Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A)
INFORMATION
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material under Rule 14a-12
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No fee required.
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules
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CIVISTA
Focused on You
1884-2024
Notice of 2025 Annual Meeting of shareholders & proxy statement
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON
TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS:
Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") of
1. |
To elect twelve (12) Directors to serve one-yearterms expiring in 2026. |
2. |
To consider and vote upon a non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers as disclosed in the accompanying proxy statement. |
3. |
To consider and vote upon a non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers. |
4. |
To consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt an amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Amended and Restated Code of Regulations (the "Regulations") to grant the Board of Directors the authority to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law. |
5. |
To ratify the appointment of |
6. |
To consider and act upon any other matter which may properly be brought before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
Only those holders of record of common shares of the Corporation at the close of business on
Included with this Notice are the Corporation's Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting, a form of proxy card and the Corporation's 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders. The proxy solicitation materials for the Annual Meeting are being sent by mail to shareholders on or about
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON APRIL15, 2025: The Corporation's Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting, a sample of the form of proxy card to be sent to shareholders by the Corporation and the Corporation's 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders are available at www.proxydocs.com/civb. Before making any voting decisions, you are urged to read the Corporation's Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting (including any amendments or supplements thereto) and any other relevant documents that the Corporation may file with or furnish to the
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting. Your vote is very important, regardless of the number of common shares you own. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, it is important that your common shares be represented. Please sign, date and retuyour proxy card as soon as possible. A retuenvelope, which requires no postage if mailed in
To obtain driving directions to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person, please contact
By Order of the Board of Directors |
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(419) 625-4121
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON
INTRODUCTION
We are sending this Proxy Statement and the enclosed proxy card to you as a shareholder of
At the Annual Meeting, shareholders will be asked to consider and vote upon the following:
1. |
To elect twelve (12) Directors to serve one-yearterms expiring in 2026. |
2. |
To consider and vote upon a non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement. |
3. |
To consider and vote upon a non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers. |
4. |
To consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt an amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Amended and Restated Code of Regulations (the "Regulations") to grant the Board of Directors the authority to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law. |
5. |
To ratify the appointment of |
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To consider and act upon any other matter which may properly be brought before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
VOTING INFORMATION
Who can vote?
Only holders of record of the Corporation's common shares as of the close of business on
Each shareholder will be entitled to cast one vote for each common share owned by that shareholder with respect to each candidate for election to the Board of Directors. With respect to all other matters submitted to a vote at the Annual Meeting, each shareholder will be entitled to one vote for each common share of the Corporation held on
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How do I vote?
If you were a record holder of common shares of the Corporation as of
Shareholders whose common shares of the Corporation are registered directly with the Corporation's transfer agent,
How do I vote if my common shares are held in "street name"?
If you hold your common shares in "street name" with a broker, a financial institution or other nominee, then that entity is considered the shareholder of record for voting purposes and should give you instructions for voting your common shares. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct the record holder on how to vote the common shares held in your account. If you hold your common shares in "street name", you may be eligible to appoint your proxy electronically via the Internet or telephonically and may incur costs associated with the electronic access or telephone usage.
If you hold your common shares in "street name" and wish to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person, you must bring documentation from your broker, financial institution or other nominee authorizing you to vote your common shares on behalf of such record holder. The documentation must show that you were the direct or indirect beneficial owner of the common shares on
How will my common shares be voted?
Those common shares represented by properly executed proxy cards that are received prior to the Annual Meeting, or by properly authenticated Internet or telephone votes that are submitted prior to the deadline for doing so, and not subsequently revoked, will be voted by your proxies in accordance with your instructions. If you submit a valid proxy card prior to the Annual Meeting, or timely submit your proxy via the Internet or by telephone, but do not provide voting instructions, your proxies will vote your common shares as recommended by the Board of Directors, except in the case of broker non-voteswhere applicable, as follows:
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"FOR"the election as Directors of the Corporation of the twelve (12) nominees listed below under the heading "PROPOSAL 1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS"; |
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"FOR"the non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement; |
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To hold an advisory vote for the approval of the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers "EVERY ONE YEAR"; |
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"FOR"the adoption of an amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Regulations to grant the Board of Directors the authority to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law; and |
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"FOR"the ratification of the appointment of |
If any other matters are properly presented for voting at the Annual Meeting, the persons appointed as proxies will vote on those matters, to the extent permitted by applicable law, in accordance with their best judgment. No appraisal or dissenters' rights exist for any action proposed to be taken at the Annual Meeting.
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Can the proxy materials be accessed electronically?
Yes. The Corporation's Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting, a sample of the form of proxy card and the Corporation's 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders are available on the Internet at www.proxydocs.com/civb.
How do I change or revoke my proxy?
Shareholders who submit proxies retain the right to revoke them at any time before they are exercised. Unless revoked, the common shares represented by such proxies will be voted at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment thereof. You may revoke your proxy at any time before a vote is taken at the Annual Meeting by:
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filing a written notice of revocation with the Corporate Secretary of the Corporation, at |
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executing and returning a later-dated proxy card or submitting a later-dated vote through the Internet or by telephone; or |
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attending the Annual Meeting and giving notice of revocation in person. |
Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke your proxy.
The last-dated proxy you submit (by any means) will supersede any previously submitted proxy. If you have instructed your broker, financial institution or other nominee to vote your common shares, you must follow directions received from your broker, financial institution or other nominee to change your vote.
If I vote in advance, can I still attend the Annual Meeting?
Yes. You are encouraged to vote promptly by returning your signed proxy card by mail or, if applicable, by appointing a proxy to vote electronically via the Internet or by telephone so that your common shares will be represented at the Annual Meeting. However, appointing a proxy does not affect your right to attend the Annual Meeting.
What constitutes a quorum and how many votes are required for adoption of the proposals?
A majority of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation represented in person or by proxy will constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Common shares may be present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Both abstentions and broker non-votesare counted as being present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. There were 15,473,111 common shares of the Corporation outstanding and entitled to vote on
The rules of the
The ratification of the appointment of the Corporation's independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 5) is the only routine proposal. Each of the other proposals is considered a non-routinematter and, therefore, your broker may vote on these matters only if you provide voting instructions. Accordingly, it is important that you provide instructions to your broker on these matters.
Vote Required with Respect to the Proposals
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Proposal 1 - Election of Directors |
Under
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Proposal 2 - Non-BindingAdvisory Resolution to Approve the Compensation of the Corporation's Named Executive Officers |
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal, is required to approve the non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the compensation paid to the Corporation's named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement. The effect of an abstention is the same as a vote "AGAINST" Proposal 2.Broker non-voteswill not be counted in determining whether the proposal has been approved.
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Proposal 3 - Non-BindingAdvisory Vote on the Frequency of Future Shareholder Advisory Votes on the Compensation of the Corporation's Named Executive Officers |
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal, is required to approve, on a non-bindingadvisory basis, one of the selections as to the frequency of future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers. Common shares as to which the vote is expressed as an "ABSTAIN"vote on the proxy card or in voting instructions and broker non-voteswith respect to this proposal will be counted for the purposes of determining whether a quorum exists, but will not affect the outcome of the vote on this proposal.
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Proposal 4 - Adoption of an amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Regulations to grant the Board of Directors the power to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law |
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares of the Corporation outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required to approve and adopt the proposed amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Regulations to grant the Board of Directors the power to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law. Abstentions and broker non-voteswill have the same effect as votes cast "AGAINST" the proposed amendment.
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Proposal 5 - Ratification of the Appointment of the Corporation's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal, is required to ratify the appointment of
In accordance with the Corporation's policy, proxy cards, ballots and voting instructions that identify individual shareholders will be kept confidential. Exceptions to this policy, however, may be necessary in limited instances to comply with applicable legal requirements and, in the event of a contested proxy solicitation, to verify the validity of proxies, ballots and voting instructions submitted by shareholders and the results of the voting.
Who pays the cost of proxy solicitation?
The Corporation will pay the costs of preparing, assembling, printing and mailing this Proxy Statement, the accompanying proxy card and other related materials and all other costs incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Board of Directors, other than the Internet access and telephone usage charges mentioned above. Although we are soliciting proxies by mailing these proxy materials to our shareholders, the directors, officers and employees of the Corporation and our subsidiaries also may solicit proxies by further mailing, personal contact, telephone or electronic mail without receiving any additional compensation for such solicitations.
Arrangements will also be made with brokerage firms, financial institutions and other nominees that are record holders of common shares of the Corporation for the forwarding of solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of such common shares. The Corporation will reimburse these brokers, financial institutions and other nominees for their reasonable out-of-pocketcosts in connection therewith.
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The Corporation has retained BetaNXT, a Mediant company, to aid in the solicitation of proxies for the Annual Meeting. The Corporation will pay BetaNXT approximately
Who should I call if I have questions concerning this proxy solicitation or the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting?
If you have any questions concerning this proxy solicitation, or the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting, please call
FURTHERMORE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT BETANXT (
PROPOSAL 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Corporation's Regulations provide that the number of Directors shall be not less than five (5) nor more than twenty-five (25), as from time to time shall be determined by resolution of the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The Board of Directors currently consists of twelve (12) members, and the current terms of all of the Directors expire at the Annual Meeting in 2025. As part of the ongoing refreshment efforts of the
The Board of Directors proposes that each of the twelve (12) nominees named below be elected as a Director of the Corporation to serve a one (1) year term expiring at the annual meeting in 2026, and until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, removal from office or death. Each nominee was recommended by the Nominating Committee for election. All of the nominees have expressed their willingness to serve as Directors if elected. The Board of Directors has no reason to believe that any nominee will be unavailable or unable to serve as a Director; however, if for any reason a nominee becomes unable or unwilling to stand for election as a Director, the individuals designated as proxies in the enclosed proxy card will have full discretion to vote the common shares represented by the proxies they hold for the election of the remaining nominees and for the election of any substitute nominee designated by the Board of Directors following recommendation by the Nominating Committee.
