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DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN

Employee Benefits Plan Agreement

DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN | Document Parties: BARNES GROUP INC | BARNES GROUP | Fidelity Employer Services Company You are currently viewing:
This Employee Benefits Plan Agreement involves

BARNES GROUP INC | BARNES GROUP | Fidelity Employer Services Company

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Title: DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
Date: 10/30/2009
Industry: Misc. Fabricated Products     Sector: Basic Materials

DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN, Parties: barnes group inc , barnes group , fidelity employer services company
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Exhibit 10.1

 

 

 

 

 

BARNES GROUP

2009

DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN

 

IMPORTANT NOTE

This document has not been approved by the Department of Labor, Internal Revenue Service or any other governmental entity. An adopting Employer must determine whether the Plan is subject to the Federal securities laws and the securities laws of the various states. An adopting Employer may not rely on this document to ensure any particular tax consequences or to ensure that the Plan is “unfunded and maintained primarily for the purpose of providing deferred compensation to a select group of management or highly compensated employees” under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, with respect to the Employer’s particular situation. Fidelity Employer Services Company, its affiliates and employees cannot provide you with legal advice in connection with the execution of this document. This document should be reviewed by the Employer’s attorney prior to execution.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREAMBLE

 

ARTICLE 1 – GENERAL

  

1.1

  

Plan

  

1.2

  

Effective Dates

  

1.3

  

Amounts Not Subject to Code Section 409A

  

ARTICLE 2 – DEFINITIONS

  

2.1

  

Account

  

2.2

  

Administrator

  

2.3

  

Adoption Agreement

  

2.4

  

Beneficiary

  

2.5

  

Board or Board of Directors

  

2.6

  

Bonus

  

2.7

  

Change in Control

  

2.8

  

Code

  

2.9

  

Compensation

  

2.10

  

Director

  

2.11

  

Disability

  

2.12

  

Eligible Employee

  

2.13

  

Employer

  

2.14

  

ERISA

  

2.15

  

Identification Date

  

2.16

  

Key Employee

  

2.17

  

Participant

  

2.18

  

Plan

  

2.19

  

Plan Sponsor

  

2.20

  

Plan Year

  

2.21

  

Related Employer

  

2.22

  

Retirement

  

2.23

  

Separation from Service

  

2.24

  

Unforeseeable Emergency

  

2.25

  

Valuation Date

  

2.26

  

Years of Service

  

ARTICLE 3 – PARTICIPATION

  

3.1

  

Participation

  

3.2

  

Termination of Participation

  

 

i


ARTICLE 4 – PARTICIPANT ELECTIONS

  

4.1

  

Deferral Agreement

  

4.2

  

Amount of Deferral

  

4.3

  

Timing of Election to Defer

  

4.4

  

Election of Payment Schedule and Form of Payment

  

ARTICLE 5 – EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS

  

5.1

  

Matching Contributions

  

5.2

  

Other Contributions

  

ARTICLE 6 – ACCOUNTS AND CREDITS

  

6.1

  

Establishment of Account

  

6.2

  

Credits to Account

  

ARTICLE 7 – INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS

  

7.1

  

Investment Options

  

7.2

  

Adjustment of Accounts

  

ARTICLE 8 – RIGHT TO BENEFITS

  

8.1

  

Vesting

  

8.2

  

Death

  

8.3

  

Disability

  

ARTICLE 9 – DISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS

  

9.1

  

Amount of Benefits

  

9.2

  

Method and Timing of Distributions

  

9.3

  

Unforeseeable Emergency

  

9.4

  

Payment Election Overrides

  

9.5

  

Cashouts of Amounts Not Exceeding Stated Limit

  

9.6

  

Required Delay in Payment to Key Employees

  

9.7

  

Change in Control

  

9.8

  

Permissible Delays in Payment

  

9.9

  

Permitted Acceleration of Payment

  

 

ii


ARTICLE 10 – AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

  

10.1

  

Amendment by Plan Sponsor

  

10.2

  

Plan Termination Following Change in Control or Corporate Dissolution

  

10.3

  

Other Plan Terminations

  

ARTICLE 11 – THE TRUST

  

11.1

  

Establishment of Trust

  

11.2

  

Grantor Trust

  

11.3

  

Investment of Trust Funds

  

ARTICLE 12 – PLAN ADMINISTRATION

  

12.1

  

Powers and Responsibilities of the Administrator

  

12.2

  

Claims and Review Procedures

  

12.3

  

Plan Administrative Costs

  

ARTICLE 13 – MISCELLANEOUS

  

13.1

  

Unsecured General Creditor of the Employer

  

13.2

  

Employer’s Liability

  

13.3

  

Limitation of Rights

  

13.4

  

Anti-Assignment

  

13.5

  

Facility of Payment

  

13.6

  

Notices

  

13.7

  

Tax Withholding

  

13.8

  

Indemnification

  

13.9

  

Successors

  

13.10

  

Disclaimer

  

13.11

  

Governing Law

  

13.12

  

Plan Addendums

  

 

iii


PREAMBLE

The Plan is intended to be a “plan which is unfunded and is maintained by an employer primarily for the purpose of providing deferred compensation for a select group of management or highly compensated employees” within the meaning of Sections 201(2), 301(a)(3) and 401(a)(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or an “excess benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(36) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or a combination of both. The Plan is further intended to conform with the requirements of Internal Revenue Code Section 409A and the final regulations issued thereunder and shall be interpreted, implemented and administered in a manner consistent therewith.


ARTICLE 1 – GENERAL

 

1.1

Plan. The Plan will be referred to by the name specified in the Adoption Agreement.

 

1.2

Effective Dates.

 

 

(a)

Original Effective Date. The Original Effective Date is the date as of which the Plan was initially adopted.

