Exhibit 10.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT
This
AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT ("Agreement"),
originally effective as of the 7th day of April, 2003 (the
"Effective Date"), as amended from time to time thereafter, and as
amended and restated as of the 31 st day of March, 2009, is entered into by and
between GEORGE E. BULL, III (the "Executive") and REDWOOD
TRUST, INC ., a Maryland corporation (the
"Company").
The
Company desires to establish its right to the continued services of
the Executive, in the capacity, on the terms and conditions, and
subject to the rights of termination hereinafter set forth, and the
Executive is willing to accept such employment in such capacity, on
such terms and conditions, and subject to such rights of
termination. As of the Effective Date, this Agreement wholly
supersedes the Employment Agreement between the Executive and the
Company that was effective as of August 19, 1994.
In
consideration of the mutual agreements hereinafter set forth, the
Executive and the Company have agreed and do hereby agree as
follows:
1. EMPLOYMENT AS CHAIRMAN OF THE
BOARD AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE COMPANY.
The Company does hereby employ,
engage and hire the Executive as Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, and the Executive does hereby
accept and agree to such hiring, engagement, and employment. The
Executive's duties as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer shall be such executive and managerial duties as the Board
of Directors of the Company shall from time to time prescribe and
as provided in the Bylaws of the Company. The Executive shall
devote such time, energy and skill to the performance of his duties
for the Company and for the benefit of the Company as may be
necessary or required for the effective conduct and operation of
the Company's business. Furthermore, the Executive shall exercise
due diligence and care in the performance of his duties to the
Company under this Agreement.
2. TERM OF AGREEMENT.
The term of this Agreement (the
"Term") shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue
through December 31, 2005; provided, however, that (i) on January
1, 2006 and each succeeding January 1, the Term shall automatically
be extended for one additional year unless, not later than three
months prior to any such January 1, either party shall have given
written notice to the other that it does not wish to extend the
Term and (ii) such one year extensions of the Term shall not occur
on and after the January 1 of the year in which the Executive will
attain age sixty-five (65) but instead the Term shall be extended
only until the date of the Executive's sixty-fifth (65th)
birthday.
(a) Base Salary. The Company shall pay
the Executive, and the Executive agrees to accept from the Company,
in payment for his services to the Company a base salary at the
rate of $700,000 per year ("Base Salary"), payable in equal
biweekly installments or at such other time or times as the
Executive and Company shall agree. Base Salary shall be subject to
such adjustments as the Company and the Executive shall
agree.
(b) Performance Bonus – Board of
Directors’ Discretion. The Executive shall be eligible to
receive an annual bonus. The Compensation Committee of the
Company's Board of Directors (the "Compensation Committee") in its
discretion will determine whether such annual bonus will be paid,
the amount of such bonus and its form of payment. The Executive's
target annual bonus amount is 175% of his Base Salary (the "Target
Bonus"). If the Compensation Committee determines in its discretion
that the Executive's performance meets or exceeds the criteria
established by the Compensation Committee for the award of a Target
Bonus, it may award Executive the Target Bonus or a higher amount.
Likewise, if the Executive's performance does not meet the
criteria, the Committee may award a lesser amount or no bonus may
be awarded.
(c) Equity Incentive
Awards. Executive shall be eligible to receive
grants of equity-based long-term incentive awards, including
options to purchase Company stock and Company restricted stock.
Such awards shall be determined in the discretion of the
Compensation Committee. In the event of a Change of Control (as
defined in Section 2(f) of the Redwood Trust, Inc. Executive
Deferred Compensation Plan) in which the surviving or acquiring
corporation does not assume the Executive's outstanding stock
options and equity-related awards (including options and awards
granted both before and after the Effective Date) or substitute
similar options and equity-related awards, such options and
equity-related awards shall immediately vest and become exercisable
if the Executive's service with the Company has not terminated
before the effective date of the Change of Control; provided,
however, that the foregoing provision shall only apply if the
Company is not the surviving corporation or if shares of the
Company's common stock are converted into or exchanged for other
securities or cash.
(d) Annual Review. The Company's Board of
Directors shall, at least annually, review the Executive's entire
compensation package to determine whether it continues to meet the
Company's compensation objectives. Such annual review will include
a determination of (i) whether to increase the Base Salary in
accordance with Section 3(a); (ii) the incentive performance bonus
to be awarded in accordance with Section 3(b); and (iii) the amount
and type of any equity awards granted in accordance with Section
3(c).
4. FRINGE BENEFITS.
The Executive shall be entitled to
participate in any benefit programs adopted from time to time by
the Company for the benefit of its senior executive employees, and
the Executive shall be entitled to receive such other fringe
benefits as may be granted to him from time to time by the
Company's Board of Directors.
(a) Benefit Plans.
The Executive shall be
entitled to participate in any benefit plans relating to stock
options, stock purchases, pension, thrift, profit sharing, life
insurance, medical coverage, education, or other retirement or
employee benefits available to other senior executive employees of
the Company, subject to any restrictions (including waiting
periods) specified in such plans and/or related individual
agreements. The Company shall make commercially reasonable efforts
to obtain medical and disability insurance, and such other forms of
insurance as the Board of Directors shall from time to time
determine, for its senior executive employees.