The following table lists each nominee's name, age, principal occupation(s) and/or positions held with the Corporation, the Corporation's banking subsidiary,
NAME AND PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OR EMPLOYMENT FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS; POSITIONS HELD WITH THE CORPORATION AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES. |
AGE(AS OF MEETING DATE) |
DIRECTOR SINCE |
NOMINEE FOR TERM EXPIRING IN |
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Managing Director, Partner, GBQ from 2003 to present Director of |
55 | 2023 | 2026 | |||
Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Vice President, CIO, IT Americas, Director of |
47 | 2023 | 2026 | |||
Principal, Director of United Community Bank from 2015 until 2018 Director of |
60 | 2018 | 2026 |
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NAME AND PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION OR EMPLOYMENT FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS; POSITIONS HELD WITH THE CORPORATION AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES. |
AGE(AS OF MEETING DATE) |
DIRECTOR SINCE |
NOMINEE FOR TERM EXPIRING IN |
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Partner, Chairperson, Director of |
62 | 2015 | 2026 | |||
Founder, Partner, Director of |
69 | 2017 | 2026 | |||
Executive Vice President, President, Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President, |
60 | N/A | 2026 | |||
General Manager and CFO, Senator, Director of |
68 | 2023 | 2026 | |||
President and CEO, CEO, President, Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President, Executive Vice President, Vice Chair and Director of |
62 | 2017 | 2026 | |||
President and CEO, President and CEO, Director of |
70 | 2019 | 2026 | |||
President, CFO, Director of Director of Director of Director of |
69 | 2023 | 2026 | |||
Chief Human Resources Officer, Assistant Corporate Secretary, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, Director of |
65 | 2022 | 2026 | |||
President, Wurm's Director of |
70 | 2023 | 2026 |
Recommendation and Vote
Under
The Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" the election of all twelve (12) nominees listed above.
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BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF
COMMON SHARES OF THE CORPORATION
The following table sets forth information concerning the only shareholder known to the Corporation to own beneficially more than 5% of the outstanding common shares of the Corporation as of
NAME AND ADDRESS OF BENEFICIAL OWNER |
AMOUNT AND NATURE OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP |
PERCENT OF CLASS (1) |
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50 Hudson Yards |
1,436,544 | 9.28% | ||||||
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809,238 | 5.23% | ||||||
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804,009 |
5.19% |
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Percent of Class is computed based on 15,479,485 common shares outstanding on |
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Based upon the information contained in Schedule 13G/A filed with the |
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Based upon the information contained in Schedule 13G filed with the |
(4) |
Based upon the information contained in Schedule 13G filed with the |
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Corporation's common shares, as of
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership
Number of Persons in Group (1) |
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership |
Percent of Class (2) |
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2,625 | * | ||||||
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29,344 | * | ||||||
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1,875 | * | ||||||
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12,442 | * | ||||||
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8,834 | * | ||||||
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29,963 | * | ||||||
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4,876 | * | ||||||
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42,556 | * | ||||||
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6,285 | * | ||||||
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21,364 | * | ||||||
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9,363 | * | ||||||
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40,005 | * | ||||||
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21,851 | * | ||||||
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8595 | * | ||||||
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1,000 | * | ||||||
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2,312 | * | ||||||
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142,383 | * | ||||||
All current executive officers and Directors as a group (22 persons) | 402,843 | 2.60% |
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Unless otherwise indicated, each executive officer or Director has voting and investment power with respect to all of the common shares reflected in the table for such executive officer or Director. The mailing address of each of these executive officers and Directors of the Corporation is |
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(2) |
Percent of Class is computed based on 15,479,485 common shares outstanding on |
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Includes 21,381 common shares held by |
(4) |
Includes 2,375 common shares held by |
(5) |
Includes 14,130 common shares held by James and Martha Miller JT TEN; 5,718 common shares held by |
(6) |
Includes 5,355 common shares held by |
(7) |
Includes 7,945 common shares held by |
(8) |
Includes 18,614 common shares held by |
(9) |
Includes 38,539 common shares held by |
(10) |
Includes 1,875 common shares held by Harry Singer Rollover IRA; 1,075 common shares held by Harry Singer SEP IRA; 7,900 common shares held by |
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), the Corporation's Directors, executive officers and any persons beneficially holding more than 10% of the Corporation's common shares are required to file statements with the
BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES
Meetings of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Corporation (sometimes referred to herein as the "Board") met fourteen (14) times in 2024 (which included four (4) meetings held by video conference to consider and approve the declaration of dividends). Each Director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board and of the committees on which he or she served during 2024.
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Attendance at Annual Meeting of Shareholders
The Corporation does not have a formal policy with regard to Director attendance at annual meetings of shareholders. However, the Corporation encourages all Directors and Director nominees to attend each annual meeting of shareholders. All but one of the Corporation's Directors attended the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders either in person or via telephone.
Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Management
The Board expects its Chairperson to possess extensive knowledge of the Corporation's operations as well as the experience and capacity to provide strategic direction to the Corporation. Currently, Mr.
The Board believes that
At the time of
The Board believes that the Corporation and its stockholders are best served by a Board that has the flexibility to establish and change the Board's leadership structure from time to time to fit the needs of the Corporation. As a result, the Board may from time to time consider combining the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson, and/or appointing a Lead Independent Director. These decisions will be dependent upon the needs of the Corporation at that time, including the composition of the Board and the availability, willingness and qualifications of candidates to serve as Chairperson and/or Lead Independent Director, as well as other factors.
The Board is actively involved in oversight of risks that could affect the Corporation and its subsidiaries. The Board Risk Committee (the "Board Risk Committee"), as part of its role in overseeing the Corporation's Enterprise Risk Management program, assists the Board in the oversight of the guidelines, policies and processes for identifying, assessing, managing, reporting, monitoring and mitigating risks to the Corporation and its subsidiaries, including credit risk, market risk (including interest rate risk), liquidity risk, compliance risk, operational risk, legal risk, reputational risk, strategic risk and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity is addressed as part of operational risk and includes information security, vendor management and business continuity planning. Additionally, the Board has assigned to its Audit Committee responsibility for oversight of the internal controls of the Corporation. Each Director of the Corporation is also a member of the Bank's board of directors and, as such, receives monthly reports from the Chief Risk Officer concerning risks to the Bank.
The role of the Board of Directors in the Corporation's risk management process also includes reviewing regular reports from senior management on areas of material risk to the Corporation, including operational, financial, legal, regulatory and strategic risks. The Board of Directors reviews these reports to enable it to understand and to assess the Corporation's risk management and risk mitigation strategies. The Board also reviews and approves the minutes of each meeting of the Corporation's Enterprise Risk Management Committee, consisting of the executive officers of the Corporation.
While the Board has the ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, various committees of both management and the Board also have responsibility for risk management. As further discussed under the heading "Board Risk Committee" below, the primary role of the Board Risk Committee is to oversee the Enterprise Risk Management program. The Enterprise Risk Management Committee also assists the Board of Directors in its oversight of the implementation and enforcement of policies, procedures and practices relating to: (i) the management of enterprise-wide risk; (ii) compliance with applicable laws and regulations and the maintenance of appropriate regulatory and economic capital and reserve levels; and (iii) the Corporation's long-term strategic plans and initiatives. In addition, the Audit Committee assists the Board in overseeing and monitoring management's conduct of the Corporation's financial reporting process and system of internal accounting and financial controls. While each committee oversees certain risks and the management of such risks, the entire Board is regularly informed of such risks through committee reports.
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Committees of the Board
The Board has the following standing committees: Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee ("Nominating Committee"); Audit Committee;
The following table shows the current membership of each of the standing committees of the Board. It is anticipated that the composition of the standing committees may change, and new Directors may be appointed to serve on these committees, following the Annual Meeting.
Nominating Committee |
Audit Committee |
Compensation Committee |
Board Risk Committee |
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Harry Singer, Chair | |||||
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Harry Singer |
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Harry Singer |
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee currently has five (5) members and met two (2) times in 2024. The Board has determined that each of the current members of the Nominating Committee qualifies and each Director who served as a member of the Nominating Committee during 2024 qualified during his or her tenure on the Nominating Committee during 2024 as an "independent director" under applicable NASDAQ rules. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Nominating Committee. A copy of the charter is posted on the "Governance Documents" page under the "Corporate Overview" tab of the Corporation's website at www.civb.com.
The Nominating Committee recommends to the Corporation's Board of Directors the names of those persons to be proposed for election as Directors of the Corporation at each annual meeting of shareholders. The Nominating Committee also nominates Directors to serve on committees of the Board and on the boards of directors and committees of the Bank and other subsidiaries of the Corporation, assists the Board in Director orientation and continuing education, periodically reviews Director compensation, and is responsible for reviewing and establishing corporate governance policies and programs, as well as the Board of Directors Guide described below under the heading "Board Governance Initiatives".
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee currently has five (5) members and met ten (10) times in 2024. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee qualifies, and each Director who served as a member of the Audit Committee during 2024 qualified during his or her tenure on the Audit Committee during 2024, as an "independent director" under applicable NASDAQ rules and under Rule 10A-3promulgated under the Exchange Act. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee which is posted on the "Governance Documents" page under the "Corporate Overview" tab of the Corporation's website at www.civb.com.
The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is able to read and understand financial statements, including the Corporation's balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement, and is qualified to discharge his or her duties to the Corporation and its shareholders. The Board has also determined that
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principal of
As set forth in the Audit Committee's Charter, the Audit Committee's responsibilities include the following:
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To supervise the independent audit function, including pre-approvingthe employment of and evaluating the independent auditor, reviewing the independence of the independent auditor and discussing with senior management and the independent auditor any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operations of the Corporation's internal controls, any audit problems or difficulties, any changes required in the scope of the audit plan, and the audit budget and staffing; |
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To oversee the internal audit and internal controls, including reviewing and discussing with senior management, the internal auditor and the independent auditor the adequacy of the Corporation's internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures and the independent auditor's attestation report; |
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To oversee financial reporting, including reviewing and discussing with senior management and the independent auditor the Corporation's quarterly and annual financial statements and all critical accounting policies and practices and any significant changes in accounting policies; |
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To provide the report to be included in the Corporation's annual proxy statement regarding the Audit Committee's review and recommendation regarding the inclusion of the audited financial statements in the Corporation's annual report on Form 10-Kand quarterly on Form 10-Qfor filing with the |
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To review, approve and oversee material related party transactions and any other potential conflict of interest situations on an ongoing basis. |
In discharging its responsibilities, the Audit Committee is authorized to investigate any matter that the Audit Committee deems appropriate to carry out its responsibilities and has access to all books, records, facilities and personnel of the Corporation. The Audit Committee is also authorized to retain, compensate, direct, oversee and terminate an independent auditor, independent counsel, other auditors and experts as it deems necessary.
