EXHIBIT 10.13
EQUIFAX
2005 EXECUTIVE DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
(Effective As Of January 1, 2005, Except Where Otherwise
Noted)
Effective as of January 1,
2003, Equifax Inc. (the “Company”) established the
Equifax Executive Deferred Compensation Plan (“Prior
Plan”) for the benefit of eligible management and highly
compensated employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
The Plan was designed to assist and encourage eligible employees to
accumulate capital and to supplement their retirement
income.
Because the laws applicable to
nonqualified deferred compensation plans were significantly changed
effective January 1, 2005, the Company has decided to adopt a
new deferred compensation plan, the Equifax 2005 Executive Deferred
Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) for deferrals by
eligible employees occurring on or after January 1,
2005. The vested amounts credited to participants as of
December 31, 2004 under the Prior Plan (and any earnings on
such amounts) will remain credited under the Prior Plan and subject
to the terms and conditions of the Prior Plan.
ARTICLE I
Definitions
1.1
Account
shall mean the
records maintained by the Administrator to determine the
Participant’s deferrals under this Plan. Such Account
may be reflected as an entry in the Company’s (or
Employer’s) records, or as a separate account under a trust,
or as a combination of both. The Administrator may establish
such subaccounts as it deems necessary for the proper
administration of the Plan.
1.2
Administrator
shall mean the
person or persons appointed by the Board of Directors of the
Company (or its designee) to administer the Plan pursuant to
Article 10 of the Plan.
1.3
Base
Salary shall mean the
Participant’s base annual salary excluding commissions,
incentive and discretionary bonuses and other non-regular forms of
compensation, before reductions for contributions to or deferrals
under any pension, deferred compensation, welfare benefit or other
benefit plans sponsored by the Company.
1.4
Beneficiary
shall mean the
person(s) or entity designated as such in accordance with
Article 9 of the Plan.
1.5
Bonus shall mean amounts paid to
the Participant by the Employer annually in the form of a
discretionary or incentive compensation or any other bonus
designated by the Administrator to be covered by the Plan before
reductions for contributions to or deferrals under any pension,
deferred compensation, welfare benefit, or other benefit plans
sponsored by the Company.
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1.6
Change in
Control shall mean any of the
following events:
a.
Voting Stock
Accumulations . The accumulation by
any Person of Beneficial Ownership of twenty percent (20%) or more
of the combined voting power of the Company’s Voting Stock;
provided that for purposes of this subparagraph (a), a Change in
Control will not be deemed to have occurred if the accumulation of
twenty percent (20%) or more of the voting power of the
Company’s Voting Stock results from any acquisition of Voting
Stock (i) directly from the Company that is approved by the
Incumbent Board, (ii) by the Company, (iii) by any
employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by
the Company or any Subsidiary, or (iv) by any Person pursuant
to a Business Combination that complies with all of the provisions
of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of subparagraph (b);
or
b.
Business
Combinations . Consummation of a
Business Combination, unless, immediately following that Business
Combination, (i) all or substantially all of the Persons who
were the beneficial owners of Voting Stock of the Company
immediately prior to that Business Combination beneficially own,
directly or indirectly, more than sixty-six and two-thirds percent
(66-2/3%) of the then outstanding shares of common stock and the
combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities
entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors of the
entity resulting from that Business Combination (including, without
limitation, an entity that as a result of that transaction owns the
Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets
either directly or through one or more subsidiaries) in
substantially the same proportions relative to each other as their
ownership, immediately prior to that Business Combination, of the
Voting Stock of the Company, (ii) no Person (other than the
Company, that entity resulting from that Business Combination, or
any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or
maintained by the Company, any Eighty Percent (80%) Subsidiary or
that entity resulting from that Business Combination) beneficially
owns, directly or indirectly, twenty percent (20%) or more of the
then outstanding shares of common stock of the entity resulting
from that Business Combination or the combined voting power of the
then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in
the election of directors of that entity, and (iii) at least a
majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the entity
resulting from that Business Combination were members of the
Incumbent Board at the time of the execution of the initial
agreement or of the action of the Board providing for that Business
Combination; or
c.