 

 

(b)

Amendment Effective Date. The Amendment Effective Date is the date specified in the Adoption Agreement as of which the Plan is amended and restated. Except to the extent otherwise provided herein or in the Adoption Agreement, the Plan shall apply to amounts deferred and benefit payments made on or after the Amendment Effective Date.

 

 

(c)

Special Effective Date. A Special Effective Date may apply to any given provision if so specified in Appendix A of the Adoption Agreement. A Special Effective Date will control over the Original Effective Date or Amendment Effective Date, whichever is applicable, with respect to such provision of the Plan.

 

1.3

Amounts Not Subject to Code Section 409A

Except as otherwise indicated by the Plan Sponsor in Section 1.01 of the Adoption Agreement, amounts deferred before January 1, 2005 that are earned and vested on December 31, 2004 will be separately accounted for and administered in accordance with the terms of the Plan as in effect on December 31, 2004.

 

1-1


ARTICLE 2 – DEFINITIONS

Pronouns used in the Plan are in the masculine gender but include the feminine gender unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Wherever used herein, the following terms have the meanings set forth below, unless a different meaning is clearly required by the context:

 

2.1

“Account” means an account established for the purpose of recording amounts credited on behalf of a Participant and any income, expenses, gains, losses or distributions included thereon. The Account shall be a bookkeeping entry only and shall be utilized solely as a device for the measurement and determination of the amounts to be paid to a Participant or to the Participant’s Beneficiary pursuant to the Plan.

 

2.2

“Administrator” means the person or persons designated by the Plan Sponsor in Section 1.05 of the Adoption Agreement to be responsible for the administration of the Plan. If no Administrator is designated in the Adoption Agreement, the Administrator is the Plan Sponsor.

 

2.3

“Adoption Agreement” means the agreement adopted by the Plan Sponsor that establishes the Plan.

 

2.4

“Beneficiary” means the persons, trusts, estates or other entities entitled under Section 8.2 to receive benefits under the Plan upon the death of a Participant.

 

2.5

“Board” or “Board of Directors” means the Board of Directors of the Plan Sponsor.

 

2.6

“Bonus” means an amount of incentive remuneration payable by the Employer to a Participant.

 

2.7

“Change in Control” means a “change in control event” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(i)(5)(i) & (ii) that occurs with respect to a Participant on or after the date on which an event involving the Plan Sponsor that is described in Section 9.7(a), (b), (c) or (d) occurs.

 

2.8

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

2.9

“Compensation” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

2.10

“Director” means a non-employee member of the Board who has been designated by the Employer as eligible to participate in the Plan.

 

2-1


2.11

“Disability” means that the Social Security Administration has determined that a Participant is disabled under the Social Security Act. A Participant shall be considered as incurring a Disability on the last day of the month in which the Participant first becomes eligible for and begins to receive Social Security disability benefits.

 

2.12

“Eligible Employee” means an employee of the Employer who satisfies the requirements in Section 2.01 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

2.13

“Employer” means the Plan Sponsor and any other entity which is authorized by the Plan Sponsor to participate in and, in fact, does adopt the Plan.

 

2.14

“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

 

2.15

“Identification Date” means the date as of which Key Employees are determined which is specified in Section 1.06 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

2.16

“Key Employee” means an employee who satisfies the conditions set forth in Section 9.6.

 

2.17

“Participant” means an Eligible Employee or Director who commences participation in the Plan in accordance with Article 3.

 

2.18

“Plan” means the unfunded plan of deferred compensation set forth herein, including the Adoption Agreement and any trust agreement, as adopted by the Plan Sponsor and as amended from time to time.

 

2.19

“Plan Sponsor” means the entity identified in Section 1.03 of the Adoption Agreement or any successor by merger, consolidation or otherwise.

 

2.20

“Plan Year” means the period identified in Section 1.02 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

2-2


2.21

“Related Employer” means the Employer and (a) any corporation that is a member of a controlled group of corporations as defined in Code Section 414(b) that includes the Employer and (b) any trade or business that is under common control as defined in Code Section 414(c) that includes the Employer.

 

2.22

“Retirement” has the meaning specified in 6.01(f) of the Adoption Agreement.

 

2.23

“Separation from Service” means the date that the Participant retires or otherwise has a termination of employment (other than by death) with respect to all entities comprising the Related Employer. A Separation from Service does not occur if the Participant is on military leave, sick leave or other bona fide leave of absence if the period of leave does not exceed six months or such longer period during which the Participant’s right to re-employment is provided by statute or contract. If the period of leave exceeds six months and the Participant’s right to re-employment is not provided either by statute or contract, a Separation from Service will be deemed to have occurred on the first day following the six-month period. If the period of leave is due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than six months, where the impairment causes the Participant to be unable to perform the duties of his or her position of employment or any substantially similar position of employment, a 29 month period of absence shall be substituted for the six month period.

Whether a termination of employment has occurred is based on whether the facts and circumstances indicate that the Related Employer and the Participant reasonably anticipated that no further services would be performed after a certain date or that the level of bona fide services the Participant would perform after such date (whether as an employee or as an independent contractor) would permanently decrease to no more than 20 percent of the average level of bona fide services performed (whether as an employee or an independent contractor) over the immediately preceding 36 month period (or the full period of services to the Related Employer if the employee has been providing services to the Related Employer for less than 36 months.

The foregoing will be interpreted, and all determinations of whether a Separation from Service has occurred will be made, in a manner consistent with Code Section 409A and the final regulations thereunder.

