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EXHIBIT 4.4 |
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Amended 9/28/01 |
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Amended 12/16/02 |
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Amended 3/11/05 |
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AMENDED TO REFLECT
2-for-1 STOCK SPLIT EFFECTIVE 3/11/05
AETNA INC.
2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
SECTION 1.
PURPOSE.
The purposes of this Plan are to
promote the interests of the Company and its shareholders, and
further align the interests of shareholders and Participants
by:
(i) motivating Participants through
Awards tied to total return to shareholders (i.e., stock price
appreciation and dividends);
(ii) attracting and retaining
outstanding individuals as Participants;
(iii) enabling Participants to
acquire additional equity interests in the Company;
(iv) providing compensation
opportunities dependent upon the Company’s performance
relative to its competitors and changes in its own performance over
time; and
(v) providing for the grant of
Adjusted Options in connection with the transactions under the
Merger Agreement pursuant to which the Company ceased to be a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Aetna, Inc., a Connecticut corporation
(the “ Former Parent ”).
SECTION 2.
DEFINITIONS.
“ ADJUSTED OPTION
” shall mean an Option which is granted under Section 10
in substitution for an outstanding option previously granted by the
Former Parent.
“ AFFILIATE ”
shall mean any corporation or other entity (other than the Company
or one of its Subsidiaries) in which the Company directly or
indirectly owns at least twenty percent (20%) of the combined
voting power of all classes of stock of such entity or at least
twenty percent (20%) of the ownership interests in such entity.
“ AWARD ” shall
mean a Adjusted Option and any other grant or award under the Plan,
as evidenced in a written document delivered to a Participant as
provided in Section 13(b).
“ BOARD ” shall
mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
“ CAUSE ” shall
mean (i) the willful failure by the Participant to perform
substantially the Participants duties as an employee of the Company
(other than due to physical or mental illness) after reasonable
notice to the Participant, (ii) the Participants engaging in
serious misconduct that is injurious to the Company, any Subsidiary
or any Affiliate, (iii) the Participants having been convicted
of, or entered a plea of nolo contendere to, a crime that
constitutes a felony, (iv) the breach by the Participant of any
written covenant or agreement not to compete with the Company, any
Subsidiary or any Affiliate or (v) the breach by the
Participant of his or her duty of loyalty to the Company which
shall include, without limitation, (A) the disclosure by the
Participant of any confidential information pertaining to the
Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate, (B) the harmful
interference by the Participant in the business or operations of
the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate, (C) any attempt
by the Participant directly or indirectly to induce any employee,
insurance agent, insurance broker or broker-dealer of the Company,
any Subsidiary or
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any Affiliate to be
employed or perform services elsewhere, (D) any attempt by the
Participant directly or indirectly to solicit the trade of any
customer or supplier, or prospective customer or supplier, of the
Company or (E) any breach or violation of the Companys Code of
Conduct.
“ CODE ” shall
mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the
regulations thereunder.
“ COMMITTEE ”
shall mean a committee of the Board as may be designated by the
Board to administer the Plan, which, to the extent necessary to
comply with Section 16 of the Exchange Act and
Section 162 (m) of the Code, shall consist of at least
two directors of the Company chosen by the Board each of whom is a
“non-employee director” within the meaning of
Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and an “outside
director” within the meaning of Section 162(m).
“ COMMON STOCK ”
shall mean the common stock, $.01 par value, of the Company.
“ COMPANY ” shall
mean Aetna Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation.
“ ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE
” shall mean each employee of the Company, its Subsidiaries
or its Affiliates, but shall not include directors who are not
employees of such entities; provided that, in the case of the
Adjusted Options, the term Eligible Employee shall mean each person
who is eligible to receive an Adjusted Option. Any individual the
Company designates as, or otherwise determines to be, an
independent contractor shall not be considered an Eligible
Employee, and such designation or determination shall govern
regardless of whether such individual is ultimately determined to
be an employee pursuant to the Code or any other applicable
law.
“ EMPLOYMENT ”
shall mean, for purposes of determining whether a termination of
employment has occurred under the Plan, continuous and regular
salaried employment with the Company, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate,
which shall include (unless the Committee shall otherwise
determine) any period of vacation, any approved leave of absence or
any salary continuation or severance pay period and, at the
discretion of the Committee, may include service with any former
Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Company. For this purpose, regular
salaried employment means scheduled employment of at least 20 hours
per week.
“ EXCHANGE ACT ”
shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from
time to time.
“ EXECUTIVE OFFICER
” shall mean those persons who are officers of the Company
within the meaning of Rule 16a-l(f) of the Exchange Act.
“ FAIR MARKET VALUE
” shall mean on any date, with respect to a share of Common
Stock, the closing price of a share of Common Stock as reported by
the Consolidated Tape of New York Stock Exchange Listed Shares on
such date, or, if no shares were traded on such Exchange on such
date, on the next date on which the Common Stock is traded.
“ FUNDAMENTAL CORPORATE
EVENT ” shall mean any stock dividend, extraordinary cash
dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation,
split-up, spin-off, combination, exchange of shares, offering to
purchase Common Stock at a price substantially below fair market
value, or other similar event.
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“ INCENTIVE STOCK
” shall mean an Award of Common Stock granted under
Section 7 which may become vested and nonforfeitable upon the
passage of time and/or the attainment, in whole or in part, of
performance objectives determined by the Committee.
“ INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION
” shall mean an option which is intended to meet the
requirements of Section 422 of the Code.
“ INCENTIVE UNIT ”
shall mean an Award of a contractual right granted under
Section 7 to receive Common Stock (or, at the discretion of
the Committee, cash based on the Fair Market Value of the Common
Stock) which may become vested and nonforfeitable upon either the
passage of time and/or the attainment, in whole or in part, of
performance objectives determined by the Committee.
“ MERGER AGREEMENT
” shall mean the Agreement and Plan of Restructuring and
Merger among ING America Insurance Holdings, Inc., ANB Acquisition
Corp., the Former Parent and for limited purposes only, ING Groep
N.V., dated as of July 19, 2000.
“ MERGER DATE ”
shall mean the date of the closing of the transactions contemplated
by the Merger Agreement.
“ NONSTATUTORY STOCK
OPTION ” shall mean an Option which is not intended to be
an Incentive Stock Option.
“ OPTION ” shall
mean the right granted under Section 5 to purchase the number
of shares of Common Stock specified by the Committee, at a price
and for the term fixed by the Committee in accordance with the Plan
and subject to any other limitations and restrictions as this Plan
and the Committee shall impose, and shall include both Incentive
Stock Options and Nonstatutory Stock Options.
“ OTHER STOCK-BASED
AWARD ” shall mean any right granted under
Section 8.
“ PARTICIPANT ”
shall mean an Eligible Employee who is selected by the Committee to
receive an Award under the Plan and any recipient of an
(i) Adjusted Option granted under Section 10 or (ii)
Substitute Award as contemplated under Section 4(c).
“ PLAN ” shall
mean the Aetna Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, described herein,
and as may be amended from time to time.
“ PRIOR PLAN ”
shall mean, collectively, the Aetna Inc. 1996 Stock Incentive Plan
and the Aetna Inc. 1998 Stock Incentive Plan.
“ RESTRICTED PERIOD
” shall mean the period during which a grant of Incentive
Stock or Incentive Units is subject to forfeiture.
“ STOCK APPRECIATION
RIGHT ” shall mean a right granted under
Section 6.
“ SUBSIDIARY ”
shall mean any entity of which the Company possesses directly or
indirectly fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting
power of all classes of stock of such entity.
“ SUBSTITUTE AWARDS
” shall mean Awards granted in assumption of, or in
substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by a
company acquired by the Company or with which the Company
combines.
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SECTION 3.
ADMINISTRATION.
The Plan shall be administered by the
Committee. The Committee shall have the responsibility of
construing and interpreting the Plan and of establishing and
amending such rules and regulations as it deems necessary or
desirable for the proper administration of the Plan. Any decision
or action taken or to be taken by the Committee, arising out of or
in connection with the construction, administration, interpretation
and effect of the Plan and of its rules and regulations, shall, to
the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, be within its
absolute discretion (except as otherwise specifically provided
herein) and shall be conclusive and binding upon all Participants
and any person claiming under or through any Participant.
Subject to the terms of the Plan and
applicable law, and in addition to other express powers and
authorizations conferred on the Committee by the Plan, the
Committee shall have full power and authority to:
(i) designate Participants; (ii) determine the type or
types of Awards, if any, to be granted to an Eligible Employee:
(iii) determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be
covered by, or with respect to which payments, rights, or other
matters are to be calculated in connection with, Awards:
(iv) determine the terms and conditions of any Award:
(v) determine whether, to what extent, and under what
circumstances Awards may be settled or exercised in cash, Common
Stock, other securities, other Awards or other property, or
canceled, forfeited, or suspended and the method or methods by
which Awards may be settled, exercised, canceled, forfeited, or
suspended; (vi) determine whether, to what extent, and under
what circumstances, cash, Common Stock, other securities, other
Awards, other property, and other amounts payable with respect to
an Award shall be deferred either automatically or at the election
of the holder thereof or of the Committee: (vii) interpret and
administer the Plan and any instrument or agreement relating to, or
Award made under, the Plan; (viii) establish, amend, suspend,
or waive such rules and regulations and appoint such agents as it
shall deem appropriate for the proper administration of the Plan:
and (ix) make any other determination and take any other
action that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the
administration of the Plan (including authorizing another committee
of the Board to designate Participants or make Awards under the
Plan within limits prescribed by the Committee).
SECTION 4. SHARES
AVAILABLE FOR AWARDS.
(a) Shares Available for
Issuance . The maximum number of shares of Common Stock in
respect of which Awards may be made under the Plan shall be a total
of 7,000,000 shares of Common Stock plus (i) the number of
shares of Common Stock to be delivered upon exercise of the
Adjusted Options and (ii) the number of shares required to
satisfy any outstanding incentive unit awards under the Prior Plan.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, but subject to the provisions of
Section 4(b), in no event shall the number of shares of Common
Stock issued under the Plan with respect to (x) Incentive
Stock Options exceed 5,000,000, (y) Incentive Stock or
Incentive Units exceed 2,235,000 or (z) Other Stock-Based Awards
exceed 1,000,000. Shares of Common Stock may be made available from
the authorized but unissued shares of the Company or from shares
held in the Companys treasury and not reserved for some other
purpose. In the event that any Award is paid solely in cash, no
shares shall be deducted from the number of shares available for
issuance by reason of such Award. Shares of Common Stock subject to
Awards that are forfeited, terminated, canceled or settled without
the delivery of
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