AGREEMENT
This AGREEMENT is made effective as of December 15, 1999 by and between
FIRST FEDERAL BANK (the "BANK"); FIRSTSPARTAN FINANCIAL CORP. ("COMPANY"); and
J. XXXXXXX XXXX ("EXECUTIVE").
WHEREAS, the BANK recognizes the substantial contribution EXECUTIVE has
made to the BANK and wishes to protect his position therewith for the period
provided in this Agreement in the event of a Change in Control (as defined
herein); and
WHEREAS, EXECUTIVE serves in the position of Senior Vice President of
the BANK, a position of substantial responsibility;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and upon the other
terms and conditions hereinafter provided, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Term Of Agreement
The term of this Agreement shall be deemed to have commenced as of the
date first above written and shall continue for a period of twenty-four (24)
full calendar months thereafter. Commencing on the first anniversary date of
this Agreement and continuing at each anniversary date thereafter, the Board of
Directors of the BANK ("Board") may extend the Agreement for an additional year.
The Board will conduct a performance evaluation of EXECUTIVE for purposes of
determining whether to extend the Agreement, and the results thereof shall be
included in the minutes of the Board's meeting.
2. Payments To EXECUTIVE Upon Change In Control.
(a) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control (as herein defined)
followed within twelve (12) months of the effective date of the Change in
Control by the voluntary or involuntary termination of EXECUTIVE's employment,
other than for Cause, as defined in Section 2(c) hereof, the provisions of
Section 3 shall apply. For purposes of this Agreement, "voluntary termination"
shall be limited to the circumstances in which EXECUTIVE elects to voluntarily
terminate his employment within twelve (12) months of the effective date of a
Change in Control following any demotion, loss of title, office or significant
authority, reduction in his annual compensation or benefits (other than a
reduction affecting the Bank's personnel generally), or relocation of his
principal place of employment by more than 35 miles from its location
immediately prior to the Change in Control.
(b) A "Change in Control" of the COMPANY or the BANK shall be deemed to
occur if and when (a) there occurs a change in control of the BANK or the
COMPANY within the meaning of the Home Owners Loan Act of 1933 and 12 C.F.R.
Part 574, (b) any person (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) is or becomes the beneficial owner,
directly or indirectly, of securities of the COMPANY or the BANK representing
25% or
more of the combined voting power of the COMPANY's or the BANK's then
outstanding securities, (c) the membership of the board of directors of the
COMPANY or the BANK changes as the result of a contested election, such that
individuals who were directors at the beginning of any twenty-four month period
(whether commencing before or after the date of adoption of this Agreement) do
not constitute a majority of the Board at the end of such period, or (d)
shareholders of the COMPANY or the BANK approve a merger, consolidation, sale or
disposition of all or substantially all of the COMPANY's or the BANK's assets,
or a plan of partial or complete liquidation.
(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 EXECUTIVE's intentional failure to
perform stated duties, personal dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct,
any breach of fiduciary duty involving personal profit, willful violation of any
law, rule, regulation (other than traffic violations or similar offenses) or
final cease and desist order, or any material breach of any material provision
of this Agreement. In determining incompetence, the acts or omissions shall be
measured against standards generally prevailing in the savings institution
industry. 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 not less than
three-fourths 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.
3. Termination
(a) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, followed within twelve
(12) months of the effective date of a Change in Control by the voluntary or
involuntary termination of EXECUTIVE's employment other than Termination for
Cause, the BANK 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, as severance pay, a sum equal to two (2) times EXECUTIVE's "annual
compensation" as defined herein. For purposes of this Agreement, "annual
compensation" shall mean and include all wages, salary, bonus, and other
compensation, if any, paid (including accrued amounts) by the Company or the
Bank as consideration for the Participant's service during the twelve (12) month
period ending on the last day of the month preceding the effective date of a
Change in Control, which is or would be includable in the gross income of the
Participant receiving the same for federal income tax purposes. Such amount
shall be paid to EXECUTIVE in a lump sum no later than thirty (30) days after
the date of his termination.
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(b) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control of the BANK followed
within twelve (12) months of the effective date of a Change in Control by
EXECUTIVE's voluntary or involuntary termination of employment, other than
Termination for Cause, the BANK shall cause to be continued life, medical,
dental and disability coverage substantially identical to the coverage
maintained by the BANK for EXECUTIVE prior to his severance. Such coverage and
payments shall cease upon expiration of twenty-four (24) months from the date of
EXECUTIVE's termination.
