EXHIBIT 10.8
FORM OF
THE SAVINGS BANK OF MANCHESTER
________YEAR CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT
This AGREEMENT is made effective as of ____________, 1999, by and among The
Savings Bank of Manchester (the "Institution"), a state chartered savings
institution, with its principal administrative office at 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX, _________________ ("Executive"), and Connecticut Bancshares,
Inc. (the "Holding Company"), a corporation organized under the laws of the
State of Delaware which is the holding company of the Institution.
WHEREAS, the Institution recognizes the substantial contribution Executive
has made to the Institution and wishes to protect Executive's position therewith
for the period provided in this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, Executive has agreed to serve in the employ of the Institution.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the contribution and responsibilities
of Executive, and upon the other terms and conditions hereinafter provided, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
1. TERM OF AGREEMENT.
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The period of this Agreement shall be deemed to have commenced as of the
date first above written and shall continue for a period of _____________(___)
full calendar months thereafter. Commencing on the first anniversary date of
this Agreement, and continuing on each anniversary thereafter, the term of this
Agreement may be extended for an additional year such that the remaining term of
this Agreement may be ____________, unless Executive or the Board elects not to
extend the term of the Agreement by giving written notice to the other party in
accordance with Section 4 of this Agreement, in which case the term of this
Agreement.
2. CHANGE IN CONTROL.
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(a) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control of the Institution or the
Holding Company (as herein defined) followed at any time during the term of this
Agreement by the termination of Executive's employment, other than for Cause, as
defined in Section 2(c) hereof, the provisions of Section 3 shall apply. 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 term of this
Agreement following any demotion, loss of title, office or significant
authority, material reduction in his annual compensation or benefits, or
relocation of his principal place of employment by more than 35 miles from its
location immediately prior to the Change in Control; provided, however, the
Executive may consent in writing to any such demotion, loss, reduction
or relocation. The effect of any written consent of the Executive under this
Section 2 (a) shall be strictly limited to the terms specified in such written
consent.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, a "Change in Control" of the
Institution or Holding Company shall mean an event of a nature that: (i) would
be required to be reported in response to Item 1 of the current report on Form
8-K, as in effect on the date hereof, pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"); or (ii)
results in a Change in Control of the Institution or the Holding Company within
the meaning of the Change in Bank Control Act and the Rules and Regulations
promulgated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") at 12 C.F.R.
(S) 303.4(a), with respect to the Institution, and the Rules and Regulations
promulgated by the Office of Thrift Supervision ("OTS") (or its predecessor
agency), with respect to the Holding Company, as in effect on the date of this
Agreement; or (iii) without limitation such a Change in Control shall be deemed
to have occurred at such time as (A) any "person" (as the term is used in
Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) is or becomes the "beneficial
owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or
indirectly, of voting securities of the Institution or the Holding Company
representing 20% or more of the Institution's or the Holding Company's
outstanding voting securities or right to acquire such securities except for any
voting securities of the Institution purchased by the Holding Company and any
voting securities purchased by any employee benefit plan of the Institution or
the Holding Company, or (B) individuals who constitute the Board on the date
hereof (the "Incumbent Board") cease for any reason to constitute at least a
majority thereof, provided that any person becoming a director subsequent to the
date hereof whose election was approved by a vote of at least three-quarters of
the directors comprising the Incumbent Board, or whose nomination for election
by the Holding Company's stockholders was approved by the same Nominating
Committee serving under an Incumbent Board, shall be, for purposes of this
clause (B), considered as though he were a member of the Incumbent Board, or (C)
a plan of reorganization, merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially
all the assets of the Institution or the Holding Company or similar transaction
occurs in which the Institution or Holding Company is not the resulting entity,
or (D) a proxy statement has been distributed soliciting proxies from
stockholders of the Holding Company, by someone other than the current
management of the Holding Company, seeking stockholder approval of a plan of
reorganization, merger or consolidation of the Holding Company or Institution or
similar transaction with one or more corporations as a result of which the
outstanding shares of the class of securities then subject to such plan or
transaction are exchanged for or converted into cash or property or securities
not issued by the Institution or the Holding Company, or (E) a tender offer is
made for 20% or more of the voting securities of the Stock Institution or
Holding Company then outstanding.
