September 30, 2008
Exhibit
10.12.2.2
September
30, 2008
VIA HAND DELIVERY
Xx. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
000 Xxxx 00xx Xxxxxx — Xxx. #0X
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
000 Xxxx 00xx Xxxxxx — Xxx. #0X
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Re: Second Amended and Restated Retention Agreement
Dear Xx. Xxxxxxxxx:
As you know, this year has been a very challenging one for our industry. We recognize that it
may also, unfortunately, have had an unsettling effect on some of our key employees. We would like
to offer you the retention agreement set forth below in an effort to reduce concerns that you might
have about your immediate future, and to assure that you will be available to assist us during the
next year, which we believe will be crucial to our future.
For purposes of clarity and consistency, we refer to this retention agreement as the
“Agreement.” We will refer to you as “you.” We will refer to Hanover Capital Mortgage Holdings,
Inc., including any successor to that entity, as “Hanover” or the “Company.”
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED RETENTION AGREEMENT
1. Term.
The period from the date of this Agreement through and including the last date of your
employment with the Company is referred to herein as the “Term” of this Agreement. Your prior
Amended and Restated Retention Agreement shall continue to remain in full force and effect through
and including the date prior to the date of this Agreement. While employed during the Term, you
agree to devote your full time and efforts to advancing the Company’s Interests, and to continue to
serve in such capacity or capacities as may be determined by, or under the authority of, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Company.
2. Retention Bonus.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and as compensation for your
obligations and covenants hereunder, you will be eligible for the following:
A retention payment in the gross amount of $75,000.00, which is referred to herein as the
“Retention Bonus.” If all eligibility requirements are satisfied, the Retention Bonus (less
applicable payroll taxes and deductions) will be paid to you as soon as practicable following
December 31, 2009, but no later than January 31, 2010. You understand and agree that, except as
provided in Sections 3(a) and 3(b) below, in order to be entitled to the Retention Bonus
payment, you must remain an active employee of the Company through December 31, 2009.
Xx. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
September 30, 2008
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3. Employment At-Will.
You understand and agree that this Agreement does not assure you of continued employment for
any period of time or duration, and that the Company maintains the right, without prior notice, in
its sole and absolute discretion, to terminate your employment at any time with or without cause
for any reason or no reason. However, if your employment is terminated during the Term under the
conditions specified below, you will be entitled to the benefits specified below.
(a) Termination by the Company Without Cause.
(i) The Company agrees that if it were to terminate your employment during the Term without
Cause (as defined below): (A) within 60 days following your termination of employment, the Company
shall make a lump sum severance payment to you in the gross amount of $278,435.00 (representing
twelve months of your current base salary) less applicable payroll taxes and deductions; and (B) as
soon as practicable following December 31, 2009, but no later than 60 days following your
termination of employment, the Company shall make a payment to you of the full amount of the
Retention Bonus (less applicable payroll taxes and deductions and any prior payment of the
Retention Bonus).
(ii) For purposes of this Agreement, Cause is defined as only: (A) your conviction of (or plea
of nolo contendere to) a felony or any crime which involves moral turpitude, (B)
the good faith determination by the Board of Directors of the Company that you have failed to
perform a material amount of your duties (other than a failure to perform duties resulting from
your incapacity due to physical or mental illness), which failure to perform duties shall not have
been cured within thirty (30) days after your receipt of written notice thereof from the Board
specifying with reasonable particularity such alleged failure; (C) any absence from the Company’s
regular full-time employment in excess of three consecutive days that is not due to a vacation,
participation in a permitted activity, bona fide illness, disability, death or other reason
expressly authorized by the Board in advance; (D) any act or acts of personal dishonesty
(including, without limitation, any xxxxxxx xxxxxxx or unauthorized trading in the Company’s
securities); (E) the violation of your fiduciary duties to the Company, or the violation of any
law, statute or regulation relating to the operation of the Company’s business; (F) misconduct that
impairs your ability effectively to perform the duties or responsibilities of your position; or (G)
your declining an offer of continued employment in a position: (1) with any entity controlled by
any of the present or future owner(s) of the Company or any of the Company’s assets, (2) at the
same or higher base salary, and (3) which would not involve a relocation of your worksite to a
location more than 50 miles from its current location.