 

2.24

“Unforeseeable Emergency” means a severe financial hardship of the Participant resulting from an illness or accident of the Participant, the Participant’s spouse, the Participant’s Beneficiary, or the Participant’s dependent (as defined in Code Section 152, without regard to Code section 152(b)(i), (b)(2) and (d)(i)(B); loss of the Participant’s property due to casualty; or other similar extraordinary and unforeseeable

 

2-3


 

circumstances arising as a result of events beyond the control of the Participant.

 

2.25

“Valuation Date” means each business day of the Plan Year.

 

2.26

“Years of Service” means each one year period for which the Participant receives service credit in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.01(d) of the Adoption Agreement.

 

2-4


ARTICLE 3 – PARTICIPATION

 

3.1

Participation. The Participants in the Plan shall be those Directors and employees of the Employer who satisfy the requirements of Section 2.01 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

3.2

Termination of Participation. The Administrator may terminate a Participant’s participation in the Plan in a manner consistent with Code Section 409A. If the Employer terminates a Participant’s participation before the Participant experiences a Separation from Service the Participant’s vested Accounts shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of Article 9.

 

3-1


ARTICLE 4 – PARTICIPANT ELECTIONS

 

4.1

Deferral Agreement. If permitted by the Plan Sponsor in accordance with Section 4.01 of the Adoption Agreement, each Eligible Employee and Director may elect to defer his Compensation within the meaning of Section 3.01 of the Adoption Agreement by executing in writing or electronically, a deferral agreement in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Administrator and the provisions of this Article 4.

A new deferral agreement must be timely executed for each Plan Year during which the Eligible Employee or Director desires to defer Compensation. An Eligible Employee or Director who does not timely execute a deferral agreement shall be deemed to have elected zero deferrals of Compensation for such Plan Year.

A deferral agreement may be changed or revoked during the period specified by the Administrator. Except as provided in Section 9.3 or in Section 4.01(c) of the Adoption Agreement, a deferral agreement becomes irrevocable at the close of the specified period.

 

4.2

Amount of Deferral. An Eligible Employee or Director may elect to defer Compensation in any amount permitted by Section 4.01(a) of the Adoption Agreement.

 

4.3

Timing of Election to Defer. Each Eligible Employee or Director who desires to defer Compensation otherwise payable during a Plan Year must execute a deferral agreement within the period preceding the Plan Year specified by the Administrator. Each Eligible Employee who desires to defer Compensation that is a Bonus must execute a deferral agreement within the period preceding the Plan Year during which the Bonus is earned that is specified by the Administrator, except that if the Bonus can be treated as performance based compensation as described in Code Section 409A(a)(4)(B)(iii), the deferral agreement may be executed within the period specified by the Administrator, which period, in no event, shall end after the date which is six months prior to the end of the period during which the Bonus is earned, provided the Participant has performed services continuously from the later of the beginning of the performance period or the date the performance criteria are established through the date the Participant executed the deferral agreement and provided further that the compensation has not yet become ‘readily ascertainable’ within the meaning of Reg. Sec 1.409A-2(a)(8). In addition, if the Compensation qualifies as ‘fiscal year compensation’ within the meaning of Reg. Sec. 1.409A -2(a)(6), the deferral agreement may be made not later than the end of the Employer’s taxable year immediately preceding the first taxable year of the Employer in which any services are performed for which such Compensation is payable.

 

4-1


Except as otherwise provided below, an employee who is classified or designated as an Eligible Employee during a Plan Year or a Director who is designated as eligible to participate during a Plan Year may elect to defer Compensation otherwise payable during the remainder of such Plan Year in accordance with the rules of this Section 4.3 by executing a deferral agreement within the thirty (30) day period beginning on the date the employee is classified or designated as an Eligible Employee or the date the Director is designated as eligible, whichever is applicable, if permitted by Section 4.01(b)(ii) of the Adoption Agreement. If Compensation is based on a specified performance period that begins before the Eligible Employee or Director executes his deferral agreement, the election will be deemed to apply to the portion of such Compensation equal to the total amount of Compensation for the performance period multiplied by the ratio of the number of days remaining in the performance period after the election becomes irrevocable and effective over the total number of days in the performance period. The rules of this paragraph shall not apply unless the Eligible Employee or Director can be treated as initially eligible in accordance with Reg. Sec. 1.409A-2(a)(7).

 

4.4

Election of Payment Schedule and Form of Payment.

All elections of a payment schedule and a form of payment will be made in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Administrator and the provisions of this Section 4.4.

(a)    If the Plan Sponsor has elected to permit annual distribution elections in accordance with Section 6.01(h) of the Adoption Agreement the following rules apply. At the time an Eligible Employee or Director completes a deferral agreement, the Eligible Employee or Director must elect a distribution event (which includes a specified time) and a form of payment for the Compensation subject to the deferral agreement from among the options the Plan Sponsor has made available for this purpose and which are specified in 6.01(b) of the Adoption Agreement. Prior to the time required by Reg. Sec. 1.409A-2, the Eligible Employee or Director shall elect a distribution event (which includes a specified time) and a form of payment for any Employer contributions that may be credited to the Participant’s Account during the Plan Year. If an Eligible Employee or Director fails to elect a distribution event, he shall be deemed to have elected Separation from Service as the distribution event. If he fails to elect a form of payment, he shall be deemed to have elected a lump sum form of payment.

 

4-2


 

(b)

If the Plan Sponsor has elected not to permit annual distribution elections in accordance with Section 6.01(h) of the Adoption Agreement but does allow elections of the time and/or form of payment of amounts credited to a Participant’s Account, the following rules apply. At the time an Eligible Employee or Director first completes a deferral agreement but in no event later than the time required by Reg. Sec. 1.409A-2, the Eligible Employee or Director must elect a distribution event (which includes a specified time) and a form of payment for amounts credited to his Account from among the options the Plan Sponsor has made available for this purpose and which are specified in Section 6.01(b) of the Adoption Agreement. If an Eligible Employee or Director fails to elect a distribution event, he shall be deemed to have elected Separation from Service in the distribution event. If he fails to elect a form of payment, he shall be deemed to have elected a lump sum form of payment.

