Description of registrants securities

EX-4.(VI) 2 codorus200404_ex4-vi.htm DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

Exhibit 4.(vi)

 

DESCRIPTION OF CODORUS VALLEY BANCORP, INC. COMMON STOCK

 

The following is a description of our common stock, certain provisions of our amended articles of incorporation and amended bylaws and certain provisions of applicable law. The following is qualified by applicable law and by the provisions of our amended articles of incorporation and bylaws, copies of which have been filed with the SEC and are also available upon request from us.

 

Authorized Shares

 

Our articles of incorporation provide that we may issue up to 30,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $2.50 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $2.50 per share. As of the date of this report, there were 9,762,682 shares of our common stock outstanding and no shares of our preferred stock issued and outstanding.

 

Shareholder Liability

 

All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and non-assessable. Under the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended, shareholders generally are not personally liable for a corporation’s acts or debts.

 

Dividends; Liquidation; Dissolution

 

Subject to the preferential rights of any other shares or series of capital stock, holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends on shares of common stock if, as and when authorized and declared by our board out of funds legally available for dividends and to share ratably in the assets of the Company legally available for distribution to its shareholders in the event of its liquidation, dissolution or winding-up after payment of, or adequate provision for, all known debts and liabilities of the Company.

 

Voting Rights

 

Each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors. Unless a larger vote is required by law, our articles of incorporation or our bylaws, when a quorum is present at a meeting of shareholders, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present shall decide any question. Except as otherwise required by law or except as provided with respect to any other class or series of capital stock, the holders of our common stock possess the exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors. Our board of directors is classified into three classes with each class as nearly equal in number as possible. This means, in general, that one-third of the members of our board are subject to re-election at each annual meeting of shareholders.

 

Preemptive Rights; Redemption

 

Holders of our common stock have no conversion, sinking fund or redemption rights or preemptive rights to subscribe for any of our classes of stock.

 

 

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions

 

Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain certain provisions that may have the effect of deterring or discouraging an attempt to take control of the Company. Among other things, these provisions:

 

■Empower our board of directors, without shareholder approval, to issue shares of our preferred stock the terms of which, including voting power, are set by our board;

 

■Divide our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three year terms;

 

■Authorize our board of directors to oppose a tender or other offer for the Company’s securities if the board determines that such an offer should be rejected;

 

■Require the affirmative vote of holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of our common stock to approve any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution of the Company, or any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, unless such transaction is approved in advance by at least 80% of the members of the board of directors, in which case such transaction shall require only such shareholder approval, if any, as may be required pursuant to the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law as in effect from time to time, and require the affirmative vote of holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of our common stock to amend this requirement;

 

■Eliminate cumulative voting in the election of directors; and

 

■Require advance notice of nominations for the election of directors and the presentation of shareholder proposals at meetings of shareholders.

 

Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law

 

The Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended, also contains certain provisions applicable to the Company that may have the effect of deterring or discouraging an attempt to take control of the Company. These provisions, among other things:

 

■Require that, following any acquisition by any one person or group of 20% of a public corporation’s voting power, the remaining shareholders have the right to receive payment for their shares, in cash, from such person or group in an amount equal to the “fair value” of the shares, including an increment representing a proportion of any value payable for control of the corporation (Subchapter 25E of the Business Corporation Law);

 

■Prohibit for five years, subject to certain exceptions, a “business combination” (which includes a merger or consolidation of the corporation or a sale, lease or exchange of assets) with a person or group beneficially owning 20% or more of a public corporation’s voting power (Subchapter 25F of the Business Corporation Law);

 

■Expand the factors and groups (including shareholders) which a corporation’s board of directors can consider in determining whether an action is in the best interests of the corporation;

 

2

 

 

■Provide that a corporation’s board of directors need not consider the interests of any particular group as dominant or controlling;

 

■Provide that a corporation’s directors, in order to satisfy the presumption that they have acted in the best interests of the corporation, need not satisfy any greater obligation or higher burden of proof with respect to actions relating to an acquisition or potential acquisition of control;

 

■Provide that actions relating to acquisition of control that are approved by a majority of “disinterested directors” are presumed to satisfy the directors’ fiduciary duty, unless it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the directors did not assent to such action in good faith after reasonable investigation; and

 

■Provide that the fiduciary duty of a corporation’s directors is solely to the corporation and may be enforced by the corporation or by a shareholder in a derivative action, but not by a shareholder directly.

 

The Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law also explicitly provides that the fiduciary duty of directors does not require them to:

 

■Redeem any rights under, or to modify or render inapplicable, any shareholders rights plan;

 

■Render inapplicable, or make determinations under, provisions of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law relating to control transactions, business combinations, control-share acquisitions or disgorgement by certain controlling shareholders following attempts to acquire control; or

 

■Act as the board of directors, a committee of the board or an individual director, solely because of the effect the action might have on an acquisition or potential acquisition of control of the corporation or the consideration that might be offered or paid to shareholders in such an acquisition.

 

3