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GREEN BANKSHARES, INC. Amended and Restated 2004 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

Executive Compensation Plan Agreement

GREEN BANKSHARES, INC. Amended and Restated 2004 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN | Document Parties: GREEN BANKSHARES, INC. You are currently viewing:
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GREEN BANKSHARES, INC.

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Title: GREEN BANKSHARES, INC. Amended and Restated 2004 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
Governing Law: Tennessee     Date: 3/13/2009
Industry: Regional Banks     Sector: Financial

GREEN BANKSHARES, INC. Amended and Restated 2004 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN, Parties: green bankshares  inc.
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EXHIBIT No. 10.8

GREEN BANKSHARES, INC.
Amended and Restated
2004 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
Originally Adopted April 22, 2004

Amended and Restated for Section 409A and
Final Regulations Thereunder
Effective August 20, 2007

1.

 

Establishment, Purpose, and Types of Awards . Green Bankshares, Inc., a Tennessee corporation (the “Company”), previously established this incentive compensation plan to be known as the “Green Bankshares, Inc. 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”) during 2004 for the purpose of attracting, retaining and motivating employees, officers and directors for the Company and its Affiliates and to provide incentives and awards for superior performance. The Company, pursuant to action by its Board dated August 20, 2007, hereby amends and restates the Plan in order to ensure its compliance with new Code Section 409A and Treasury regulations issued thereunder.

The Plan permits the granting of the following types of awards (“Awards”), according to the Sections of the Plan listed here:

 

 

 

Section 8

 

Options

 

 

 

Section 9

 

Share Appreciation Rights

 

 

 

Section 10

 

Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units

 

 

 

Section 11

 

Deferred Share Units

 

 

 

Section 12

 

Performance Awards

The Plan is not intended to affect and shall not affect any stock options, equity-based compensation, or other benefits that the Company or its Affiliates may have provided, or may separately provide in the future pursuant to any agreement, plan, or program that is independent of this Plan.

2.

 

Compliance with Code Section 409A . It is the intention of the Company that this Plan, following its amendment and restatement, conform now and in the future with the requirements of Code Section 409A and any Treasury regulations issued thereunder, and the provisions of this Plan shall be liberally construed to achieve such intent; no right, power, or discretion granted the Committee, a Participant, or any beneficiary of a Participant hereunder, whether granted by the Plan or by law, shall be exercisable, if at all, in a manner that would cause the deferral which is the subject of this Plan to violate the provisions of Code Section 409A or the Treasury regulations issued thereunder.

3.

 

Defined Terms . Terms in the Plan that begin with an initial capital letter have the defined meaning set forth in Exhibit A , unless defined elsewhere in this Plan or the context of their use clearly indicates a different meaning.

 

4.

 

Shares Subject to the Plan . Subject to the provisions of Section 15 of the Plan, the maximum number of Shares that the Company may issue pursuant to Awards is 500,000. These Shares shall be authorized but unissued Shares.

Shares that are subject to an Award that for any reason expires, is forfeited, is cancelled, or becomes unexercisable, and Shares that are for any other reason not paid or delivered under the Plan shall again, except to the extent prohibited by Applicable Law, be available for subsequent Awards under the Plan. In addition, the Committee may make future Awards with respect to Shares that the Company retains from otherwise delivering pursuant to an Award either (i) as payment of the exercise price of an Award, or (ii) in order to satisfy the withholding or employment taxes due upon the grant, exercise, vesting, or distribution of an Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, but subject to adjustments pursuant to Section 15 below, the number of Shares that are available for ISO Awards shall be determined, to the extent required under applicable tax laws, by reducing the number of Shares designated in the preceding paragraph by the number of Shares granted pursuant to Awards (whether or not Shares are issued pursuant to such Awards); provided that any Shares that are either purchased under the Plan and forfeited back to the Plan, or surrendered in payment of the Exercise Price for an Award shall be available for issuance pursuant to ISO Awards.

 

 


 

5.

 

Administration .