(b) Paid Time Off . The Executive shall be entitled to
such number of weeks of paid vacation per calendar year consistent
with Executive's satisfactory performance of the duties set forth
in Section 1.
5. BUSINESS EXPENSES.
The Company shall reimburse the
Executive for any and all necessary, customary and usual expenses,
properly receipted in accordance with Company policies, incurred by
Executive on behalf of the Company.
6. TERMINATION OF EXECUTIVE'S
EMPLOYMENT.
(a) Death. If the Executive dies while employed
by the Company, his employment shall immediately terminate. The
Company's obligation to pay the Executive's Base Salary shall cease
as of the date of the Executive's death, and any unpaid Base Salary
shall be paid to the Executive's estate. In addition, within
fifteen (15) days of the Executive's death, the Company shall pay
to the Executive's estate an incentive performance bonus based on
Executive's Target Bonus then in effect, prorated for the number of
days of employment completed by the Executive during the year of
his death. Executive's beneficiaries or his estate shall receive
benefits in accordance with the Company's retirement, insurance and
other applicable programs and plans then in effect. All stock
options or other equity-related awards, including restricted stock
awards, shall vest in full and, in the case of stock options, shall
be exercisable for such period as set forth in the applicable award
agreement by which such awards are evidenced.
(b) Disability.
If, as a result of the Executive's
incapacity due to physical or mental illness ("Disability"),
Executive shall have been absent from the full-time performance of
his duties with the Company for six (6) consecutive months, and,
within thirty (30) days after written notice is provided to him by
the Company, he shall not have returned to the full-time
performance of his duties, the Executive's employment under this
Agreement may be terminated by the Company for Disability. During
any period prior to such termination during which the Executive is
absent from the full-time performance of his duties with the
Company due to Disability, the Company shall continue to pay the
Executive his Base Salary at the rate in effect at the commencement
of such period of Disability. Subsequent to such termination, the
Executive's benefits shall be determined under the Company's
retirement, insurance and other compensation programs then in
effect in accordance with the terms of such programs. In addition,
within fifteen (15) days of such termination, the Company shall pay
to the Executive an incentive performance bonus based on
Executive's Target Bonus then in effect, prorated for the number of
days of employment completed by the Executive during the year in
which his employment terminated.
The Executive, the Executive's
beneficiaries or his estate shall receive benefits in accordance
with the Company's retirement, insurance and other applicable
programs and plans then in effect. All stock options or other
equity-related awards, including restricted stock awards, shall
vest in full and, in the case of stock options, shall be
exercisable for such period as set forth in the applicable award
agreement by which such awards are evidenced.
(c) Termination By The Company For
Cause . The
Company may terminate the Executive's employment under this
Agreement for Cause, at any time prior to expiration of the Term of
the Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, "Cause" shall mean
(i) the Executive's material failure to substantially perform the
reasonable and lawful duties of his position for the Company, which
failure shall continue for thirty (30) days after notice thereof by
the Company to the Executive; (ii) acts or omissions constituting
gross negligence, recklessness or willful misconduct on the part of
the Executive in respect of his fiduciary obligations or otherwise
relating to the business of the Company; or (iii) the Executive's
conviction of a felony involving fraud, misappropriation or
embezzlement. In such a case, the Executive's employment under this
Agreement may be terminated, and the Company's obligation to pay
the Executive's Base Salary, any bonus and fringe benefits shall
cease as of the termination date. However, the termination of
Executive's employment shall not be deemed to be for Cause unless
and until there has been delivered to Executive a copy of a
resolution duly adopted by the Company's Board of Directors (after
reasonable notice is provided to Executive and Executive is given
an opportunity to be heard by the Company's Board of Directors),
finding that, in the good faith opinion of the Company's Board of
Directors, Executive's conduct met the standard for termination for
Cause.
