the Company prior to the date on which the individual fulfills all conditions for receipt of such rights.

5.14.  Benefits Under Qualified Retirement Plans . Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, Awards to a Participant (including the grant and the receipt of benefits) under the Plan shall be disregarded for purposes of determining the Participant’s benefits under any Qualified Retirement Plan and other plans maintained by the Participant’s employer. The term “Qualified Retirement Plan” means any plan of the Company or a Subsidiary that is intended to be qualified under section 401(a) of the Code.

5.15.  Evidence . Evidence required of anyone under the Plan may be by certificate, affidavit, document or other information which the person acting on it considers pertinent and reliable, and signed, made or presented by the proper party or parties.

5.16.  Limitations under Section 409A . The provisions of the Plan shall be subject to the following:

 

(a) Neither subsection 5.5 nor any other provision of the Plan shall be construed to permit the grant of an Option or SAR if such action would cause the Option or SAR being granted or the option or stock appreciation right being replaced to be subject to Code section 409A, provided that this paragraph (a) shall not apply to any Option or SAR (or option or stock appreciation right granted under another plan) being replaced that, at the time it is granted or otherwise, is designated as being deferred compensation subject to Code section 409A.

 

(b) Except with respect to an Option or SAR that, at the time it is granted or otherwise, is designated as being deferred compensation subject to Code section 409A, no Option or SAR shall condition the receipt of dividends with respect to an Option or SAR on the exercise of such Award, or otherwise provide for payment of such dividends in a manner that would cause the payment to be treated as an offset to or reduction of the exercise price of the Option or SAR pursuant Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(b)(5)(i)(E).

 

11


(c) The Plan shall not be construed to permit a modification of an Award, or to permit the payment of a dividend or dividend equivalent, if such actions would result in accelerated recognition of taxable income or imposition of additional tax under Code section 409A.

SECTION 6

CHANGE IN CONTROL

Subject to the provisions of paragraph 5.2(f) (relating to the adjustment of shares), the occurrence of a Change in Control shall have the effect, if any, with respect to any Award as set forth in the Award Agreement or, to the extent not prohibited by the Plan or the Award Agreement, as provided by the Committee.

SECTION 7

COMMITTEE

7.1.  Administration . The authority to control and manage the operation and administration of the Plan shall be vested in a committee (the “Committee”) in accordance with this Section 7. The Committee shall be selected by the Board, and shall consist solely of two or more members of the Board. If the Committee does not exist, or for any other reason determined by the Board, and to the extent not prohibited by applicable law or the applicable rules of any stock exchange, the Board may take any action under the Plan that would otherwise be the responsibility of the Committee.

7.2.  Powers of Committee . The Committee’s administration of the Plan shall be subject to the following:

 

(a) Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee will have the authority and discretion to select from among the Eligible Individuals those persons who shall receive Awards, to determine the time or times of receipt, to determine the types of Awards and the number of shares covered by the Awards, to establish the terms, conditions, performance criteria, restrictions, and other provisions of such Awards, and (subject to the restrictions imposed by Section 8) to cancel or suspend Awards.

 

(b) To the extent that the Committee determines that the restrictions imposed by the Plan preclude the achievement of the material purposes of the Awards in jurisdictions outside the United States, Switzerland, and Bermuda, the Committee will have the authority and discretion to modify those restrictions as the Committee determines to be necessary or appropriate to conform to applicable requirements or practices of jurisdictions outside of the United States, Switzerland, and Bermuda.

 

(c) The Committee will have the authority and discretion to interpret the Plan, to establish, amend, and rescind any rules and regulations relating to the Plan, to determine the terms and provisions of any Award Agreement made pursuant to the Plan, and to make all other determinations that may be necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.

 

12


(d) Any interpretation of the Plan by the Committee and any decision made by it under the Plan is final and binding on all persons.

 

(e) In controlling and managing the operation and administration of the Plan, the Committee shall take action in a manner that conforms to the Articles of Association, and applicable corporate law.

7.3.  Delegation by Committee . Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law or the applicable rules of a stock exchange, the Committee may allocate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any one or more of its members and may delegate all or any part of its responsibilities and powers to any person or persons selected by it. Any such allocation or delegation may be revoked by the Committee at any time.

7.4.  Information to be Furnished to Committee . The Company and Subsidiaries shall furnish the Committee with such data and information as it determines may be required for it to discharge its duties. The records of the Company and Subsidiaries as to an employee’s or Participant’s employment (or other provision of services), termination of employment (or cessation of the provision of services), leave of absence, reemployment and compensation shall be conclusive on all persons unless determined to be incorrect. Participants and other persons entitled to benefits under the Plan must furnish the Committee such evidence, data or information as the Committee considers desirable to carry out the terms of the Plan.