 

(a)

 

General . The Committee shall administer the Plan in accordance with its terms, provided that the Board may act in lieu of the Committee on any matter. The Committee shall hold meetings at such times and places as it may determine and make such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as it deems advisable. In the absence of a duly appointed Committee or if the Board otherwise chooses to act in lieu of a Committee, the Board shall function as the Committee for all purposes of the Plan.

 

 

(b)

 

Committee Composition . The Board shall appoint the members of the Committee. If and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Committee may authorize one or more Reporting Persons (or other officers) to make Awards to Eligible Persons who are not Reporting Persons (or other officers whom the Committee has specifically authorized to make Awards). The Board may at any time appoint additional members to the Committee, remove and replace members of the Committee with or without Cause, and fill vacancies on the Committee however caused.

 

(c)

 

Powers of the Committee . Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion:

 

 

(i)

 

to determine Eligible Persons to whom Awards shall be granted from time to time and the number of Shares, units, or SARs to be covered by each Award;

 

(ii)

 

to determine, from time to time, the Fair Market Value of Shares;

 

 

(iii)

 

to determine, and to set forth in Award Agreements, the terms and conditions of all Awards, including any applicable exercise or purchase price, the installments and conditions under which an Award shall become vested (which may be based on performance), terminated, expired, cancelled, or replaced, and the circumstances for vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and other restrictions and limitations;

 

(iv)

 

to approve the forms of Award Agreements and all other documents, notices and certificates in connection therewith which need not be identical either as to type of Award or among Participants;

 

 

(v)

 

to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and any Award Agreement, to determine the meaning of their terms, and to prescribe, amend, and rescind rules and procedures relating to the Plan and its administration; and

 

(vi)

 

in order to fulfill the purposes of the Plan and without amending the Plan, modify, cancel, or waive the Company’s rights with respect to any Awards, to adjust or to modify Award Agreements for changes in Applicable Law, and to recognize differences in foreign law, tax policies, or customs; and

 

 

(vii)

 

to make all other interpretations and to take all other actions that the Committee may consider necessary or advisable to administer the Plan or to effectuate its purposes.

 

(d)

 

Delegation . Subject to Applicable Law and any restrictions set forth herein, the Committee may delegate administrative functions to individuals who are Reporting Persons, officers, or Employees of the Company or its Affiliates.

 

 

(e)

 

Deference to Committee Determinations . The Committee shall have the discretion to interpret or construe ambiguous, unclear, or implied (but omitted) terms in any fashion it deems to be appropriate in its sole discretion, and to make any findings of fact needed in the administration of the Plan or Award Agreements. The Committee’s prior exercise of its discretionary authority shall not obligate it to exercise its authority in a like fashion thereafter. The Committee’s interpretation and construction of any provision of the Plan, or of any Award or Award Agreement, shall be final, binding, and conclusive. The validity of any such interpretation, construction, decision or finding of fact shall not be given de novo review if challenged in court, by arbitration, or in any other forum, and shall be upheld unless clearly arbitrary or capricious.

 

2


 

 

(f)

 

No Liability; Indemnification . Neither the Board nor any Committee member, nor any Person acting at the direction of the Board or the Committee, shall be liable for any act, omission, interpretation, construction or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan, any Award or any Award Agreement. The Company and its Affiliates shall pay or reimburse any member of the Committee, as well as any Director, Employee, or Consultant who takes action in connection with the Plan, for all expenses incurred with respect to the Plan, and to the full extent allowable under Applicable Law shall indemnify each and every one of them for any claims, liabilities, and costs (including reasonable attorney’s fees) arising out of their good faith performance of duties under the Plan. The Company and its Affiliates may obtain liability insurance for this purpose.

 

(g)

 

Payments to Specified Employees . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan, in the event that Participant is a “Specified Employee,” as that term is defined by Code Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) (including applicable regulations or other published IRS guidance), distributions of any lifetime benefits to the Participant may not and shall not be made before the date which is six (6) months and one (1) day after the date of the Participant’s termination of Continuous Service or, if earlier, any date allowed under Code Section 409A and Treasury regulations issued thereunder, or the date of the Participant’s death.

