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Exhibit
10.3
CHANGE IN CONTROL
AGREEMENT
This AGREEMENT is made
effective as of 23 rd day
of October, 2007 by and between Pamrapo Bancorp, Inc. (the
“Holding Company”), a corporation organized under the
laws of the State of Delaware, with its office at 611 Avenue C,
Bayonne, New Jersey, Pamrapo Savings Bank, S.L.A. (the
“Bank”), a who11y-owned subsidiary of the Holding
Company, and Margaret Russo
(“Executive”).
WHEREAS, the Holding Company,
the Bank and the Executive entered into a Special Termination
Agreement effective November 10, 1989;
WHEREAS, Section 7(a) of
the Special Termination Agreement provides that it may be modified
by written instrument signed by both parties;
WHEREAS, the Holding Company
continues to recognize the substantial contribution Executive has
made to the Company and wishes to protect his position therewith
for the period provided in this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the amendment and
restatement of the Special Termination Agreement now is considered
desirable by the parties;
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the contribution and responsibilities of
Executive, and upon the other terms and conditions hereinafter
provided, the Special Termination Agreement is renamed the Change
in Control Agreement (the “Agreement”) and amended and
restated as follows:
The term of this Agreement
shall be deemed to have commenced as of the date first above
written and shall continue for a period of thirty-six
(36) full calendar months thereafter. Commencing on the first
anniversary date of this Agreement and continuing at each
anniversary date thereafter, the Agreement shall automatically
renew for an additional year such that the remaining term shall be
three (3) years unless written notice is provided to
Executive, at least ten (10) days and not more than twenty
(20) days prior to expiration of such period, then the term of
this Agreement shall cease at the end of twenty-four
(24) months following the next anniversary date unless
Executive’s employment is voluntarily or involuntarily
terminated with the Bank and Holding Company.
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PAYMENTS TO EXECUTIVE UPON CHANGE IN CONTROL. |
(a) Upon the occurrence of a
Change in Control of the Bank or the Holding Company (as herein
defined), the provisions of Section 3 shall apply.
(b) Definition of a Change in
Control. A “Change in Control” of the Bank or the
Holding Company shall mean a “change in the ownership”
of the Bank or Holding Company, a “change in effective
control” of the Bank or Holding Company, or a “change
in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets” of
the Bank or Holding Company as these terms are defined in
Section 409A of the Code and the regulations promulgated
thereunder.
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CHANGE IN CONTROL BENEFITS. |
(a) Upon the occurrence of a
Change in Control, the Bank and the Holding Company shall pay
Executive, or in the event of his subsequent death, his beneficiary
or beneficiaries, or his estate, as the case may be or both, a sum
equal to three (3) times the average annual compensation paid
to Executive for the three (3) years immediately preceding the
occurrence of the Change in Control or such fewer number of years
as Executive shall have been employed by the Bank and the Holding
Company. Such annual compensation shall include base salary,
commissions, bonuses, any other cash compensation, contributions or
accruals on behalf of Executive to any pension and/or profit
sharing plan, severance payments, retirement payment, director or
committee fees and fringe benefits paid or to be paid to the
Executive in any such year and payment of any expense item without
accountability or business purpose or that do not meet the Internal
Revenue Service requirements for deductibility by the Holding
Company or the Institution. Such payment shall be made in a lump
sum within 30 days of the occurrence of the Change in Control or,
if later, January 1, 2008.
(b) Upon a Change in Control,
Executive will have a period of three (3) months or such
longer period as may be determined by the Committee or pursuant to
the Plan within which to exercise any nonstatutory stock options he
may hold for the purchase of any securities of the Holding Company
all of which will become fully exercisable on the effective date of
such Change in Control. Such options will expire at the end of the
three (3) month period or such longer period as may be
determined by the Committee or pursuant to the Plan. Executive
shall also be entitled to any additional rights with respect to
options granted under any nonstatutory stock option plan of the
Bank or Holding Company.
(c) Upon the occurrence of a
Change in Control, Executive will have a period of twelve
(12) months within which to exercise options and any limited
rights attached thereto granted to him under any stock option plan
of the Holding Company. However, with respect to incentive stock
options, as defined in Section 422A of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 (“Code”) in order for the options to be
treated as Incentive Stock Options, the options must be exercised
within three(3) months of the Change in Control and not later than
the date which is ten (10) years from the date of grant of
such incentive stock option, or in the case of a ten percent
stockholder, five (5) years from the date of grant of such
incentive stock option.