SECTION 8

AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

The Board may, at any time, amend or terminate the Plan, and may amend any Award Agreement, provided that no amendment or termination may, in the absence of written consent to the change by the affected Participant (or, if the Participant is not then living, the affected beneficiary), adversely affect the rights of any Participant or beneficiary under any Award granted under the Plan prior to the date such amendment is adopted by the Board; and further provided that adjustments pursuant to paragraph 5.2(f) shall not be subject to the foregoing limitations of this Section 8; and further provided that the provisions of subsection 2.6 (relating to Option repricing) cannot be amended unless the amendment is approved by the Company’s shareholders. Approval by the Company’s shareholders will be required for any material revision to the terms of the Plan, with the Committee’s determination of “material revision” to take into account the exemptions under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange. No amendment or termination shall be adopted or effective if it would result in accelerated recognition of income or imposition of additional tax under Code section 409A or, except as otherwise provided in the amendment, would cause amounts that were not otherwise subject to Code section 409A to become subject to section 409A.

 

13


SECTION 9

DEFINED TERMS

In addition to the other definitions contained herein, the following definitions shall apply:

 

(a) Award . The term “Award” means any award or benefit granted under the Plan, including, without limitation, the grant of Options, SARs, Full Value Awards, and Cash Incentive Awards.

 

(b) Board . The term “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(c) Change in Control . The term “Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence of any one of the following events:

 

  (i) any “person,” as such term is used in Sections 3(a)(9) and 13(d) of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, becomes a “beneficial owner,” as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under that act, of 50% or more of the Voting Stock (as defined below) of the Company;

 

  (ii) the majority of the Board consists of individuals other than Incumbent Directors, which term means the members of the Board on the Effective Date; provided that any person becoming a director subsequent to such date whose election or nomination for election was supported by three-quarters of the directors who then comprised the Incumbent Directors shall be considered to be an Incumbent Director;

 

  (iii) the Company adopts any plan of liquidation providing for the distribution of all or substantially all of its assets;

 

  (iv) all or substantially all of the assets or business of the Company is disposed of pursuant to a merger, consolidation or other transaction (unless the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other transaction beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in substantially the same proportion as they owned the Voting Stock of the Company, all of the Voting Stock or other ownership interests of the entity or entities, if any, that succeed to the business of the Company); or

 

  (v) the Company combines with another company and is the surviving corporation but, immediately after the combination, the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to the combination hold, directly or indirectly, 50% or less of the Voting Stock of the combined company (there being excluded from the number of shares held by such shareholders, but not from the Voting Stock of the combined company, any shares received by Affiliates (as defined below) of such other company in exchange for stock of such other company).

 

14


For the purpose of this definition of “Change in Control,” (I) an “Affiliate” of a person or other entity shall mean a person or other entity that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the person or other entity specified and (II) “Voting Stock” shall mean capital stock of any class or classes having general voting power under ordinary circumstances, in the absence of contingencies, to elect the directors of a corporation.

 

(d) Code . The term “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. A reference to any provision of the Code shall include reference to any successor provision of the Code. Except as otherwise indicated, references in the Plan to laws and legal rules shall be to United States laws and legal rules.

 

(e) Dollars . As used in the Plan, the term “dollars” or numbers preceded by the symbol “$” shall mean amounts in United States dollars.

 

(f) Eligible Individual . For purposes of the Plan, the term “Eligible Individual” means any employee of the Company or a Subsidiary, and any consultant, director, or other person providing services to the Company or a Subsidiary; provided, however, that an ISO may only be granted to an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary. An Award may be granted to an employee or other individual providing services, in connection with hiring, retention or otherwise, prior to the date the employee first performs services for the Company or the Subsidiaries, provided that such Awards shall not become vested prior to the date the employee or service provider first performs such services.

 

(g) Fair Market Value . Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, the “Fair Market Value” of a share of Stock as of any date shall be the closing market composite price for such Stock as reported for the New York Stock Exchange - Composite Transactions on that date or, if Stock is not traded on that date, on the next preceding date on which Stock was traded.