 

 

(h)

 

Delays in Payments under the Plan . Consistent with regulations issued by Treasury pursuant to Code Section 409A, the Company and/or the Committee may, in the case of payments to a Participant, the deduction for which would be limited or eliminated by the application of Code Section 162(m), payments which would violate Federal securities laws or other applicable laws, or payments which would violate loan covenants or other contractual terms to which the Company was a party where such violation would result in material harm to the Company, unilaterally elect to delay such payments. This amendment shall not become effective until the expiration of twelve (12) months from the date such amendment is adopted by the Company’s Board. Any payments delayed pursuant to this provision must be reinstated and made in the first calendar year in which the Company and/or the Committee reasonably anticipate that the payment would not violate such loan covenant(s) or contractual term(s), would not result in material harm to the Company, or would not result in a violation of Federal securities laws or other applicable laws.

 

(i)

 

Payments . Consistent with Treasury regulations issued pursuant to Section 409A, individual payments in a series of payments made to Participant pursuant to this Agreement shall be treated for all purposes under the Agreement as a series of separate payments.

 

 

(j)

 

Recordkeeping .

 

1.

 

The Committee shall maintain suitable records of each Participant’s Account which, among other things, shall show separately deferrals and the earnings credited thereon, as well as distributions and withdrawals therefrom and records of its deliberations and decisions.

 

 

2.

 

The Committee shall appoint a secretary, and at its discretion, an assistant secretary, to keep the record of proceedings, to transmit its decisions, instructions, consents or directions to any interested party, to execute and file, on behalf of the Committee, such documents, reports or other matters as may be necessary or appropriate and to perform ministerial acts.

 

3.

 

The Committee shall not be required to maintain any records or accounts which duplicate any records or accounts maintained by the Company.

 

 

(k)

 

Inspection of Records . Copies of the Plan and records of a Participant’s Account shall be open to inspection by the Participant or the Participant’s duly authorized representatives at the office of the Committee at any reasonable business hour.

 

(l)

 

Identification of Fiduciaries . The Committee shall be the named fiduciary of the Plan and, as permitted or required by law, shall have exclusive authority and discretion to operate and administer the Plan.

 

3


 

 

(m)

 

Procedure for Allocation of Fiduciary Responsibilities . Fiduciary responsibilities under the Plan are allocated as follows:

 

(i)

 

The sole duties, responsibilities and powers allocated to the Board, any Committee and any fiduciary shall be those expressly provided in the relevant Sections of the Plan.

 

 

(ii)

 

All fiduciary duties, responsibilities, and powers not allocated to the Board, any Committee or any fiduciary, are hereby allocated to such body, subject to delegation.

 

(iii)

 

Fiduciary duties, responsibilities and powers under the Plan may be reallocated among fiduciaries by amending the Plan in the manner prescribed below, followed by the fiduciaries’ acceptance of, or operation under, such amended Plan.

 

 

(n)

 

Claims Procedure .

 

(i)

 

Any Participant or beneficiary of a Participant has the right to make a written claim for benefits under the Plan. If such a written claim is made and the Committee wholly or partially denies the claim, the Committee shall provide the claimant with written notice of such denial, setting forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the claimant:

 

 

 

the specific reason or reasons for such denial;

 

 

specific reference to pertinent Plan provisions or pertinent legal and regulatory authority(ies) upon which the denial is based;

 

 

 

a description of any additional material or information necessary for the claimant to perfect the claim and an explanation of why such material or information is necessary; and

 

 

an explanation of the Plan’s claims review procedure and time limits applicable to those procedures.

 

 

(ii)

 

The written notice of any claim denial pursuant to this Section 5(n) shall be given not later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the claim by the Committee, unless the Committee determines that special circumstances require an extension of time for processing the claim, in which event:

 

 

written notice of the extension shall be given by the Committee to the claimant prior to thirty (30) days after receipt of the claim;

 

 

 

the extension shall not exceed a period of thirty (30) days from the end of the initial thirty (30) day period for giving notice of a claim denial; and

 

 

the extension notice shall indicate (A) the special circumstances requiring an extension of time and (B) the date by which the Committee expects to render the benefit determination.