(d) Upon the occurrence of a
Change in Control, the Executive will be entitled to any benefits
under the Bank’s Management Recognition and Retention Plan
arising from a change in control.
(e) Notwithstanding the
preceding paragraphs of this Section 3, in the event that the
aggregate payments or benefits to be made or afforded to Executive
under said paragraphs (the “Change in Control Termination
Benefits”) would be deemed to include an “excess
parachute payment” under Section 280G of the Code or any
successor thereto, subject to the excise tax (the “Excise
Tax”) imposed under Section 4999 of the Code, the
Holding Company or the Bank shall pay to the Executive an
additional amount (the “Gross-Up Payment”) such that
the net amount retained by the Executive, after deduction of the
Excise Tax on the Change in Control Payments and any Federal, state
and local income and employment taxes and the Excise Tax upon the
Gross-Up payment, shall be equal to the Change in Control
Benefits.
(i) For purposes of
determining whether any of the Change in Control Benefits will be
subject to the Excise Tax and the amount of such Excise Tax,
(A) all of the Change in Control Benefits shall be treated as
“parachute payments” (within the meaning of
Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code) unless, in the opinion of tax
counsel (“Tax
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Counsel”) reasonably
acceptable to the Executive and selected by the accounting firm
which was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Holding
Company’s or Bank’s independent auditor (the
“Auditor”), such payments or benefits (in whole or in
part) should not be treated by the courts as constituting parachute
payments, including by reason of Section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the
Code, (B) all “excess parachute payments” within
the meaning of Section 280G(b)(l) of the Code shall be treated
as subject to the Excise Tax unless, in the opinion of Tax Counsel,
such excess parachute payments (in whole or in part) should be
treated by the courts as representing reasonable compensation for
services actually rendered (within the meaning of
Section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code), or are otherwise not
subject to the Excise Tax, and (C) the value of any noncash
benefits or any deferred payment or benefit shall be determined by
the Auditor in accordance with the principles of Sections
280G(d)(3) and (4) of the Code. All fees and expenses of the
Tax Counsel and the Auditor shall be borne solely by the Holding
Company or the Bank.
(ii) For purposes of
determining the amount of the Gross-Up Payment, the Executive shall
be deemed to pay Federal income tax at the highest marginal rate of
Federal income taxation in the calendar year in which the Gross-Up
Payment is to be made and state and local income taxes at the
highest marginal rate of taxation in the state and locality of the
Executive’s residence in the calendar year in which the
Gross-Up Payment is to be made, net of the maximum reduction in
Federal income taxes which could be obtained from deduction of such
state and local taxes, taking into account the reduction in
itemized deduction under Section 68 of the Code.
(iii) The Gross-Up Payment
shall be made upon the payment to the Executive of the Change in
Control Benefits unless it is initially determined by the Holding
Company, Bank or the Tax Counsel that the Change in Control
Benefits are not subject to the Excise Tax but after payment of the
Change in Control Benefits, it is finally that the Change in
Control Benefits are subject to the Excise Tax, in which case it
shall be made upon the imposition upon the Executive of the Excise
Tax.
(iv) The Executive shall
notify the Holding Company or the Bank in writing of any claim by
the Internal Revenue Service that, if successful, would require the
payment by the Holding Company or the Bank of a Gross-Up Payment.
Such notification shall be given as soon as practicable but no
later than ten (10) business days after the Executive is
informed in writing of such claim and shall apprise the Holding
Company or the Bank of the nature of such claim and the date on
which such claim is requested to be paid. The Executive shall not
pay such claim prior to the expiration of the thirty (30) day
period following the date on which the Executive gives such notice
to the Holding Company or the Bank (or such shorter period ending
on the date that any payment of taxes with respect to such claim is
due). If the Holding Company or the Bank notifies the Executive in
writing prior to the expiration of such period that it desires to
contest such claim, the Executive shall:
(A) give the Holding Company
or the Bank any information reasonably requested by the Holding
Company or the Bank relating to such claim;
(B) take such action in
connection with contesting such claim as the Holding Company or the
Bank shall reasonably request in writing from time to time,
including, without limitation, accepting legal representation with
respect to such claim by an attorney reasonably selected by the
Holding Company or the Bank and reasonably satisfactory to the
Executive;
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(C) cooperate with the
Holding Company or the Bank in good faith in order to effectively
contest such claim; and
(D) permit the Holding
Company or the Bank to control any proceedings relating to such
claim as provided below; provided, however, that the Holding
Company or the Bank shall bear and pay directly all costs and
expenses (including, but not limited to, additional interest and
penalties and related legal, consulting or other similar fees)
incurred in connection with such
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