 

(h) Performance Measures . The “Performance Measures” shall be based on any one or more of the following Company, Subsidiary, operating unit or division performance measures: tangible book value per common share outstanding; gross premiums written; net premiums written; net premiums earned; net investment income; losses and loss expenses; underwriting and administrative expenses; operating expenses; cash flow(s); operating income; earnings before interest and taxes; net income; stock price; dividends; strategic business objectives, consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specified cost targets, business expansion goals, and goals relating to acquisitions or divestitures; or any combination thereof. Each goal may be expressed on an absolute and/or relative basis, may be based on or otherwise employ comparisons based on internal targets, the past performance of the Company and/or the past or current performance of other companies, and in the case of earnings-based measures, may use or employ comparisons relating to capital, shareholders’ equity and/or shares outstanding, investments or to assets or net assets.

 

(i)

Subsidiary . For purposes of the Plan, the term “Subsidiary” (sometimes referred to as a Related Company) means any corporation, partnership, joint venture or other entity during any period in which at least a fifty percent voting or profits interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company (or by any entity that is a successor to the

 

15


  Company), and any other business venture designated by the Committee in which the Company (or any entity that is a successor to the Company) has a significant interest, as determined in the discretion of the Committee.

 

(j) Stock . The term “Stock” means Common Shares of stock of the Company.

 

(k) Termination of Service . With respect to Awards that constitute Deferred Compensation, references to the Participant’s Termination of Service with respect to service as an employee or service as a director shall mean, respectively, the Participant ceasing to be employed by, or ceasing to perform director services for, the Company and the Affiliates, subject to the following:

 

  (i) The employment relationship or director relationship will be deemed to have ended at the time the Participant and the applicable company reasonably anticipate that a level of bona fide services the Participant would perform for the Company and the Affiliates after such date would permanently decrease to no more than 20 percent of the average level of bona fide services performed over the immediately preceding 36 month period (or the full period of service to the Company and the Affiliates if the Participant has performed services for the Company and the Affiliates for less than 36 months). In the absence of an expectation that the Participant will perform at the above-described level, the date of termination of employment or termination as a director will not be delayed solely by reason of the Participant continuing to be on the Company’s and the Affiliates’ payroll after such date.

 

  (ii) The employment or director relationship will be treated as continuing intact while the Participant is on a bona fide leave of absence (determined in accordance with Treas. Reg. §409A-1(h)).

 

  (iii) The determination of a Participant’s termination of employment or termination as a director by reason of a sale of assets, sale of stock, spin-off, or other similar transaction of the Company or an Affiliate will be made in accordance with Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(h).

 

  (iv) If a Participant performs services both as an employee of the Company or an Affiliate, and a member of the board of directors of the Company or an Affiliate, the determination of whether termination of employment or termination of service as a director shall be made in accordance with Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(h)(5) (relating to dual status service providers).

 

  (v) For purposes of the Plan, except for purposes of the definition of “Change in Control,” the term “Affiliates” means all persons with whom the Company is considered to be a single employer under section 414(b) of the Code and all persons with whom the Company would be considered a single employer under section 414(c) thereof.

 

16


  (vi) The term “Deferred Compensation” means payments or benefits that would be considered to be provided under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan as that term is defined in Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1.

 

  (vii) Reference to a Participant’s Termination of Service shall include references to a Participant’s employment termination and terminating employment, a director’s termination or termination from the Board, and references to a Participant’s separation from service, and other similar references, to the extent that the term is used for purposes of determining whether Deferred Compensation is to be distributed upon such termination.

 

17

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO

Chubb Limited

Bärengasse 32

CH-8001 Zurich

Switzerland

Zurich, 26 May 2016

Form S-8 Registration Statement

Dear Sir or Madam,

We have been asked to issue a legal opinion letter as special Swiss legal counsel of Chubb Limited, Bärengasse 32, CH-8001 Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss business identification number CHE-114.425.464 (the “ Company ”) in connection with the registration statement on Form S-8 (the “ Registration Statement ”), being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Act ”), for the registration of common shares of the Company with a nominal value of CHF 24.15 (the “ Shares ”) issuable in connection with the Chubb Limited 2016 Long Term Incentive Plan (the “ LTIP ”).

The Shares subject to the Registration Statement will not exceed 20,378,636 Shares and be comprised of (i) 19,500,000 Shares (which number includes all shares available for delivery under this clause (i) since the establishment of the LTIP, determined in accordance with the terms of the LTIP); and (ii) any Shares that have not been delivered pursuant to the ACE Limited 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Prior Plan ”) and remain available for grant pursuant to the Prior Plan, including Shares represented by awards granted under the Prior Plan that are forfeited, expire or are canceled after the Effective Date without delivery of shares of Stock or which result in the forfeiture of the Shares back to the Company to the extent that such Shares would have been added back to the reserve under the terms of the Prior Plan (the “ Registered Shares ”). You have instructed us (the “ Instructions ”) that the Registered Shares will consist of either (i) Shares already issued before the date of this opinion that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, are lawfully held or acquired by the Company or by a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “ Treasury