Additional information regarding the Audit Committee, including the Audit Committee's report relating to the 2024 fiscal year, is provided under the heading "AUDIT COMMITTEE MATTERS" beginning on page 43 of this Proxy Statement.
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee currently has six (6) members and met three (3) times in 2024. The Board has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee qualifies, and each Director who served as a member of the Compensation Committee during 2024 qualified during his or her tenure on the Compensation Committee during 2024, as an "independent director" under applicable NASDAQ rules. In addition, each member of the Compensation Committee qualifies as a "non-employeedirector" for purposes of SEC Rule 16b-3.The Board has adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee which is posted on the "Governance Documents" page under the "Corporate Overview" tab of the Corporation's website at www.civb.com.
The Compensation Committee approves compensation for executive officers and annual budgetary levels for employee compensation and benefits; reviews and establishes the policies for all benefit programs for the Corporation and its subsidiaries; reviews and recommends the affirmative action program for the Corporation and its subsidiaries; and reviews and makes recommendations for benefit insurance programs of the Corporation and its subsidiaries.
Additional information regarding the Compensation Committee and its functions and responsibilities is provided under the heading "EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION - Compensation Discussion and Analysis" beginning on page 19 of this Proxy Statement.
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Board Risk Committee
The Board Risk Committee currently has eight (8) members and met four (4) times in 2024. The Board has determined that each member of the Board Risk Committee qualifies and each Director who served as a member of the Board Risk Committee during 2024 qualified during his or her tenure on the Board Risk Committee during 2024, as an "independent director" under applicable NASDAQ rules. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Board Risk Committee which is posted on the "Governance Documents" page under the "Corporate Overview" tab of the Corporation's website at www.civb.com.
The Board Risk Committee was established in
In establishing the risk appetite of Civista, the Board Risk Committee will consider the levels and types of risk that Civista is able and willing to assume in its exposures and material business activities, given Civista's strategic and business objectives and responsibilities to its shareholders, communities and employees, and with respect to its obligations to operate in compliance with applicable law and safe and sound banking practices.
The Committee's role in overseeing Civista's Enterprise Risk Management program includes assisting the Boards in their oversight of the guidelines, policies and processes for identifying, assessing, managing, reporting, monitoring, and mitigating risk. The risks to be managed under the ERM Policy include:
- Credit Risk
- Market Risk (includes Interest Rate Risk)
- Liquidity Risk
- Compliance Risk
- Operational Risk (including cyber risk)
- Legal Risk
- Reputational Risk
- Strategic Risk
2024 COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS
The Nominating Committee annually considers the compensation paid to non-employeeDirectors and recommends appropriate compensation for service on the Boards of the Corporation and the Bank. Executive officers of the Corporation do not play a role in determining Director compensation. During 2024, the Directors of the Corporation were not paid any fees for their service on the Board of the Corporation or for attendance at meetings of the Board of the Corporation. However, each Director of the Corporation also serves as a Director of the Bank and, during 2024, received Directors' fees for attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors of the Bank at the rate of
Directors of the Bank receive an annual retainer for their service on the Bank's board. To align the interests of the Bank's Directors with the interests of the Corporation's shareholders, the entire amount of the retainer is paid in common shares of the Corporation. Each Director received a retainer totaling
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The Corporation and its subsidiaries have adopted a non-qualifiedDeferred Compensation Plan for each non-employeeDirector. Pursuant to each such plan, a Director may defer any or all of the board fees or committee fees earned by such Director during a particular calendar year. The amount deferred is credited with interest at a rate equal to the ten-yearUnited States Treasury Constant Maturity rate published by the
In 2014, the shareholders of the Corporation approved the Corporation's 2014 Incentive Plan (the "2014 Incentive Plan"), pursuant to which equity-based awards and cash-based awards were available for grant to eligible participants, including Directors of the Corporation and the Bank. The 2014 Incentive Plan expired by its terms on
Set forth below is information regarding the compensation paid for 2024 to each of the Directors of the Corporation (other than Mr.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE FOR 2024
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash(1) |
Stock Awards ($)(2) |
Change in Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings(3) |
Total ($) | |||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
Harry Singer |
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- | |||||||
|
-- |
(1) |
Includes fees paid to Directors for (a) attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors of the Bank at the rate of |
(2) |
Reflects the unrestricted common shares awarded as the retainer under the 2024 Incentive Plan on |
(3) |
Reflects above-market or preferential earnings on non-qualifieddeferred compensation in 2024. |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Code of Ethics
In accordance with applicable NASDAQ rules and the rules and regulations of the
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Corporate Responsibility
As a community banking organization, the main purposes of the Corporation and its subsidiaries are to serve our shareholders and to help our customers thrive, our communities grow and our employees develop. The Corporation's commitment to responsible and efficient operation and corporate citizenship helps further those purposes. Such corporate responsibility and citizenship include corporate governance initiatives, philanthropy, community development and a commitment to employees. With this in mind, the Corporation has posted on its website its Corporate Responsibility Report. The Report can be found on the Corporation's website at www.civb.com at the bottom of the home page under the "Corporate Responsibility" tab.
Communications with Board of Directors
The Corporation provides a process for shareholders to send communications to the Corporation's Board of Directors. Shareholders can send communications to the entire Board or to a specified Director by mailing the communication to
Director Independence
The Corporation has affirmatively determined that all Directors and nominees for election as Directors are currently "independent" under applicable NASDAQ rules, except that (a)
Board Governance Initiatives
Since 2020, the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors has been engaged in work on a governance initiative aimed at further improving corporate governance through annual Board evaluations, utilizing a skills matrix and annual interviews of Directors by the Chairperson of the Board and the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, as well as a Board refreshment initiative. In 2020, the Nominating Committee adopted a Board of Directors Guide, which among other things: formalizes the criteria to be used in evaluating existing Directors and new Director candidates and assessing their qualifications; sets forth certain expectations for Board members with regard to age, citizenship and residency, stock ownership (i.e., a minimum of 5,000 shares of common stock of the Corporation within five (5) years of joining the Board), attendance at Board and committee meetings, experience and integrity; identifies the roles, duties and responsibilities of the Directors, as well as those of the Chairperson of the Board and committee chairs; formalizes the process for conducting succession planning with regard to the CEO as well as executive management as a whole; sets forth the procedures for selecting an interim replacement CEO in the event the CEO should die or suddenly become incapacitated and unable to serve as CEO, and procedures for identifying, recruiting, evaluating and selecting a successor CEO; and identifies certain expectations of Directors with regard to business development, new Director orientation and continuing education and training for Directors.
Nominating Procedure
The Corporation has not adopted a formal policy with regard to consideration of any Director candidates recommended by shareholders, which the Board of Directors deems appropriate because the Nominating Committee considers all recommendations for candidates from any source. To be considered by the Nominating Committee, shareholder recommendations as to Director candidates should be sent in writing to the Corporation, in care of the Corporation's Corporate Secretary, at
Shareholders of the Corporation may also nominate a candidate for election as a Director of the Corporation by following the procedures set forth in the Corporation's Regulations. Pursuant to the Regulations, all shareholder nominations must be made in writing and delivered or mailed to the Corporate Secretary of the Corporation at the Corporation's principal executive offices located at
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by the Corporate Secretary of the Corporation not less than 14 days nor more than 50 days prior to the meeting, except that if less than 21 days' notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the meeting is given or made to shareholders, notice must be delivered or mailed no later than the close of business on the 7th day following the day on which notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or such public disclosure was made, whichever occurs first (but in no event less than seven days prior to the meeting). Each nomination must contain the following information: (a) the name, age, business address and residence address of the proposed nominee; (b) the principal occupation or employment of the proposed nominee; (c) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the proposed nominee; (d) the name and record address of the shareholder making the nomination; and (e) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the shareholder making the nomination. The Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of a proposed nominee to serve as Director of the Corporation.
SEC Rule 14a-19now requires the use of a universal proxy card in contested director elections. Under this "universal proxy rule," a shareholder intending to engage in a director election contest with respect to an annual meeting of shareholders must give the Corporation notice of its intent to solicit proxies by providing the name(s) of the shareholder's nominee(s) and certain other information at least 60 calendar days prior to the anniversary of the previous year's annual meeting date (except that, if the Corporation did not hold an annual meeting during the previous year, or if the date of the meeting has changed by more than 30 calendar days from the previous year, then notice must be provided by the later of 60 calendar days prior to the date of the annual meeting or the 10th calendar day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by the registrant).
Director Qualifications
The Nominating Committee identifies nominees by considering recommendations from all sources and evaluates them by applying the criteria that it has adopted. The Board of Directors Guide, which was originally adopted by the Nominating Committee in 2020, sets forth criteria to be used in evaluating existing Directors and new Director candidates, the minimum qualifications that must be met by any Director nominee and the qualities and skills that are necessary for a Director, new or existing, to possess. In addition to the qualifications and expectations set forth in the Board of Directors Guide, the Nominating Committee also considers cognitive diversity, relevant business and employment experience, experience on other boards, experience with publicly traded companies, relevant special knowledge, independence, personal characteristics, financial sophistication and community involvement. During 2019, the Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors adopted a formal Board Diversity Policy, a copy of which is available on the Corporation's website at www.civb.com (on the "Governance Documents" page under the "Corporate Overview" tab), regarding the consideration of cognitive diversity in identifying nominees for Director. Cognitive diversity is one of the primary factors considered by the Nominating Committee pursuant to its criteria for evaluating Director candidates. Cognitive diversity promotes diversity of all types and seeks the inclusion of different perspectives and ideas to mitigate against groupthink. Cognitive diversity also seeks to ensure that the Corporation benefits from all available talent. Diversity is to be achieved through recruitment efforts and the gathering of candidate pools that consider not only merit, but the competencies, expertise, skills and backgrounds identified by the Board as being important to fostering cognitive diversity and an inclusive culture. The Nominating Committee reviews and assesses on an annual basis the Board Diversity Policy's effectiveness in achieving a diverse and robust Board.
The Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors believe that each of the nominees who have been nominated for election at the Annual Meeting brings a strong background and set of skills to the Board which provides the Board as a whole with competence, experience and expertise in a wide variety of areas, including business and executive management, banking, manufacturing, accounting and finance, tax, insurance, human resources, information technology, law and international business. Provided below is the evaluation of the Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors regarding the specific attributes, skills and qualifications possessed by each Director nominee.
