EXHIBIT 4.3
THE SOUTHERN
COMPANY
EMPLOYEE SAVINGS
PLAN
As Amended and
Restated
Effective January 1,
2009
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ARTICLE III
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PARTICIPATION
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11
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3.1
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Eligibility Requirements
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11
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3.2
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Participation upon Reemployment
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11
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3.3
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No Restoration of Previously Distributed
Benefits
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11
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3.4
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Loss of Eligible Employee Status
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11
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ARTICLE IV
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ELECTIVE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS AND VOLUNTARY
PARTICIPANT
CONTRIBUTION
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12
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4.1
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Elective Employer Contributions
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12
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4.2
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Maximum Amount of Elective Employer
Contributions
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12
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4.3
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Distribution of Excess Deferral
Amounts
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12
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4.4
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Additional Rules Regarding Elective Employer
Contributions
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13
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4.5
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Section 401(k) Nondiscrimination
Tests
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14
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4.6
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Voluntary Participant Contributions
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16
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4.7
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Manner and Time of Payment of Elective Employer
Contributions and Voluntary
Participant Contributions
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16
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4.8
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Change in Contribution Rate
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17
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4.9
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Change in Contribution Amount
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17
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4.10
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Rollovers from Other Plans
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17
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4.11
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Catch-Up Contributions
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17
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ARTICLE V
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EMPLOYER MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS
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18
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5.1
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Amount of Employer Matching
Contributions
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18
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5.2
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Payment of Employer Matching
Contributions
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18
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5.3
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Limitations on Employer Matching Contributions
and Voluntary Participant
Contributions
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18
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5.4
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Reversion of Employing Company
Contributions
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20
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5.5
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Correction of Prior Incorrect Allocations and
Distributions
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21
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ARTICLE VI
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LIMITATIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS
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22
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6.1
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Section 415 Limitations
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22
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page
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6.2
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Correction of Contributions in Excess of Section
415 Limits
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22
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6.3
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Combination of Plans
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23
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ARTICLE VII
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SUSPENSION OF CONTRIBUTIONS
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24
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7.1
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Suspension of Contributions
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24
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7.2
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Resumption of Contributions
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24
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ARTICLE VIII
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INVESTMENT OF CONTRIBUTIONS
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25
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8.2
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Investment of Contributions
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25
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8.3
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Investment of Earnings
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25
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8.4
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Transfer of Assets between Funds
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25
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8.5
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Change in Investment Direction
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25
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8.6
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Section 404(c) Plan
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25
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8.7
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Suspension, Discontinuance or Restriction of
Trading
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26
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8.8
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Designated Net Litigation
Distributions
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26
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ARTICLE IX
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MAINTENANCE AND VALUATION OF PARTICIPANTS’
ACCOUNTS;
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27
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9.1
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Establishment of Accounts
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27
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9.2
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Valuation of Investment Funds
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28
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9.3
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Rights in Investment Funds
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28
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ARTICLE XI
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WITHDRAWALS AND LOANS
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30
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11.1
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Withdrawals by Participants
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30
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11.2
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Notice of Withdrawal
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31
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11.3
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Form of Withdrawal
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31
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11.4
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Minimum Withdrawal
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31
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11.5
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Source of Withdrawal
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31
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11.6
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Requirement of Hardship
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31
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11.7
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Loans to Participants
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33
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11.8
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Special Waiver for Participants Employed in the
United Kingdom
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34
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page
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ARTICLE XII
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DISTRIBUTION TO PARTICIPANTS
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36
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12.1
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Distribution upon Retirement
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36
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12.2
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Distribution upon Disability
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36
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12.3
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Distribution upon Death
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37
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12.4
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Designation of Beneficiary in the Event of
Death
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37
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12.5
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Distribution upon Termination of
Employment
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38
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12.6
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Commencement of Benefits
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38
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12.7
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Transfer between Employing Companies
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39
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12.8
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Distributions to Alternate Payees
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39
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12.9
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Requirement for Direct Rollovers.
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39
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12.10
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Consent and Notice Requirements
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40
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12.12
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Partial Distribution upon Termination of
Employment
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40
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12.13
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Distribution of Dividends Payable on Common
Stock
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41
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12.14
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Qualified Hurricane Distributions
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41
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ARTICLE XIII
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ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN
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44
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13.1
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Membership of Administrative
Committee
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44
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13.3
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Transaction of Business
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44
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13.4
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Administrative Committee Responsibilities in
General
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44
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13.5
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Administrative Committee and Pension Fund
Investment Review Committee as Named Fiduciaries
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44
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13.6
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Rules for Plan Administration
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45
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13.7
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Employment of Agents
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45
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13.10
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Liability of the Administrative
Committee
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45
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13.11
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Reimbursement of Expenses and Compensation of
Administrative Committee
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46
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13.12
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Expenses of Plan and Trust Fund
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46
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13.13
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Responsibility for Funding Policy
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46
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page
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13.14
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Management of Assets
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47
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13.15
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Notice and Claims Procedures
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47
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13.17
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Multiple Fiduciary Capacities
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47
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ARTICLE XIV
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TRUSTEE OF THE PLAN
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48
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14.2
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Purchase of Common Stock
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48
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14.3
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Voting of Common Stock
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48
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14.4
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Voting of Other Investment Fund
Shares
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49
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14.5
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Uninvested Amounts
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49
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14.6
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Independent Accounting
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49
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ARTICLE XV
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AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
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50
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15.1
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Amendment of the Plan
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50
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15.2
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Termination of the Plan
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50
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15.3
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Merger or Consolidation of the Plan
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50
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ARTICLE XVI
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TOP HEAVY REQUIREMENTS
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51
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16.1
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Top-Heavy Plan Requirements
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51
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16.2
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Determination of Top-Heavy Status
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51
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16.3
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Minimum Allocation for Top-Heavy Plan
Years
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52
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ARTICLE XVII
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GENERAL PROVISIONS
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53
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17.1
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Plan Not an Employment Contract
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53
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17.2
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No Right of Assignment or Alienation
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53
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17.3
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Payment to Minors and Others
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53
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17.4
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Source of Benefits
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54
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17.5
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Unclaimed Benefits
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54
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ARTICLE XVIII
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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCOUNT BALANCES
ATTRIBUTABLE TO ACCRUED BENEFITS TRANSFERRED FROM THE SEPCO
PLAN
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55
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18.1
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SEPCO Transferred Accounts
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55
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18.2
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In-Service Withdrawals from SEPCO Transferred
Accounts
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55
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
Page
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18.3
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Loans from SEPCO Transferred Accounts
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55
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18.4
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Distribution of SEPCO Transferred
Accounts
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55
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18.5
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Code Section 411(d)(6) Protected
Benefits
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57
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APPENDIX A
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- EMPLOYING COMPANIES
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59
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THE SOUTHERN
COMPANY
EMPLOYEE SAVINGS
PLAN
As Amended and
Restated
Effective January 1,
2009
ARTICLE I
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Plan is to
encourage employee thrift, to supplement retirement and death
benefits, and to create a competitive compensation program for
employees through the establishment of a formal plan under which
contributions by and on behalf of Participants are supplemented by
contributions of Employing Companies. This Plan is intended to be a
stock bonus plan, and all contributions made by an Employing
Company to this Plan are expressly conditioned upon the
deductibility of such contributions under Code Section 404. In
addition, the Company Stock Fund under the Plan is also intended to
be an employee stock ownership plan, as defined in Code Section
4975(e)(7) and ERISA Section 407(d)(6). The Plan was originally
effective March 1, 1976. The Plan was amended and restated
effective as of December 20, 2006 to provide for the merger of The
Southern Company Employee Stock Ownership Plan into the Plan, as
well as to incorporate a variety of plan design and other changes.