 

Bär & Karrer

Rechtsanwälte

  

Zürich

Bär & Karrer AG

Brandschenkestrasse 90

CH-8027 Zürich

Phone: +41 58 261 50 00

Fax:     +41 58 261 50 01

zuerich@baerkarrer.ch

  

Genf

Bär & Karrer SA

12, quai de la Poste

CH-1211 Genève 11

Phone: +41 58 261 57 00

Fax:     +41 58 261 57 01

geneve@baerkarrer.ch

  

Lugano

Bär & Karrer SA

Via Vegezzi 6

CH-6901 Lugano

Phone: +41 58 261 58 00

Fax:     +41 58 261 58 01

lugano@baerkarrer.ch

  

Zug

Bär & Karrer AG

Baarerstrasse 8

CH-6302 Zug

Phone: +41 58 261 59 00

Fax:     +41 58 261 59 01

zug@baerkarrer.ch

   www.baerkarrer.ch


Bär & Karrer         26 May 2016       2

 

Shares ”) or (ii) Shares to be issued by way of a capital increase out of the conditional capital of the Company (the “ New Shares ”), such conditional capital amounting to CHF 613,673,935.35 composed of 25,410,929 Shares at the date of this opinion (the “ Conditional Capital ”).

All capitalized terms used in this legal opinion letter shall have the meaning as defined herein.

 

I Documents

In arriving at the opinions expressed in clause III below, we have exclusively reviewed and relied on the following documents, the sufficiency of which we confirm for purposes of this legal opinion letter (the documents referred to in this clause I collectively the “ Documents ” and any individual document thereof “ Document ”):

 

  a) an excerpt from the commercial register of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, in relation to the Company, certified by said register to be up-to-date as of 24 May 2016;

 

  b) a copy of the articles of association of the Company, certified by the commercial register of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, to be up-to-date as deposited with such register as of 24 May 2016 (the “ Articles ”);

 

  c) the 2016 LTIP, as contained in Annex A of an electronic copy of the Company’s invitation and proxy statement for the 2016 annual general meeting of shareholders dated 19 May 2016;

 

  d) an electronic copy of a confirmation by the Company dated 26 May 2016 on the amount of conditional capital of the Company.

 

II Assumptions

In arriving at the opinions expressed in clause III below, we have assumed (without verification) cumulatively that:

 

  a) the information set out in the Documents and in the Instructions is true, accurate, complete and up-to-date as of the date of this legal opinion letter and no changes have been made or will be made that should have been or should be reflected in the Documents as of the date of this legal opinion letter;

 

  b) the Documents submitted to us as (hard or electronic) copies are complete and conform to the original document;

 

  c) all signatures and seals on any Document are genuine;


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  d) where a name is indicated (in print or in handwriting) next to a signature appearing on any Document, the signature has been affixed by the person whose name is indicated, and where no name is indicated (in print or in handwriting) next to a signature appearing on any Document, the relevant Documents have been duly signed by authorized signatories;

 

  e) the Board has not, and will not, authorize the issuance of any other options that are to be sourced from Conditional Capital and, together with the New Shares, exceed the amount of Conditional Capital;

 

  f) the Board will not cancel the provisions on Conditional Capital from the Articles of Association;

 

  g) to the extent any authorizations, approvals, consents, licenses, exemptions or other requirements (collectively the “ Authorizations ”) had or will have to be obtained outside Switzerland in connection with the issuance of the New Shares, such Authorizations have been obtained or fulfilled or will be obtained or fulfilled in due time, and have remained or will remain in full force and effect at all times through the issuance of the New Shares;

 

  h) the Company is not listed in Switzerland;

 

  i) to the extent agreements or documents have to be executed or any obligations have to be performed under applicable laws other than Swiss law or in any jurisdiction outside Switzerland, such execution or performance will not be illegal or unenforceable by virtue of the laws of such jurisdiction; and

 

  j) the Company will not pass a voluntary winding-up resolution, no petition will be presented or order made by a court for the winding-up, dissolution, bankruptcy or administration of the Company, and no receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, administrator or similar officer will have been appointed in relation to the Company or any of its assets or revenues between the date of this legal opinion letter and the date of the issuance of the New Shares.