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Harry Singer.The Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors believe that the attributes, skills and qualifications that
- 16 -
process administered by the Corporation's General Counsel) that we believe are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, including applicable NASDAQ listing standards. The Corporation's Insider Trading Policy prohibits engaging in transactions in securities of the Corporation while in possession of material nonpublic information about the Corporation and also prohibits trading on material nonpublic information regarding any other company learned in the course of working for the Corporation or its subsidiaries. The Corporation's Insider Trading Policy also prohibits our employees from disclosing material, nonpublic information of the Corporation, or another publicly traded company, to others who may trade on the basis of that information. The Corporation's Insider Trading Policy requires that directors and executive officers of the Corporation only transact in securities of the Corporation during an open window period, subject to limited exceptions.
for the fiscal year ended
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION
The following table sets forth the names and ages of all current executive officers of the Corporation, other than
AGE(as of Meeting Date) |
POSITION | |||
|
56 |
Senior Vice President of the Corporation since 2022 Senior Vice President of Director of Executive Vice President, Compliance Officer at |
||
|
62 |
Senior Vice President of the Corporation since 2006 Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Senior Vice President of Director of |
||
|
59 |
Senior Vice President of the Corporation since 2022 Senior Vice President, Retail Banking of Vice President and Business Banking of Vice President and Business Banking of Vice President and Business Banking Officer at |
||
Carl A. Kessler, III |
56 |
Senior Vice President of the Corporation since 2022 Senior Vice President of Chief Information Officer of Chief Information Officer of First Federal Lakewood from 2013 to 2019 Chief Operations and Information Officer of First Federal Lakewood from 2019 to 2020 |
||
|
58 |
Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of the Corporation since 2019 Senior Vice President of Director of CIVB Risk Management since 2019 Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Bancorp and 31 years as a practicing attorney |
||
|
59 |
Senior Vice President of the Corporation since 2023 Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President , Executive Vice President , |
||
|
60 |
Executive Vice President of the Corporation since January, 2025 President of Senior Vice President of the Corporation from 2016 to January, 2025 Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President of Market President of |
||
|
59 |
Senior Vice President of the Corporation since 2017 Senior Vice President, Customer Experience Officer, of Senior Vice President, Regional Manager, |
||
|
49 |
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Corporation since 2024 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Bank since 2024 Director of Profitability Management and Capital Utilization, Director of Finance, |
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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Overview of Compensation Program
The Compensation Committee is responsible for the development and administration of the Corporation's policies regarding executive compensation and obtains input from management and outside consultants as appropriate. The Compensation Committee approves the Corporation's overall compensation levels and increases. It oversees the Corporation's compensation and benefit program, and administers the Corporation's incentive plans. The Compensation Committee sets the compensation of the Corporation's chief executive officer. The executive officers of the Corporation are paid by the Bank for their services to the Corporation, the Bank and the other subsidiaries of the Corporation. They receive no compensation directly from the Corporation.
The Compensation Committee's determinations are based in large part upon information concerning the compensation paid by similarly-sizedfinancial institutions. Since 2018, the Compensation Committee has retained an outside compensation consultant to provide peer information and recommendations concerning the base salaries, incentives and total compensation to be paid to the Corporation's named executive officers included in the Summary Compensation Table on page 27 of this Proxy Statement ("NEOs"). In 2024, the Compensation Committee retained
The Compensation Committee believes that the compensation historically paid to the Corporation's NEOs has been conservative and has generally followed a goal of paying NEOs a base salary that is in the 50th percentile of the base compensation paid at similar companies.
Prior to 2015, the Corporation's compensation program had focused primarily on the base salary paid to each executive officer, supplemented by a 401(k) plan, a defined benefit pension plan (for those employees of the Bank as of
For each of 2023 and 2024, the Compensation Committee approved measures of the Corporation's performance to apply in considering discretionary bonuses for the NEOs. The financial measures used to evaluate the Corporation's 2023 and 2024 performance are described under the heading "Compensation Components - Bonus/Incentive Compensation" below. Based upon the Corporation's 2023 and 2024 performance against those measures, the Compensation Committee approved discretionary bonuses to the NEOs to be paid out in 2024 and 2025, respectively. The Compensation Committee designated a portion of these discretionary bonuses to be paid out in cash and the remaining portion of the bonuses to be paid out in the form of grants of restricted common shares of the Corporation that vest in three equal annual installments over a three (3) year period. The grants of restricted common shares are intended to further align the interests of management with those of the Corporation's shareholders and to incentivize key executives to remain with the Corporation.
In 2015, the Compensation Committee determined that the action taken in 2014 to freeze the Corporation's pension plan would cause a loss of retirement benefits for a number of the Corporation's employees who would not be able to use remaining benefit plans to make up the difference. As a result, the Compensation Committee approved Pension Shortfall Agreements between the Corporation and various employees, including one NEO, to provide for an annual amount to be set aside so as to offset the shortfall in the amount to be paid out to the employee upon reaching retirement age.
At the Corporation's 2024 annual meeting, the shareholders approved the non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the Corporation's executive compensation as disclosed in the proxy statement for the 2024 annual meeting. The resolution was approved by a majority of those voting on the issue (including abstentions counting as "no" votes, but excluding broker non-votes).While the advisory vote was only one of several factors that influenced the Corporation's executive compensation decisions and policies for 2024, the Compensation Committee viewed the results of this advisory vote as a continued indication that shareholders are generally supportive of the Corporation's compensation philosophy and policies.
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Role of the Compensation Committee, Management and Consultants in Determining Compensation
The Compensation Committee of the Corporation's Board of Directors retains overall responsibility for administration of the compensation arrangements for the executive officers of the Corporation, including the NEOs. The Compensation Committee evaluates the factors relevant to the Corporation's compensation decisions and approves the compensation program for NEOs. Historically, the Compensation Committee has relied heavily on information obtained from consultants and other external sources concerning the compensation paid by similarly-sizedfinancial institutions. While the Compensation Committee considers the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer in making annual compensation decisions with respect to other executive officers, the Compensation Committee retains ultimate authority and discretion regarding the compensation arrangements for executive officers of the Corporation and does not delegate any of its authority.
In determining the 2024 compensation for the Corporation's NEOs, the Compensation Committee considered information from the Compensation Consultant, and analytical data from CompAnalyst (a product of
As the basis for its recommendations, the Compensation Consultant gathered information regarding peer financial institutions located in the Midwest that had assets of more than
Early in each year, the Compensation Committee selects appropriate performance measures to be considered in connection with the evaluation of possible bonuses based upon the Corporation's performance that year. However, the Compensation Committee retains ultimate discretion concerning whether or not any bonuses will be paid. At its meeting in February of the following year, the Compensation Committee reviews the bonuses paid during recent years to confirm that the bonuses had been effective in providing desired performance incentives. The Committee then applies the selected performance measures to the Corporation's actual results for those years and determines the appropriate bonuses to pay based upon those results. After determining the appropriate bonus amounts to be paid, the Compensation Committee then allocates the bonus amount to be paid between cash and restricted common shares of the Corporation.
In
- 20 -
Shareholder Retu("TSR"). The TSR measure will continue to utilize a three year average. With respect to each of these performance measures, the Compensation Committee set revised targets based on the Corporation's asset size and organization structure. For 2025, the Compensation Committee approved a revised structure for payout of the equity component pursuant to which 50% of the payout for 2025 will be an outright grant and the other 50% will be based on the satisfaction of the performance measures described above. Again, the Committee retains discretion as to whether any bonuses will be paid.
Compensation Philosophy and Objectives
The objective of the Corporation's compensation programs is to attract, compensate and retain key employees. The Corporation attempts to compensate executives fairly in light of their responsibilities, the performance of the executives and the Corporation and the compensation paid to executives in similar positions at peer financial institutions in the Midwest. The Compensation Committee annually reviews and recommends the appropriate salary for the Chief Executive Officer and an appropriate salary or salary range for each of the other NEOs.
The Corporation's compensation program for executive officers had traditionally focused on the base salary paid to the executive officers. Before 2015, the Corporation attempted to fairly compensate and retain its executive officers and other employees primarily with base salary. Over the past several years, however, the Corporation has sought to reduce the emphasis on base salary in officers' total compensation by including an incentive-based element in its executive officers' compensation program. For each fiscal year beginning in 2015, the Compensation Committee approved bonuses to the NEOs under the Incentive Plans to recognize the performance of the Corporation during those years and the NEOs' respective contributions to such performance.
The Corporation's compensation programs are also aligned with the Corporation's strategic plan that is currently in place. For example, in alignment with the pillars of that plan, the Compensation Committee (as to the 2024 performance measures) increased the weight of the deposits measure within the cash portion of the annual bonuses awarded pursuant to the Incentive Plan and (as to 2025 performance measures) added earnings per share and retuon tangible common equity to total shareholder retuas performance measures within the equity portion of the annual bonuses awarded pursuant to the Incentive Plan.
In determining appropriate base salaries for officers, the Compensation Committee has relied heavily upon peer comparison information and has generally used the 50th percentile as the goal for base salaries. The Compensation Committee considers the Corporation's performance when evaluating and setting incentive levels. The Compensation Committee chose measures that appropriately reflected the success of the Corporation at meeting its goals and set guidelines concerning how bonuses would be calculated. While executives were informed of the measures that would be considered in determining bonuses, the Compensation Committee retained discretion as to whether any bonus would be awarded. The Compensation Committee determined that this approach provided incentive to executives but preserved flexibility in the event of a change in the circumstances of the Corporation. Bonuses have been paid based upon the application of the measures to the Corporation's results. In order to encourage officers to own a significant amount of the Corporation's common shares, to align their interests with shareholders and to encourage them to continue their employment, a substantial portion of the bonus for each NEO in 2024 (and prior years) was paid in restricted shares of the Corporation that would vest over the succeeding three years. No wealth accumulation analysis has been performed, and, while the Compensation Committee considers the position and responsibilities of each executive officer in establishing compensation levels, it does not apply any formula for differentiating compensation between executive officers based on their positions and responsibilities.
In addition to the base salary paid to each executive officer, the Corporation's compensation program includes retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, and change in control agreements for certain executive officers. The Corporation expects the retirement and health and welfare plans to promote longevity with the Corporation and discourage turnover among its executive officers and other employees. The Corporation recognizes that change in control agreements can help it to attract and keep talented executives and can minimize the impact on key executives of a job loss due to a change in control. The change in control agreements contain "double triggers" pursuant to which each NEO is entitled to receive benefits following a change in control onlyif the NEO's employment with the successor company is terminated within twenty-four (24) months following the change in control. In the event that a transaction that would lead to a change in control is proposed, such agreements can help assure that the executives analyze the transaction without undue focus on its effect upon them personally. In addition, if a transaction would occur, change in control agreements can encourage key executives to stay and help accomplish a smooth transition.
