Exhibit 10.14
UNITRIN, INC.
NON-QUALIFIED DEFERRED
COMPENSATION PLAN
As Amended and Restated Effective
January 1, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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ARTICLE I
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DEFINITIONS
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1
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ARTICLE II
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ELIGIBILITY
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4
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ARTICLE III
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DEFERRALS
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5
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ARTICLE IV
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FUNDING
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6
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ARTICLE V
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INVESTMENT OF
FUNDS, ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE AND VESTING
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8
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ARTICLE VI
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PAYMENT OF
BENEFITS
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9
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ARTICLE VII
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PAYMENTS UPON
DEATH
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11
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ARTICLE VIII
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ADMINISTRATION
OF THE PLAN
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11
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ARTICLE IX
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AMENDMENT OR
TERMINATION
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12
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ARTICLE X
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GENERAL
PROVISIONS
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UNITRIN, INC.
NON-QUALIFIED DEFERRED
COMPENSATION PLAN
The Unitrin, Inc. Non-Qualified
Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) was adopted
effective January 1, 2002 and was amended and restated
effective January 1, 2008 to comply with Code
Section 409A. The Plan is now further amended and restated
effective January 1, 2009 to clarify the operation of the Plan
and its compliance with Code Section 409A.
The purpose of the Plan is to
provide a benefit to directors who are not employees of Unitrin,
Inc. and select executives of Unitrin, Inc. or one of its
subsidiaries. Plan Participants are allowed the opportunity to
elect to defer a portion of their Eligible Compensation (as defined
in Section 1.14) to some future period. The Plan is intended
to be an unfunded “top hat plan” exempt from certain
provisions of ERISA.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
1.1 General . For purposes of
the Plan, the following terms, when capitalized, will have the
following meanings. The masculine pronoun wherever used herein will
include the feminine gender, the singular number will include the
plural, and the plural will include the singular, unless the
context clearly indicates a different meaning.
1.2 “ Account ”
means the aggregate of a Participant’s bookkeeping
sub-accounts established pursuant to Section 5.1.
1.3 “ Administrative
Committee ” means the Administrative Committee of the
Unitrin, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan.
1.4 “ Affiliated
Company” or “Affiliate ” means any
corporation, trade or business entity which is a member of a
controlled group of corporations, trades or businesses of which the
Company is also a member, as provided in Code Sections 414(b) or
(c).
1.5 “ Beneficiary
Designation Form ” means a written document, the form of
which the Company shall determine from time to time, on which a
Participant shall have the right to designate a
beneficiary.
1.6 “ Board ”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
1.7 “ Bonus
Compensation ” means the annual formula and annual
discretionary management bonuses earned in a given year and
generally paid in the following year. Bonus Compensation does not
include other bonuses such as a relocation bonus, a hiring bonus or
other periodic bonuses.
1.8 “ Change of Control
” means Change of Control as defined in
Section 4.3.
1.9 “ Code ”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to
time, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
1.10 “ Committee
” means the Compensation Committee of the Board.
1.11 “ Company ”
means Unitrin, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or, to the extent
provided in Section 10.9, any successor corporation or other
entity resulting from a reorganization, merger or consolidation
into or with the Company, or a transfer or sale of substantially
all of the assets of the Company.
1.12 “ Deferral
Election ” means the following: (a) for Employee
Participants, an election to defer all or part of such
Participant’s Regular Base Salary or such Participant’s
Bonus Compensation, all pursuant to Section 3.1, and
(b) for Outside Director Participants, an election to defer
Director Fees pursuant to Section 3.1. A Participant’s
Deferral Election shall also include an election by the Participant
specifying the calendar year in which payments shall commence and
the method of payment with respect to the payout of all future
benefits attributable to deferrals for the Plan Year.
1.13 “ Director Fees
” means the cash fees Outside Directors earn.
1.14 “ Eligible
Compensation ” means Regular Base Salary, Bonus
Compensation or Director Fees.
1.15 “ Eligible
Employees ” means a select group of management employees
of the Company or an Affiliate.
1.16 “ Employee
Participant ” means with respect to any Plan Year, an
Eligible Employee who has been designated in writing as a
Participant pursuant to Section 2.1.
1.17 “ Employer ”
means the Company and its Affiliates.
1.18 “ ERISA ”
means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended from time to time, and the regulations promulgated
thereunder.
1.19 “ 401(a)(17) Limit
” means the amount of compensation which may be considered by
a plan sponsor for purposes of determining benefits under a
qualified retirement plan. This amount is automatically adjusted
annually by the Secretary of the Treasury for increases in the
cost-of-living and such adjustment shall automatically be taken
into account by the Plan.
1.20 “ Investment
Preference Form ” means a written document, the form of
which the Company shall determine from time to time, on which a
Participant shall communicate his or her investment
preference.