 

 

(c)

If the Plan Sponsor has elected not to permit any distribution elections to be made by a Participant the following rule shall apply. The amount credited to a Participant’s Account shall be paid at the time and in the form specified in Section 6.01 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

4-3


ARTICLE 5 – EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS

 

5.1

Matching Contributions. If elected by the Plan Sponsor in Section 5.01(a) of the Adoption Agreement, the Employer will credit the Participant’s Account with a matching contribution determined in accordance with the formula specified in Section 5.01(a) of the Adoption Agreement. The matching contribution will be treated as allocated to the Participant’s Account at the time specified in Section 5.01(a)(iii) of the Adoption Agreement.

 

5.2

Other Contributions. If elected by the Plan Sponsor in Section 5.01(b) of the Adoption Agreement, the Employer will credit the Participant’s Account with a contribution determined in accordance with the formula or method specified in Section 5.01(b) of the Adoption Agreement. The contribution will be treated as allocated to the Participant’s Account at the time specified in Section 5.01(b)(iii) of the Adoption Agreement.

 

5-1


ARTICLE 6 – ACCOUNTS AND CREDITS

 

6.1

Establishment of Account. For accounting and computational purposes only, the Administrator will establish and maintain an Account on behalf of each Participant which will reflect the credits made pursuant to Section 6.2, distributions or withdrawals, along with the earnings, expenses, gains and losses allocated thereto, attributable to the hypothetical investments made with the amounts in the Account as provided in Article 7. The Administrator will establish and maintain such other records and accounts, as it decides in its discretion to be reasonably required or appropriate to discharge its duties under the Plan.

 

6.2

Credits to Account. A Participant’s Account will be credited for each Plan Year with the amount of his elective deferrals under Section 4.1 at the time the amount subject to the deferral election would otherwise have been payable to the Participant and the amount of Employer contributions treated as allocated on his behalf under Article 5.

 

6-1


ARTICLE 7 – INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS

 

7.1

Investment Options. The amount credited to each Account shall be treated as invested in the investment options designated for this purpose by the Administrator.

 

7.2

Adjustment of Accounts. The amount credited to each Account shall be adjusted for hypothetical investment earnings, expenses, gains or losses in an amount equal to the earnings, expenses, gains or losses attributable to the investment options selected by the party designated in Section 9.01 of the Adoption Agreement from among the investment options provided in Section 7.1. If permitted by Section 9.01 of the Adoption Agreement, a Participant (or the Participant’s Beneficiary after the death of the Participant) may, in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Administrator, select the investments from among the options provided in Section 7.1 to be used for the purpose of calculating future hypothetical investment adjustments to the Account or to future credits to the Account under Section 6.2 effective as of the Valuation Date coincident with or next following notice to the Administrator. Each Account shall be adjusted as of each Valuation Date to reflect: (a) the hypothetical earnings, expenses, gains and losses described above; (b) amounts credited pursuant to Section 6.2; and (c) distributions or withdrawals. In addition, each Account may be adjusted for its allocable share of the hypothetical costs and expenses associated with the maintenance of the hypothetical investments provided in Section 7.1.

 

7-1


ARTICLE 8 – RIGHT TO BENEFITS

 

8.1

Vesting. A Participant, at all times, has the 100% nonforfeitable interest in the amounts credited to his Account attributable to his elective deferrals made in accordance with Section 4.1.

Subject to the amendment and termination provisions of Article 10, a Participant’s right to the amounts credited to his Account attributable to Employer contributions made in accordance with Article 5 shall be determined in accordance with the relevant schedule and provisions in Section 7.01 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

8.2

Death. The Plan Sponsor may elect to accelerate vesting upon the death of the Participant in accordance with Section 7.01(c) of the Adoption Agreement and/or to make distributions upon Death in accordance with Section 6.01(b) or Section 6.01(d) of the Adoption Agreement

A Participant may designate a Beneficiary or Beneficiaries, or change any prior designation of Beneficiary or Beneficiaries in accordance with rules and procedures established by the Administrator and subject to the Administrator’s approval. Although the rules of the Administrator may permit a Participant to designate one or more alternative Beneficiaries (for example, an individual who shall become a Participant’s Beneficiary in case the Participant’s first choice of a Beneficiary dies before benefits become payable), a Participant may not designate persons who shall jointly receive benefits as Beneficiaries (for example, the designation of two or more children to jointly receive benefits as Beneficiaries is prohibited). Subject to the approval of the Administrator as provided above, a Participant may designate a trust as a Beneficiary.

A copy of the death notice or other sufficient documentation must be filed with and approved by the Administrator. If upon the death of the Participant there is, in the opinion of the Administrator, no designated Beneficiary for part or all of the Participant’s vested Account, the Administrator shall apply default rules determined by it, in its sole discretion, but generally following a priority list of living persons in the following order: Spouse, children, parents, siblings, estate.

The term “Spouse” shall mean the individual to whom the Participant is legally married by civil or religious ceremony under the laws of the state in which the Participant is legally domiciled on the date the determination of whether there is a Spouse is being made. After a Participant’s death, his or her “Spouse” shall be the individual, if any, who met these criteria as of the date of the Participant’s death.

 

8.3

Disability. If the Plan Sponsor has elected to accelerate vesting upon the occurrence of a Disability in accordance with Section 7.01(c) of the Adoption Agreement and/or to permit distributions upon Disability in

 

9-1


 

accordance with Section 6.01(b) or Section 6.01(d) of the Adoption Agreement, the determination of whether a Participant has incurred a Disability shall be made in accordance with Section 2.11 of this Plan.