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Clawback Policy
The Corporation's Clawback Policy was adopted by the Compensation Committee and by the Board of Directors in 2018 and subsequently amended and restated in 2023. The Clawback Policy is intended to comply with Section 10D of the Exchange Act, Rule 10D-1promulgated under the Exchange Act, and Nasdaq Rule 5608 by providing for the recovery by the Corporation of erroneously awarded compensation in the event of an accounting restatement. The Clawback Policy provides for the Compensation Committee to seek the recoupment of certain incentive based compensation received by executive officers and other senior officers of the Corporation or the Bank in the event that the Corporation is required to prepare an accounting restatement of the Corporation's financial statements due to the Corporation's material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirements under the
Timing of Grants of Equity Awards
The Corporation has not granted stock options in more than 15 years. The Corporation does not grant stock options or similar awards in anticipation of the release of material nonpublic information that is likely to result in changes to the price of the Corporation's common such, such as a significant positive or negative earnings announcement, or time the public release of such information based on stock option grant dates. In addition, the Corporation does not grant stock options or similar awards during periods in which there is material nonpublic information about the Corporation, including during "blackout" periods or outside a "trading window" established pursuant to the Corporation's Insider Trading Policy. These restrictions do not apply to other types of equity awards that do not include an exercise price related to the market price of the Corporation's common shares on the date of grant.
If stock options were to be granted in the future, the Compensation Committee would determine the grant date, and the Corporation's executive officers would not be permitted to choose the grant date for any stock option grants.
During fiscal 2024, none of the Corporations NEOs were awarded stock options, and the Corporation did not time the disclosure of material nonpublic information for the purpose of affecting the value of executive compensation.
Compensation Components
Base Salary
A primary component of executive officer compensation has been the officer's base salary. The base salary of an executive officer reflects the duties and level of responsibility of the officer, the Corporation's performance to the extent that it provides the ability to pay compensation at a reasonable rate, and the cash compensation paid to similar executive officers at other financial institutions within the Corporation's identified peer group.
In determining the base salaries for executive officers in 2024, the Compensation Committee considered the previously referenced peer survey information from the Compensation Consultant and the CompAnalyst data focusing on the 50th percentile. Increases for NEOs averaged 3% for 2024. Base salaries were set at modest levels because of the ongoing goal of shifting greater emphasis to incentive compensation that reflects the performance of the Corporation.
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Bonus/Incentive Compensation
The Compensation Committee approved the following measures concerning the calculation of the cash and equity portions of annual bonuses that could be earned by the NEOs based on the financial performance of the Corporation in 2024:
Cash Bonus Measures
· |
Net income |
· |
Efficiency ratio |
· |
Total loans (whether booked or sold) |
· |
End of year core deposits, excluding any brokered deposits or deposits generated by the tax refund program |
Equity Bonus Measures
· |
Total Shareholder Retu(TSR) |
· |
Retuon Average Equity (ROAE) |
Although no longer one of the specific financial performance measures, the level of non-performingloans remains a factor considered as part of the total loans performance measure. For every 50 basis points the ratio of total past due (plus) nonaccrual loans divided by total loans exceeds the peer ratio, a 10 percent reduction in the total loans weighting will be applied.
For each of the cash bonus measures, the Compensation Committee set the following targets for the cash portion of the annual bonuses that could be awarded to each NEO for the applicable fiscal year:
2023 TARGET | 2024 TARGET | |||
Net Income |
||||
Efficiency Ratio |
59.10% | 68.5% | ||
Total Loans (Booked or Sold) |
||||
Average Deposits, excluding brokered deposits and tax refund deposits |
For each of the equity bonus measures, the Compensation Committee set the following targets for the equity portion of the annual bonuses that could be awarded to each NEO for the 2024 fiscal year.
PERFORMANCE GOALS | WEIGHTING | TARGET PERCENTILE | ||
Relative TSR vs. |
65% | 50% | ||
Relative ROAE vs. |
35% | 50% | ||
Total |
100% |
A threshold was set for each factor the achievement of which was required for any bonus to be earned and below which no incentive would be paid for that factor. In addition, for 2024, an aggregate bonus cap was set at 80% of the base salary of
2024 Incentive Bonuses
Total Max % of Salary |
Max % of Salary Payable in Equity |
Max % of Salary Payable in Cash |
||||
|
80 | 35 | 45 | |||
|
70 | 30 | 40 | |||
|
53 | 20 | 33 | |||
|
70 | 30 | 40 | |||
|
53 | 20 | 33 | |||
|
53 | 20 | 33 |
2024
The performance of the Corporation in 2024 exceeded the maximum with respect to two of the cash bonus measures for Total Loans (Booked or Sold) and Average Deposits, excluding brokered deposits and tax refund deposits.
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The two other cash bonus measures - Net Income and Efficiency Ratio fell between target and maximum. With regard to the equity bonus measures, the performance of the Corporation in 2024 was below threshold as to Total Shareholder Retu(TSR), and between threshold and target as to Retuon Average Equity (ROAE).
Applying the guidelines set by the Compensation Committee to calculate the bonuses for the NEOs and other officers resulted in bonuses of 61.7% of the 2024 base salary for
The Compensation Committee determined that payment of the discretionary bonuses calculated in accordance with the foregoing was appropriate and approved the bonuses. Eighteen and one half percent (18.5%) of the bonus payable to
2023
In reviewing the selected performance measures against the Corporation's actual results for 2023, the Compensation Committee noted that the Corporation's TSR performance in 2023 did not meet the threshold for TSR, one of the two equity bonus performance measures. However the performance of the Corporation exceeded the maximum as to ROAE, the other equity bonus performance measure. As a result, the Compensation Committee awarded a partial equity bonus that was weighted accordingly at 35% of the maximum percentage of salary payable in equity. This was in line with the structure and measures of the equity bonus portion of the 2014 Incentive Plan. The performance of the Corporation in 2023 also did not meet the threshold for any of the four cash bonus measures for net income, efficiency ratio, total loans (booked and sold) and average deposits (excluding brokered deposits and tax refund deposits). However, while the four cash bonus measures fell short of the threshold for cash bonuses to be paid, the Committee took into consideration the following factors:
1. |
The performance measures were selected prior to the |
2. |
Earnings per share increased by seven basis points and net interest margin increased by five basis points, contrary to the decreases that many banks saw for 2023 versus 2022. |
Based upon these factors, at its meeting in
The foregoing resulted in bonuses of 31.7% and 12.2% of base salary for the cash portion and equity portion, respectively, for
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was deemed, in the discretion of the Compensation Committee, eligible to receive incentive bonuses for 2023. As
Discretionary Bonus
The Corporation has, on limited occasions, paid a discretionary bonus to an officer in recognition of providing extraordinary performance and/or services to the Corporation.
Employee
In addition to salary, the Corporation also has established retirement plans for all employees meeting minimum age and length of service eligibility requirements. The Corporation has maintained a defined benefit pension plan for all employees who were participants as of
The Corporation has a Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan ("SERP") in which certain executive officers participate, including
During 2015, the Corporation determined that twelve of its long-term employees who were participants in the pension plan would suffer a shortfall compared to the retirement position contemplated by the pension plan, even if those employees availed themselves of all available benefit options. The affected employees included one NEO,
The NEOs participate in the same health and welfare plans (medical, dental, prescription, health and/or dependent care flexible spending and life and long-term disability insurance) that are available to all officers and employees of similar age and years of service. The foregoing plans are further discussed in the narratives to the tables that follow.
Change in Control Agreements
The Corporation has entered into change in control agreements with various executive officers, including each of the NEOs. These change in control agreements provide, among other things, for each NEO to receive benefits following a change in control onlyif the NEO's employment with the successor company is terminated within twenty-four (24) months following the change in control. The Board of Directors believes that the provisions of the change in control agreements are likely to provide for a smooth transition following a change in control and that the payments provided for under the change in control agreements are sufficient but not excessive to enable financial institution executives to find subsequent employment. For additional information, see "Change in Control Agreements" on page 31.
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Risk Management Analysis
The Compensation Committee does not believe that risks related to the Corporation's compensation policies and practices are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Corporation. Total compensation is balanced between a base salary, which offers no incentive to take excessive risks, and incentive compensation tied to the Corporation's performance. The performance measures used to calculate cash incentive compensation are equally weighted and include elements, such as the total non-performingassets, which would be adversely affected by risk-taking. In addition, as the Compensation Committee retains discretion concerning whether any incentive will be paid, there is no assurance that excessive risk-taking will benefit an employee. The fact that a substantial part of the incentives is paid in restricted common shares of the Corporation and which do not fully vest until three years after the award date, causes a long-term alignment of the interests of officers and shareholders and another disincentive against excessive risk-taking by the officers. The change in control agreements provide, among other things, for each NEO to receive benefits following a change in control only if the NEO's employment with the successor company is terminated within twenty-four (24) months following the change in control. The Compensation Committee and the Board have also adopted a Clawback Policy that provides for the recovery by the Corporation of erroneously awarded compensation in the event of an accounting restatement. For additional information, see "Clawback Policy" on page 21.
Accounting and Tax Implications of Compensation
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code generally does not allow a tax deduction to publicly-held companies, such as the Corporation, for compensation over
Compensation Committee Report
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of SEC Regulation S-Kwith the Corporation's management and, based on such review and discussion, the Compensation Committee recommended to the full Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.
Submitted by Members of the Compensation Committee:
Harry Singer Chairperson
Summary Compensation Table
Under rules established by the
- 26 -
Mr.