Xx. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
September 30, 2008
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September 30, 2008
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(b) Termination by You Following Change in Control.
(i) If you were to experience a Significant Adverse Action (as hereinafter defined) at any
time within 90 days following a Change of Control (as hereinafter defined), and you were to notify
the Company in writing within 30 days of the date on which the Significant Adverse Action first
occurred, and the Company failed to cure the Significant Adverse Action within 30 days of receipt
of such notice, then you would be permitted to terminate your employment on or within 15 days after
the 30th day of the Company’s failure to cure the Significant Adverse Action of which
you gave such written notice. In such case: (A) within 60 days following your termination of
employment, the Company shall make a lump sum severance payment to you in the gross amount of
$278,435.00 (representing twelve months of your current base salary) less applicable payroll taxes
and deductions; and (B) as soon as practicable following December 31, 2009, but no later than 60
days following your termination of employment, the Company shall make a payment to you of the full
amount of the Retention Bonus (less applicable payroll taxes and deductions and any prior payment
of the Retention Bonus).
(ii) For purposes of this Agreement, a “Change of Control” shall mean and include any of the
following:
(A) a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into any other corporation or other
business entity (except one in which the holders of capital stock of the Company immediately prior
to such merger or consolidation continue to hold at least a majority of the outstanding securities
having the right to vote in an election of the Board of Directors (“Voting Stock”) of the surviving
corporation);
(B) a sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (in one transaction or a related series of
transactions) of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets except in a transaction where
you, your Affiliate, or an Affiliate of the Company is the transferee. For purposes of this
Agreement, an “Affiliate” shall mean: with respect to you, any other person that directly or
indirectly controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with you; and with respect to
the Company, any other corporation or business entity that directly or indirectly controls, or is
controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company;
(C) the acquisition by any person or any group of persons (other than the Company, any of its
direct or indirect subsidiaries, or any director, trustee, fiduciary or other person or entity
holding securities under any employee benefit plan or trust of the Company or any of its direct or
indirect subsidiaries) acting together in any transaction or related series of transactions, of
such number of shares of the Company’s Voting Stock as causes such person, or group of persons, to
own beneficially, directly or indirectly, as of the time immediately after such transaction or
series of transactions, 50% or more of the combined voting power of the Voting Stock of the Company
other than as a result of an acquisition of securities directly from the Company, or solely as a
result of an acquisition of securities by the Company which by reducing the number of shares of the
Voting Stock outstanding increases the proportionate voting power represented by the Voting Stock
owned by any such person to 50% or more of the combined voting power of such Voting Stock; and
Xx. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
September 30, 2008
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September 30, 2008
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(D) a change in the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors
following a tender offer or proxy contest as a result of which persons who immediately prior
to such tender offer or proxy contest, constituted the Company’s Board of Directors, shall cease to
constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors (other than by their
voluntary resignations), but only in the event that the persons elected to the Board were not
supported by you as a director or shareholder.
(iii) For purposes of this Agreement, a “Significant Adverse Action” shall mean and include
only any of the following: (A) a material reduction in your base salary; or (B) a relocation of
your worksite to a location more than 50 miles from that immediately before the Change in Control.
4. Further Conditions of Severance.
You understand that the severance benefits provided in Section 3 above would replace, and not
supplement, any severance benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled under any agreement,
plan or policy providing such benefits to Company employees. Your receipt of any severance
benefits under this Agreement shall also be conditioned upon all of the following, and any such
benefits shall be forfeited if such conditions are not met within 60 days of your termination of
employment.