1.21 “ Outside
Directors ” mean the directors of the Board who are not
employees of the Company.
1.22 “ Outside Director
Participant ” means with respect to any Plan Year, a
Participant who is an Outside Director for that Plan
Year.
1.23 “ Participation
Date ” means the date on which an Eligible Employee or an
Outside Director is eligible to participate in the Plan, as set
forth in Section 2.2.
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1.24 “ Participant
” means an Employee Participant or an Outside Director
Participant.
1.25 “ Plan ”
means the Unitrin, Inc. Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation
Plan.
1.26 “ Plan
Administrator ” means the Committee.
1.27 “ Plan Year
” means any calendar year during which the Plan is in
effect.
1.28 “ Regular Base
Salary ” means the annual scheduled base salary,
excluding, without limitation, stock option income, severance pay,
and income included in pay due to fringe benefits.
1.29 “ Regulations
” means the regulations, as amended from time to time, which
are issued under Code Section 409A.
1.30 “ Separation from
Service ” means the Participant’s termination from
employment from the Employer, subject to the following and other
provisions of the Regulations:
(a) The employment relationship is
treated as continuing intact while the Participant is on military
leave, sick leave, or other bona fide leave of absence if the
period of such leave does not exceed six months, or if longer, so
long as the individual retains a right to reemployment with the
Employer under an applicable statute or by contract. A leave of
absence constitutes a bona fide leave of absence only if there is a
reasonable expectation that the Participant will return to perform
services for the Employer. If the period of leave exceeds six
months and the Participant does not retain a right to reemployment
under an applicable statute or by contract, the employment
relationship is deemed to terminate on the first day immediately
following such six-month period.
(b) In determining whether a
Separation from Service has occurred, the following presumptions,
which may be rebutted as provided in the Regulations, shall
apply:
(i) A Participant is presumed to
have separated from service where the level of bona fide services
performed decreases to a level equal to 20% or less of the average
level of services performed by the Participant during the
immediately preceding 36-month period.
(ii) A Participant will be presumed
not to have separated from service where the level of bona fide
services performed continues at a level that is 50% or more of the
average level of services performed by the Participant during the
immediately preceding 36-month period.
No presumption applies to a decrease
in the level of bona fide services performed to a level that is
more than 20% but less than 50% of the average level of bona fide
services performed during the immediately preceding 36-month
period. If a Participant had not performed services for the
Employer for 36 months, the full period that the Participant has
performed services for the Employer shall be substituted for 36
months.
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(c) For purposes of this Section,
the term “Employer” has the meaning set forth in
Section 1.17 provided that the following shall apply in
determining whether a person is an Affiliate as defined in
Section 1.4:
(i) In applying Code Sections
1563(a)(1), (2) and (3) for purposes of determining a
controlled group of corporations under Code Section 414(b),
the phrase “at least 50 percent” shall be used instead
of “at least 80 percent” each place it appears in Code
Sections 1563(a)(1), (2) and (3); and
(ii) In applying Treas. Reg.
Section 1.414(c)-2 for purposes of determining trades or
businesses (whether or not incorporated) that are under common
control for purposes of Code Section 414(c), “at least
50 percent” is used instead of “at least 80
percent” each place it appears in Treas. Reg.
Section 1.414(c)-2.
(d) In the event of the sale or
other disposition of assets by the Company or an Affiliate (the
“ Seller ”) to an unrelated service recipient
(the “ Buyer ”), the Seller and the Buyer may
specify whether a Separation from Service has occurred for a
Participant who would otherwise experience a Separation from
Service with the Seller, in accordance with the rules set forth in
Section 1.409A-1(h)(4) of the Regulations.
1.31 “ Trust ”
means a so-called “rabbi trust,” the assets of which
shall remain, for all purposes, a part of the general unrestricted
assets of the Company.
1.32 “ Valuation Date
” means each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open for
business. The determination of the Valuation Date as of which
changes in investment preferences under the Plan are effected shall
be made in accordance with rules and procedures established by the
Company.
ARTICLE II
ELIGIBILITY
2.1 Eligibility . The Board
may, in its discretion, or an Affiliate may, in its discretion and
subject to the approval of the Board, designate in writing any
Eligible Employee as a Participant who is eligible to participate
in the Plan. An Outside Director is automatically eligible to
participate in the Plan.
2.2 Participation Date and
Notice . An Eligible Employee designated as a Participant
pursuant to Section 2.1 shall become a Participant as of the
first day of the Plan Year following such designation. An Outside
Director shall become a Participant as of the date he or she is
elected a director of the Board. The date that an Eligible Employee
or Outside Director is eligible to participate in the Plan shall be
known as the Participation Date. The Company will provide the
Participant with notice of the Participant’s Participation
Date and the forms needed to make an election pursuant to
Section 3.2 as soon as reasonably practicable after the
Company is informed of a Participant’s Participation
Date.