Summary Compensation Table for 2024
Position |
Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) (1) |
Stock Awards ($)(2) |
Option Awards ($) |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(3) |
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)(4)(8) |
All Other Compensation ($)(5) |
Total ($) |
|||||||||
President and CEO |
2024
2023 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
Sr. Vice President |
2024
2023 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
Sr. Vice President,Corporate Secretaryand General Counsel |
2024
2023 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
Sr. Vice President |
2024
2023 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
Sr. Vice President,Treasurer and CFO |
2024
2023 2022 |
|||||||||||||||||
Former Senior VicePresident andController |
2024
2023 2022 |
(1) |
Amounts for |
(2) |
The amounts reflected in this column are equal to the aggregate grant date fair value, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 708, of the awards of restricted common shares granted under the Incentive Plans for the Corporation's performance during the prior fiscal year. |
(3) |
Represents cash bonus amounts awarded to the named executive officers under the Corporation's Incentive Plans with respect to the Corporation's performance in 2022, 2023 and 2024. For further discussion regarding the bonuses awarded under the Corporation's Incentive Plans, see "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" beginning on page 19. |
(4) |
Represents the aggregate change in actuarial present value of the named executive officer's accumulated benefits under (a) the Corporation's pension plan and Pension Shortfall Agreement, with respect to |
(5) |
Represents (a) matching contributions and profit-sharing contributions allocated by the Corporation to the accounts of named executive officers under the 401(k) plan, (b) a portion of the premiums paid by the Corporation on behalf of the named executive officers for life insurance and long-term disability insurance, and (c) dividends received from the Corporation on restricted common shares prior to vesting of such restricted common shares. The amount for |
(6) |
|
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(7) |
|
(8) |
Increase in the benefits that would be received by Messrs. Shaffer, Dutton, Parcher and Morrison, as compared to prior years, are due to the amendment and restatement of the SERP that was effective as of |
CEO Pay Ratio
Item 402(u) of SEC Regulation S-K,which was adopted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), requires the Corporation to disclose the ratio of the annual total compensation of the Corporation's CEO to the median of the annual total compensation of the Corporation's employees (except for the CEO).
For the fiscal year ended
Using the methodology described above, the Corporation estimates that the 2024 annual total compensation of the CEO,
Grants of Plan Based Awards
The following table sets forth information regarding awards of restricted common shares granted to the NEOs during the 2024 fiscal year under the 2024 Incentive Plan. No other plan-based awards were granted to the NEOs during the 2024 fiscal year.
Fiscal 2024 Grants of Plan-Based Awards
Grant Date |
All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)(1) |
Grant Date Fair Value of Stock Awards ($) |
||||||
Restricted stock award |
4,262 | |||||||
Restricted stock award |
1,996 | |||||||
Lance. A. Morrison Restricted stock award |
979 | |||||||
Restricted stock award |
1,996 | |||||||
Restricted stock award |
N/A | 0 | 0 | |||||
Restricted stock award |
872 |
(1) |
Reflects the number of restricted common shares granted on the date indicated pursuant to action of the Compensation Committee. All restricted common shares granted to |
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
At
- 28 -
Stock Awards | ||||||||||||
|
Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) |
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)(4) |
||||||||||
|
1,285
5,484 4,262 |
(1)
(2) (3) |
||||||||||
|
742
2,552 1,996 |
(1)
(2) (3) |
||||||||||
|
421
1,278 979 |
(1)
(2) (3) |
||||||||||
|
742
2,552 1,996 |
(1)
(2) (3) |
||||||||||
|
0 | 0 |
(1) |
Restricted common shares granted on |
(2) |
Restricted common shares granted on |
(3) |
Restricted common shares granted on |
(4) |
Market value was computed by multiplying the closing market price of the Corporation's common shares at 2024 fiscal year-end( |
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
The following table sets forth information regarding restricted common shares held by each of the NEOs that vested during the fiscal year ended
Stock Awards | ||||||
|
Number of Shares Acquired upon Vesting (#) | Value Realized on Vesting ($)(1) | ||||
|
6,015 | |||||
|
2,942 | |||||
|
1,584 | |||||
|
2,942 | |||||
|
1,490 | |||||
|
0 |
(1) |
Value realized on vesting was computed by multiplying the number of common shares by the market value of the Corporation's common shares on the vesting date ( |
(2) |
All restricted common shares then-held by |
Pension Benefits
The following table sets forth the actuarial present value of each NEO's accumulated benefit, including the number of years of service credited to each NEO, under the Corporation's Pension Plan and, where applicable, the NEO's SERP. No payments or benefits were paid to any NEO under any of these plans or agreements during the 2024 fiscal year.
Plan |
Number of Years Credited Service # |
Present Value of Accumulated Benefit_$ |
Payments During Last Fiscal Year $ |
|||||
|
SERP | 15 | ||||||
|
SERP | 18 | ||||||
|
SERP | 6 | ||||||
|
SERP | 8 | ||||||
|
SERP | 0 | ||||||
|
Pension Plan | 40 |
- 29 -
Retirement, Deferred Compensation and Other Benefit Plans
Defined Contribution/401(k) Plan
The Corporation maintains a tax-qualifieddefined contribution/401(k) plan for employees of the Corporation and its subsidiaries. All employees of the Corporation and its subsidiaries are eligible to participate in this plan. Subject to limitations established by the Internal Revenue Code, employees may defer up to 100% of annual compensation. The 2024 limit was
Defined Benefit Pension Plan
The Corporation maintains a tax-qualifiednon-contributorydefined benefit pension plan for employees of the Corporation and its subsidiaries who were participants as of
Under the pension plan, employees are eligible to retire and receive monthly benefits under the pension plan at age 65. In addition, employees may elect to begin receiving reduced benefits at an earlier age if they qualify for early retirement by attaining age 55. Pension benefits will generally be paid either as joint and survivor annuities or single life annuities, provided that participating employees who obtain their spouse's consent may elect to receive their benefits in one of several other optional forms of benefit, including a lump sum distribution of the present value of the benefit.
During 2006, the Corporation amended the pension plan to provide that no employee shall become a participant in the plan after
Effective
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation for 2024
The Corporation maintains a nonqualified deferred compensation plan that allows an eligible employee to defer receipt of compensation to which the employee would be entitled. The amount deferred is credited with interest at a rate equal to the five-year United States Treasury Constant Maturity rate published by the
- 30 -
Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefits
In 2011, the Corporation adopted a SERP to provide select employees, including executive officers, with additional retirement benefits. Effective as of
Under the SERP, as amended and restated, a participant generally will vest in his or her retirement benefit over 10 years of service. Vesting will be accelerated in the event that a participant becomes disabled before completing 10 years of service. Except when delayed pursuant to the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, payment of the SERP retirement benefit will begin on the first day of the second month following the participant's separation from service and continue for a period of 10 years thereafter. Generally, if a participant dies or is terminated for cause (as defined in the SERP) before payment of the retirement benefit has commenced, the participant will forfeit any right to payment of a retirement benefit.
The Corporation or one of its subsidiaries has purchased split dollar life insurance policies in order to fund the obligations under the SERP. Generally, these policies provide participants with a death benefit equal to the retirement benefit a participant would have received under the SERP had the participant not died before separating from service.
Pension Shortfall Agreements
During 2015, the Corporation determined that twelve of its long-term employees who were participants in the pension plan would suffer a shortfall compared to the retirement position contemplated by the pension plan, even if those employees availed themselves of all available benefit options. The affected employees included one NEO,
Incentive Plans
In 2014, the shareholders of the Corporation approved the Corporation's 2014 Incentive Plan, pursuant to which equity-based awards and cash-based were available for grant to eligible participant, including executive officers and Directors of the Corporation and the Bank. The 2014 Incentive Plan expired by its terms on
- 31 -
Change in Control Agreements
Each NEO is a party to a change in control agreement with the Corporation, except that
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control
The following table summarizes payments which would have been made to each of the NEOs if a retirement, termination or change in control event had occurred in each case as of
Voluntary Termination |
Termination for Cause |
Early Retirement (1) |
Full Retirement (2) |
Death | Disability |
Change in Control without Termination |
Termination without Cause under Change in Control (3) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Shortfall |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SERP (4) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Split Dollar Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group Term Life Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Term Disability (5) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of Stock |
--- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retention Bonus (6) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Severance |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COBRA |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Shortfall |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SERP (7) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Split Dollar Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group Term Life Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Term Disability (8) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of Stock |
--- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retention Bonus (6) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Severance |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COBRA |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
- 32 -
Voluntary Termination |
Termination for Cause |
Early Retirement (1) |
Full Retirement (2) |
Death | Disability |
Change in Control without Termination |
Termination without Cause under Change in Control (3) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Shortfall |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SERP (9) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Split Dollar Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group Term Life Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Term Disability (10) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of Stock |
--- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retention Bonus (6) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Severance |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COBRA |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Shortfall |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SERP (11) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Split Dollar Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group Term Life Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Term Disability (12) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of Stock |
--- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retention Bonus (6) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Severance |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COBRA |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Shortfall |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SERP (13) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Split Dollar Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group Term Life Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Term Disability (14) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of Stock |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retention Bonus (6) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Severance |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COBRA |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pension Shortfall |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SERP |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Split Dollar Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group Term Life Ins. |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Term Disability |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Value of Stock |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retention Bonus (6) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Severance |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COBRA |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
(1) |
The Corporation's SERP provides benefits upon early retirement for the other NEOs. |
(2) |
None of the NEOs qualified for full retirement on |
(3) |
Assumes termination of the NEO on |
(4) |
Represents the total amount that would be paid in equal annual installments of |
(5) |
Assumes that short-term disability period had expired. Represents the total amount that would be paid in monthly installments of |
(6) |
Represents amount payable to each NEO under the NEO's Change in Control Agreement in the event the NEO is terminated within 24 months following the change in control. |
(7) |
Represents the total amount that would be paid in equal annual installments of |
(8) |
Assumes short-term disability period had expired. Represents the total amount that would be paid in monthly installments of |
(9) |
Represents the total amount that would be paid in equal annual installments of |
(10) |
Assumes short-term disability period had expired. Represents the total amount that would be paid in monthly installments of |
(11) |
Represents the total amount that would be paid in equal annual installments of |
(12) |
Assumes that short-term disability period had expired. Represents the total amount that would be paid in monthly installments of |
(13) |
Represents the total amount that would be paid in equal annual installments of |
(14) |
Assumes that short-term disability period had expired. Represents the total amount that would be paid in monthly installments of |
(15) |
|
- 33 -
we are providing the following information about the relationship between executive compensation actually paid to our NEOs and certain financial performance of the Corporation. Additional information concerning the Corporation's compensation philosophy and how the Corporation aligns executive compensation with the Corporation's performance is provided under the heading "EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION - Compensation Discussion and Analysis" beginning on page 19 of this Proxy Statement.