Sale of
Assets . Consummation of a
sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets
of the Company; or
d.
Liquidations
or Dissolutions . Approval by the
shareholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or
dissolution of the Company, except pursuant to a Business
Combination that complies with all of the provisions of clauses
(i), (ii) and (iii) of subparagraph (b).
e.
Definitions
. For
purposes of this paragraph defining Change in Control, the
following definitions shall apply:
(i)
Beneficial Ownership shall mean beneficial ownership as that
term is used in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange
Act.
(ii)
Business Combination shall mean a reorganization, merger or
consolidation of the Company.
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(iii)
Eighty Percent (80%) Subsidiary shall mean an entity in
which the Company directly or indirectly beneficially owns eighty
percent (80%) or more of the outstanding Voting Stock.
(iv)
Exchange Act shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
including amendments, or successor statutes of similar
intent.
(v)
Incumbent Board shall mean a Board of Directors at least a
majority of whom consist of individuals who either are
(a) members of the Company’s Board of Directors as of
December 1, 2007 or (b) members who become members of the
Company’s Board of Directors subsequent to December 1,
2007 whose election, or nomination for election by the
Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least
two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then comprising the Incumbent
Board (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy
statement of the Company in which that person is named as a nominee
for director, without objection to that nomination), but excluding,
for that purpose, any individual whose initial assumption of office
occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest
(within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 of the Exchange Act) with
respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or
threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a
Person other than the Board of Directors.
(vi)
Person shall mean any individual, entity or group (within
the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14
(d) (2) of the Exchange Act).
(vii)
Voting Stock shall mean the then outstanding securities of
an entity entitled to vote generally m the election of members of
that entity’s Board of Directors.
1.7
Code shall mean the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
1.8
Commissions
shall mean the
Participant’s commissions payable from the Company for the
Plan Year before reductions for contributions to or deferrals under
any pension, deferred compensation, welfare benefit, or other
benefit plans sponsored by the Company.
1.9
Company
shall mean
Equifax Inc., a Georgia corporation, or its successor.
1.10
Crediting
Rate shall mean the notional gains
and losses credited on the Participant’s Account balance
which are based on the Participant’s choice among the
investment alternatives made available by the Administrator or such
other method established by the Administrator pursuant to
Article 3 of the Plan.
1.11
Disability
shall mean any
cessation of the Participant’s employment with the Employer
as a result of a physical or mental condition which prevents the
Participant from performing the normal duties of his or her current
employment for a period of at least one hundred eighty (180)
consecutive days. If a Participant makes application for
disability benefits under the Social Security Act or under an
Employer sponsored long term disability plan, as then in effect and
qualifies for such benefits, he/she shall be presumed to qualify as
totally and permanently disabled under this Plan. The
Administrator shall require that the Participant submit evidence of
such qualification for disability benefits in order to determine
the existence of Disability under this Plan and shall make its
determination of Disability in a manner consistent with the
requirements of Section 409A.
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1.12
Eligible
Executive shall mean an executive of an
Employer selected by the Administrator to be eligible to
participate in the Plan.
1.13
Employer
shall mean the
Company and any Subsidiary whose employees are designated as
eligible to participate in the Plan.
1.14
ERISA shall mean the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
1.15
Financial
Hardship shall mean an unexpected need
for cash arising from illness, casualty loss, sudden financial
reversal, or other such unforeseeable occurrence which is not
covered by insurance and which is determined to qualify as a
Financial Hardship by the Administrator. Cash needs arising
from foreseeable events such as the purchase of a residence or
education expenses for children shall not, alone, be considered a
Financial Hardship. The Administrator shall make its
determination of Financial Hardship in a manner consistent with the
requirements of Section 409A.
1.16
Participant
shall mean an
Eligible Executive who has elected to participate and has completed
a Participant Election Form pursuant to Article 2 of the
Plan.
1.17
Participant
Election Form shall mean the written
agreement to make a deferral submitted by the Participant to the
Administrator on a timely basis pursuant to Article 2 of the
Plan. The Participant Election Form may take the form of
an electronic communication followed by appropriate written
confirmation according to specifications established by the
Administrator.
1.18
Plan
Year shall mean the calendar
year.