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ARTICLE III
DEFERRALS
3.1 Deferral Amounts .
Participants may elect to defer Eligible Compensation subject to
the limits described below. A separate election for Regular Base
Salary, Bonus Compensation and Director Fees must be made. Outside
Director Participants may elect to defer up to 100% of their
Director Fees. Employee Participants may elect to defer up to 100%
of their Regular Base Salary in excess of the 401(a)(17) Limit in
effect for the year of payment. Employee Participants may also
elect to defer up to 100% of their Bonus Compensation to the extent
that Bonus Compensation plus non-deferred Regular Base Salary is in
excess of the 401(a)(17) Limit in effect for the year in which such
bonus is earned, instead of for the year of payment.
3.2 Deferral Election . The
Company shall provide each Participant, upon becoming a Participant
and thereafter annually, with a Deferral Election to be filed by
the Participant, in accordance with such procedures as may be
established by the Company but subject to the following:
(a) An Employee Participant desiring
to participate in the Plan must file with the Company a Deferral
Election prior to the beginning of the Plan Year to which it
pertains, at which time the election shall become irrevocable. Such
Deferral Election shall be effective on the first day of the Plan
Year following the filing thereof.
(b) A Director Participant desiring
to participate in the Plan must file with the Company an initial
Deferral Election within 30 days (or such lesser number of days as
the Company shall determine) following such Participant’s
Participation Date at which time the election shall become
irrevocable. Such initial election shall be effective commencing
with the first day of the first month following such filing.
Thereafter, a Deferral Election must be filed by a Director
Participant prior to the beginning of the Plan Year to which it
pertains, at which time the election shall become irrevocable. Such
Deferral Election shall be effective on the first day of the Plan
Year following the filing thereof.
(c) In no event shall a Participant
be permitted to defer Eligible Compensation for any period that has
commenced prior to the date on which the Plan is effective or the
date on which a Deferral Election is signed by the Participant and
accepted by the Company.
(d) Upon receipt of a properly
completed and executed Deferral Election, the Company shall notify
the payroll department of the Participant’s Employer to
withhold that portion of the Participant’s Eligible
Compensation specified in the agreement. All amounts shall be
withheld ratably throughout the Plan Year except for any bonus
amounts which shall be withheld in a single lump sum. In no event
shall the Participant be permitted to defer more than the amount
specified by the Plan.
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ARTICLE IV
FUNDING
4.1 Unsecured Obligation .
Individual Participant deferrals of Eligible Compensation and the
hypothetical investment earnings/losses thereon shall be reflected
in book entries maintained by or on behalf of the Company, as set
forth in Section 5.1. The existence of such book entries shall
not create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between
the Company, any third party record keeper and the Participant, his
or her designated beneficiary, or other beneficiaries provided for
under the Plan. The bookkeeping entries represent an unsecured
obligation of the Company to pay deferred Eligible Compensation and
the investment earnings/losses thereon to a Participant at a future
date.
4.2 Discretionary Rabbi Trust
. If the Company so determines, in its sole discretion, payments to
a Participant or his or her designated beneficiary or any other
beneficiary hereunder may be made from assets held in a Trust. No
person shall have any interest in such assets by virtue of the
Plan. The Company’s obligations hereunder shall be an
unfunded and unsecured promise to pay money in the future. Any
Participant having a right to receive payments pursuant to the
provisions of the Plan shall have no greater rights than any
unsecured general creditor of the Company in the event of the
Company’s insolvency or bankruptcy, and no person shall have
nor acquire any legal or equitable right, claim or interest in or
to any property or assets of the Company. In no event shall the
assets accumulated in the Trust be construed as creating a funded
plan under the applicable provisions of ERISA, or under the Code,
or under the provisions of any other applicable statute or
regulation.
4.3 Change in Control
.
(a) Upon a Change of Control the
Company shall, as soon as possible, but in no event longer than 30
days following the Change of Control, make an irrevocable
contribution to the Trust in an amount that is sufficient to pay
each Participant or beneficiary the benefits to which such
Participant(s) or their beneficiaries would be entitled pursuant to
the terms of the Plan as of the date on which the Change of Control
occurred. For purposes of the Plan “Change of Control”
shall mean the occurrence of any of the following
events:
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(i)
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any
“Person” (defined below) is or becomes the
“Beneficial Owner,” (defined below) directly or
indirectly, of securities of the Company (not including in the
securities beneficially owned by such Person any securities
acquired directly from the Company or its “Affiliate”
(defined below)) representing 25% or more of the combined voting
power of the Co
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