 

9-2


ARTICLE 9 – DISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS

 

9.1

Amount of Benefits. The vested amount credited to a Participant’s Account as determined under Articles 6, 7 and 8 shall determine and constitute the basis for the value of benefits payable to the Participant under the Plan.

 

9.2

Method and Timing of Distributions. Distributions under the Plan shall be made in accordance with the terms of this Plan and the Adoption Agreement. Subject to the provisions of Section 9.6 requiring a six month delay for certain distributions to Key Employees, distributions following a distribution event shall commence at the time specified in Section 6.01 of the Adoption Agreement. If permitted by Section 6.01(g) of the Adoption Agreement, a Participant may elect, at least twelve months before a scheduled distribution event, to delay the payment date for a minimum period of sixty months from the originally scheduled date of payment, provided the election does not take effect for at least twelve months from the date on which the election is made. The distribution election change must be made in accordance with procedures and rules established by the Administrator. The Participant may, at the same time the date of payment is deferred, change the form of payment but such change in the form of payment may not effect an acceleration of payment in violation of Code Section 409A or the provisions of Reg. Sec. 1.409A-2(b). For purposes of this Section 9.2, a series of installment payments is always treated as a single payment and not as a series of separate payments.

 

9.3

Unforeseeable Emergency. A Participant may request a distribution due to an Unforeseeable Emergency if the Plan Sponsor has elected to permit Unforeseeable Emergency withdrawals under Section 8.01(a) of the Adoption Agreement. The request must be in writing and must be submitted to the Administrator along with evidence that the circumstances constitute an Unforeseeable Emergency. The Administrator has the discretion to require whatever evidence it deems necessary to determine whether a distribution is warranted, and may require the Participant to certify that the need cannot be met from other sources reasonably available to the Participant. Whether a Participant has incurred an Unforeseeable Emergency will be determined by the Administrator on the basis of the relevant facts and circumstances in its sole discretion, but, in no event, will an Unforeseeable Emergency be deemed to exist if the hardship can be relieved: (a) through reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise, (b) by liquidation of the Participant’s assets to the extent such liquidation would not itself cause severe financial hardship, or (c) by cessation of deferrals under the Plan.

 

9-3


A distribution due to an Unforeseeable Emergency must be limited to the amount reasonably necessary to satisfy the emergency need and may include any amounts necessary to pay any federal, state, foreign or local income taxes and penalties reasonably anticipated to result from the distribution. The distribution will be made in the form of a single lump sum cash payment. If permitted by Section 8.01(b) of the Adoption Agreement, a Participant’s deferral elections for the remainder of the Plan Year will be cancelled upon a withdrawal due to an Unforeseeable Emergency. If the payment of all or any portion of the Participant’s vested Account is being delayed in accordance with Section 9.6 at the time he experiences an Unforeseeable Emergency, the amount being delayed shall not be subject to the provisions of this Section 9.3 until the expiration of the six month period of delay required by Section 9.6.

 

9.4

Payment Election Overrides. If the Plan Sponsor has elected one or more payment election overrides in accordance with Section 6.01(d) of the Adoption Agreement, the following provisions apply. Upon the occurrence of the first event selected by the Plan Sponsor, the remaining vested amount credited to the Participant’s Account shall be paid in the form designated to the Participant or his Beneficiary regardless of whether the Participant had made different elections of time and /or form of payment or whether the Participant was receiving installment payments at the time of the event.

 

9.5

Cashouts Except as provided in Section 9.9(c) of this Plan, lump sum cashouts shall not be made under the Plan,

 

9.6

Required Delay in Payment to Key Employees . Except as otherwise provided in this Section 9.6, a distribution made on account of Separation from Service (or Retirement, if applicable) to a Participant who is a Key Employee as of the date of his Separation from Service (or Retirement, if applicable) shall not be made before the date which is six months after the Separation from Service (or Retirement, if applicable).

 

9-4


 

(a)

A Participant is treated as a Key Employee if (i) he is employed by a Related Employer any of whose stock is publicly traded on an established securities market, and (ii) he satisfies the requirements of Code Section 416(i)(1)(A)(i), (ii) or (iii), determined without regard to Code Section 416(i)(5), at any time during the twelve month period ending on the Identification Date.

 

 

(b)

A Participant who is a Key Employee on an Identification Date shall be treated as a Key Employee for purposes of the six month delay in distributions for the twelve month period beginning on the first day of a month no later than the fourth month following the Identification Date. The Identification Date and the effective date of the delay in distributions shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.06 of the Adoption Agreement.

 

 

(c)

The Plan Sponsor may elect to apply an alternative method to identify Participants who will be treated as Key Employees for purposes of the six month delay in distributions if the method satisfies each of the following requirements. The alternative method is reasonably designed to include all Key Employees, is an objectively determinable standard providing no direct or indirect election to any Participant regarding its application, and results in either all Key Employees or no more than 200 Key Employees being identified in the class as of any date. Use of an alternative method that satisfies the requirements of this Section 9.6(c) will not be treated as a change in the time and form of payment for purposes of Reg. Sec. 1.409A-2(b).

 

 

(d)

The six month delay does not apply to payments described in Section 9.9(a),(b) or (d) or to payments that occur after the death of the Participant. If the payment of all or any portion of the Participant’s vested Account is being delayed in accordance with this Section 9.6 at the time he incurs a Disability which would otherwise require a distribution under the terms of the Plan, no amount shall be paid until the expiration of the six month period of delay required by this Section 9.6.