(c) Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this Section 3, in the
event that the aggregate payments or benefits to be made or afforded to
EXECUTIVE under this Section, together with any other payments or benefits
received or to be received by EXECUTIVE in connection with a Change in Control,
would be deemed to include an "excess parachute payment" under ss.280G of the
Code, then, at the election of EXECUTIVE, (i) such payments or benefits shall be
payable or provided to EXECUTIVE over the minimum period necessary to reduce the
present value of such payments or benefits to an amount which is one dollar
($1.00) less than three (3) times EXECUTIVE's "base amount" under ss.280G(b)(3)
of the Code or (ii) the payments or benefits to be provided under this Section 3
shall be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid treatment as an excess
parachute payment with the allocation of the reduction among such payments and
benefits to be determined by EXECUTIVE.
(d) Any payments made to EXECUTIVE pursuant to this Agreement, or
otherwise, are subject to and conditioned upon compliance with 12
U.S.C.ss.1828(k) and any regulations promulgated thereunder.
4. Effect On Prior Agreements And Existing Benefit Plans
This Agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties
hereto and supersedes any prior agreement between the BANK 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.
5. 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 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 COMPANY, the BANK and their respective successors and assigns.
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6. Modification And Waiver
(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 by an 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.
7. Required Provisions
(a) The BANK 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 as defined in Section 2(c) herein.
(b) If EXECUTIVE is suspended and/or temporarily prohibited from
participating in the conduct of the BANK's affairs by a notice served under
Section 8(e)(3) or (g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act ("FDIA") (12
U.S.C. 1818(e)(3) and (g)(1)), the BANK's obligations under the 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 its obligations that were suspended.
(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 (g)(1) of the FDIA (12 U.S.C. 1818(e)(4) or (g)(1)), all
obligations of the BANK under the 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
FDIA), all obligations under this Agreement shall terminate as of the date of
default, but this paragraph shall not affect any vested rights of the parties.
(e) All obligations under this Agreement may be terminated: (i) by the
Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision (the "Director") or his or her
designee at the time the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Resolution
Trust Corporation enters into an agreement to provide assistance to or on behalf
of the BANK under the authority contained in Section 13(c) of the FDIA and (ii)
by the Director, or his or her designee at the time the Director or such
designee approves a supervisory merger to resolve problems related to operation
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.
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8. Severability
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.
9. Headings For Reference Only
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.
10. Governing Law
The validity, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of this
Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of South Carolina, unless
preempted by Federal law as now or hereafter in effect. In the event that any
provision of this Agreement conflicts with 12 C.F.R. Section 563.39(b), the
latter provision shall prevail.
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 the employee within fifty
(50) miles from the location of the BANK, in accordance with the rules of the
American Arbitration Association then in effect.
11. Source of Payments
All payments provided in this Agreement shall be timely paid in cash or
check from the general funds of the BANK. The COMPANY, however, guarantees all
payments and the provision of all amounts and benefits due hereunder to
EXECUTIVE and, if such payments are not timely paid or provided by the BANK,
such amounts and benefits shall be paid or provided by the COMPANY.
12. Payment Of Legal Fees
All reasonable 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 BANK if EXECUTIVE is successful on the merits pursuant to a
legal judgment, arbitration or settlement.
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13. Successor To The BANK or 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 the business or assets of the BANK or the COMPANY,
expressly and unconditionally to assume and agree to perform the BANK's or the
COMPANY's obligations under this Agreement, in the same manner and to the same
extent that the BANK or the COMPANY would be required to perform if no such
succession or assignment had taken place.
14. Signatures
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the BANK and the COMPANY have caused this Agreement
to be executed and their seal to be affixed hereunto by a duly authorized
officer, and EXECUTIVE has signed this Agreement, all on the 15th day of
December, 1999.
ATTEST: FIRST FEDERAL BANK
/s/ R. Xxxxx Xxxxxxx BY:/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
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[SEAL]
ATTEST: FIRSTSPARTAN FINANCIAL CORP.
/s/ R. Xxxxx Xxxxxxx BY:/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
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[SEAL]
WITNESS:
/s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxx /s/ J Xxxxxxx Xxxx
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J. XXXXXXX XXXX
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