Year |
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
PEO
1
|
Compensation
Actually Paid to
PEO
2
|
Average
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Non-PEO NEOs
3
|
Average
Compensation
Actually Paid to
Non-PEO NEOs
4
|
Value of Initial Fixed
Investment Based On:
|
Net Income
($000s)
7
|
Total Loan
Growth
(Booked and
Sold) ($000s)
8
|
|||||||||||
Total
Shareholder
Retu
5
|
Total
Shareholder
Retu
6
|
|||||||||||||||||
(a) | (b) | (c) | (d) | (e) | (f) | (g) | (h) | (i) | ||||||||||
2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
2020 |
1
|
The dollar amounts reported in column (b) are the amounts of total compensation reported for Mr.
|
2
|
The dollar amounts reported in column (c) represent the amount of "compensation actually paid" to
S-K.
The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to S-K,
the following adjustments were made to |
Year |
Reported
Summary Compensation
Table Total for PEO
|
Reported
Value of Equity
Awards
(a)
|
Equity
Award
Adjustments
(b)
|
Reported
Change in the Actuarial Present
Value of Pension Benefits
(c)
|
Pension Benefit
Adjustments
(d)
|
Compensation
Actually Paid to
PEO
|
||||||
2024
|
||||||||||||
2023
|
||||||||||||
2022
|
||||||||||||
2021
|
||||||||||||
2020
|
(a) |
The grant date fair value of equity awards represents the total of the amounts reported in the "Stock Awards" and "Option Awards" columns in the Summary Compensation Table for the applicable year.
|
(b) |
The equity award adjustments for each applicable year include the addition (or subtraction, as applicable) of the following: (i) the
year-end
fair value of any equity awards granted in the applicable year that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the year; (ii) the amount of change as of the end of the applicable year (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of any awards granted in prior years that are outstanding and unvested as of the end of the applicable year; (iii) for awards that are granted and vest in the same applicable year, the fair value as of the vesting date; (iv) for awards granted in prior years that vest in the applicable year, the amount equal to the change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value; (v) for awards granted in prior years that are determined to fail to meet the applicable vesting conditions during the applicable year, a deduction for the amount equal to the fair value at the end of the prior fiscal year; and (vi) the dollar value of any dividends or other earnings paid on stock or option awards in the applicable year prior to the vesting date that are not otherwise reflected in the fair value of such award or included in any other component of total compensation for the applicable year. The valuation assumptions used to calculate fair values did not materially differ from those disclosed at the time of grant. The amounts deducted or added in calculating the equity award adjustments are as follows: |
Year |
Year End
Fair Value of
Equity
Awards
|
Year over Year
Change in Fair
Value of
Outstanding and
Unvested Equity
Awards
|
Fair Value as of
Vesting Date of
Equity Awards
Granted and
Vested in the Year
|
Year over Year
Change in Fair
Value of Equity
Awards Granted in
Vested in the Year
|
Fair Value at the
End of the Prior
Year of Equity
Awards that Failed
to Meet Vesting
Conditions in the
Year
|
Value of Dividends
or other Earnings
Paid on Stock or
Option Awards not
Otherwise Reflected
in Fair Value or Total
Compensation
|
Total Equity
Award
Adjustments
|
|||||||
2024
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
2023
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
2022
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
2021
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
2020
|
- | - | - |
(c) |
The amounts included in this column are the amounts reported in the "Change in Pension and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation" column of the Summary Compensation Table for each applicable year.
|
(d) |
The total pension benefit adjustments for each applicable year include the aggregate of two components: (i) the actuarially determined service cost for services rendered by
|
YEAR | SERVICE COST | PRIOR SERVICE COST | TOTAL PENSION BENEFIT ADJUSTMENTS | |||
2024
|
||||||
2023
|
||||||
2022
|
||||||
2021
|
||||||
2020
|
3
|
The dollar amounts reported in column (d) represent the average of the amounts reported for the Corporation's NEOs as a group (excluding
|
4
|
The dollar amounts reported in column (e) represent the average amount of "compensation actually paid" to the NEOs as a group (excluding
S-K.
The dollar amounts do not reflect the actual average amount of compensation earned by or paid to the NEOs as a group (excluding S-K,
the following adjustments were made to average total compensation for the NEOs as a group (excluding |
Year |
Average Reported Summary
Compensation Table Total
for
Non-PEO
NEOs |
Average
Reported Value
of Equity Awards
|
Average
Equity Award
Adjustments
(a)
|
Average Reported Change
in the Actuarial Present
Value of Pension Benefits
|
Average
Pension Benefit
Adjustments
(b)
|
Average Compensation
Actually Paid to Non-
PEO NEOs
|
||||||
2024
|
||||||||||||
2023
|
||||||||||||
2022
|
||||||||||||
2021
|
||||||||||||
2020
|
(a) |
The amounts deducted or added in calculating the total average equity award adjustments are as follows:
|
Year |
Average
Year End
Fair Value
of Equity
Awards
|
Year over Year
Average Change
in Fair Value of
Outstanding and
Unvested Equity
Awards
|
Average Fair
Value as of
Vesting Date of
Equity Awards
Granted and
Vested in the Year
|
Year over Year
Average Change
in Fair Value of
Equity Awards
Granted in Prior
Years that Vested
in the Year
|
Average Fair Value
at the End of the
Prior Year of
Equity Awards that
Failed to Meet
Vesting Conditions
in the Year
|
Average Value of
Dividends or other
Earnings Paid on
Stock or Option
Awards not Otherwise
Reflected in Fair
Value or Total
Compensation
|
Total
Average
Equity
Award
Adjustments
|
|||||||
2024
|
|
- | - | |||||||||||
2023
|
|
- | - | - | ||||||||||
2022
|
|
- | - | - | ||||||||||
2021
|
|
- | - | - | ||||||||||
2020
|
|
- | - | - |
(b) |
The amounts deducted or added in calculating the total pension benefit adjustments are as follows:
|
Year | Average Service Cost |
Average Prior
Service Cost
|
Total Average Pension
Benefit Adjustments
|
|||||
2024
|
||||||||
2023
|
||||||||
2022
|
||||||||
2021
|
||||||||
2020
|
5
|
Cumulative TSR is calculated by dividing the sum of the cumulative amount of dividends for the measurement period, assuming dividend reinvestment, and the difference between the Corporation's share price at the end and the beginning of the measurement period by the Corporation's share price at the beginning of the measurement period.
|
6
|
Represents the weighted peer group TSR, weighted according to the respective companies' stock market capitalization at the beginning of each period for which a retuis indicated. The peer group used for this purpose is the following published industry index: S&P
|
7
|
The dollar amounts reported represent the amount of net income reflected in the Corporation's audited financial statements for the applicable year.
|
8
|
While the Corporation uses numerous financial and
non-financial
performance measures for the purpose of evaluating performance for the Corporation's compensation programs, the Corporation has determined that Total Loan Growth, defined as total loans booked and sold, is the financial performance measure that, in the Corporation's assessment, represents the most important performance measure (that is not otherwise required to be disclosed in the table) used by the Corporation to link compensation actually paid to the Corporation's NEOs, for the most recently completed fiscal year, to Corporation performance. |
:
·
|
Net Income
|
·
|
Efficiency Ratio
|
·
|
End of Year Core Deposits
|
·
|
Total Loans (Booked and Sold)
|
:
·
|
Relative TSR (as compared to a three (3) year average of peer group)
|
·
|
ROAE
|
for a particular year. In accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation
the Corporation is providing the following descriptions of the relationships between information presented in the "Pay Versus Performance Table for 2024".
al alignment of compensation actually paid with the Corporation's cumulative TSR over the period is largely due to the fact that a material portion of the compensation actually paid to
on
PROPOSAL 2
NON-BINDINGADVISORY VOTE ON NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION
The Dodd-Frank Act and corresponding
"RESOLVED, that the shareholders of
The Board of Directors believes that the Corporation's compensation policies and procedures, which are reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee, are effective in aligning the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers with the Corporation's short-term goals and long-term success and that such compensation and incentives are designed to attract, retain and motivate the Corporation's key executives who are directly responsible for the Corporation's continued success. The Board of Directors believes that the Corporation's compensation policies and practices do not threaten the value of the Corporation or the investments of the Corporation's shareholders or create incentives to engage in behaviors or business activities that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse impact on the Corporation. The Board of Directors further believes that the Corporation's culture focuses on sound risk management and appropriately rewards executives for performance. Finally, the Board of Directors believes that the Corporation's compensation policies and procedures are reasonable in comparison both to the Corporation's peer bank holding companies and to the Corporation's performance during the 2024 fiscal year.
- 39 -
Similar "Say on Pay" proposals were approved by a majority of the common shares voted at each of the Corporation's annual meetings of shareholders since 2009. Consistent with the most recent "Say on Pay Frequency" vote by the shareholders of the Corporation in 2019, the Corporation submits the "Say on Pay" proposal to its shareholders to vote on the approval of the Corporation's executive compensation every year.
Shareholders are encouraged to carefully review the information provided in this Proxy Statement regarding the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers in the section captioned "EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION" beginning on page 19 of this Proxy Statement.
Because your vote is advisory, the outcome of the vote will not: (i) be binding upon the Corporation's Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee with respect to future executive compensation decisions, including those relating to the Corporation's named executive officers, or otherwise; (ii) overrule any decision made by the Corporation's Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee; or (iii) create or imply any additional fiduciary duty by the Corporation's Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee. However, the Compensation Committee expects to take into account the outcome of the advisory vote when considering future executive compensation arrangements.
Recommendation and Vote
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal is required to approve the non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the compensation paid to the Corporation's named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement. The effect of an abstention is the same as a vote "Against" the proposal.Broker non-voteswill not be counted in determining whether the proposal has been approved.
The Board of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" Proposal 2 - Non-BindingAdvisory Vote on Named Executive Officer Compensation.
PROPOSAL 3
NON-BINDINGADVISORY VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF SHAREHOLDER ADVISORY VOTE ON
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
In Proposal 2 above, shareholders are being asked to vote on an advisory resolution on the approval of the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers and have previously voted on this type of advisory resolution every year since 2009. Under the Dodd-Frank Act and corresponding
"RESOLVED, that the shareholders of
In voting on this resolution, you should mark your proxy card or submit your voting instructions for "EVERY ONE YEAR", "EVERY TWO YEARS" or "EVERY THREE YEARS" based on your preference as to the frequency with which an advisory vote on executive compensation should be held. If you have no preference, you may "ABSTAIN".