(d) Termination By The Company
Without Cause. The
Executive shall have the right to terminate this Agreement for Good
Reason. For purposes of this Agreement, "Good Reason" shall mean
the occurrence, without the Executive's express written consent, of
any one or more of the following events:
(i) (A) the Executive's not being either Chairman of
the Board or Chief Executive Officer of the Company, or if the
Company is a subsidiary, of the ultimate parent entity, except in
connection with the Company's termination of the Executive's
employment for Cause pursuant to Section 6(c) or as otherwise
expressly contemplated herein; (B) the assignment of duties to the
Executive not consistent with being Chairman of the Board or Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, or if the Company is a
subsidiary, of the ultimate parent entity; or (C) the Executive's
not reporting to the Company's Board of Directors, or if the
Company is a subsidiary, of the ultimate parent entity;
(ii) A reduction in the Executive's Base Salary or a
material reduction in the value of the Executive's total
compensation package (salary, bonus opportunity, equity incentive
award opportunity and benefits) if such a reduction is inconsistent
with compensation trends for Chairmen of the Board and Chief
Executive Officers at comparable companies, or such reduction is
not made in proportion to an across-the-board reduction for all
senior executives of the Company and a Change of Control (as
defined in Section 2(f) of the Redwood Trust, Inc. Executive
Deferred Compensation Plan) has not occurred;
(iii) The relocation of the Executive's principal
Company office to a location more than twenty-five (25) miles from
its location as of the Effective Date or the Company's requiring
the Executive to be based anywhere other than the Company's
principal executive offices, except for required travel on the
Company's business to the extent necessary to fulfill the
Executive's obligations under Section 1;
(iv) A failure to re-elect the Executive as a member
of the Company's Board of Directors, or if the Company is a
subsidiary, of the Board of Directors of the ultimate parent
entity;
(v) A failure at any time to renew this Agreement
for successive one-year periods pursuant to Section 2;
(vi) The complete liquidation of the Company;
or
(vii) In the event of a merger, consolidation,
transfer, or closing of a sale of all or substantially all the
assets of the Company with or to any other individual or entity,
the failure of the Company's successor to affirmatively adopt this
Agreement or to otherwise comply with its obligations pursuant to
Section 13 below.
(e) Termination By The Executive
Without Good Reason. The Executive may at any time during
the Term terminate his employment hereunder for any reason or no
reason by giving the Company notice in writing not less than one
hundred twenty (120) days in advance of such termination. The
Executive shall have no further obligations to the Company after
the effective date of termination, as set forth in the notice. In
the event of a termination by the Executive under this Section
6(e), the Company will pay only the portion of Base Salary or
previously awarded bonus unpaid as of the termination date. Fringe
benefits which have accrued and/or vested on the termination date
will continue in effect according to their terms.
7.
COMPENSATION UPON TERMINATION BY THE COMPANY OTHER THAN FOR CAUSE
OR BY THE EXECUTIVE FOR GOOD REASON.
(a) If the Executive's employment shall be
terminated by the Company other than for Cause or by the Executive
for Good Reason, the Executive shall be entitled to the following
benefits:
(i) Payment of Unpaid Base
Salary. The Company shall
immediately pay the Executive any portion of the Executive's Base
Salary or previously awarded bonus not paid prior to the
termination date.
(ii) Severance
Payment. The
Company shall provide the Executive the following: (x) an amount
equal to 8.25 times Executive’s Annual Base Salary as in
effect immediately prior to his termination; (y) an amount equal to
1.75 times the Executive’s Annual Base Salary in effect
immediately prior to his termination prorated for the number of
days of employment completed by the Executive during the year in
which his employment is terminated; and (z) with respect to options
granted on or before December 31, 2002, the sum of the Dividend
Equivalent Rights payments (as defined in the applicable award
agreement by which any such Dividend Equivalent Rights were
granted) that would have been payable to Executive over the three
(3) year period following his termination had he remained employed
(taking into consideration the term of options and Dividend
Equivalent Rights and assuming that the options are fully vested
and remain unexercised). Payments pursuant to this
Section with respect to options granted after December 31, 2002
will be calculated in the same manner, unless such options provide
a different formula for Dividend Equivalent Rights payments if
Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company other
than for Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason, in which case
the Dividend Equivalent Rights payments shall be governed by the
terms of such options. The quarterly dividend per
share rate that shall be used in this calculation is the higher of
(I) one-fourth (25%) of the sum of common stock dividends declared
per common share in the twelve (12) months prior to the termination
date, and (II) one-twelfth (8.333%) of the sum of common stock
dividends declared per common share in the thirty-six (36) months
prior to the termination date.
(iii) Stock Options and Other
Equity-Related Awards. All stock options and other
equity-related awards, including restricted stock awards, held by
the Executive as of the termination date shall vest in full and, in
the case of stock options, shall be exercisable for such period as
set forth in the applicable award agreements by which such awards
are evidenced.
(iv) Continuation of Fringe
Benefits. For
the three (3) year period following the termination of the
Executive's employment, the Company shall continue to provide the
Executive with all life insurance, disability insurance and medical
coverage fringe benefits set forth in Section 4 as if the
Executive's employment under the Agreement had not been terminated;
provided, however, that such life insurance, disability insurance
and medical coverage shall cease as of the date the Executive
receives such coverage from a subsequent employer. No provision of
this Agreement will affect the continuation coverage rules under
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 ("COBRA"),
except that the Company's payment, if any, of applicable insurance
premiums will be credited as payment by the Executive for purposes
of the Executive's payment required under COBRA. Therefore, the
period during which the Executive may elect to continue the
Company's medical plan coverage at the Executive's own expense
under COBRA, the length of time during which COBRA coverage will be
made available to the Executive, and all other rights and
obligations of the Executive under COBRA (except the obligation to
pay insurance premiums that the Company pays) will be applied in
the same manner that such rules would apply in the absence of this
Agreement. For purposes of this Section 7(a)(iv), any applicable
insurance premiums that are paid by the Company shall not include
any amounts payable by the Executive under an Internal Revenue Code
Section 125 health care reimbursement plan, which