FORM OF BENEFICIAL MUTUAL SAVINGS BANK CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT
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EX-10.7 21 ex10-7.htm EXHIBIT 10.7 Exhibit 10.7
Exhibit10.7
FORM OF
BENEFICIAL MUTUAL SAVINGS BANK
CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT
This AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is hereby entered into as of __________, 2007, by and between BENEFICIAL MUTUAL SAVINGS BANK (the “Bank”), a Pennsylvania-chartered savings bank, with its principal offices at 510 Walnut Street, 19th Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106, ________________ (“Executive”), and BENEFICIAL MUTUAL BANCORP, INC. (the “Company”), the holding company of the Bank, as guarantor.
WHEREAS, the Company and the Bank recognize the importance of Executive to their operations and wish to protect Executive’s position in the event of a change in control for the period provided for in this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, Executive and the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank desire to enter into an agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of payments due to Executive in the event of a change in control and the related rights and obligations of each of the parties.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein contained, it is hereby agreed as follows:
1. | Term of Agreement. |
a. The term of this Agreement shall be (i) the initial term, consisting of the period commencing on the date of this Agreement (the “Effective Date”) and ending on the date that is three (3) years after the Effective Date, plus (ii) any and all extensions of the initial term made pursuant to this Section 1. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 1 to the contrary, the term of the Agreement shall be fixed at twelve (12) months as of the effective date of a Change in Control.
b. Commencing on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and continuing each anniversary date thereafter, the Board of Directors of the Bank (the “Board of Directors”) may extend the term of this Agreement for an additional one (1) year period beyond the then effective expiration date, provided that Executive shall not have given at least sixty (60) days’ written notice of Executive’s desire that the term not be extended.
c. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 1 to the contrary, this Agreement shall terminate (i) if Executive or the Bank terminates Executive’s employment prior to a Change in Control and (ii) on the first anniversary of the effective date of a Change in Control.
2. | Change in Control. |
a. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control (as defined in Section 2c.) followed at any time during the remaining term of this Agreement by the termination of Executive’s employment in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, other than for Cause (as defined in Section 2d.), the provisions of Section 3 of this Agreement shall apply.
b. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, Executive shall have the right to elect to voluntarily terminate his employment at any time during the remaining term of this Agreement following the occurrence of an event constituting “Good Reason.” “Good Reason” means, unless Executive has consented in writing thereto, the occurrence following a Change in Control, of any of the following:
i. | A material reduction in Executive’s responsibilities or authority in connection with his employment with the Company or the Bank; |
ii. | Assignment to Executive of duties of a non-executive nature or duties for which he is not reasonably equipped by his skills and experience; |
iii. | A reduction in salary or benefits contrary to the terms of this Agreement, or, following a Change in Control as defined in Section 12 of this Agreement, any reduction in salary or material reduction in benefits below the amounts to which Executive was entitled prior to the Change in Control; |
iv. | Termination of incentive and benefit plans (other than the Bank’s tax-qualified plans), programs or arrangements, or reduction of Executive’s participation to such an extent as to materially reduce their aggregate value below their aggregate value as of the Effective Date; |
v. | A relocation of Executive’s principal business office by more than thirty-five (35) miles from its current location; or |
vi. | Liquidation or dissolution of the Company or the Bank. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a reduction or elimination of Executive’s benefits under one or more benefit plans maintained by the Company or the Bank as part of a good faith, overall reduction or elimination of such plans or benefits thereunder applicable to all participants in a manner that does not discriminate against Executive (except as such discrimination may be necessary to comply with law) shall not constitute an event of Good Reason or a material breach of this Agreement, provided that benefits of the same type or to the same general extent as those offered under such plans are not available to other officers of the Company and the Bank, or any company that controls either of them, under a plan or plans in or under which Executive is not entitled to participate subsequent to such reduction or elimination of benefits.
c. For purposes of this Agreement, a “Change in Control” shall be deemed to occur on the earliest of any of the following events:
i. | Merger: The Company or the Bank merges into or consolidates with another corporation, or merges another corporation into the Company or the Bank, and as a result less than a majority of the combined voting power of the resulting corporation immediately after the merger or consolidation is held by persons who were stockholders of the Company or the Bank immediately before the merger or consolidation. |
ii. | Acquisition of Significant Share Ownership: There is filed, or required to be filed, a report on Schedule 13D or another form or schedule (other than Schedule 13G) required under Sections 13(d) or 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, if the schedule discloses that the filing person or persons acting in concert has or have become the beneficial owner of 25% or more of a class of the Company’s voting securities, but this clause (b) shall not apply to beneficial ownership of Company voting shares held in a fiduciary capacity by an entity of which the Company directly or indirectly beneficially owns 50% or more of its outstanding voting securities. |
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iii. | Change in Board Composition: During any period of two consecutive years, individuals who constitute the Company’s or the Bank’s Board of Directors at the beginning of the two-year period cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Company’s or the Bank’s Board of Directors; provided, however, that for purposes of this clause (iii), each director who is first elected by the board (or first nominated by the board for election by the stockholders) by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors who were directors at the beginning of the two-year period shall be deemed to have also been a director at the beginning of such period; or |
iv. | Sale of Assets: The Company or the Bank sells to a third party all or substantially all of its assets. |
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall the reorganization of the Bank from the mutual holding company form of organization to the full stock holding company form of organization (including the elimination of the mutual holding company) constitute a “Change in Control” for purposes of this Agreement.