The Plan is being amended and restated effective as of January 1,
2009 in connection with submitting an application to the Internal
Revenue Service for a favorable determination letter and to amend
the Plan to clarify the requirement of providing notice to
Employing Companies of changes in
Employer Matching
Contributions.
ARTICLE II
DEFINITIONS
All references to articles,
sections, subsections, and paragraphs shall be to articles,
sections, subsections, and paragraphs of this Plan unless another
reference is expressly set forth in this Plan. Any words used in
the masculine shall be read and be construed in the feminine where
they would so apply. Words in the singular shall be read and
construed in the plural, and all words in the plural shall be read
and construed in the singular in all cases where they would so
apply.
For purposes of this Plan, unless
otherwise required by the context, the following terms shall have
the meanings set forth opposite such terms:
2.1 “
Account ” shall mean the total amount credited to the
account of a Participant, as described in Section 9.1.
2.2 “
Actual Contribution Percentage Test ” shall mean the
test described in Section 5.3(a).
2.3 “
Actual Deferral Percentage ” shall mean the ratio
(expressed as a percentage) of Elective Employer Contributions on
behalf of an Eligible Participant for the Plan Year to the Eligible
Participant’s compensation for the Plan Year. For the purpose
of determining an Eligible Participant’s Actual Deferral
Percentage for a Plan Year, the Administrative Committee may elect
to consider an Eligible Participant’s compensation for (a)
the entire Plan Year or (b) that portion of the Plan Year in which
the Eligible Participant was eligible to have Elective Employer
Contributions made on his behalf, provided that such election is
applied uniformly to all Eligible Participants for the Plan Year.
For purposes of this Section 2.3, “compensation” shall
mean actual compensation for services rendered or paid by the
employer to an Eligible Participant which is currently includible
in the Eligible Participant’s gross income, as reported on
the Eligible Participant’s Federal Income Tax Withholding
Statement (Form W-2), plus (i) an Eligible Participant’s
elective deferrals under Code Sections 402(g)(3) and 414(v), (ii)
amounts contributed or deferred under Code Section 125 by the
employer at the Eligible Participant’s election that are not
includible in the Eligible Participant’s gross income, and
(iii) amounts which are not includible in an Eligible
Participant’s gross income by reason of Code Sections
132(f)(4) or 457. Compensation also shall be limited pursuant to
Code Section 401(a)(17). The Actual Deferral Percentage of an
Eligible Participant who does not have Elective Employer
Contributions made on his behalf shall be zero.
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2.4
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“ Actual Deferral
Percentage Test ” shall mean the test described in
Section 4.5(a).
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2.5 “
Administrative Committee ” shall mean the
administrative committee appointed pursuant to Section 13.1 to
serve as plan administrator. Its formal title is the Southern
Company Employee Savings Plan Committee.
2.6 “
Affiliated Employer ” shall mean an Employing Company
and (a) any corporation which is a member of a controlled group of
corporations (as defined in Section 414(b) of the Code) which
includes such Employing Company, (b) any trade or
business
(whether or not incorporated) which
is under common control (as defined in Section 414(c) of the Code)
with such Employing Company, (c) any organization (whether or not
incorporated) which is a member of an affiliated service group (as
defined in Section 414(m) of the Code) which includes such
Employing Company, and (d) any other entity required to be
aggregated with such Employing Company pursuant to regulations
under Section 414(o) of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
for purposes of applying the limitations of Article VI, the term
Affiliated Employer shall be adjusted as required by Code Section
415(h).
2.7 “
Aggregate Account ” shall mean with respect to a
Participant as of the Determination Date, the sum of the
following:
(a) the
Account balance of such Participant as of the most recent valuation
occurring within a twelve-month period ending on the Determination
Date;
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(b)
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an adjustment for any contributions
due as of the Determination Date;
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(c) any
Plan distributions, including unrelated rollovers and plan-to-plan
transfers (ones which are both initiated by the Employee and made
from a plan maintained by one employer to a plan maintained by
another employer), but not related rollovers or plan-to-plan
transfers (ones either not initiated by the Employee or made to a
plan maintained by the same employer), made within the one-year
period ending on the Determination Date. The preceding sentence
shall also apply to distributions under a terminated plan which if
it had not been terminated would have been required to be included
in an Aggregation Group. In the case of a distribution made for a
reason other than severance from employment (or separation from
service), death or disability, this provision shall be applied by
substituting “five-year period” for “one-year
period”;
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(d)
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any Employee contributions, whether
voluntary or mandatory;
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(e) unrelated
rollovers and plan-to-plan transfers to this Plan accepted prior to
January 1, 1984; and
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(f)
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related rollovers and plan-to-plan
transfers to this Plan.
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2.8 “
Aggregation Group ” shall mean either a Required
Aggregation Group or a Permissive Aggregation Group.
2.9 “
Annual Addition ” shall mean the amount allocated to a
Participant’s Account and accounts under all defined
contribution plans maintained by the Affiliated Employers during a
Limitation Year that constitutes
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(a)
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Affiliated Employer
contributions,
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(b)
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Voluntary Participant
Contributions,
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(c) forfeitures,
if any, allocated to a Participant’s Account or accounts
under all defined contribution plans maintained by the Affiliated
Employers, and
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(d)
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amounts described in Sections
415(l)(1) and 419A(d)(2) of the Code.
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2.10 “
Average Actual Deferral Percentage ” shall mean the
average (expressed as a percentage) of the Actual Deferral
Percentages of the Eligible Participants in a group.
2.11 “
Average Contribution Percentage ” shall mean the
average (expressed as a percentage) of the Contribution Percentages
of the Eligible Participants in a group.
2.12 “
Beneficiary ” shall mean any person(s) who, or
estate(s), trust(s), or organization(s) which, in accordance with
the provisions of Section 12.4, become entitled to receive benefits
upon the death of a Participant.
2.13 “
Board of Directors ” shall mean the Board of Directors
of Southern Company Services, Inc.
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2.14
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“ Break-in-Service Date
” means the earlier of:
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(a) the
date on which an Employee terminates employment, is discharged,
retires, or dies; or
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(b)
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the last day of an approved leave of
absence including any extension.
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In the case of an individual who is
absent from work for maternity or paternity reasons, such
individual shall not incur a Break-in-Service Date earlier than the
expiration of the second anniversary of the first date of such
absence; provided, however, that the twelve-consecutive-month
period beginning on the first anniversary of the first date of such
absence shall not constitute a Year of Service. For purposes of
this paragraph, an absence from work for maternity or paternity
reasons means an absence (a) by reason of the pregnancy of the
Employee, (b) by reason of a birth of a child of the Employee, (c)
by reason of the placement of a child with the Employee in
connection with the adoption of such child by such Employee, or (d)
for purposes of caring for such child for a period beginning
immediately following such birth or placement.
2.15 “
Code ” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
as amended, or any successor statute, and the rulings and
regulations promulgated thereunder. In the event an amendment to
the Code renumbers a section of the Code referred to in this Plan,
any such reference automatically shall become a reference to such
section as renumbered.