(a) You must be in compliance with all of the material terms of any written employment
agreement between you and the Company; and
(b) You will have 21 days to consider and execute, after the date of your termination from
employment and after its first presentation to you by the Company, a confidential separation
agreement and general release of claims in form and substance acceptable to the Company and it
must thereafter become effective in accordance with its terms, unless you revoke the agreement
within seven days of accepting it; provided, however, that this condition (c) shall not apply
unless such separation agreement and general release has been provided to you by the Company
within 30 days of your termination from employment.
5. Successors and Assigns.
This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the Company and any
corporation with which the Company merges or consolidates or to which the Company sells all or
substantially all of its assets, and upon you and your executors, administrators, heirs, and legal
representatives. You may not assign this Agreement, nor may you assign, pledge, hypothecate,
transfer, give as collateral or encumber any rights to payments hereunder, and any attempt to do
so shall be wholly void.
6. Governing Law and Venue.
Xx. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
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This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of
New Jersey, without reference to the conflict of law principles thereof. To the extent that
either party is permitted to file any action in a Court that involves any aspect of this
Agreement, the parties agree that such action must be brought in either federal court in the State
of New Jersey or in
the Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County, and the parties irrevocably consent to
jurisdiction and venue in such courts.
7. Compliance with Section 409A. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary,
(i) if at the time of your termination of employment with the Company, you are a “specified
employee” as defined in Section 409A of the Code, and the deferral of the commencement of any
payments or benefits otherwise payable hereunder as a result of such termination of employment is
necessary in order to prevent the imposition of any accelerated or additional tax under Section
409A of the Code, then the Company will defer the commencement of the payment of any such payments
or benefits hereunder (without any reduction in such payments or benefits ultimately paid or
provided to you) until the date that is six months following your termination of employment with
the Company (or the earliest date as is permitted under Section 409A of the Code) and (ii) if any
other payments of money or other benefits due to you hereunder could cause the application of an
accelerated or additional tax under Section 409A of the Code, such payments or other benefits
shall be deferred if deferral will make such payment or other benefits compliant under Section
409A of the Code, or otherwise such payment or other benefits shall be restructured, to the extent
possible, in a manner, determined by the Board, that does not cause such an accelerated or
additional tax or result in an additional cost to the Company. The Company shall consult with you
in good faith regarding the implementation of the provisions of this Section 7; provided that
neither the Company nor any of its employees or representatives shall have any liability to you
with respect thereto.
8. Miscellaneous.
Except as required by applicable law, you agree to keep this Agreement confidential. You
also agree this Agreement contains the entire understanding between you and the Company concerning
the Retention Bonus and any severance payment, and supersedes all prior agreements or
understandings concerning the matters covered herein, except for (i) that certain Amended and
Restated Retention Agreement between the Company and you dated December 11, 2007, which shall
remain in full force and effect through and including the date prior to the date of this Agreement
and thereafter be null and void; and (ii) that certain Indemnity Agreement between you and the
Company dated July 1, 2004. This Agreement does not supersede any agreements or understandings
concerning matters other than those identified in the immediately preceding sentence. Any changes
or modification in this Agreement must be in writing and be signed by both you, and an authorized
representative on behalf of the Company, to be effective.
Payment of the Retention Bonus and severance payments under the terms set forth herein is
not, and shall not be considered, as an employee benefit plan within the meaning of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”).
Xx. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
September 30, 2008
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September 30, 2008
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Again, on behalf of the Company, we appreciate your services and look forward to your continued
good works and accomplishments. If this Agreement is acceptable to you, please sign and date a
copy of this letter where indicated below, and return a signed copy within 10 business days of the
date of this letter to Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Chief Operating Officer, Hanover Capital Mortgage Holdings,
Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxx, XX 00000.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
Chief Executive Officer
Hanover Capital Mortgage Holdings, Inc.
TO ACCEPT THIS RETENTION AGREEMENT, YOU MUST: 1) SIGN AND DATE THE AGREEMENT; AND 2) RETURN THIS
DOCUMENT AS PROVIDED ABOVE.
Employee
Signature /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Agreed and Accepted on
9/30/08 (Date)