 

 

(iii)

 

The decision of the Committee shall be final unless the claimant, within sixty (60) days after receipt of notice of the claims denial from the Committee, submits a written request to the Board, or its delegate, for an appeal of the denial. During that sixty (60) day period, the claimant shall be provided, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records and other information relevant to the claim for benefits. The claimant shall be provided the opportunity to submit written comments, documents, records, and other information relating to the claim for benefits as part of the claimant’s appeal. The claimant may act in these matters individually, or through his/her authorized representative.

 

4


 

 

(iv)

 

After receiving the written appeal, the Board or its delegate shall issue a written decision notifying the claimant of its decision on review not later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the written appeal, unless the Board or its delegate determines that special circumstances require an extension of time for reviewing the appeal, in which event:

 

 

written notice of the extension shall be given by the Board or its delegate prior to thirty (30) days after receipt of the written appeal;

 

 

 

the extension shall not exceed a period of thirty (30) days from the end of the initial thirty (30) day review period; and

 

 

the extension notice shall indicate (A) the special circumstances requiring an extension of time and (B) the date by which the Board or its delegate expects to render the appeal decision.

 

 

(v)

 

The period of time within which a benefit determination on review is required to be made shall begin at the time an appeal is received by the Board or its delegate, without regard to whether all the information necessary to make a benefit determination on review accompanies the filing of the appeal. If the period of time for reviewing the appeal is extended as permitted above due to a claimant’s failure to submit information necessary to decide the claim on appeal, then the period for making the benefit determination on review shall be tolled from the date on which the notification of the extension is sent to the claimant until the date on which the claimant responds to the request for additional information.

 

(vi)

 

In conducting the review on appeal, the Board or its delegate shall take into account all comments, documents, records, and other information submitted by the claimant relating to the claim, without regard to whether such information was submitted or considered in the initial benefit determination. If the Board or its delegate upholds the denial, the written notice of decision from the Board or its delegate shall set forth, in a manner calculated to be understood by the claimant:

 

 

 

the specific reason or reasons for the denial;

 

 

specific reference to pertinent Plan provisions or pertinent legal and regulatory authority(ies) upon which the denial is based; and

 

 

 

a statement that the claimant is entitled to receive, upon request and free of charge, reasonable access to, and copies of, all documents, records and other information relevant to the claim for benefits.

 

(vii)

 

If the Plan or any of its representatives fails to follow any of the above claims procedures, the claimant shall be deemed to have duly exhausted the administrative remedies available under the Plan and shall be entitled to pursue any available remedies under applicable law.

 

 

(o)

 

Arbitration . Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Plan, or the breach of any of its terms or of the terms of any Award Agreement, shall be resolved by binding arbitration conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association by an arbitrator mutually acceptable to the parties. If the parties cannot agree upon a single arbitrator, each shall appoint a disinterested arbitrator and the two arbitrators so chosen shall choose a third arbitrator. In such event, the decision of a majority of the arbitrators shall be the decision of the panel. The arbitrator shall be authorized to grant injunctive relief and further shall be authorized to award the costs of arbitration, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, to the prevailing party in the arbitration. The arbitrator’s decision may be enforced in any court having jurisdiction. The parties intend that this arbitration agreement be enforceable under the Tennessee Uniform Arbitration Act.

 

(p)

 

Conflicting Claims. If the Committee is confronted with conflicting claims concerning a Participant’s Account, the Committee may interplead the claimants in an action at law, or in an arbitration conducted in accordance with Section 5(o) above and the rules of the American Arbitration Association, as the Committee shall elect in its sole discretion, and in either case, the attorneys’ fees, expenses and costs reasonably incurred by the Committee in such proceeding shall be paid from the Participant’s Account.

 

5


 

 

(q)

 

Service of Process . The Secretary of Green Bankshares, Inc. is hereby designated as agent of the Plan for the service of legal process.

 

(r)

 

Fees . Any fees associated with ongoing plan administration shall be paid by the Company.

 

6.

 

Eligibility.