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2.16
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“ Common Stock ”
shall mean the common stock of The Southern Company.
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2.17
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“ Company ” shall
mean Southern Company Services, Inc., and its
successors.
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2.18 “
Company Stock Fund ” shall mean the fund under the
Plan invested in Common Stock as described in Section
8.1.
2.19 “
Compensation ” shall mean the salary or wages of a
Participant, including all amounts contributed by an Employing
Company to The Southern Company Flexible Benefits Plan on behalf of
a Participant pursuant to a salary reduction arrangement under such
plan, plus monthly shift and monthly seven-day schedule
differentials, geographic premiums, monthly customer service
premiums, monthly nuclear plant premiums, sales commissions paid
under a sales commission payment program sponsored by an Employing
Company for sales commissioned based employees, military
differential pay, and overtime pay resulting from fluctuations in a
Participant’s weekly hours worked pursuant to a
pre-determined flexible work
schedule established or approved by
an Employing Company that is intended to produce, on average, forty
(40) hour work weeks, and before deduction of taxes, social
security, etc., but excluding all awards under any incentive pay
plans sponsored by the Employing Company, overtime pay (except as
specifically included above), any hourly shift differentials,
substitution pay, such amounts which are reimbursements to a
Participant paid by any Employing Company, including but not
limited to, reimbursement for such items as moving expenses and
travel and entertainment expenses, and imputed income for
automobile expenses, tax preparation expenses and health and life
insurance premiums paid by the Employing Company. Compensation
shall include the above such amounts paid after an Employee's
severance from employment, provided the amounts are paid by the
later of 2½ months after severance from employment or the
end of the Limitation Year that includes the date of severance, and
provided, further that Compensation shall not include any amounts
paid after an Employee's severance from employment for unused
accrued leave, pursuant to a deferred compensation plan, or as
severance pay.
The Compensation of each Participant
taken into account for purposes of this Plan shall not exceed the
applicable limit under Code Section 401(a)(17).
2.20 “
Contribution Percentage ” shall mean the ratio
(expressed as a percentage), of the sum of the Voluntary
Participant Contributions and Employer Matching Contributions under
the Plan on behalf of the Eligible Participant for the Plan Year to
the Eligible Participant’s compensation for the Plan Year.
For the purpose of determining an Eligible Participant’s
Contribution Percentage for a Plan Year, the Administrative
Committee may elect to consider an Eligible Participant’s
compensation for (a) the entire Plan Year or (b) that portion of
the Plan Year in which the individual is an Eligible Participant,
provided that such election is applied uniformly to all Eligible
Participants for the Plan Year. For purposes of this Section 2.20,
“compensation” shall mean actual compensation for
services rendered or paid by the employer to an Eligible
Participant which is currently includible in the Eligible
Participant’s gross income, as reported on the Eligible
Participant’s Federal Income Tax Withholding Statement (Form
W-2), plus (i) an Eligible Participant’s elective deferrals
under Code Sections 402(g)(3) and 414(v), (ii) amounts
contributed or deferred under Code Section 125 by the employer at
the Eligible Participant’s election that are not includable
in the Eligible Participant’s gross income, and
(iii) amounts which are not includable in an Eligible
Participant’s gross income by reason of Code Sections
132(f)(4) or 457. Compensation also shall be limited pursuant to
Code Section 401(a)(17). The Contribution Percentage of an Eligible
Participant who does not make Voluntary Participant Contributions
or have Employer Matching Contributions made on his behalf shall be
zero.
2.21 “
Determination Date ” shall mean with respect to a Plan
Year, the last day of the preceding Plan Year.
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2.22
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“ Determination Year
” shall mean the Plan Year being tested.
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2.23 “
Direct Rollover ” shall mean a payment by the Plan to
the Eligible Retirement Plan specified by the
Distributee.
2.24 “
Distributee ” shall include an Employee or former
Employee. In addition, Distributee shall include the
Employee’s or former Employee’s surviving spouse, the
Employee’s or former Employee’s spouse or former spouse
who is an alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations
order (as defined in Section 414(p) of the Code), and, for Plan
Years
beginning on or after January 1,
2007, the Employee’s or former Employee’s Beneficiary
or Beneficiaries.
2.25 “
Elective Employer Contribution ” shall mean
contributions made pursuant to Section 4.1 during the Plan Year by
an Employing Company, at the election of the Participant, in lieu
of cash compensation and shall include contributions made pursuant
to a salary reduction agreement.
2.26 “
Eligible Employee ” shall mean an Employee who is
employed by an Employing Company and (a) who was eligible to be
included in the Plan on January 1, 1991, or (b) who is a regular
full-time or regular part-time employee, and excluding:
(1) an
individual who is classified by an Employing Company as a leased
employee, regardless of whether such classification is determined
to be in error;
(2) any
Employee who is represented by a collective bargaining agent unless
the representatives of his bargaining unit and the Employing
Company mutually agree to participation in the Plan subject to its
terms by members of his bargaining unit;
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(3)
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an individual who is a cooperative
education employee; and
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(4) an
individual who is classified by the Employing Company as a
temporary employee (who was not eligible to be included in the Plan
on January 1, 1991) or an independent contractor, regardless of
whether such classification is determined to be in error. Effective
September 1, 1998, any individual classified by the Employing
Company as a temporary employee shall be excluded from the Plan,
regardless of any prior inclusion in the Plan and regardless of
whether the “temporary employee” classification is
determined to be in error.
2.27 “
Eligible Participant ” shall mean an Eligible Employee
who is authorized to have Elective Employer Contributions or
Voluntary Participant Contributions allocated to his Account for
the Plan Year.
2.28 “
Eligible Retirement Plan ” shall mean an individual
retirement account described in Section 408(a) of the Code, an
individual retirement annuity described in Section 408(b) of the
Code, an annuity plan described in Section 403(a) of the Code, a
plan described in Section 403(b) of the Code, a plan described in
Section 457(b) of the Code which is maintained by a state, an
agency or instrumentality of a state or political subdivision of a
state and which agrees to separately account for amounts
transferred into such plan from this Plan, or a qualified trust
described in Section 401(a) of the Code that accepts the
Distributee’s Eligible Rollover Distribution.
2.29 “
Eligible Rollover Distribution ” shall mean any
distribution of all or any portion of the balance to the credit of
the Distributee, except that an Eligible Rollover Distribution does
not include: (a) any distribution that is one of a series of
substantially equal periodic payments (not less frequently than
annually) made for the life (or life expectancy) of the
Distributee, the joint lives (or joint life expectancies) of the
Distributee and the Distributee’s Beneficiary, or for
a
specified period of 10 years or
more; (b) any distribution to the extent such distribution is
required under Section 401(a)(9) of the Code; (c) any hardship
distribution described in Section 401(k)(2)(B)(i)(IV) of the Code;
and (d) for Plan Years prior to January 1, 2007, the portion of any
distribution that is not includible in gross income (determined
without regard to the exclusion from net unrealized appreciation
with respect to employer securities).
2.30 “
Employee ” shall mean each individual who is employed
by an Affiliated Employer under common law and each individual who
is required to be treated as an employee pursuant to the
“leased employee” rules of Code Section 414(n) other
than a leased employee described in Code Section
414(n)(5).
2.31 “
Employee Stock Ownership Plan ” shall mean The
Southern Company Employee Stock Ownership Plan, as such plan
existed prior to December 20, 2006.