 

9.7

Change in Control. If the Plan Sponsor has elected to permit distributions upon a Change in Control, the following provisions shall apply. A distribution made upon a Change in Control will be made at the time specified in Section 6.01(a) of the Adoption Agreement in the form elected by the Participant in accordance with the procedures described in Article 4.

 

9-5


Alternatively, if the Plan Sponsor has elected in accordance with Section 11.02 of the Adoption Agreement to require distributions upon a Change in Control, the Participant’s remaining vested Account shall be paid to the Participant or the Participant’s Beneficiary at the time specified in Section 6.01(a) of the Adoption Agreement as a single lump sum payment. A Change in Control, for purposes of the Plan, will occur upon the occurrence of an event described in this Section 9.7. All distributions made in accordance with this Section 9.7 are subject to the provisions of Section 9.6.

If a Participant continues to make deferrals in accordance with Article 4 after he has received a distribution due to a Change in Control, the residual amount payable to the Participant shall be paid at the time and in the form specified in the elections he makes in accordance with Article 4 or upon his death or Disability as provided in Article 8.

Whether a Change in Control has occurred will be determined by the Administrator in accordance with the rules and definitions set forth in this Section 9.7. A distribution to the Participant will be treated as occurring upon a Change in Control within the meaning of Section 11.01 of the Adoption Agreement and this Section 9.7 if the Plan Sponsor terminates the Plan in accordance with Section 10.2 and distributes the Participant’s benefits within twelve months of the date the Plan Sponsor irrevocably takes all necessary action to terminate the Plan as provided in Section 10.2.

A Change in Control means a “change in control event” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(i)(5)(i) & (ii) that occurs with respect to a Participant on or after the date on which any of the following events occurs:

 

 

(a)

any Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Plan Sponsor (not including in the securities beneficially owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Plan Sponsor or its Affiliates) representing 25% or more of the combined voting power of the Plan Sponsor’s then outstanding securities, excluding any Person who becomes such a Beneficial Owner in connection with a transaction described in clause (A) of paragraph (c) below; or

 

 

(b)

the following individuals cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors serving on the Board: individuals who, at the beginning of any period of two consecutive years, constitute the Board and any new director (other than a director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including but not limited to a consent solicitation,

 

9-6


 

relating to the election of directors of the Plan Sponsor) whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Plan Sponsor’s shareholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of such period or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was previously so approved or recommended; or

 

 

(c)

there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Plan Sponsor or any Subsidiary with any other corporation, other than (A) a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Plan Sponsor outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or any parent thereof), in combination with the ownership of any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Plan Sponsor or any Subsidiary, at least 60% of the combined voting power of the securities of the Plan Sponsor or such surviving entity or any parent thereof outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or (B) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Plan Sponsor (or similar transaction) in which no Person is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Plan Sponsor (not including in the securities beneficially owned by such Person any securities acquired directly from the Plan Sponsor or its Affiliates) representing 25% or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities; or

 

 

(d)

the shareholders of the Plan Sponsor approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Plan Sponsor or there is consummated an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Plan Sponsor of all or substantially all of the Plan Sponsor’s assets, other than a sale or disposition by the Plan Sponsor of all or substantially all of the Plan Sponsor’s assets to an entity, at least 60% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by shareholders of the Plan Sponsor in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Plan Sponsor immediately prior to such sale.

For purposes of the foregoing provisions of this Section 9.7,

 

 

(i)

the term “Affiliate” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under Section 12 of the Exchange Act;

 

 

(ii)

the term “Beneficial Owner” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act; and

 

9-7


 

(iii)

the term “Person” shall have the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act, as modified and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, except that such term shall not include (i) any member of the Barnes family (by blood or marriage) or any entity for the benefit of, or controlled by, a member of the Barnes family (by blood or marriage), (ii) the Plan Sponsor or any of its subsidiaries, (iii) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Plan Sponsor or any of its Affiliates, (iv) an underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant to an offering of such securities, or (v) a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Plan Sponsor in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Plan Sponsor.

 

9.8

Permissible Delays in Payment. Distributions may be delayed beyond the date payment would otherwise occur in accordance with the provisions of Articles 8 and 9 in any of the following circumstances as long as the Employer treats all payments to similarly situated Participants on a reasonably consistent basis.

 

 

(a)

The Employer may delay payment if it reasonably anticipates that its deduction with respect to such payment would be limited or eliminated by the application of Code Section 162(m). Payment must be made during the Participant’s first taxable year in which the Employer reasonably anticipates, or should reasonably anticipate, that if the payment is made during such year the deduction of such payment will not be barred by the application of Code Section 162(m) or during the period beginning with the Participant’s “separation from service” and ending on the later of the last day of the Employer’s taxable year in which the Participant separates from service or the 15th day of the third month following the Participant’s “separation from service.” If a scheduled payment to a Participant is delayed in accordance with this Section 9.8(a), all scheduled payments to the Participant that could be delayed in accordance with this Section 9.8(a) will also be delayed. The term “separation from service” and the other provisions hereof shall be determined in a manner consistent with applicable Treasury regulations.

 

 

(b)

The Employer may also delay payment if it reasonably anticipates that the making of the payment will violate federal securities laws or other applicable laws provided payment is made at the earliest date on which the Employer reasonably anticipates that the making of the payment will not cause such violation.

 

9-8


 

(c)

The Employer reserves the right to amend the Plan to provide for a delay in payment upon such other events and conditions as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe in generally applicable guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.

 

9.9

Permitted Acceleration of Payment . The Employer may permit acceleration of the time or schedule of any payment or amount scheduled to be paid pursuant to a payment under the Plan provided such acceleration would be permitted by the provisions of Reg. Sec. 1.409A-3(j)(4), including the following events:

 

 

(a)

Domestic Relations Order. A payment may be accelerated if such payment is made to an alternate payee pursuant to and following the receipt and qualification of a domestic relations order as defined in Code Section 414(p).