1.19
Prior
Plan shall mean the Equifax
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, which became effective as of
January 1, 2003, as it may be amended.
1.20
Qualified
Plan shall mean the Equifax Inc.
401(k) Plan, as in effect on the effective date of this Plan
and as it may be amended from time to time.
1.21
Retirement
shall mean a
Participant’s Termination of Employment on or after the
Retirement Eligibility Date.
1.22
Retirement
Eligibility Date shall mean the earlier
of:
a.
the date on which
the Participant attains age sixty-five (65),
b.
the date on which
the Participant has both attained age fifty-five (55) and completed
at least five (5) Years of Vesting Service, or
c.
the date on which
the Participant has both attained age fifty (50) and the
Participant’s combined years of age and Years of Vesting
Service total at least seventy-five (75).
1.23
Scheduled
Withdrawal shall mean the distribution
elected by the Participant pursuant to Article 7 of the
Plan.
1.24
Section 409A
shall mean
Section 409A of the Code, as it may be amended from time to
time, and the regulations and rulings thereunder.
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1.25
Settlement
Date shall mean the date on which
a lump sum payment shall be made or the date on which installment
payments shall commence. Unless otherwise specified, the
Settlement Date shall be the last day of January of the Plan
Year following the year in which the event triggering the payout
occurs. In the case of death, the event triggering payout
shall be deemed to occur upon the date the Administrator is
provided with the documentation reasonably necessary to establish
the fact of the Participant’s death.
1.26
Subsidiary
shall mean any
corporation in an unbroken chain of corporations, beginning with
the Company, if each of the corporations other than the last
corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing 50% or more
of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one
of the other corporations in such chain. The term
“Subsidiary” shall also include a partnership or
limited liability company in which the Company or a Subsidiary owns
50% or more of the profits interest or capital
interest.
1.27
TALX Plan
Transfer Account shall mean the amount
credited to a Participant under the TALX Corporation Nonqualified
Savings and Retirement Plan that is transferred to this Plan in
accordance with Section 3.4, which shall be managed and
distributed in accordance with the provisions of this
Plan.
1.28
Termination of
Employment shall mean the date of the
Participant’s separation from service with the Employer for
any reason whatsoever, whether voluntary or involuntary, including
as a result of the Participant’s Retirement or death, or to
the extent provided in Article 6 of the Plan,
Disability.
1.29
Valuation
Date shall mean the date through
which earnings are credited and shall be the last day of the month
preceding the month in which the payout or other event triggering
the Valuation occurs.
1.30
Years of
Vesting Service shall mean the years of
vesting service credited to the Participant under the Equifax Inc.
401(k) Plan, as amended.
ARTICLE
II
Participation
2.1
Elective
Deferral . For each Plan Year a
Participant may elect to defer (i) any whole percentage
between five percent (5%) and seventy-five percent (75%) of Base
Salary and/or Commissions and/or (ii) any whole percentage or
dollar amount of Bonus, or whole percentage or dollar amount of
Bonus above a certain level (as determined by the Administrator
prior to the commencement of the Plan Year). A Participant
may also make an irrevocable election prior to the beginning of the
Plan Year to have contributed to this Plan any deferral
contributions which the Participant has elected as of the beginning
of the Plan Year to be made to the Qualified Plan for such Plan
Year which, for any reason, may not be contributed to the Qualified
Plan. The foregoing limits shall be interpreted and applied
by the Administrator and the Administrator may prior to
commencement of the Plan Year further limit the minimum or maximum
amount deferred by any Participant or group of Participants, or
waive the foregoing limits for any Participant or group of
Participants, for any reason.