2.32 “
Employer Matching Contribution ” shall mean a
contribution made by an Employing Company pursuant to Section 5.1
with respect to Elective Employer Contributions and Voluntary
Participant Contributions made on behalf of each Participant each
payroll period.
2.33 “
Employing Company ” shall mean the Company and any
affiliate or subsidiary of The Southern Company which the Board of
Directors may from time to time determine to bring under the Plan
and which shall adopt the Plan, and any successor of them. The
Employing Companies are set forth on Appendix A to the Plan as
updated from time to time. No such entity shall be treated as an
Employing Company prior to the date it adopts the Plan.
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2.34
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“ Enrollment Date
” shall mean the first day of each payroll period.
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2.35 “
ERISA ” shall mean the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended, or any successor statute, and the
rulings and regulations promulgated thereunder. In the event an
amendment to ERISA renumbers a section of ERISA referred to in this
Plan, any such reference automatically shall become a reference to
such section as renumbered.
2.36 “
Excess Aggregate Contributions ” shall mean the amount
referred to in Code Section 401(m)(6)(B) with respect to a
Participant. In no event may the Excess Aggregate Contributions for
any Highly Compensated Employee exceed the amount of the Employer
Matching Contributions or Voluntary Participant Contributions made
on behalf of the Highly Compensated Employee for the Plan
Year.
2.37 “
Excess Deferral Amount ” shall mean the amount of
Elective Employer Contributions for a calendar year that exceed the
Code Section 402(g) limits as allocated to this Plan pursuant to
Section 4.3(b).
2.38 “
Excess Deferral Contributions ” shall mean the amount
of Elective Employer Contributions on behalf of a Highly
Compensated Employee referred to in Code Section
401(k)(8)(B).
2.39 “
Highly Compensated Employee ” shall mean (in
accordance with and subject to Code Section 414(q) and any
regulations, rulings, notices or procedures thereunder), with
respect to any Plan Year: (1) any Employee who was a five percent
(5%) owner of The Southern Company or an Affiliated Employer (as
determined pursuant to Code Section 416) during the
Plan Year or the immediately
preceding Plan Year, or (2) any Employee who had compensation in
excess of $110,000 in the preceding Plan Year. The $110,000 amount
shall be adjusted for inflation and for short Plan Years, pursuant
to Code Section 414(q). The Employer may, at its election, limit
Employees who had compensation in excess of $110,000 to only those
Employees who fall within the “top-paid group,” as
defined in Code Section 414(q) excluding those employees described
in Code Section 414(q)(8) for such purpose. In determining whether
an Employee is a Highly Compensated Employee, the Administrative
Committee may make any elections authorized under applicable
regulations, rulings, notices, or revenue procedures. For purposes
of this Section 2.39, “compensation” shall mean
compensation within the meaning of Code Section
415(c)(3).
2.40 “
Hour of Service ” shall mean each hour for which an
Employee is paid, or entitled to payment, for the performance of
duties for an Affiliated Employer.
2.41 “
Investment Fund ” shall mean any one of the funds
described in Article VIII which constitutes part of the Trust
Fund.
2.42 “ Key
Employee ” shall mean any Employee or former Employee
(and his Beneficiary) who is a key employee within the meaning of
Code Section 416(i)(1).
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2.43
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“ Limitation Year
” shall mean the Plan Year.
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2.44
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“ Look-Back Year
” shall mean the Plan Year preceding the Determination
Year.
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2.45 “
Mirant ” shall mean Mirant Corporation, any subsidiary
of Mirant Corporation, or any successor thereto.
2.46 “ Non
Highly Compensated Employee ” shall mean an Employee who
is not a Highly Compensated Employee.
2.47 “
Normal Retirement Date ” shall mean the first day of
the month following a Participant’s sixty-fifth (65th)
birthday.
2.48 “
One-Year Break in Service ” shall mean each
twelve-consecutive-month period within the period commencing with
an Employee’s Break-in-Service Date and ending on the date
the Employee is again credited with an Hour of Service.
2.49 “
Participant ” shall mean (a) an Eligible Employee
who has elected to participate in the Plan as provided in Article
III and whose participation in the Plan at the time of reference
has not been terminated as provided in the Plan, (b) an
Employee or former Employee who has ceased to be a Participant
under (a) above, but for whom an Account is maintained under the
Plan, (c) an Eligible Employee who has made a Rollover
Contribution to this Plan to the extent that the Provisions of the
Plan apply to such Rollover Contribution of the Eligible Employee,
(d) an Employee or former Employee for whom an Account is
maintained for amounts transferred to the Plan from the Performance
Sharing Plan, and (e) an Employee or former Employee for whom
an Account is maintained for amounts transferred to the Plan from
the Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
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2.50
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“ Pension Fund Investment
Review Committee ” shall mean the Pension Fund
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Investment Review Committee of The
Southern Company System appointed pursuant to
Section 13.4.
2.51 “
Performance Sharing Plan ” shall mean The Southern
Company Performance Sharing Plan, as such plan existed prior to
June 21, 2002.
2.52 “
Permissive Aggregation Group ” shall mean a group of
plans consisting of the Required Aggregation Group and, at the
election of the Affiliated Employers, such other plan or plans not
required to be included in the Required Aggregation Group, provided
the resulting group, taken as a whole, would continue to satisfy
the provisions of Code Section 401(a)(4) and 410.
2.53 “
Plan ” shall mean The Southern Company Employee
Savings Plan, as described herein or as from time to time
amended.
2.54 “
Plan of Reorganization ” shall mean the Second Amended
Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization for Mirant Corporation and
its Affiliated Debtors.
2.55 “
Plan Year ” shall mean the twelve-month period
commencing January 1 st and ending on the last day of
December next following.
2.56 “
Present Value of Accrued Retirement Income ” shall
mean an amount determined solely for the purpose of determining if
the Plan, or any other plan included in a Required Aggregation
Group of which the Plan is a part, is top heavy in accordance with
Code Section 416.
2.57 “
Required Aggregation Group ” shall mean those plans
that are required to be aggregated as determined under this Section
2.57. In determining a Required Aggregation Group hereunder, each
plan of the Affiliated Employers in which a Key Employee is a
participant and each other plan of the Affiliated Employers which
enables any plan in which a Key Employee participates to meet the
requirements of Code Section 410 or 401(a)(4) will be required to
be aggregated.
2.58 “
Rollover Contribution ” shall mean that portion of an
eligible rollover distribution that an Eligible Employee elects to
contribute to this Plan in accordance with the requirements of
Section 4.10. The Plan will accept a direct rollover of an eligible
rollover distribution from (a) a qualified plan described in
Code Section 401(a) or 403(a), (b) an annuity contract
described in Code Section 403(b), or (c) an eligible plan
under Code Section 457(b). In addition, the Plan will accept a
Rollover Contribution from a conduit individual retirement account
or annuity (“IRA”). However, in no event shall the Plan
accept after-tax employee contributions as a Rollover
Contribution.
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2.59
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“ SEPCO ” shall
mean Savannah Electric and Power Company.
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2.60 “
SEPCO Plan ” shall mean the Employee Savings Plan of
Savannah Electric and Power Company as in effect December 31,
1992.
2.61 “
SEPCO Transferred Account ” shall mean the total
amount credited to the account of a Participant as described in
Section 9.1(b).
