Nonqualified Deferred Compensation (a) It is intended that any payment or benefit which is provided pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement which is considered to be deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be paid and provided in a manner, and at such time and form, as complies with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code to avoid the unfavorable tax consequences provided therein for non-compliance.
(b) Neither Company nor Executive shall take any action to accelerate or delay the payment of any monies and/or provision of any benefits in any manner which would not be in compliance with Section 409A of the Code (including any transition or grandfather rules thereunder).
(c) Because Executive is a “specified employee” for purposes of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, any payments to be made or benefits to be delivered in connection with Executive’s “Separation from Service” (as determined for purposes of Section 409A of the Code) that constitute deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code shall not be made until the earlier of (i) Executive’s death or (ii) six months after Executive’s Separation from Service (the “409A Deferral Period”) as required by Section 409A of the Code. Payments otherwise due to be made in installments or periodically during the 409A Deferral Period (“Delayed Payments”) shall be accumulated and paid in a lump sum as soon as the 409A Deferral Period ends, and the balance of the payment shall be made as otherwise scheduled. Any such benefits subject to the rule may be provided under the 409A Deferral Period at Executive’s expense, with Executive having a right to reimbursement from Company once the 409A Deferral Period ends, and the balance of the benefits shall be provided as otherwise scheduled. Any Delayed Payments shall bear interest at the United States 5-year Treasury Rate plus 2%, which accumulated interest shall be paid to Executive as soon as the 409A Deferral Period ends.
(d) For purposes of this Agreement, all rights to payments and benefits hereunder shall be treated as rights to receive a series of separate payments and benefits to the fullest extent allowed by Section 409A of the Code.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, neither Company nor its subsidiaries or affiliates shall be liable to Executive if any payment or benefit which is to be provided pursuant to this Agreement and which is considered deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code otherwise fails to comply with, or be exempt from, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
Equity Awards You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from time to time. The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may be in effect from time to time.
Participation in Retirement and Employee Benefit Plans The Employee shall be entitled to participate in all plans relating to pension, thrift, profit-sharing, group life and disability insurance, medical and dental coverage, education, cash bonuses, and other retirement or employee benefits or combinations thereof, in which the Bank's executive officers participate.
Forfeiture of Restricted Stock Units i. If the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement of the Participant before October 1, <Year_of_Grant>, then the Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate immediately without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company.
ii. If the Participant’s employment is terminated for any reason other than Retirement, Disability, or death, any Restricted Stock Units that are subject to a Restriction Period shall be forfeited immediately without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company, and all rights of the Participant with respect to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate. If the Participant is granted a leave of absence before the expiration of the Restriction Period, the Participant shall not forfeit any rights with respect to any Restricted Stock Units subject to the Restriction Period, except for Dividend Equivalent Payments as provided in Section 4 of this Agreement, unless the Participant’s employment with the Corporation or a Subsidiary Company terminates at any time during or at the end of the leave of absence and before the expiration of the Restriction Period, at which time all rights of the Participant with respect to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company.
iii. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement or Disability of the Participant, and the Participant Engages in Competing Employment within a period of two years following Retirement or Disability, and before the expiration of the Restriction Period, then any Restricted Stock Units subject to a Restriction Period shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company. A Participant “Engages in Competing Employment” if the Participant works for or provides services for any Competitor, on the Participant’s own behalf or on behalf of others, including, but not limited to, as a consultant, independent contractor, director, owner, officer, partner, joint venturer, or employee. For this purpose, a “Competitor” is any entity in the same line of business as the Corporation in North American markets in which the Corporation competes, including, but not limited to, any North American Class I rail carrier, any other rail carrier competing with the Corporation (including without limitation a holding or other company that controls or operates or is otherwise affiliated with any rail carrier competing with the Corporation), and any other provider of transportation services competing with Corporation, including motor and water carriers. Moreover, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate if:
A. the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement or Disability of the Participant before the expiration of the Restriction Period, and
B. it is determined that the Participant engaged in any of the following:
1. the Participant engaged in an act of fraud, embezzlement, or theft in connection with the Participant’s duties or in the course of the Participant’s employment with the Corporation or Subsidiary Company; or
2. the Participant disclosed confidential information in violation of a confidentiality agreement with the Corporation or a Subsidiary Company, or otherwise in violation of the law. A determination under this paragraph shall be made by the Committee with respect to a participant who was, at any time, employed at the level of Vice President or above, and this determination shall be made by the Vice President Human Resources with respect to all other participants, and in either situation upon consultation with the Corporation’s chief legal officer. Participant understands that nothing in this Agreement (1) prohibits or impedes Participant from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity (including but not limited to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Congress, and any agency Inspector General), from making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation, or from receiving a monetary award from the SEC related to participation in an SEC investigation or proceeding, or (2) requires Participant to obtain prior authorization of the Corporation to make any such reports or disclosures or to notify the Corporation of such reports or disclosures.