 

 

(b)

Compliance with Ethics Agreements and Legal Requirements. A payment may be accelerated as may be necessary to comply with ethics agreements with the Federal government or as may be reasonably necessary to avoid the violation of Federal, state, local or foreign ethics law or conflicts of laws, in accordance with the requirements of Code Section 409A.

 

 

(c)

De Minimis Amounts. In the discretion of the Administrator, a payment may be accelerated if (i) the amount of the payment is not greater than the applicable dollar amount under Code Section 402(g)(1)(B), and (ii) at the time the payment is made the amount constitutes the Participant’s entire interest under the Plan and all other plans that are aggregated with the Plan under Reg. Sec. 1.409A-1(c)(2).

 

 

(d)

FICA Tax. A payment may be accelerated to the extent required to pay the Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax imposed under Code Sections 3101, 3121(a) and 3121(v)(2) of the Code with respect to compensation deferred under the Plan (the “FICA Amount”). Additionally, a payment may be accelerated to pay the income tax on wages imposed under Code Section 3401 of the Code on the FICA Amount and to pay the additional income tax at source on wages attributable to the pyramiding Code Section 3401 wages and taxes. The total payment under this subsection (d) may not exceed the aggregate of the FICA Amount and the income tax withholding related to the FICA Amount.

 

 

(e)

Section 409A Additional Tax. A payment may be accelerated if the Plan fails to meet the requirements of Code Section 409A; provided that such payment may not exceed the amount required to be included in income as a result of the failure to comply with the requirements of Code Section 409A.

 

9-9


 

(f)

Offset. A payment may be accelerated in the Employer’s discretion as satisfaction of a debt of the Participant to the Employer, where such debt is incurred in the ordinary course of the service relationship between the Participant and the Employer, the entire amount of the reduction in any of the Employer’s taxable years does not exceed $5,000, and the reduction is made at the same time and in the same amount as the debt otherwise would have been due and collected from the Participant.

 

 

(g)

Other Events. A payment may be accelerated in the Administrator’s discretion in connection with such other events and conditions as permitted by Code Section 409A.

 

9-10


ARTICLE 10 – AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION

 

10.1

Amendment and Termination by Plan Sponsor. The Plan Sponsor reserves the right to amend and/or terminate the Plan (for itself and each Employer) through action of its Board of Directors at any time for whatever reasons it may deem appropriate (or for no reason), except that no such amendment or termination shall adversely affect the benefits payable to any person who has begun to receive benefits hereunder and no such amendment or termination may accelerate or defer the payment of compensation except as permitted by Section 409A of the Code.

 

10.2

Plan Termination Following Change in Control or Corporate Dissolution. If so elected by the Plan Sponsor in Section 11.01 of the Adoption Agreement, the Plan Sponsor reserves the right to terminate the Plan pursuant to irrevocable action taken within the 30 days preceding or the twelve months following a Change in Control as determined in accordance with the rules set forth in Section 9.7. For this purpose, the Plan will be treated as terminated only if all agreements, methods, programs and other arrangements sponsored by the Related Employer immediately after the Change in Control which are treated as a single plan with the Plan under Treas. Reg. Sec. 1.409A-1(c)(2) are also terminated so that all participants under the Plan and all similar arrangements that experienced the Change in Control are required to receive all amounts deferred under the terminated arrangements within twelve months of the date the Plan Sponsor irrevocably takes all necessary action to terminate the arrangements. The foregoing provisions of this Section 10.2 and Section 11.01 of the Adoption Agreement shall be administered, interpreted and construed in accordance with Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(j)(4)(ix)(B). In addition, the Plan Sponsor reserves the right to terminate and liquidate the Plan within twelve months of a corporate dissolution taxed under Code Section 331 or with the approval of a bankruptcy court pursuant to 11 U. S. C. Section 503(b)(1)(A) provided that amounts deferred under the Plan are included in the gross incomes of Participants in the latest of the following years (or, if earlier, the taxable year in which the amount is actually or constructively received): (a) the calendar year in which the termination and liquidation occurs, (b) the first calendar year in which the amount is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, or (c) the first calendar year in which payment is administratively practicable. The preceding sentence shall be administered, interpreted and construed in accordance with Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(j)(4)(ix)(A).

 

10-1


10.3

Other Plan Terminations. The Plan Sponsor retains the discretion to terminate the Plan if (a) all arrangements sponsored by the Plan Sponsor that would be aggregated with any terminated arrangement under Code Section 409A and Reg. Sec. 1.409A-1(c)(2) are terminated, (b) no payments other than payments that would be payable under the terms of the arrangements if the termination had not occurred are made within twelve months of the termination of the arrangements, (c) all payments are made within twenty-four months of the termination of the arrangements, (d) the Plan Sponsor does not adopt a new arrangement that would be aggregated with any terminated arrangement under Code Section 409A and the regulations thereunder at any time within the three year period following the date of termination of the arrangement, and (e) the termination does not occur proximate to a downturn in the financial health of the Plan sponsor. The foregoing provisions of this Section 10.3 shall be administered, interpreted and construed in accordance with Treasury Regulation 1.409A-3(j)(4)(ix)(C).

The Plan Sponsor also reserves the right to amend the Plan to provide that termination of the Plan will occur under such conditions and events as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury in generally applicable guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.

 

10-2


ARTICLE 11 – THE TRUST

 

11.1

Establishment of Trust. The Plan Sponsor may but is not required to establish a trust to hold amounts which the Plan Sponsor may contribute from time to time to correspond to some or all amounts credited to Participants under Section 6.2. If the Plan Sponsor elects to establish a trust in accordance with Section 10.01 of the Adoption Agreement, the provisions of Sections 11.2 and 11.3 shall become operative.