2.62 “
Super-Top-Heavy Group ” shall mean an Aggregation
Group that would be a Top-Heavy Group if 90% were substituted for
60% in Section 2.64.
2.63 “
Surviving Spouse ” shall mean the person to whom the
Participant is married on the date of his death, if such spouse is
then living, provided that the Participant and such spouse shall
have been married throughout the one (1) year period ending on the
date of the Participant’s death.
2.64 “
Top-Heavy Group ” shall mean an Aggregation Group in
which, as of the Determination Date, the sum of:
(a) the
Present Value of Accrued Retirement Income of Key Employees under
all defined benefit plans included in that group, and
(b) the
Aggregate Accounts of Key Employees under all defined contribution
plans included in the group, exceeds 60% of a similar sum
determined for all employees.
2.65 “
Trust ” or “ Trust Fund ” shall
mean the trust established pursuant to the Trust
Agreement.
2.66 “
Trust Agreement ” shall mean the trust agreement
between the Company and the Trustee, as described in Article
XIV.
2.67 “
Trustee ” shall mean the person or corporation
designated as trustee under the Trust Agreement, including any
successor or successors.
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2.68
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“ Valuation Date
” shall mean each business day of the New York Stock
Exchange.
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2.69 “
Voluntary Participant Contribution ” shall mean a
contribution made pursuant to Section 4.6 during the Plan
Year.
2.70 “
Year of Service ” shall mean a twelve-month period of
employment as an Employee, including any fractions thereof.
Calculation of the twelve-month periods shall commence with the
Employee’s first day of employment, which is the date on
which an Employee first performs an Hour of Service, and shall
terminate on his Break-in-Service Date. Thereafter, if he has more
than one period of employment as an Employee, his Years of Service
for any subsequent period shall commence with the Employee’s
reemployment date, which is the first date following a
Break-in-Service Date on which the Employee performs an Hour of
Service, and shall terminate on his next Break-in-Service Date. An
Employee who has a Break-in-Service Date and resumes employment
with the Affiliated Employers within twelve months of his
Break-in-Service Date shall receive a fractional Year of Service
for the period of such cessation of employment.
Notwithstanding anything in this
Section 2.70 to the contrary, an Employee shall not receive credit
for more than one Year of Service with respect to any
twelve-consecutive-month period.
ARTICLE III
PARTICIPATION
3.1
Eligibility Requirements . Each Eligible Employee who was an
active Participant on December 31, 2008 shall continue to be an
active Participant in the Plan on January 1, 2009, provided he
remains an Eligible Employee. Each other Eligible Employee may
elect to participate in the Plan as of any Enrollment Date after
the Employee’s first day of employment as an Eligible
Employee or as soon as administratively practicable thereafter. An
Eligible Employee shall make an election to participate by
authorizing deductions from or reduction of his Compensation as
contributions to the Plan in accordance with Article IV, and
directing the investment of such contributions in accordance with
Article VIII. Such Compensation deduction and/or reduction
authorization and investment direction shall be made in accordance
with the procedures established by the Administrative
Committee.
3.2
Participation upon Reemployment . If an Employee terminates
his employment with an Affiliated Employer and is subsequently
reemployed as an Eligible Employee, he may elect to become an
active Participant in the Plan as of the date of his reemployment
or as soon as administratively practicable thereafter.
3.3
No Restoration of Previously Distributed Benefits . A
Participant who has terminated his employment with the Affiliated
Employers and who has received a distribution of the amount
credited to his Account pursuant to Section 12.5 shall not be
entitled to restore the amount of such distribution to his Account
if he is reemployed and again becomes a Participant in the
Plan.
A Participant whose benefit under
the Plan was transferred to a qualified plan maintained by Mirant
Services, LLC as a result of the spin-off of Mirant from the
Southern Company controlled group on April 2, 2001 shall not be
entitled to restoration of the amount of such transfer upon his
subsequent reemployment by an Affiliated Employer.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
Participant who terminated employment at a time when he was zero
percent (0%) vested in his account under the Performance Sharing
Plan and was deemed cashed-out of the Performance Sharing Plan, and
who returns to the employ of an Affiliated Employer before
incurring five (5) consecutive One-Year Breaks in Service shall be
deemed to have bought back into this Plan and shall be entitled to
a restoration of his benefits attributable to amounts under the
Performance Sharing Plan, unadjusted for any subsequent gains or
losses.
3.4
Loss of Eligible Employee Status . If a Participant loses
his status as an Eligible Employee, but remains an Employee, such
Participant shall be ineligible to participate and shall be deemed
to have elected to suspend making Voluntary Participant
Contributions or to have Elective Employer Contributions made on
his behalf.
3.5
Military Leave . Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan
to the contrary, contributions, benefits, and service credit with
respect to qualified military service will be provided in
accordance with Section 414(u) of the Code. Loan repayments may be
suspended under the Plan as permitted under Section 414(u)(4) of
the Code.
ARTICLE IV
ELECTIVE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS
AND
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPANT
CONTRIBUTIONS
4.1
Elective Employer Contributions . Subject to the combined
limitation on Elective Employer Contributions and Voluntary
Participant Contributions under Section 4.6, an Eligible Employee
who meets the participation requirements of Article III may elect
in accordance with the procedures established by the Administrative
Committee to have his Compensation reduced by a whole percentage of
his Compensation, which percentage shall not be less than one
percent (1%) nor more than twenty-five percent (25%) of his
Compensation, except to the extent permitted under Section 4.11 of
the Plan and Code Section 414(v), such Elective Employer
Contribution to be contributed to his Account under the
Plan.
4.2
Maximum Amount of Elective Employer Contributions . Subject
to Section 4.11, the maximum amount of Elective Employer
Contributions that may be made on behalf of a Participant during
any Plan Year to this Plan or any other qualified plan maintained
by an Employing Company shall not exceed the dollar limitation set
forth in Section 402(g) of the Code in effect at the beginning of
such Plan Year.
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4.3
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Distribution of Excess Deferral
Amounts
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(a)
In General . Notwithstanding any other provision of the
Plan, Excess Deferral Amounts and income allocable thereto shall be
distributed (and any corresponding Employer Matching Contributions
shall be forfeited) no later than April 15, 2007, and each April 15
thereafter, to Participants who allocate (or are deemed to
allocate) such amounts to this Plan pursuant to (b) below for the
preceding calendar year. Excess Deferral Amounts that are
distributed shall not be treated as an Annual Addition. Any
Employer Matching Contributions forfeited pursuant to this
subsection (a) shall be applied, subject to Section 6.1, toward
funding Employing Company contributions (for the Plan Year
immediately following the Plan Year to which such forfeited
Employer Matching Contributions relate) or distributed, as directed
by the Administrative Committee, to the extent permitted by
applicable law.
(b)
Assignment . The Participant’s allocation of amounts
in excess of the Code Section 402(g) limits to this Plan shall be
in writing; shall be submitted to the Administrative Committee no
later than March 1; shall specify the Participant’s Excess
Deferral Amount for the preceding calendar year; and shall be
accompanied by the Participant’s written statement that if
such amounts are not distributed, such Excess Deferral Amount, when
added to amounts deferred under other plans or arrangements
described in Section 401(k), 408(k), 408(p), 402(h)(1)(B), 457,
501(c)(18), or 403(b) of the Code, exceeds the limit imposed on the
Participant by Section 402(g) of the Code for the year in which the
deferral occurred. A Participant is deemed to notify the
Administrative Committee of any Excess Deferral Amounts that arise
by taking into account only those deferrals under this Plan and any
other plans of an Affiliated Employer.