 

(a)

 

General Rule . The Committee may grant ISOs only to Employees (including officers who are Employees), and may grant all other Awards to any Eligible Person. A Participant who has been granted an Award may be granted an additional Award or Awards if the Committee shall so determine, if such person is otherwise an Eligible Person and if otherwise in accordance with the terms of the Plan.

 

 

(b)

 

Grant of Awards . Subject to the express provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine from the class of Eligible Persons those individuals to whom Awards under the Plan may be granted, the number of Shares subject to each Award, the price (if any) to be paid for the Shares or the Award and, in the case of Performance Awards, in addition to the matters addressed in Section 12 below, the specific objectives, goals and performance criteria that further define the Performance Award. Each Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement signed by the Company and, if required by the Committee, by the Participant. The Award Agreement shall set forth the material terms and conditions of the Award established by the Committee.

 

(c)

 

Limits on Awards . No Participant may receive Options and SARs that relate to more than One Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand (125,000) Shares. The Committee will adjust these limitations subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 15 below.

 

 

(d)

 

Replacement Awards . The Committee may, in its sole discretion and upon such terms as it deems appropriate, require as a condition of the grant of an Award to a Participant that the Participant surrender for cancellation some or all of the Awards that have previously been granted to the Participant under this Plan or otherwise. An Award that is conditioned upon such surrender may or may not be the same type of Award, may cover the same (or a lesser or greater) number of Shares as such surrendered Award, may have other terms that are determined without regard to the terms or conditions of such surrendered Award, and may contain any other terms that the Committee deems appropriate. In the case of Options, these other terms may not involve an Exercise Price that is lower than the Exercise Price of the surrendered Option unless either the new grant will not create any material financial expense for the Company or the Company’s shareholders approve the grant itself or the program under which it is made pursuant to the Plan.

7.

 

Payment on Behalf of Minors, Etc . In the event any amount becomes payable under the Plan to a minor or a person who, in the sole judgment of the Committee, is considered by reason of physical or mental condition to be unable to give a valid receipt therefor, the Committee may direct that such payment be made to any person found by the Committee, in its sole judgment, to have assumed the care of such minor or other person. Any payment made pursuant to such determination shall constitute a full release and discharge of the Company, the Board, the Committee and their officers, directors and employees.

 

8.

 

Option Awards .

 

(a)

 

Types; Documentation . The Committee may in its discretion grant ISOs to any Employee and Non-ISOs to any Eligible Person, and shall evidence any such grants in an Award Agreement that is delivered to the Participant. Each Option shall be designated in the Award Agreement as an IS0 or a Non-ISO. At the sole discretion of the Committee, any Option may be exercisable, in whole or in part, immediately upon the grant thereof, or only after the occurrence of a specified event, or only in installments, which installments may vary. Options granted under the Plan may contain such terms and provisions not inconsistent with the Plan that the Committee shall deem advisable in its sole and absolute discretion.

 

 

(b)

 

ISO $100,000 Limitation . To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of Shares with respect to which Options designated as ISOs first become exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year (under this Plan and any other plan of the Company or any Affiliate) exceeds One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000), such excess Options shall be treated as Non-ISOs. For purposes of determining whether the One Hundred Thousand Dollar ($100,000) limit is exceeded, the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to an ISO shall be determined as of the Grant Date. In reducing the number of Options treated as ISOs to meet the One Hundred Thousand Dollar ($100,000) limit, the most recently granted Options shall be reduced first. In the event that Section 422 of the Code is amended to alter the limitation set forth therein, the limitation of this Section 8(b) shall be automatically adjusted accordingly.

 

6


 

 

(c)

 

Term of Options . Each Award Agreement shall specify a term at the end of which the Option automatically expires, subject to earlier termination provisions contained in Section 8(h) hereof; provided, that, the term of any Option may not exceed ten (10) years from the Grant Date. In the case of an ISO granted to an Employee who is a Ten Percent Holder on the Grant Date, the term of the ISO shall not exceed five (5) years from the Grant Date.