d. Executive shall not have the right to receive termination benefits pursuant to Section 3 of this Agreement upon termination for Cause. Termination for Cause shall mean termination of Executive’s employment because of, in the good faith determination of the Board, Executive’s personal dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct, any breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit, intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful violation of any law, rule, regulation (other than traffic violations or similar offenses), final cease and desist order, or any material breach of any provision of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive shall not be deemed to have been terminated for Cause unless and until there shall have been delivered to him a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire membership of the Board of Directors at a meeting of the Board of Directors called and held for that purpose (after reasonable notice to Executive and an opportunity for him, together with counsel, to be heard before the Board of Directors), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board of Directors, Executive was guilty of conduct justifying termination for Cause and specifying the particulars thereof in detail. Executive shall not have the right to receive compensation or other benefits for any period after termination for Cause. During the period beginning on the date of the Notice of Termination for Just Cause pursuant to Section 4 of this Agreement through the Date of Termination, stock options granted to Executive under any stock option plan shall not be exercisable nor shall any unvested stock awards granted to Executive under any stock benefit plan of the Bank, the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, vest. At the Date of Termination, such stock options and any such unvested stock awards shall become null and void and shall not be exercisable by or delivered to Executive at any time subsequent to such termination for Cause.
3. | Termination Benefits. |
a. If, on or after the effective date of a Change in Control, Executive’s employment is voluntarily (in accordance with Section 2b.) or involuntarily terminated (other than for Cause) during the remaining term of this Agreement, Executive shall receive:
i. | a lump sum cash payment equal to 2.99 times the Executive’s “base amount,” within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Such payment shall be made not later than ten (10) calendar days following Executive’s termination of employment under this Section 3. |
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ii. | Continued benefit coverage under all Bank health and welfare plans which Executive participated in as of the date of the Change in Control (collectively, the “Employee Benefit Plans”) for a period of thirty-six (36) months following Executive’s termination of employment. Said coverage shall be provided under the same terms and conditions in effect on the date of Executive’s termination of employment. Solely for purposes of benefits continuation under the Employee Benefit Plans, Executive shall be deemed to be an active employee. To the extent that benefits required under this Section 3a. cannot be provided under the terms of any Employee Benefit Plan, the Bank shall enter into alternative arrangements that will provide Executive with comparable benefits. |
b. Notwithstanding any contrary provisions of this Section 3, in no event shall the aggregate payments or benefits to be made or afforded to Executive (the “Termination Benefits”) constitute an “excess parachute payment” under Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) or any successor thereto, and to avoid such a result, the Termination Benefits will be reduced, if necessary, to an amount that is one dollar ($1.00) less than an amount equal to three (3) times Executive’s “base amount,” as determined in accordance with said Section 280G of the Code. The allocation of the reduction among the Termination Benefits shall be determined by Executive.
4. | Notice of Termination. |
a. Any purported termination by the Bank or by Executive shall be communicated by Notice of Termination to the other party hereto. For purposes of this Agreement, a “Notice of Termination” shall mean a written notice which shall indicate the specific termination provision in this Agreement relied upon and shall set forth in detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination of Executive’s employment.
b. “Date of Termination” shall mean the date specified in the Notice of Termination (which, in the case of a termination for Cause, shall not be less than thirty (30) days from the date such Notice of Termination is given).
5. | Source of Payments. |
All payments provided for under this Agreement shall be timely paid in cash or check from the general funds of the Bank. The Company, however, unconditionally guarantees payment and provision of all amounts and benefits due hereunder to Executive and, if such amounts and benefits due from the Bank are not timely paid or provided by the Bank, such amounts and benefits shall be paid or provided by the Company.
6. | Effect on Prior Agreements and Existing Benefit Plans. |
This Agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties and supersedes any prior agreement between the Bank or the Company and Executive, except that this Agreement shall not effectively reduce any benefit or compensation otherwise inuring to Executive. No provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted to mean that Executive is subject to receiving fewer benefits than those available to him without reference to this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer upon Executive the right to continue in the employ of the Bank or the Company or shall impose on the Bank or the Company any obligation to retain Executive as an employee for any period.
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7. | No Attachment. |
a. Except as required by law, no right to receive payments under this Agreement shall be subject to anticipation, commutation, alienation, sale, assignment, encumbrance, charge, pledge, or hypothecation or to execution, attachment, levy or similar process or assignment by operation of law, and any attempt, voluntary or involuntary, to do so shall be null, void and of no effect.
b. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, Executive, the Bank, the Company and their respective successors and assigns.