(c)
Determination of Income or Loss . The Excess Deferral Amount
distributed to a Participant with respect to a calendar year shall
be adjusted for income or
loss through the date of
distribution (subject to Section 4.3(d) below), pursuant to the
method of allocating income determined by the Administrative
Committee. The income or loss allocable to Excess Deferral Amounts
is the sum of:
(1) income
or loss allocated to the Participant’s Account for the
taxable year multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is
such Participant’s Excess Deferral Amount for the year and
the denominator is the Participant’s Account balance
attributable to Elective Employer Contributions, minus any income
or plus any loss occurring during the Plan Year; and
(2) if
the Administrative Committee shall determine in its sole
discretion, ten percent (10%) of the amount determined under (1)
above multiplied by the number of whole calendar months between the
end of the Plan Year and the date of the distribution, counting the
month of distribution if distribution occurs after the 15
th of the month.
Notwithstanding the above, the
Administrative Committee may designate any reasonable method for
computing the income or loss allocable to Excess Deferral Amounts,
provided that the method does not violate Section 401(a)(4) of the
Code, is used consistently for all Participants and for all
corrective distributions under the Plan for the Plan Year, and is
used by the Plan for allocating income or loss to
Participants’ Accounts.
(d)
Maximum Distribution Amount . The Excess Deferral Amount,
which would otherwise be distributed to the Participant, shall, if
there is a loss allocable to such Excess Deferral Amount, in no
event be less than the lesser of the Participant’s Account
under the Plan attributable to Elective Employer Contributions or
the Participant’s Elective Employer Contributions for the
Plan Year.
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4.4
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Additional Rules Regarding
Elective Employer Contributions .
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Salary reduction agreements shall be
governed by the following:
(a) A
salary reduction agreement shall apply to payroll periods during
which such salary reduction agreement is in effect. The
Administrative Committee, in its discretion, may establish
administrative procedures whereby the actual reduction in
Compensation may be made to coincide with each payroll period of
the Employing Company, or at such other times as the Administrative
Committee may determine.
(b) The
Employing Company may amend or revoke its salary reduction
agreement with any Participant at any time, if the Employing
Company determines that such revocation or amendment is necessary
to ensure that a Participant’s additions for any Plan Year
will not exceed the limitations of Sections 4.2 and 6.1 of the Plan
or to ensure that the Actual Deferral Percentage Test is
satisfied.
(c) Except
as required under (b) above, and under Section 4.5(b) below, no
amounts attributable to Elective Employer Contributions may be
distributed to a Participant or his Beneficiary from his Account
prior to the earlier of:
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(1)
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the severance from employment, death
or disability of the
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Participant;
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(2)
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the attainment of age 59½ by
the Participant;
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(3) the
termination of the Plan without establishment of a successor plan;
or
(4) a
financial hardship of the Participant pursuant to Section 11.6 of
the Plan.
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4.5
|
Section 401(k) Nondiscrimination
Tests .
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(a)
Actual Deferral Percentage Test . The Plan shall satisfy the
nondiscrimination test of Section 401(k)(3) of the Code, under
which no Elective Employer Contributions shall be made that would
cause the Actual Deferral Percentage for Eligible Participants who
are Highly Compensated Employees to exceed the
following:
(1) The
Average Actual Deferral Percentage for the Eligible Participants
who are Highly Compensated Employees in the current Plan Year shall
not exceed the Average Actual Deferral Percentage for the prior
Plan Year for Eligible Participants who were Non Highly Compensated
Employees for the prior Plan Year multiplied by 1.25; or
(2) The
Average Actual Deferral Percentage for Eligible Participants who
are Highly Compensated Employees in the current Plan Year shall not
exceed the Average Actual Deferral Percentage for Eligible
Participants who were Non Highly Compensated Employees in the prior
Plan Year multiplied by two (2), provided that the Average Actual
Deferral Percentage for Eligible Participants who are Highly
Compensated Employees in the current Plan Year does not exceed the
Average Actual Deferral Percentage for the prior Plan Year for
Eligible Participants who were Non Highly Compensated Employees in
the prior Plan Year by more than two (2) percentage
points.
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(b)
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Distribution of Excess Deferral
Contributions .
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(1)
In General . The Excess Deferral Contributions for a Highly
Compensated Employee for a Plan Year which are to be distributed
shall be distributed such that the Highly Compensated Employee with
the highest amount of Elective Employer Contributions for the Plan
Year shall be reduced to the extent required to:
(A) distribute
the total amount of Excess Deferral Contributions, or
(B) cause the
amount of such Highly Compensated Employee’s Elective
Employer Contributions to equal the amount of Elective Employer
Contributions of the Highly Compensated Employee with the next
highest amount of Elective Employer Contributions for the Plan
Year.
This process must be repeated until
all Excess Deferral Contributions are distributed.
Excess Deferral Contributions plus
any income and minus any loss allocable thereto shall be
distributed (and any corresponding Employer Matching Contribution
shall be forfeited) to Participants on whose behalf such Excess
Deferral Contributions were made within two and one-half
(2½) months after the last day of the Plan Year in which
such excess amounts arose, and in any event not later than the last
day of the Plan Year following the close of the Plan Year for which
such contributions were made. Distribution of Excess Deferral
Contributions shall be made to Highly Compensated Employees in
accordance with this Section 4.5(b). Any Employer Matching
Contributions forfeited pursuant to this Subsection (b)(1) shall be
applied, subject to Section 6.1, toward funding Employing Company
contributions (for the Plan Year immediately following the Plan
Year to which such forfeited Employer Matching Contributions
relate) or distributed, as directed by the Administrative
Committee, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
(2)
Determination of Income or Loss . Excess Deferral
Contributions to be distributed shall be adjusted for any income or
loss through the date of distribution (or, for Plan Years beginning
on or after January 1, 2008, through the end of the current Plan
Year) (subject to Section 4.5(b)(3) below) pursuant to the method
of allocating income determined by the Administrative Committee.
The income or loss allocable to such Excess Deferral Contributions
is the sum of:
(A) income or
loss allocated to the Participant’s Account for the taxable
year multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the
Participant’s Excess Deferral Contributions to be distributed
for the year and the denominator is the Participant’s Account
balance attributable to Elective Employer Contributions, minus any
income or plus any loss occurring during the Plan Year;
and
(B) if the
Administrative Committee shall determine in its sole discretion,
ten percent (10%) of the amount determined under (A) above
multiplied by the number of whole calendar months between the end
of the Plan Year and the date of the distribution, counting the
month of distribution if distribution occurs after the 15
th of the month.
Notwithstanding the above, the
Administrative Committee may designate any reasonable method for
computing the income or loss allocable to Excess Deferral
Contributions, provided that the method does not violate Section
401(a)(4) of the Code, is used consistently for all Participants
and for all corrective distributions under the Plan for the Plan
Year, and is used by the Plan for allocating income or loss to
Participants’ Accounts. The Plan will not fail to use a
reasonable method for computing the income and loss allocable to
Excess Deferral Contributions merely because the income and loss
allocable to Excess Deferral Contributions is determined on a date
that is no more than seven (7) days before the
distribution.