(c) Executive shall not have the right to receive termination benefits
pursuant to Section 3 hereof upon Termination for Cause. The term "Termination
for Cause" shall mean termination because of: 1) Executive's personal
dishonesty, willful misconduct, 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
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and desist order or material breach of any provision of this Agreement which
results in a material loss to the Institution or the Holding Company, or 2)
Executive's conviction of a crime or act involving moral turpitude or a final
judgement rendered against Executive based upon actions of Executive which
involve moral turpitude. For the purposes of this Section, no act, or the
failure to act, on Executive's part shall be "willful" unless done, or omitted
to be done, not in good faith and without reasonable belief that the action or
omission was in the best interests of the Bank or its affiliates.
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
Notice of Termination which shall include a copy of a resolution duly adopted by
the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the members of the Board at
a meeting of the Board 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), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board,
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 Cause
pursuant to Section 4 hereof through the Date of Termination, stock options
granted to Executive under any stock option plan shall not be exercisable nor
shall any unvested awards granted to Executive under any stock benefit plan of
the Institution, the Holding Company or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof
vest. At the Date of Termination, such stock options and 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 Date of Termination for Cause.
3. TERMINATION BENEFITS.
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(a) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, followed at any time during
the term of this Agreement by the voluntary or involuntary termination of
Executive's employment, other than for Termination for Cause, the Institution
shall be obligated to pay Executive, or in the event of his subsequent death,
his beneficiary or beneficiaries, or his estate, as the case may be, a sum equal
to _________ (___) times Executive's average annual compensation for the five
most recent taxable years that Executive has been employed by the Institution or
such lesser number of years in the event that Executive shall have been employed
by the Institution for less than five years. Such annual compensation shall
include base salary, commissions, bonuses, any other cash compensation,
contributions or accruals on behalf of Executive to any pension and profit
sharing plan, benefits received or to be received under any stock-based benefit
plan, severance payments, director or committee fees and fringe benefits paid or
to be paid to the Executive during such years. At the election of Executive
which election is to be made prior to a Change in Control, such payment shall be
made: (a) in a lump sum, (b) on a bi-weekly basis in approximately equal
installments over a period of _____________(___) months, or (c) on an annual
basis in approximately equal installments over a period of _____________(___)
months.
(b) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control of the Institution or the
Holding Company followed at any time during the term of this Agreement by
Executive's voluntary or involuntary termination of employment, other than for
Termination for Cause, the Institution
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shall cause to be continued life, medical and disability coverage substantially
identical to the coverage maintained by the Institution or Holding Company for
Executive prior to his severance, except to the extent such coverage may be
changed in its application to all Institution or Holding Company employees on a
nondiscriminatory basis. Such coverage and payments shall cease upon the
expiration of __________________(___) full calendar months from the Date of
Termination.
(c) Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this Section 3, in the
event that:
(i) the aggregate payments or benefits to be made or afforded to
Executive, which are deemed to be parachute payments as defined in
Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code"), or any successor thereof (the "Termination Benefits"),
would be deemed to include an "excess parachute payment" under
Section 280G of the Code; and
(ii) if such Termination Benefits were reduced to an amount (the "Non-
Triggering Amount"), the value of which 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 and the Non-
Triggering Amount less the product of the marginal rate of any
applicable state and federal income tax and the Non-Triggering
Amount would be greater than the aggregate value of the
Termination Benefits (without such reduction) minus (i) the amount
of tax required to be paid by the Executive thereon by Section
4999 of the Code and further minus (ii) the product of the
Termination Benefits and the marginal rate of any applicable state
and federal income tax,
then the Termination Benefits shall be reduced to the Non-Triggering Amount. The
allocation of the reduction required hereby among the Termination Benefits shall
be determined by the Executive.
4. NOTICE OF TERMINATION.
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(a) Any purported termination by the Institution or by Executive in
connection with a Change in Control 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
reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for
termination of Executive's employment under the provision so indicated.
(b) "Date of Termination" shall mean the date specified in the Notice of
Termination (which, in the instance of Termination for Cause, shall not be less
than thirty (30) days from the
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date such Notice of Termination is given); provided, however, that if a dispute
regarding the Executive's termination exists, the "Date of Termination" shall be
determined in accordance with Section 4(c) of this Agreement.
(c) If, within thirty (30) days after any Notice of Termination is given,
the party receiving such Notice of Termination notifies the other party that a
dispute exists concerning the termination, the Date of Termination shall be the
date on which the dispute is finally determined, either by mutual written
agreement of the parties, by a binding arbitration award, or by a final
judgment, order or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction (the time for
appeal therefrom having expired and no appeal having been perfected) and
provided further that the Date of Termination shall be extended by a notice of
dispute only if such notice is given in good faith and the party giving such
notice pursues the resolution of such dispute with reasonable diligence.