After careful consideration, the Board of Directors has determined that holding an advisory vote on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers every one year continues to be the most appropriate for the Corporation, and unanimously recommends that you vote for a frequency of every one year for future advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers. While the Corporation's executive compensation programs are designed to promote both short-term and long-term alignment between pay and performance, the Corporation's Board of Directors recognizes that executive compensation disclosures are made annually. Holding an
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annual advisory vote on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers provides the Corporation with more direct and immediate feedback on the Corporation's compensation disclosures. However, shareholders should note that because the advisory vote on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers occurs well after the beginning of the compensation year, and because the different elements of the Corporation's executive compensation programs are designed to operate in an integrated manner and to complement one another, in many cases, it may not be feasible or appropriate to change the Corporation's executive compensation programs in consideration of any one year's advisory vote on the compensation of the Corporation's executive compensation program by the time of the following year's annual meeting of shareholders.
The Board of Directors understands that the Corporation's shareholders may have different views as to what an appropriate frequency for advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers, and the Board of Directors and Compensation Committee will carefully review the voting result on this Proposal 3. However, because your vote is advisory, it will not: (i) be binding upon the Corporation's Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee with respect to the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers; (ii) overrule any decision made by the Corporation's Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee; or (iii) create or imply any additional fiduciary duty by the Corporation's Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee. Notwithstanding the outcome of the shareholder advisory vote, the Corporation's Board of Directors may in the future decide to conduct advisory votes on a more or less frequent bases and may vary its practice based on factors such as discussions with shareholders and the adoption of material changes to compensation programs.
Recommendation and Vote
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal is required to approve, on a non-bindingadvisory bases, one of the selections as to the frequency of future shareholder advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers. Common shares as to which the vote is expressed as "ABSTAIN"vote on the proxy card or in voting instructions and broker non-voteswith respect to this Proposal 3 will not affect its outcome.
The Board of Directors recommends holding an advisory vote for the approval of the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers "EVERY ONE YEAR."
PROPOSAL 4
ADOPTION OF AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XI OF THE CORPORATION'S REGULATIONS TO
GRANT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THE POWER TO MAKE LIMITED FUTURE AMENDMENTS TO
THE REGULATIONS TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE
On
The full text of the proposed amendment is attached as Appendix A to this Proxy Statement.
For
Under the Ohio General Corporation Law, the board of directors of an
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of Directors of the Corporation would not be permitted to amend the Corporation's Regulation to do any of the following: (1) establish or change the percentage of common shares that must be held by the Corporation's shareholders in order to call a shareholders' meeting or change the time period required for notice of a shareholders' meeting; (2) establish or change the quorum requirements at shareholders' meetings; (3) prohibit the Corporation's shareholders or the Corporation's directors from taking action by written consent without a meeting; (4) change directors' terms of office or provide for the classification of directors, if the directors were not already classified; or (5) change the quorum or voting requirements at meetings of the Corporation's directors. In addition, the Board of Directors would not be permitted to delegate the authority to amend the regulations to a Board committee. The proposed amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Regulations does not seek to avoid or alter in any way these limitations placed on the Board of Directors under the Ohio General Corporation Law with respect to amendments to the Corporation's Regulations and would only allow the Board of Directors to amend the Corporation's Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law.
Under
Recommendation and Vote
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares of the Corporation outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required to approve and adopt the proposed amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Regulations to grant the Board of Directors the power to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law. Abstentions and broker non-voteswill have the same effect as votes cast "Against" the proposed amendment.
The Board of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" Proposal 4 - Adoption of an amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Regulations to grant the Board of Directors the power to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law.
PROPOSAL 5
RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CORPORATION'S
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The appointment of the Corporation's independent registered public accounting firm is made annually by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors, has appointed
The Corporation expects that representatives of
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Recommendation and Vote
The affirmative vote of a majority of the common shares represented at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the proposal, is required to ratify the appointment of
Even if the appointment of
The Board of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" Proposal 5 - Ratification of the Appointment of the Corporation's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
AUDIT COMMITTEE MATTERS
Change in Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Effective as of
The reports of
During the Corporation's fiscal years ended
Pre-Approvalof Services Performed by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Under applicable
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Fees of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Audit Fees (1) |
$ | 407,879 | $ | 258,840 | $ | 228,000 | |||||||||
Audit-Related Fees (2) |
$ | 20,738 | $ | 19,373 | $ | 0.00 | |||||||||
Tax Fees (3) |
$ | 128,688 | $ | 115,686 | $ | 0.00 | |||||||||
All Other Fees |
$ | 0.00 | $ | 0.00 | $ | 0.00 | |||||||||
$ | 557,304 | $ | 393,899 | $ | 228,000 |
(1) |
Includes fees paid for the audit of the Corporation's financial statements, the audit of the Corporation's internal control over financial reporting, review of financial statements included in the Corporation's quarterly reports and compliance audits required by HUD. |
(2) |
Includes fees paid related to the audit of the Corporation's employee benefit plans. |
(3) |
Includes fees paid related to compliance fees for the preparation of tax returns. |
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The Corporation's Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with management and with
The Audit Committee also has received the written disclosures and the letter from
Based on the foregoing discussions and reviews, the Audit Committee has recommended to the Corporation's Board of Directors that the audited financial statements for the year ended
Respectfully submitted,
The Audit Committee
SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR 2026 ANNUAL MEETING
Proposals by shareholders intended to be presented at the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders must be received by the Secretary of the Corporation no later than
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submit a proposal other than for inclusion in the proxy materials must deliver such proposal to the Secretary of the Corporation not less than 60 nor more than 90 days prior to the 2026 annual meeting (or 15 days after the date of notice or public disclosure if the Corporation provides less than 75 days' notice of the meeting), or such proposal will be considered untimely. If a shareholder proposal is untimely, the Corporation may vote in its discretion on that proposal all of the common shares for which it has received proxies for the 2026 annual meeting.
To comply with the universal proxy rules, shareholders who intend to solicit proxies for the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders in support of director nominees other than the Corporation's nominees must provide notice to the Corporation that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19of the Exchange Act no later than February 14, 2026.
Any proposals by shareholders intended to be presented at the 2026 annual meeting, and any notices of intent to solicit proxies for the 2026 annual meeting, should be mailed or delivered to
The Corporation's 2026 annual meeting of shareholders is currently scheduled to be held on April 21, 2026.
OTHER MATTERS
As of the date of this Proxy Statement, the Board of Directors knows of no matter that will be presented for action by the shareholders at the Annual Meeting other than those matters discussed in this Proxy Statement. However, if any other matter requiring a vote of the shareholders should properly come before the Annual Meeting, including matters relating to the conduct of the Annual Meeting, the individuals acting under the proxies solicited by the Board of Directors will vote and act according to their best judgments in light of the conditions then prevailing, to the extent permitted under applicable law.
ANNUAL REPORT
The Corporation's Annual Report is not intended to be a part of this Proxy Statement. A copy of the Corporation's Annual Report has been mailed to shareholders with this Proxy Statement. Additional copies of the Corporation's Annual Report are available to shareholders without charge upon request to
By Order of the Board of Directors |
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APPENDIX A
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XI OF THE AMENDED AND
RESTATED CODE OF REGULATIONS OF CIVISTA BANCSHARES, INC.
New text is indicated by double underline:
ARTICLE XI
Amendments
These Regulations may be amended or repealed at any meeting of shareholders called for that purpose by the affirmative vote of the holders of record of shares entitling them to exercise a majority of the voting power on such proposal or, without a meeting, by the written consent of the holders of record of shares entitling them to exercise two-thirds(2/3) of the voting power on such proposal. These Regulations may also be amended, from time to time, by the directors of the corporation to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law.
CIVISTA
100 East Water Street
800.604.9368
NASDAQ: CIVB
civb.com | civista.bank
P.O. BOX 8016, |
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Scan QR for digital voting |
Internet: www.proxypush.com/CIVB • Cast your vote online |
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Annual Meeting of Shareholders |
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For Shareholders of record as of February 18, 2025 Tuesday, April 15, 2025 10:00 AM, EasteTime Cedar Point Center Facility, BGSU Firelands College, One University Drive, YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT! PLEASE VOTE BY: 10:00 AM, EasteTime, April 15, 2025. |
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• Follow the simple instructions to record your vote | ||||||
Phone: |
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1-844-926-2041 | ||||||
• Use any touch-tone telephone | ||||||
• Have your Proxy Card ready | ||||||
• Follow the simple recorded instructions | ||||||
Live Agent: |
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1-888-554-5653 | ||||||
Speak to a live agent and vote on a recorded line | ||||||
Mail: |
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• Mark, sign and date your Proxy Card | ||||||
• Fold and retuyour Proxy Card in the postage-paid envelope provided |
This proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors
The undersigned hereby appoints
THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, SHARES WILL BE VOTED IDENTICAL TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDATION. This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. In their discretion, the Named Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other matters that may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
You only need to vote once. We recommend that you vote using the QR code above, but if you choose to vote by mail, please be sure to mark your votes, sign and date this proxy card on the reverse side then mail in the envelope provided.
PLEASE BE SURE TO SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY CARD AND MARK ON THE REVERSE SIDE
Copyright © 2025 BetaNXT, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved
Please make your marks like this: |
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE:
FORON PROPOSALS 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5
PROPOSAL |
YOUR VOTE |
BOARD OF |
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1. |
To elect twelve (12) Directors to serve one-yearterms expiring in 2026. |
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FOR | WITHHOLD | |||||||||
1.01 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.02 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.03 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.04 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.05 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.06 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.07 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.08 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.09 Harry Singer | ☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.10 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.11 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
1.12 |
☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||||
FOR | AGAINST | ABSTAIN | ||||||||
2. | To consider and vote upon a non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers as disclosed in the accompanying proxy statement. | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||
3. | To consider and vote upon a non-bindingadvisory resolution to approve the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Corporation's named executive officers. | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||
4. | To consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt an amendment to Article XI of the Corporation's Amended and Restated Code of Regulations (the "Regulations") to grant the Board of Directors the authority to make limited future amendments to the Regulations to the extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law. | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||
5. | To ratify the appointment of |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | FOR | |||||
6. | To consider and act upon any other matter which may properly be brought before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
☐ |
Check here if you would like to attend the meeting in person. |
Authorized Signatures - Must be completed for your instructions to be executed.
Please sign exactly as your name(s) appears on your account. If held in joint tenancy, all persons should sign. Trustees, administrators, etc., should include title and authority. Corporations should provide full name of corporation and title of authorized officer signing the Proxy/Vote Form.
Signature (and Title if applicable) | Date | Signature (if held jointly) | Date |
Attachments
Disclaimer
Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A)
Essent Guaranty Q4 2024
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