(3)
Maximum Distribution Amount . The Excess Deferral
Contributions which would otherwise be distributed to the
Participant shall be adjusted for income; shall be reduced, in
accordance with regulations, by the Excess Deferral Amount
distributed to the Participant; and shall, if there is a loss
allocable to the Excess Deferral Contributions, in no event be less
than the lesser
of the Participant’s Account
under the Plan attributable to Elective Employer Contributions or
the Participant’s Elective Employer Contributions for the
Plan Year.
(1) For
purposes of this Section 4.5, the Actual Deferral Percentage for
any Eligible Participant who is a Highly Compensated Employee for
the Plan Year and who is eligible to have deferral contributions
allocated to his account under two (2) or more plans or
arrangements described in Section 401(k) of the Code that are
maintained by an Affiliated Employer shall be determined as if all
such deferral contributions were made under a single arrangement.
If a Highly Compensated Employee participates in two (2) or more
cash or deferred arrangements that have different plan years, all
cash or deferred contributions made under such arrangements with or
within the same calendar year shall be treated as a single
arrangement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, certain plans shall be
treated as separate if mandatorily disaggregated under Code Section
401(k). For purposes of the Actual Deferral Percentage Test under
this Section 4.5, the Company Stock Fund shall not be treated as a
separate arrangement.
(2) In
the event that this Plan satisfies the requirements of Code Section
401(k), 401(a)(4), or 410(b) only if aggregated with one or more
other plans, or if one or more other plans satisfy the requirements
of Code Section 401(k), 401(a)(4), or 410(b) only if aggregated
with this Plan, then the actual deferral percentages shall be
determined as if all such plans were a single plan.
4.6
Voluntary Participant Contributions . An Eligible Employee
who meets the participation requirements of Article III may elect
in accordance with the procedures established by the Administrative
Committee to contribute to his Account a Voluntary Participant
Contribution consisting of any whole percentage of his
Compensation, which percentage is not less than one percent (1%)
nor more than twenty-five percent (25%) of his Compensation. The
maximum Voluntary Participant Contribution shall be reduced by the
percent, if any, which is contributed as an Elective Employer
Contribution on behalf of such Participant under
Section 4.1.
4.7
Manner and Time of Payment of Elective Employer Contributions
and Voluntary Participant Contributions . Contributions made in
accordance with Sections 4.1 and 4.6 will be made only through
payroll deductions and will be effective as of the payroll period
commencing as soon as practicable after the date on which the
Participant elects to commence participation in the Plan.
Contributions shall be remitted to the Trustee as of the earliest
date on which such contributions can reasonably be segregated from
each Employing Company’s general assets, but in any event not
later than the fifteenth (15th) business day of the month following
the month during which such amounts would otherwise have been
payable to the Participant in cash or such earlier time as may be
prescribed by applicable law.
4.8
Change in Contribution Rate . A Participant may
prospectively change the percentage of his Compensation that he has
authorized as the Elective Employer Contribution to be made on his
behalf or his Voluntary Participant Contribution to another
permissible percentage in accordance with the procedures
established by the Administrative Committee.
Such election shall be effective as
soon as practicable after it is made.
4.9
Change in Contribution Amount . In the event of a change in
the Compensation of a Participant, the percentage of the Elective
Employer Contribution made on his behalf or his Voluntary
Participant Contribution currently in effect shall be applied as
soon as practicable with respect to such changed Compensation
without action by the Participant.
4.10
Rollovers from Other Plans . An Eligible Employee who has
received a distribution of his interest in a retirement plan of a
former employer, or a distribution of the interest of his deceased
spouse in a retirement plan of his spouse’s former employer,
under circumstances meeting the requirements of Section 402(c)(4)
of the Code relating to eligible rollover distributions from
qualified plans, including plans established under Code Section
403(b) or 457(b), may elect to deposit all or any portion (as
designated by such Eligible Employee) of the amount of such
distribution as a Rollover Contribution to this Plan. A Rollover
Contribution may be made only within sixty (60) days following the
date the Eligible Employee receives the distribution from the plan
of his former employer (or within such additional period as may be
provided under Section 408 of the Code if the Eligible Employee
shall have made a timely deposit of the distribution in an
individual retirement account).
The Administrative Committee shall
establish rules and procedures to implement this Section 4.10,
including without limitation, such procedures as may be appropriate
to permit the Administrative Committee to verify the tax qualified
status of the plan of the former employer and compliance with any
applicable provisions of the Code relating to such contributions.
The amount contributed to the Trustee pursuant to this Section 4.10
shall be placed in the Eligible Employee’s Rollover
Contribution subaccount for the benefit of the Eligible Employee
pursuant to Section 9.1. The Eligible Employee shall have a fully
vested interest in the balance of his Rollover Contribution
subaccount at all times and such Rollover Contribution subaccount
shall share in the earnings, gains, and losses of the Trust Fund as
set forth in Article IX of the Plan. An Employee shall be entitled
to a distribution of his Rollover Contribution subaccount pursuant
to the applicable provisions of Article XI and Article XII
hereof.
4.11
Catch-Up Contributions . All Eligible Participants who will
have attained age fifty (50) before the close of the taxable year
shall be eligible to make catch-up contributions in accordance
with, and subject to the limitations of, Code Section 414(v). Such
catch-up contributions shall not be taken into account for purposes
of the provisions of the Plan implementing the required limitations
of Code Sections 402(g) and 415. The Plan shall not be treated as
failing to satisfy the provisions of the Plan implementing the
requirements of Code Section 401(k)(3), 401(k)(11), 401(k)(12),
410(b), or 416, as applicable, by reason of making of such catch-up
contributions. Catch-up contributions shall be made in such dollar
amounts as elected by the Participant in accordance with the
procedures established by the Administrative Committee.
ARTICLE V
EMPLOYER MATCHING
CONTRIBUTIONS
5.1
Amount of Employer Matching Contributions . The Board of
Directors, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine the
amount of Employer Matching Contributions that shall be made by
each Employing Company on behalf of each Participant in its employ.
The amount of Employer Matching Contributions shall be fixed by
resolutions of the Board of Directors and communicated to each
Employing Company prior to the first day the determined match
becomes effective.
5.2
Payment of Employer Matching Contributions . Except as
provided herein, Employer Matching Contributions shall be remitted
to the Trustee as soon as practicable after the payroll period to
which they relate.
5.3
Limitations on Employer Matching Contributions and Voluntary
Participant Contributions .
(a)
Actual Contribution Percentage Test . The Plan shall satisfy
the nondiscrimination test of Section 401(m) of the Code, under
which the Average Contribution Percentage for Eligible Participants
shall not exceed (1) or (2) as follows:
(1) The
Average Contribution Percentage for Eligible Participants who are
Highly Compensated Employees in the current Plan Year shall not
exceed the Average Contribution Percentage for the prior Plan Year
for Eligible Participants who were Non Highly Compensated Employees
in the prior Plan Year multiplied by 1.25; or
(2) The
Average Contribution Percentage for Eligible Participants who are
Highly Compensated Employees in the current Plan Year shall not
exceed the Average Contribution Percentage for Eligible
Participants who were Non Highly Compensated Employees in the prior
Plan Year multiplied by two (2), provided that the Average
Contribution Percentage for Eligible Participants who are Highly
Compensated Employees in the current Plan Year does not exceed the
Average Contribution Percentage for the prior Plan Year for
Eligible Participants who were Non Highly Compensated Employees in
the prior Plan Year by more than two (2) percentage
points.