Notwithstanding the pendency of any such dispute in connection with a Change in
Control, in the event that the Executive is terminated for reasons other than
Termination for Cause, the Institution will continue to pay Executive the
payments and benefits due under this Agreement in effect when the notice giving
rise to the dispute was given (including, but not limited to his annual salary)
until the earlier of: (1) the resolution of the dispute in accordance with this
Agreement; or (2) the expiration of the remaining term of this Agreement as
determined as of the Date of Termination.
5. SOURCE OF PAYMENTS.
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It is intended by the parties hereto that all payments provided in this
Agreement shall be paid in cash or check from the general funds of the
Institution. Further, the Holding Company guarantees such payment and provision
of all amounts and benefits due hereunder to Executive and, if such amounts and
benefits due from the Institution are not timely paid or provided by the
Institution, such amounts and benefits shall be paid or provided by the Holding
Company.
6. EFFECT ON PRIOR AGREEMENTS AND EXISTING BENEFIT PLANS.
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This Agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties hereto
and supersedes any prior agreement between the Institution and Executive, except
that this Agreement shall not affect or operate to reduce any benefit or
compensation inuring to Executive of a kind elsewhere provided. 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 Institution or shall impose on the Institution any obligation
to employ or retain Executive in its employ for any period.
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7. NO ATTACHMENT.
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(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 affect any such action shall be null,
void, and of no effect.
(b) This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of,
Executive, the Institution and their respective successors and assigns.
8. MODIFICATION AND WAIVER.
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(a) This Agreement may not be modified or amended except by an instrument
in writing signed by the parties hereto.
(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 such written waiver shall be deemed a continuing waiver
unless specifically stated therein, 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. REQUIRED REGULATORY PROVISIONS.
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(a) Any payments made to Executive pursuant to this Agreement, or
otherwise, are subject to and conditioned upon compliance with 12 U.S.C.
(S)1828(k) and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including 12
C.F.R. Part 359.
10. SEVERABILITY.
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If, for any reason, any provision of this Agreement, or any part of any
provision, is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect any other provision
of this Agreement or any part of such provision not held so invalid, and each
such other provision and part thereof shall to the full extent consistent with
law continue in full force and effect.
11. HEADINGS FOR REFERENCE ONLY.
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The headings of sections and paragraphs herein 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, references to the
masculine shall apply equally to the feminine.
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12. GOVERNING LAW.
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The validity, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of this
Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of ___________________.
13. ARBITRATION.
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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 Institution's main office, 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 his 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.
14. PAYMENT OF COSTS AND LEGAL FEES.
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All reasonable costs and legal fees paid or incurred by Executive pursuant
to any dispute or question of interpretation relating to this Agreement shall be
paid or reimbursed by the Institution (which payments are guaranteed by the
Holding Company pursuant to Section 5 hereof) if Executive is successful
pursuant to a legal judgment, arbitration or settlement.
15. INDEMNIFICATION.
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The Institution shall provide Executive (including his heirs, executors and
administrators) with coverage under a standard directors' and officers'
liability insurance policy at its expense and shall indemnify Executive (and his
heirs, executors and administrators) to the fullest extent permitted under
_________________ law against all expenses and liabilities reasonably incurred
by him in connection with or arising out of any action, suit or proceeding in
which he may be involved by reason of his having been a director or officer of
the Institution (whether or not he 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 and attorneys' fees
and the cost of reasonable settlements.
16. SUCCESSOR TO THE INSTITUTION.
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The Institution shall require any successor or assignee, whether direct or
indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, to all or
substantially all the business or assets of the Institution, expressly and
unconditionally to assume and agree to perform the Institution's obligations
under this Agreement, in the same manner and to the same extent that the
Institution would be required to perform if no such succession or assignment had
taken place.
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SIGNATURES
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, The Savings Bank of Manchester and Connecticut
Bancshares, Inc. have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly
authorized officers, and Executive has signed this Agreement, on the ______ day
of ____________, 1999.
ATTEST: THE SAVINGS BANK OF MANCHESTER
_______________________________ By: _________________________________
SEAL
ATTEST: CONNECTICUT BANCSHARES, INC.
(Guarantor)
_______________________________ By: __________________________________
SEAL
WITNESS: EXECUTIVE
_______________________________ ______________________________________
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