 

11.2

Grantor Trust. Any trust established by the Plan Sponsor shall be between the Plan Sponsor and a trustee pursuant to a separate written agreement under which assets are held, administered and managed, subject to the claims of the Plan Sponsor’s creditors in the event of the Plan Sponsor’s insolvency. The trust is intended to be treated as a grantor trust under the Code, and the establishment of the trust shall not cause the Participant to realize current income on amounts contributed thereto. The Plan Sponsor must notify the trustee in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency.

 

11.3

Investment of Trust Funds. Trust investments need not reflect the hypothetical investments selected by Participants under Section 7.1 for the purpose of adjusting Accounts and the earnings or investment results of the trust need not affect the hypothetical investment adjustments to Participant Accounts under the Plan.

 

11-1


ARTICLE 12 – PLAN ADMINISTRATION

 

12.1

Powers and Responsibilities of the Administrator. The Administrator has the full power and discretion, and the full responsibility, to administer, interpret, and construe the Plan in all of its details, subject, however, to any applicable requirements of ERISA. The Administrator’s powers and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

(a)

To make and enforce such rules and procedures as it deems necessary or proper for the efficient administration of the Plan;

 

 

(b)

To interpret the Plan, its interpretation thereof to be final on all persons claiming benefits under the Plan;

 

 

(c)

To decide all questions concerning the Plan and the eligibility of any person to participate in the Plan;

 

 

(d)

To compute the amount of benefits which will be payable to any Participant, former Participant or Beneficiary in accordance with the provisions of the Plan;

 

 

(e)

To determine the person or persons to whom such benefits will be paid;

 

 

(f)

To authorize the payment of benefits;

 

 

(g)

To appoint such agents, counsel, accountants, and consultants as may be required to assist in administering the Plan;

 

 

(h)

To allocate and delegate its responsibilities to administer the Plan.

 

12-1


12.2

Claims and Review Procedures. The claims and review procedures applicable to this Plan are set forth in a supplemental document; the following provisions of this Section 12.2 are inapplicable.

 

 

(a)

Claims Procedure.

If any person believes he is being denied any rights or benefits under the Plan, such person may file a claim in writing with the Administrator. If any such claim is wholly or partially denied, the Administrator will notify such person of its decision in writing. Such notification will contain (i) specific reasons for the denial, (ii) specific reference to pertinent Plan provisions, (iii) a description of any additional material or information necessary for such person to perfect such claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary, and (iv) a description of the Plan’s review procedures and the time limits applicable to such procedures, including a statement of the person’s right to bring a civil action following an adverse decision on review. Such notification will be given within 90 days after the claim is received by the Administrator. The Administrator may extend the period for providing the notification by 90 days if special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the claim and if written notice of such extension and circumstance is given to such person within the initial 90 day period. If such notification is not given within such period, the claim will be considered denied as of the last day of such period and such person may request a review of his claim.

 

 

(b)

Review Procedure.

Within 60 days after the date on which a person receives a written notification of denial of claim (or, if written notification is not provided, within 60 days of the date denial is considered to have occurred), such person (or his duly authorized representative) may (i) file a written request with the Administrator for a review of his denied claim and of pertinent documents and (ii) submit written issues and comments to the Administrator. The Administrator will notify such person of its decision in writing. Such notification will be written in a manner calculated to be understood by such person and will contain specific reasons for the decision as well as specific references to pertinent Plan provisions. The notification will explain that the person is entitled to receive, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to and copies of all pertinent documents and has the right to bring a civil action following an adverse decision on review.

 

12-2


The decision on review will be made within 60 days. The Administrator may extend the period for making the decision on review by 60 days if special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the request such as an election by the Administrator to hold a hearing, and if written notice of such extension and circumstances is given to such person within the initial 60-day period. If the decision on review is not made within such period, the claim will be considered denied.

 

 

(c)

Special Procedure for Claims Due to Disability.

To the extent an application for distribution as a result of a Disability requires the Administrator or the panel reviewing the Administrator’s determination, as applicable, to make a determination of Disability under the terms of the Plan, then such determination shall be subject to all of the general rules described in this Section, except as they are expressly modified by this Section 12(c).

 

 

(i)

The initial decision on the claim for a Disability distribution will be made within forty-five (45) days after the Plan receives the claimant’s claim, unless special circumstances require additional time, in which case the Administrator will notify the claimant before the end of the initial forty-five (45)-day period of an extension of up to thirty (30) days. If necessary, the Administrator may notify the claimant, prior to the end of the initial thirty (30)-day extension period, of a second extension of up to thirty (30) days. If an extension is due to the claimant’s failure to supply the necessary information, then the notice of extension will describe the additional information and the claimant will have forty-five (45) days to provide the additional information. Moreover, the period for making the determination will be delayed from the date the notification of extension was sent out until the claimant responds to the request for additional information. No additional extensions may be made, except with the claimant’s voluntary consent. The contents of the notice shall be the same as described in Section 12.2(a) above. If a disability distribution claim is denied in whole or in part, then the claimant will receive notification, as described in Section 12.2(c).

 

12-3


 

(ii)

If an internal rule, guideline, protocol or similar criterion is relied upon in making the adverse determination, then the denial notice to the claimant will either set forth the internal rule, guideline, protocol or similar criterion, or will state that such was relied upon and will be provided free of charge to the claimant upon request (to the extent not legally-privileged) and if the claimant’s claim was denied based on a medical necessity or experimental treatment or similar exclusion or limit, then the claimant will be provided a statement either explaining the decision or indicating that an explanation will be provided to the claimant fr


 
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