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(b)
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Distribution of Excess Aggregate
Contributions .
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(1)
In General . The Excess Aggregate Contributions for a Highly
Compensated Employee for a Plan Year which are to be distributed
shall be distributed such that the Highly Compensated Employee with
the highest amount of Matching Employer Contributions and Voluntary
Participant Contributions shall be reduced to the extent required
to:
(A) distribute
the total amount of Excess Aggregate Contributions, or
(B) cause the
amount of such Highly Compensated Employee’s Employer
Matching Contributions and Voluntary Participant Contributions to
equal the amount of Employer Matching Contributions and Voluntary
Participant Contributions of the Highly Compensated Employee with
the next highest amount of Employer Matching Contributions and
Voluntary Participant Contributions for the Plan Year.
This process must be repeated until
all Excess Aggregate Contributions are distributed.
Excess Aggregate Contributions, plus
any income and minus any loss allocable thereto, shall be
distributed (or, if forfeitable, forfeited) within 2½ months
after the last day of the Plan Year in which such excess amounts
arose, and in any event not later than the last day of the
following Plan Year, to Participants to whose Accounts such Excess
Aggregate Contributions were allocated for the Plan Year. Excess
Aggregate Contributions shall be treated as Annual
Additions.
(2)
Determination of Income or Loss . Excess Aggregate
Contributions to be distributed shall be adjusted for any income or
loss through the date of distribution (or, for Plan Years beginning
on or after January 1, 2008, through the end of the current Plan
Year) pursuant to the method of allocating income determined by the
Administrative Committee. The income or loss allocable to such
Excess Aggregate Contributions is the sum of:
(A) income or
loss allocated to the Participant’s Account attributable to
Voluntary Participant Contributions and Employer Matching
Contributions to be distributed for the Plan Year multiplied by a
fraction, the numerator of which is the Participant’s Excess
Aggregate Contributions for the year and the denominator is the
Participant’s Account balance attributable to Voluntary
Participant Contributions and Employer Matching Contributions,
minus any income or plus any loss occurring during the Plan Year;
and
(B) if the
Administrative Committee shall determine in its sole discretion,
ten percent (10%) of the amount determined under (1) above
multiplied by the number of whole calendar months between the end
of the Plan Year and the date of the distribution, counting the
month of distribution if distribution occurs after the 15
th of the month.
Notwithstanding the above, the
Administrative Committee may designate any reasonable method for
computing the income or loss allocable to Excess Aggregate
Contributions, provided that the method does not violate Section
401(a)(4) of the Code, is used consistently for all Participants
and for all corrective distributions under the Plan for the Plan
Year, and is used by the Plan for allocating income or loss to
Participants’ Accounts. The Plan will not fail to use a
reasonable method for computing the income and loss allocable to
Excess Aggregate Contributions merely because the income and loss
allocable to Excess Aggregate Contributions is determined on a date
that is no more than seven (7) days before the
distribution.
(3)
Accounting for Excess Aggregate Contributions . Excess
Aggregate Contributions shall be distributed first from Voluntary
Participant
Contributions allocated to the
Participant’s Account and any corresponding Employer Matching
Contribution shall also be forfeited and then, if necessary,
distributed from the remaining Employer Matching Contribution
allocated to the Participant’s Account.
(1) The
Contribution Percentage for any Eligible Participant who is a
Highly Compensated Employee for the Plan Year and who is eligible
to make voluntary participant contributions, to receive employer
matching contributions, or to make deferral contributions under two
or more plans described in Section 401(a) of the Code or
arrangements described in Section 401(k) of the Code that are
maintained by an Affiliated Employer shall be determined as if all
such contributions were made under a single plan.
(2) In
the event that this Plan satisfies the requirements of Code Section
401(m), 401(a)(4), or 410(b) only if aggregated with one or more
other plans, or if one or more other plans satisfy the requirements
of Code Section 401(m), 401(a)(4), or 410(b) only if aggregated
with this Plan, then the contribution percentages shall be
determined as if all such plans were a single plan.
(3) The
determination and treatment of the Contribution Percentage of any
Eligible Participant shall satisfy such other requirements as may
be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury.
5.4
Reversion of Employing Company Contributions . Employing
Company contributions computed in accordance with the provisions of
this Plan shall revert to the Employing Company under the following
circumstances:
(a) In
the case of an Employing Company contribution which is made by
reason of a mistake of fact, such contribution upon written
direction of the Employing Company shall be returned to the
Employing Company within one year after the payment of the
contribution.
(b) If
any Employing Company contribution is determined to be
nondeductible under Section 404 of the Code, then such Employing
Company contribution, to the extent that it is determined to be
nondeductible, upon written direction of the Employing Company
shall be returned to the Employing Company within one year after
the disallowance of the deduction.
The amount which may be returned to
the Employing Company under this Section 5.4 is the excess of (1)
the amount contributed over (2) the amount that would have been
contributed had there not occurred a mistake of fact or
disallowance of the deduction. Earnings attributable to the excess
contribution shall not be returned to the Employing Company, but
losses attributable thereto shall reduce the amount to be so
returned. If the withdrawal of the amount attributable to the
mistaken contribution would cause the balance of the Account of any
Participant to be reduced to less than the balance which would have
been in the Account had the mistaken amount not been contributed,
then the amount to be returned to the Employing
Company shall be limited so as to
avoid such reduction.
5.5
Correction of Prior Incorrect Allocations and Distributions
. Notwithstanding any provisions contained herein to the contrary,
in the event that, as of any Valuation Date, adjustments are
required in any Participants’ Accounts to correct any
incorrect allocation of contributions or investment earnings or
losses, or such other discrepancies in Account balances that may
have occurred previously, the Employing Companies may make
additional contributions to the Plan to be applied to correct such
incorrect allocations or discrepancies. The additional
contributions shall be allocated by the Administrative Committee to
adjust such Participants’ Accounts to the value which would
have existed on said Valuation Date had there been no prior
incorrect allocation or discrepancies. The Administrative Committee
shall also be authorized to take such other actions as it deems
necessary to correct prior incorrect allocations or discrepancies
in the Accounts of Participants under the Plan.
ARTICLE VI
LIMITATIONS ON
CONTRIBUTIONS
6.1
Section 415 Limitations . Notwithstanding any provision of
the Plan to the contrary, except to the extent permitted under Code
Section 414(v), the total Annual Additions allocated to the Account
(and the accounts under all defined contribution plans maintained
by an Affiliated Employer) of any Participant for any Limitation
Year in accordance with Code Section 415 and the regulations
thereunder, which are incorporated herein by this reference, shall
not exceed the lesser of the following amounts:
(a) one
hundred percent (100%) of the Participant’s compensation (as
defined in Code Section 415(c)(3) and any rulings and regulations
thereunder) in the Limitation Year; or
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(b)
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$49,000 (as adjusted pursuant to
Code Section 415(d)(1)(C)).
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6.2
Correction of Contributions in Excess of Section 415 Limits
. The provisions of Sections 6.2 and 6.3 are only effective for
Limitation Years prior to January 1, 2008. If the Annual Additions
for a Participant exceed the limits of Section 6.1 as a result of
the allocation of forfeitures, if any, a reasonable error in
estimating a Participant’s annual compensation for purposes
of the Plan, a reasonable error in determining the amount of
elective deferrals (within the meaning of Section 402(g)(3) of the
Code) that