 

III Opinion

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and reliance limitations set out in clause IV and clause V below, we are of the opinion that under the laws of Switzerland as currently in force and interpreted:

 

  a) the Company is a stock corporation ( Aktiengesellschaft ) duly organized and validly existing under the laws of Switzerland, with corporate power and authority to conduct its business;


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  b) the Treasury Shares are validly issued, fully paid in and non-assessable (i.e. no further contributions in respect thereof will be required to be made to the Company by the holders thereof, by reason only of their being such holders);

 

  c) the creation of the Conditional Capital has been duly approved by the general meeting of the Company and each of the New Shares will, upon

 

  (i) authorization and issuance of an option over such share in accordance with Swiss law, the Articles and applicable plan rules;

 

  (ii) exercise of a duly executed exercise notice relating to such Option or Award in accordance with Swiss law, the Articles and applicable plan rules; and

 

  (iii) payment of the issuance price ( Ausgabebetrag ) in respect of such share,

be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable (i.e. no further contributions in respect thereof will be required to be made to the Company by the holders thereof, by reason only of their being such holders);

 

  d) insofar as Swiss law is concerned, all regulatory consents, authorizations, approvals and filings required to be obtained or made by the Company for the re-use of the Treasury Shares and the issuance ( Ausgabe ) of the New Shares have been obtained or made.

 

IV Qualifications

The opinions given under clause III above are each subject to the following cumulative qualifications:

 

  a) The opinions expressed herein are strictly limited to matters governed by the laws of Switzerland and thus to opinions on certain Swiss law matters.

 

  b) The New Shares will have to be registered with the commercial register of the Canton of Zurich, which, however, is not a precondition to their issuance.

 

  c) The opinions expressed herein are based on and subject to the laws of Switzerland as in force and generally interpreted based on available legal sources as of the date of this legal opinion letter, and where this legal opinion letter refers to “Swiss law” or “the laws of Switzerland”, it solely refers to Swiss law as in force and generally interpreted based on available legal sources as of the date of this legal opinion letter. Such laws are subject to change.


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  d) We have made no investigation of the laws of any other jurisdiction (but the laws of Switzerland) as a basis for this legal opinion letter and do not express or imply any opinion thereon.

 

  e) The opinions expressed herein relate only to legal matters explicitly covered by this legal opinion letter (taking into account cumulatively all assumptions and qualifications) and no opinion is given by implication or otherwise on any other matter.

 

  f) In issuing this legal opinion letter, we based ourselves solely on the Documents and were not instructed to, and did not, make any further independent search or due diligence; we do not opine as to any facts or circumstances occurring or coming to our attention subsequently to the date hereof.

 

  g) The assumptions and qualifications apply to all opinions expressed in this legal opinion letter.

 

  h) We express no opinion herein as to the accuracy or completeness of the information set out in the Registration Statement or of the representations and warranties set out in the Registration Statement.

 

  i) We express no opinion herein as to regulatory matters or as to any commercial, accounting, calculating, auditing, tax, or other non-corporate law matter.

 

  j) We express no opinion herein as to regulatory matters (except as provided in III.d)) or as to any commercial, accounting, calculating, auditing, tax, or other non-corporate law matter.

 

  k) As a matter of mandatory Swiss law, shareholders as well as the board of directors of a company are entitled to challenge resolutions adopted by a general shareholders’ meeting believed to violate the law or the company’s articles of association by initiating legal proceedings against such company within two months following such meeting. Therefore, any shareholder or the Board may challenge the resolutions taken by the Board on which the allocation of the Incentive Shares by the Board and the issuance of the New Shares is based.

 

  l) In this opinion, Swiss legal concepts are expressed in English terms and not in any official Swiss language; these concepts may not be identical to the concepts described by the same English terms as they exist under the laws of other jurisdictions.


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V Reliance

This legal opinion letter is addressed to the Company. We hereby consent to the filing of this legal opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not admit or imply that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission issued thereunder.

This legal opinion letter is furnished by us, as special Swiss legal counsel to the Company, in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement. Without our prior consent, it may not be used by, copied by, circulated by, quoted by, referred to, or disclosed to any party or for any purpose, except for such filing or in connection with any reliance by investors on such filing pursuant to US securities laws.

Any reliance on this opinion is limited to the legal situation existing at the date of this legal opinion letter, and we shall be under no obligation to advise you on or to amend this legal opinion letter to reflect any change in circumstances or applicable laws or regulations for any period after the date of issuance of this legal opinion letter.

This legal opinion letter shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Switzerland. This legal opinion letter may only be relied upon on the express condition that any issues of interpretation arising hereunder will be governed by the laws of Switzerland.

Yours faithfully,

Bär & Karrer AG

/s/ Dr. Urs Kägi                                                                     

Dr. Urs Kägi

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated February 26, 2016 relating to the financial statements, financial statement schedules, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Chubb Limited’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

May 26, 2016