Accelerated Vesting of Equity Awards One hundred percent (100%) of Executive’s then-outstanding and unvested Equity Awards will become vested in full. If, however, an outstanding Equity Award is to vest and/or the amount of the award to vest is to be determined based on the achievement of performance criteria, then the Equity Award will vest as to one hundred percent (100%) of the amount of the Equity Award assuming the performance criteria had been achieved at target levels for the relevant performance period(s).
Acceleration of Equity Awards All: (i) outstanding and unvested options to purchase Common Stock granted to Executive under any equity plan of the Company, (ii) unvested shares of restricted Common Stock awarded to the Executive under any equity plan of the Company, and (iii) other equity and equity equivalent awards then held by the Executive, shall be accelerated in full, and thereafter all such options, shares of restricted Common Stock and other equity awards shall be immediately vested and exercisable for such period of time as provided for by the specific agreements governing each such award, upon Executive’s termination pursuant to Sections 11(b), (c), (e) or (f) hereof.
Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation a. Reporting of first-tier subawards.
Incentive, Savings and Retirement Plans During the Employment Period, the Executive shall be entitled to participate in all incentive, savings and retirement plans, practices, policies and programs applicable generally to other peer executives of the Company and its affiliated companies, but in no event shall such plans, practices, policies and programs provide the Executive with incentive opportunities (measured with respect to both regular and special incentive opportunities, to the extent, if any, that such distinction is applicable), savings opportunities and retirement benefit opportunities, in each case, less favorable, in the aggregate, than the most favorable of those provided by the Company and its affiliated companies for the Executive under such plans, practices, policies and programs as in effect at any time during the 120-day period immediately preceding the Effective Date or if more favorable to the Executive, those provided generally at any time after the Effective Date to other peer executives of the Company and its affiliated companies.
Company Stock Options (a) At the Effective Time, Parent shall assume, by virtue of this Agreement and without any further action on the part of the Company, all of the Company's obligations with respect to each outstanding Company Stock Option, whether vested or unvested. Unless otherwise elected by Parent prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall make such assumption in such manner that Parent (i) is a corporation "assuming a stock option in a transaction to which Section 424(a) applies" within the meaning of Section 424 of the Code or (ii) to the extent that Section 424 of the Code does not apply to such Company Stock Option, would be such a corporation were Section 424 of the Code applicable to such Company Stock Option; and, if not so otherwise elected, after the Effective Time, all references to the Company in the Company Stock Plans and the applicable Company Stock Option agreements shall be deemed to refer to Parent, which shall have assumed the Company Stock Plans as of the Effective Time by virtue of this Agreement and without any further action on the part of the Company or Parent. Each Company Stock Option so assumed by Parent under this Agreement shall continue to have, and be subject to, the same terms and conditions set forth in the applicable Company Stock Plan and the applicable Company Stock Option as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, except as otherwise provided in Section 3.05. Parent shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that Company Stock Options intended to qualify as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code prior to the Effective Time continue to so qualify after the Effective Time.
(b) With respect to the Company Stock Plans, Parent shall take all corporate action necessary or appropriate to, as soon as practicable after the Effective Time, file a registration statement on Form S-8 (or any successor or other appropriate form) with respect to the shares of Parent Common Stock subject to such plan to the extent such registration statement is required under applicable law in order for such shares of Parent Common Stock to be sold without restriction, and Parent shall use its best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statements (and maintain the current status of the prospectuses contained therein) for so long as such benefits and grants remain payable and such options under such plans remain outstanding.
Welfare, Pension and Incentive Benefit Plans During the Employment Period, Executive (and his eligible spouse and dependents) shall be entitled to participate in all the welfare benefit plans and programs maintained by the Company from time-to-time for the benefit of its senior executives including, without limitation, all medical, hospitalization, dental, disability, accidental death and dismemberment and travel accident insurance plans and programs. In addition, during the Employment Period, Executive shall be eligible to participate in all pension, retirement, savings and other employee benefit plans and programs maintained from time-to-time by the Company for the benefit of its senior executives, other than any annual cash incentive plan.