 

(d)

 

Exercise Price . The exercise price of an Option shall be determined by the Committee in its discretion and shall be set forth in the Award Agreement, subject to the following special rules:

 

 

(i)

 

ISOs . If an ISO is granted to an Employee who on the Grant Date is a Ten Percent Holder, the per Share exercise price shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value per Share on such Grant Date. If an ISO is granted to any other Employee, the per Share exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value per Share on the Grant Date.

 

(ii)

 

Non-ISOs . The per Share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of a Non-ISO shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the Grant Date, and may be offered pursuant to a deferred compensation program on terms the Committee in its discretion determines. Non-ISOs issued pursuant to a deferred compensation program involving elective deferrals by participants will be immediately exercisable.

 

 

(iii)

 

Named Executives . The per Share exercise price shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the Grant Date of an Option if (A) on such Grant Date, the Participant is subject to the limitations set forth in Section 162(m) of the Code, and (B) the grant is intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

(iv)

 

Repricing . The Committee may at any time unilaterally reduce the exercise price for any Option, but only if (A) the reduction will not cause material financial expense for the Company, and (B) the Committee promptly provides a written notice to any Participant affected by the reduction.

 

 

(e)

 

Exercise of Option . The times, circumstances and conditions under which an Option shall be exercisable shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion and set forth in the Award Agreement. The Committee shall have the discretion to determine whether and to what extent the vesting of Options shall be tolled during any unpaid leave of absence; provided, however, that in the absence of such determination, vesting of Options shall be tolled during any such leave approved by the Company.

 

(f)

 

Minimum Exercise Requirements . An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share. The Committee may require in an Award Agreement that an Option be exercised as to a minimum number of Shares, provided that such requirement shall not prevent a Participant from purchasing the full number of Shares as to which the Option is then exercisable.

 

7


 

 

(g)

 

Methods of Exercise . Prior to its expiration pursuant to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement, each Option may be exercised, in whole or in part (provided that the Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares), by delivery of written notice of exercise to the secretary of the Company accompanied by the full exercise price of the Shares being purchased. In the case of an ISO, the Committee shall determine the acceptable methods of payment on the Grant Date and it shall be included in the applicable Award Agreement. The methods of payment that the Committee may in its discretion accept or commit to accept in an Award Agreement include:

 

(i)

 

cash or check payable to the Company (in U.S. dollars);

 

 

(ii)

 

other Shares that (A) are owned by the Participant who is purchasing Shares pursuant to an Option, (B) have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which the Option is being exercised, (C) were not acquired by such Participant pursuant to the exercise of an Option, unless such Shares have been owned by such Participant for at least six (6) months or such other longer period as the Committee may determine, (D) are all, at the time of such surrender, free and clear of any and all claims, pledges, liens and encumbrances, or any restrictions which would in any manner restrict the transfer of such shares to or by the Company (other than such restrictions as may have existed prior to an issuance of such Shares by the Company to such Participant), and (E) are duly endorsed for transfer to the Company;

 

(iii)

 

a cashless exercise program that the Committee may approve, from time to time in its discretion, pursuant to which a Participant may concurrently provide irrevocable instructions (A) to such Participant’s broker or dealer to effect the immediate sale of the purchased Shares and remit to the Company, out of the sale proceeds available on the settlement date, sufficient funds to cover the exercise price of the Option plus all applicable taxes required to be withheld by the Company by reason of such exercise and (B) to the Company to deliver the certificates for the purchased Shares directly to such broker or dealer in order to complete the sale; or

 

 

(iv)

 

any combination of the foregoing methods of payment.

The Company shall not be required to deliver Shares pursuant to the exercise of an Option until payment of the full exercise price therefore is received by the Company.

 

(h)

 

Termination of Continuous Service . The Committee may establish and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement the terms and conditions on which an Option shall remain exercisable, if at all, following termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service. The Committee may waive or modify these provisions at any time. To the extent that a Participant is not entitled to exercise an Option at the date of his or her termination of Continuous Service, or if the Participant (or other person entitled to exercise the Option) does not exercise the Option to the extent so entitled within the time specified in the Award Agreement or below (as applicable), the Option shall terminate and the Shares underlying the unexercised portion of the Option shall revert to the Plan and become available for future Awards. In no event may any Option be exercised after the expiration of the Option term as set forth in the Award Agreement.

