Exhibit 10.1
CHANGE IN CONTROL
SUPPLEMENTAL EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AGREEMENT
This
Agreement, effective as of the 8th day of August, 2007, by and
between LNB BANCORP,
INC., an Ohio corporation (the “Company”), and DAVE S.
HARNETT (“Executive”), is to EVIDENCE THAT:
WHEREAS the Company considers the
establishment and maintenance of a sound and vital management team
for the Company and its Subsidiaries (as defined in Section 1)
to be essential to
protecting and enhancing the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders; and
WHEREAS the Company recognizes that,
as is the case with many publicly held corporations, the
possibility of a change in control may arise and that such
possibility may result in the departure or distraction of
management personnel to the detriment of the Company and its
shareholders; and
WHEREAS the Board of Directors of the
Company (the “Board”) has determined that it is in the
best interests of the Company and its shareholders to secure
Executive’s continued services for the Company and/or its
Subsidiaries and to ensure Executive’s continued and
undivided dedication to Executive’s duties in the event of
any occurrence of a Change in Control (as defined in
Section 1) of the Company; and
WHEREAS Executive and the Company
acknowledge that the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall
apply only if a Change in Control occurs, except for the covenants
contained in Section 11 which shall apply in all
circumstances; and
WHEREAS Executive further
acknowledges that this Agreement does not alter Executive’s
status as an “employee at will” with the Company;
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in
consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein
contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Company
and Executive (collectively, the “Parties” and,
individually, a “Party”) hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions .
As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the
respective meanings set forth below:
(a)
“Bonus Amount” means one (1) year of
Executive’s base salary.
(b)
“Cause” means any one or more of the following:
(i) the willful and continued
failure of Executive to perform substantially Executive’s
duties with the Company or its Subsidiaries (other than any such
failure resulting from Executive’s Disability or any such
failure subsequent to Executive being delivered a Notice of
Termination without Cause by the Company or its Subsidiaries or
after Executive delivering a Notice of Termination for Good Reason
to the Company or its Subsidiaries) after a written demand for
substantial performance is delivered to Executive by the Board
which specifically identifies the manner in which the Board
believes that Executive has not substantially performed
Executive’s duties and provides Executive with three
(3) days to correct such failure, or (ii) the willful
engaging by Executive in illegal conduct or gross misconduct which
is injurious to the Company or its Subsidiaries, or (iii) the
conviction of Executive
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of, or a plea
by Executive of nolo contendere to, a felony, or
(iv) Executive’s breach of or failure to perform any of
the non-competition and non-disclosure covenants contained in
Section 11 of this Agreement or contained in any other
document signed by Executive and by the Company (or any
Subsidiary). For purpose of this paragraph (b), no act or failure
to act by Executive shall be considered “willful”
unless done or omitted to be done by Executive in bad faith and
without reasonable belief that Executive’s action or omission
was in the best interests of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Any
act or failure to act based upon authority given pursuant to a
resolution duly adopted by the Board, based upon the advice of
counsel for the Company, or based upon the instructions of the
Company’s chief executive officer or another senior officer
of the Company shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or
omitted to be done, by Executive in good faith and in the best
interests of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(c) “Change in
Control” means the occurrence of any one of the following
events:
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(i) |
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if individuals who, on the date of this Agreement, constitute
the Board (the “Incumbent Directors”) cease for any
reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided,
however, that: (A) any person becoming a director subsequent
to the date of this Agreement, whose election or nomination for
election was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the
Incumbent Directors then on the Board (either by a specific vote or
by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such
person is named as a nominee for director, without written
objection by such Incumbent Directors to such nomination), shall be
deemed to be an Incumbent Director, and (B) no individual
elected or nominated as a director of the Company initially as a
result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to
directors or any other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies
by or on behalf of any person other than the Board shall be deemed
to be an Incumbent Director; |
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(ii) |
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if any “person” (as such term is defined in
Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”) and as used in
Sections 13(d)(3) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) is or
becomes a “beneficial owner” (as defined in
Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of
securities of the Company representing twenty percent (20%) or more
of the combined voting power of the Company’s
then-outstanding securities eligible to vote for the election of
the Board (the “Company Voting Securities”); provided,
however, that the events described in this paragraph
(ii) shall not be deemed to be a Change in Control by virtue
of any of the following acquisitions: (A) by the Company or
any Subsidiary, (B) by any employee benefit plan sponsored or
maintained by the Company or any Subsidiary or by any employee
stock benefit trust created by the Company or any Subsidiary,
(C) by any underwriter temporarily holding securities pursuant
to an offering of such securities, (D) pursuant to a
Non-Qualifying Transaction (as defined in clause (iii) of this
paragraph (c), below), (E) pursuant to any acquisition by Executive
or by any group of persons including Executive (or any entity
controlled by Executive or any group of persons including
Executive), or (F) a transaction (other than one described in
clause (iii) of this paragraph (c), below) in which Company
Voting Securities are acquired from the Company, if a majority of
the Incumbent Directors approves a resolution |
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providing expressly that the acquisition pursuant to this
subparagraph (F) does not constitute a Change in Control under
this clause (ii); |
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(iii) |
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upon the consummation of a merger, consolidation, share
exchange or similar form of corporate transaction involving the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries that requires the approval of
the Company’s shareholders, whether for such transaction or
the issuance of securities in the transaction (a “Business
Combination”), unless immediately following such Business
Combination: (A) more than fifty percent (50%) of the total
voting power of either (x) the corporation resulting from the
consummation of such Business Combination (the “Surviving
Corporation”) or, if applicable, (y) the ultimate parent
corporation that directly or indirectly has beneficial ownership of
one hundred percent (100%) of the voting securities eligible to