2.2
Participant
Election Form . In order to make a
deferral, an Eligible Executive must submit a Participant Election
Form to the Administrator during the enrollment
period
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established by the
Administrator prior to the beginning of the Plan Year during which
the Base Salary, Commissions and/or Bonus is earned; provided, that
the Administrator may extend the election period (or period in
which a Bonus deferral election may be changed) with respect to the
Participant’s deferral of a Bonus which qualifies as
“performance-based compensation” under
Section 409A to a date that is not later than six months prior
to the end of the applicable performance period for the Bonus,
provided, further, that at the time of such election the amount of
the Bonus is not readily ascertainable. The Administrator may
establish a special enrollment period for Eligible Executives hired
during a Plan Year to allow deferrals of Base Salary, Commissions
and/or Bonus earned during the balance of such Plan Year after such
enrollment period. The Participant shall be required to
submit a new Participant Election Form on a timely basis in
order to change the Participant’s deferral election for a
subsequent Plan Year. If no Participant Election Form is
filed during the prescribed enrollment period, the
Participant’s election for the prior Plan Year shall continue
in force for the next Plan Year.
2.3
Election
Irrevocable . The election to defer
Base Salary, Commissions or Bonus shall be irrevocable once the
enrollment period as provided in Section 2.2 has expired,
except as provided in Article 6 in the event of
Disability or Section 4.5 in the case of a Financial
Hardship. If the Participant elects to discontinue deferrals
under the Plan, the Participant shall forfeit the right to make
deferrals for the balance of the Plan Year in which such election
occurs and for the entire next following Plan Year.
ARTICLE
III
Accounts
3.1
Participant
Accounts . Solely for
recordkeeping purposes, up to three (3) Accounts (a Retirement
Account and two Scheduled Withdrawal Accounts) shall be maintained
for each Participant and shall be credited with the
Participant’s deferrals directed by the Participant to each
Account at the time such amounts would otherwise have been paid to
the Participant. The Participant will designate for each Plan
Year which portion of the Participant’s deferrals for such
Plan Year shall be credited to the Participant’s Retirement
Account and any Scheduled Withdrawal Account the Participant has
elected to establish. Accounts shall be deemed to be credited
with notional gains or losses as provided in Section 3.2 from
the date the deferral is credited to the Account through the
Valuation Date. Amounts credited to a Participant’s
Account shall be fully vested at all times.
With respect to Eligible Executives
who participated in the Prior Plan prior to January 1, 2005,
and who have made deferral elections under the Prior Plan for 2005,
2006, and 2007 with respect to Base Salary, Commissions and Bonuses
which were earned and became payable on or after January 1,
2005, the Company hereby transfers all rights with respect to such
deferral elections to the Plan and the Plan hereby assumes all
obligations with respect to such deferral elections. Such
deferral elections shall be maintained and administered in
accordance with the Plan, including the payment rules of the
Plan. The Administrator may permit changes to such deferral
elections and payment elections in accordance with
Section 409A.
The Administrator shall provide such
additional payment elections to Participants (including
Participants who are no longer active employees or otherwise do not
actively participate in the Plan) with respect to amounts credited
to the Plan pursuant to this Section 3.1 as are consistent
with Section 409A, including the transitional
rules.
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3.2
Crediting Rate
. Unless the Administrator
elects to establish a different method of determining the Crediting
Rate, the Crediting Rate on amounts in a Participant’s
Account shall be based on the Participant’s choice among the
investment alternatives made available from time to time by the
Administrator. The Administrator shall establish a procedure
by which a Participant may elect to have the Crediting Rate based
on one or more investment alternatives and by which the Participant
may change investment elections periodically. The
Administrator may permit Participants to elect different investment
alternatives for different types of accounts. The
Participant’s Account balance shall reflect the investments
selected by the Participant. If an investment selected by a
Participant sustains a loss, the Participant’s Account shall
be reduced to reflect such loss. The Participant’s
choice among investments shall be solely for purposes of
calculation of the Crediting Rate. If the Participant fails
to elect an investment alternative the Crediting Rate shall be
based on the investment alternative selected for this purpose by
the Administrator. The Company shall have no obligation to
set aside or invest funds as directed by the Participant and, if
the Company elects to invest funds as directed by the Participant,
the Participant shall have no more right to such investments than
any other unsecured general creditor. During payout, the
Participant’s Account shall continue to be credited at the
Crediting Rate selected by the Participant from among the
investment alternatives or rates made available by the
Administrator for such purpose. Installment payments shall be
recalculated annually by dividing the account balance by the number
of payments remaining without regard to anticipated earnings or in
any other reasonable manner as may be determined from time to time
by the Administrator.
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