The following provisions shall apply to the extent an Award Agreement does not specify the terms and conditions upon which an Option shall terminate when there is a termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service:

 

(i)

 

Termination other than Upon Disability or Death or for Cause . In the event of termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service (other than as a result of Participant’s death, disability, retirement or termination for Cause), the Participant shall have the right to exercise an Option at any time within three (3) months following such termination to the extent the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option at the date of such termination.

 

(ii)

 

Disability . In the event of termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service as a result of his or her “disability” within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, the Participant shall have the right to exercise an Option at any time within one (1) year following such termination to the extent the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option at the date of such termination.

 

 

(iii)

 

Retirement . In the event of termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service as a result of Participant’s retirement, the Participant shall have the right to exercise the Option at any time within one (1) year following such termination to the extent the Participant was entitled to exercise such Option at the date of such termination.

 

8


 

 

(iv)

 

Death . In the event of the death of a Participant during the period of Continuous Service since the Grant Date of an Option, or within thirty days following termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service, the Option may be exercised, at any time within one (1) year following the date of the Participant’s death, by the Participant’s estate or by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance, but only to the extent the right to exercise the Option had vested at the date of death or, if earlier, the date the Participant’s Continuous Service terminated.

 

(v)

 

Cause . If the Committee determines that a Participant’s Continuous Service terminated due to Cause, the Participant shall immediately forfeit the right to exercise any Option, and it shall be considered immediately null and void.

 

 

(i)

 

Reverse Vesting . The Plan Administrator in its discretion may allow a Participant to exercise unvested Options, in which case the Shares then issued shall be Restricted Share Units having analogous vesting restrictions to the unvested Options.

 

(j)

 

Buyout Provisions . The Committee may at any time offer to buy out an Option, in exchange for a payment in cash or Shares, based on such terms and conditions as the Committee shall establish and communicate to the Participant at the time that such offer is made. In addition, if the Fair Market Value for Shares subject to an Option is more than thirty-three percent (33%) below their exercise price for more than thirty (30) consecutive business days, the Committee may unilaterally terminate and cancel the Option either (i) by paying the Participant, in cash or Shares, an amount not less than the Black-Scholes value of the vested portion of the Option, or (ii) by irrevocably committing to grant a new Option, on a designated date more than six (6) months after such termination and cancellation of such Option (but only if the Participant’s Continuous Service has not terminated prior to such designated date), on substantially the same terms as the cancelled Option, provided that the per Share exercise price for the new Option shall equal the per Share Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the new grant occurs.

 

9.

 

Share Appreciate Rights (SARs) .

 

(a)

 

Grants . The Committee may in its discretion grant Share Appreciation Rights to any Eligible Person, in any of the following forms:

 

 

(i)

 

SARs related to Options . The Committee may grant SARs either concurrently with the grant of an Option or with respect to an outstanding Option, in which case the SAR shall extend to all or a portion of the Shares covered by the related Option. An SAR shall entitle the Participant who holds the related Option, upon exercise of the SAR and surrender of the related Option, or portion thereof, to the extent the SAR and related Option each were previously unexercised, to receive payment of an amount determined pursuant to Section 9(e) below. Any SAR granted in connection with an ISO will contain such terms as may be required to comply with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(ii)

 

SARs Independent of Options . The Committee may grant SARs which are independent of any Option subject to such conditions as the Committee may in its discretion determine which conditions will be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

 

(iii)

 

Limited SARs . The Committee may grant SARs exercisable only upon or in respect of a Change in Control or any other specified event, and such limited SARs may relate to or operate in tandem or combination with or substitution for Options or other SARs, or on a stand-alone basis, and may be payable in cash or Shares based on the spread between the exercise price of the SAR, and (A) a price based upon or equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares during a specified period, at a specified time within a specified period before, after or including the date of such event, or (B) a price related to consideration payable


 
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