elect directors of the Surviving Corporation (the “Parent
Corporation”) is represented by Company Voting Securities
that were outstanding immediately prior to such Business
Combination (or, if applicable, represented by shares into which
such Company Voting Securities were converted pursuant to such
Business Combination), and such voting power among the holders
thereof is in substantially the same proportion as the voting power
of such Company Voting Securities among the holders thereof
immediately prior to the Business Combination, (B) no person
(other than any employee benefit plan sponsored or maintained by
the Surviving Corporation or the Parent Corporation or any employee
stock benefit trust created by the Surviving Corporation or the
Parent Corporation) is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or
indirectly, of twenty percent (20%) or more of the total voting
power of the outstanding voting securities eligible to elect
directors of the Parent Corporation (or, if there is no Parent
Corporation, the Surviving Corporation), and (C) at least a
majority of the members of the board of directors of the Parent
Corporation (or, if there is no Parent Corporation, the Surviving
Corporation) were Incumbent Directors at the time of the
Board’s approval of the execution of the initial agreement
providing for such Business Combination (any Business Combination
which satisfies all of the criteria specified in (A), (B) and
(C) above shall be deemed to be a “Non-Qualifying
Transaction”); or |
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(iv) |
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if the shareholders of the Company approve a plan of complete
liquidation or dissolution of the Company or a sale of all or
substantially all of the Company’s assets but only if,
pursuant to such liquidation or sale, the assets of the Company are
transferred to an entity not owned (directly or indirectly) by the
Company’s shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a
Change in Control shall not be deemed to occur solely because any
person acquires beneficial ownership of more than twenty percent
(20%) of Company Voting Securities as a result of the acquisition
of Company Voting Securities by the Company which reduces the
number of Company Voting Securities outstanding; provided, however,
that if (after such acquisition by the Company) such person becomes
the beneficial owner of additional Company Voting Securities that
increases the percentage of outstanding Company Voting Securities
beneficially owned by such person, a Change in Control shall then
occur. |
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change in Control shall not be
deemed to occur solely because any person acquires beneficial
ownership of more than twenty percent (20%) of Company Voting
Securities as a result of the acquisition of Company Voting
Securities by the Company which reduces the number of Company
Voting Securities outstanding; provided, however, that if (after
such acquisition by the Company) such person becomes the beneficial
owner of additional Company Voting Securities that increases the
percentage of outstanding Company Voting Securities beneficially
owned by such person, a Change in Control shall then occur. |
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Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if
(A) Executive’s employment is terminated prior to a
Change in Control for reasons that would have constituted a
Qualifying Termination if they had occurred following a Change in
Control, (B) Executive reasonably demonstrates that such
termination (or event constituting Good Reason) was at the request
of a third party who had indicated an intention or taken steps
reasonably calculated to effect a Change in Control, and (C) a
Change in Control involving such third party (or a party competing
with such third party to effectuate a Change in Control) does
occur, then (for purposes of this Agreement) the date immediately
prior to the date of such termination of employment (or event
constituting Good Reason) shall be treated as a Change in
Control. |
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(d) |
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“Date of Termination” means (1) the effective
date on which Executive’s employment by the Company and its
Subsidiaries terminates as specified in a
prior written notice by the Company, a Subsidiary or Executive (as
the case may be) to the other, delivered pursuant to
Section 9, or (2) if Executive’s employment by the
Company terminates by reason of death, the date of death of
Executive, or (3) if the Executive incurs a Disability, the
date of such Disability as determined by a physician chosen by the
Company. For purposes of determining the timing of payments and
benefits to Executive under Section 4, the date of the actual
Change in Control shall be treated as Executive’s Date of
Termination. (e) “Disability” means Executive’s
inability to perform Executive’s then-existing duties with
the Company or its Subsidiaries on a full-time basis for at least
one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days as a result of
Executive’s incapacity due to physical or mental
illness. |
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(f) |
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“Good Reason” means, without Executive’s
express written consent, the occurrence of any of the following
events after a Change in Control: |
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(i) |
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(A) any change in the duties or responsibilities (including
reporting responsibilities) of Executive that is inconsistent in
any material and adverse respect with Executive’s positions,
duties, responsibilities or status with the Company or its
Subsidiaries immediately prior to such Change in Control (including
any material and adverse diminution of such duties or
responsibilities), or (B) a material and adverse change in
Executive’s titles or offices (including, if applicable,
membership on the Board) with the Company or its Subsidiaries as
existing immediately prior to such Change in Control; |
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(ii) |
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(A)a reduction by the Company or its Subsidiaries in
Executive’s rate of annual base salary as in effect
immediately prior to such Change in Control (or as such annual base
salary may be increased from time to time thereafter), or
(B) the failure by the Company or its Subsidiaries to pay |
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Executive an annual bonus (if any) in respect of the year in
which such Change in Control occurs; |
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(iii) |
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any requirement of the Company or its Subsidiaries that
Executive: (A) be based anywhere more than fifty
(50) miles from the office where Executive is located at the
time of the Change in Control, or (B) travel on Company or
Subsidiary business to an extent substantially greater than the
travel obligations of Executive immediately prior to such Change in
Control; |
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(iv) |
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the failure of the Company or its Subsidiaries to continue in
effect any material employee benefit plan, compensation plan,
welfare benefit plan or other material fringe benefit plan in which
Executive is participating immediately prior to such Change in
Control or the taking of any action by the Company or its
Subsidiaries which would materially and adversely affect
Executive’s participation in or reduce Executive’s
benefits under any such plan, unless Executive is permitted to
participate in other plans providing Executive with substantially
equivalent benefits in the aggregate; or |
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(v) |
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