8. | Modification and Waiver. |
a. This Agreement may not be modified or amended except by an instrument in writing signed by the parties.
b. No term or condition of this Agreement shall be deemed to have been waived, nor shall there be any estoppel against the enforcement of any provision of this Agreement, except by written instrument of the party charged with such waiver or estoppel. No written waiver shall be deemed a continuing waiver unless specifically stated as such, and each such waiver shall operate only as to the specific term or condition waived and shall not constitute a waiver of such term or condition for the future or as to any act other than that specifically waived.
9. | Severability. |
If, for any reason, any provision of this Agreement, or any part of any provision, is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of any other provision or part of this Agreement, and each such other provision and part of this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.
10. | Headings for Reference Only. |
The headings of sections and paragraphs herein in this Agreement are included solely for convenience of reference and shall not control the meaning or interpretation of any of the provisions of this Agreement. In addition, any references to the masculine shall apply to both the masculine and the feminine.
11. | Governing Law. |
Except to the extent preempted by federal law, the validity, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of this Agreement shall be governed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to conflicts of law principles.
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12. | Arbitration. |
Any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be settled exclusively by arbitration, conducted before a panel of three arbitrators sitting in a location selected by Executive within fifty (50) miles from the location of the Bank, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. Judgment may be entered on the arbitrator’s award in any court having jurisdiction; provided, however, that Executive shall be entitled to seek specific performance of Executive’s right to be paid until the Date of Termination during the pendency of any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement.
13. | Payment of Legal Fees. |
All reasonable legal fees and expenses paid or incurred by Executive pursuant to any dispute or question of interpretation relating to this Agreement shall be paid or reimbursed by the Bank or the Company, only if Executive is successful pursuant to a legal judgment, arbitration or settlement.
14. | Indemnification. |
The Company or the Bank shall provide Executive (and Executive’s heirs, executors and administrators) with coverage under a standard directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy and shall indemnify Executive (and Executive’s heirs, executors and administrators) to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law against all expenses and liabilities reasonably incurred in connection with or arising out of any action, suit or proceeding in which Executive may be involved by reason of having been a director or officer of the Company or the Bank (whether or not Executive continues to be a director or officer at the time of incurring such expenses or liabilities), such expenses and liabilities to include, but not be limited to, judgments, court costs, attorneys’ fees and the costs of reasonable settlements.
15. | Successors to the Bank and the Company. |
The Bank and the Company shall require any successor or assignee, whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Bank or the Company, expressly and unconditionally to assume and agree to perform the Bank’s and the Company’s obligations under this Agreement, in the same manner and to the same extent that the Bank and the Company would be required to perform if no such succession or assignment had taken place.
16. | Required Provisions. In the event any of the foregoing provisions of this Section 16 are in conflict with the terms of this Agreement, this Section 16 shall prevail. |
a. The Bank’s board of directors may terminate Executive’s employment at any time, but any termination by the Bank, other than termination for Cause, shall not prejudice Executive’s right to compensation or other benefits under this Agreement. Executive shall not have the right to receive compensation or other benefits for any period after termination for Cause.
b. If Executive is suspended from office and/or temporarily prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by a notice served under Section 8(e)(3) or 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. §1818(e)(3) or (g)(1); the Bank’s obligations under this Agreement shall be suspended as of the date of service, unless stayed by appropriate proceedings. If the charges in the notice are dismissed, the Bank may in its discretion: (i) pay Executive all or part of the compensation withheld while its contract obligations were suspended; and (ii) reinstate (in whole or in part) any of the obligations which were suspended.
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c. If Executive is removed and/or permanently prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by an order issued under Section 8(e)(4) or 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. §1818(e)(4) or (g)(1), all obligations of the Bank under this Agreement shall terminate as of the effective date of the order, but vested rights of the contracting parties shall not be affected.
d. If the Bank is in default as defined in Section 3(x)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. §1813(x)(1) all obligations of the Bank under this Agreement shall terminate as of the date of default, but this paragraph shall not affect any vested rights of the contracting parties.
e. All obligations under this Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent determined that continuation of the contract is necessary for the continued operation of the Bank: (i) by the Director of the OTS (or his or her designee), at the time the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) enters into an agreement to provide assistance to or on behalf of the Bank under the authority contained in Section 13(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. §1823(c); or (ii) by the Director of the OTS (or his or her designee) at the time the Director (or his designee) approves a supervisory merger to resolve problems related to the operations of the Bank or when the Bank is determined by the Director to be in an unsafe or unsound condition. Any rights of the parties that have already vested, however, shall not be affected by such action.
f. Any payments made to Executive pursuant to this Agreement, or otherwise, are subject to and conditioned upon their compliance with 12 U.S.C. §1828(k) and FDIC regulation 12 C.F.R. Part 359, Golden Parachute and Indemnification Payments.
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SIGNATURES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement effective as of the date first set forth above.
ATTEST: | BENEFICIAL MUTUAL SAVINGS BANK |
__________________________ | By: __________________________ |
For the Entire Board of Directors | |
ATTEST: | BENEFICIAL MUTUAL BANCORP, INC. |
(Guarantor) | |
__________________________ | By: __________________________ |
Corporate Secretary | For the Entire Board of Directors |
[SEAL] | |
WITNESS: | EXECUTIVE |
__________________________ | __________________________ |
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