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Exhibit
2.2
PLAN
OF CONVERSION AND REORGANIZATION
of
NAUGATUCK
VALLEY MUTUAL HOLDING COMPANY,
NAUGATUCK
VALLEY FINANCIAL CORPORATION
and
NAUGATUCK
VALLEY SAVINGS AND LOAN
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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PAGE
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1.
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Introduction
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1
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2.
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Definitions
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2
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3.
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General
Procedure for the Conversion and Reorganization
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8
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4.
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Total
Number of Shares and Purchase Price of Conversion Stock
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11
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5.
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Subscription
Rights of Eligible Account Holders (First Priority)
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11
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6.
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Subscription
Rights of Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans (Second
Priority)
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12
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7.
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Subscription
Rights of Supplemental Eligible Account Holders (Third
Priority)
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13
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8.
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Subscription
Rights of Other Members (Fourth Priority)
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13
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9.
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Community
Offering, Syndicated Community Offering, Public Offering
and
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Other
Offerings
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14
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10.
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Limitations
on Subscriptions and Purchases of Common Stock
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15
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11.
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Timing
of Subscription Offering; Manner of Exercising Subscription Rights
and
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Order
Forms
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17
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12.
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Payment
for Common Stock
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19
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13.
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Account
Holders in Nonqualified States or Foreign Countries
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20
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14.
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Voting
Rights of Stockholders
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20
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15.
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Liquidation
Account
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20
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16.
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Transfer
of Deposit Accounts
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22
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17.
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Requirements
Following the Stock Issuance for Registration, Market Making
and
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Stock
Exchange Listing
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22
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18.
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Completion
of the Stock Offering
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22
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19.
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Requirements
for Stock Purchases by Directors and Officers Following
the
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Conversion
and Reorganization
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22
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20.
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Restrictions
on Transfer of Stock
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22
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21.
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Tax
Rulings or Opinions
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23
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22.
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Stock
Compensation Plans; Employment and Severance Agreements
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23
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23.
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Dividend
and Repurchase Restrictions on Stock
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24
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24.
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Amendment
or Termination of the Plan
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24
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25.
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Interpretation
of the Plan
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24
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i
For purposes of this section, all
capitalized terms have the meanings ascribed to them in Section 2.
On September 30, 2004, Naugatuck Valley
Savings and Loan, a federally chartered savings bank (the “Bank”), reorganized
into the mutual holding company form of organization whereby the Bank converted
to a stock savings bank and became the wholly-owned subsidiary of Naugatuck
Valley Financial Corporation (the “Mid-Tier Holding Company”) and the Mid-Tier
Holding Company issued 3,269,881 shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company
Common Stock to the Bank’s eligible depositors and the Naugatuck Valley Savings
and Loan Employee Stock Ownership Plan, 152,087 shares to the Naugatuck Valley
Savings and Loan Foundation and 4,182,407 shares to Naugatuck Valley Mutual
Holding Company (the “MHC”), a federally chartered mutual holding
company. As of the date hereof, the MHC beneficially and of record
owns 4,182,407 shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock, representing
approximately 59.6% of the outstanding voting stock of the Mid-Tier Holding
Company, and the remaining shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock are
owned by persons other than the MHC.
The Boards of Directors of the MHC, the
Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank believe that a conversion of the MHC to
stock form pursuant to this Plan of Conversion and Reorganization is in the best
interests of the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank, as well as the
best interests of Members and Stockholders. The Boards of Directors determined
that this Plan equitably provides for the interests of Members through the
granting of subscription rights and the establishment of a liquidation
account.
One of the primary purposes of the
Conversion and Reorganization is to enable the Bank, through the Holding
Company, to acquire by merger Southern Connecticut Bancorp, Inc. (“SSE”) and its
wholly-owned subsidiary, The Bank of Southern Connecticut (the “SSE
Merger”). Pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated February
22, 2010, by and among the Mid-Tier Holding Company and Newco (as defined
therein and referred to herein as the “Holding Company”) and SSE (the “SSE
Merger Agreement”), all issued and outstanding shares of SSE common stock will
be exchanged for the cash and/or stock merger consideration provided for in the
SSE Merger Agreement at the close of the SSE Merger. The SSE Merger
is the subject of separate but related regulatory applications. The
Conversion and Reorganization proceeds are intended to be used to fund the cash
consideration for the SSE Merger and to provide an immediate capital infusion
into the Bank and the Holding Company. The
Conversion and Reorganization is also expected to result in a more active and
liquid market for the Holding Company Common Stock than currently exists for
Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock. In addition, the Conversion and
Reorganization has been structured as a tax-free
reorganization. Finally, the Conversion and Reorganization and the
SSE Merger is expected to enable the Bank and the Holding Company to more
effectively compete in the financial services marketplace. In light
of the foregoing, the Boards of Directors of the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding
Company and the Bank believe that it is in the best interests of such companies
and Members and Stockholders to raise additional capital at this time through
the Conversion and Reorganization.
As
described in more detail in Section 3, the MHC will convert from the mutual
to the stock form of organization through a series of substantially simultaneous
mergers pursuant to which (i) the MHC will cease to exist and a liquidation
account will be established by the Bank for the benefit of Members as of
specified dates and (ii) the Bank will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Holding Company. In
connection
therewith, each share of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock outstanding
immediately prior to the effective time thereof shall be automatically
converted, without further action by the holder thereof, into and become the
right to receive shares of Holding Company Common Stock based on the Exchange
Ratio, plus cash in lieu of any fractional share interest.
In
connection with the Conversion and Reorganization, the Holding Company will
offer shares of Conversion Stock in the Offerings as provided herein. Shares of
Conversion Stock will be offered in a Subscription Offering in descending order
of priority to Eligible Account Holders, Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit
Plans, Supplemental Eligible Account Holders and Other Members. The Subscription
Rights granted in connection with the Subscription Offering are
non-transferable. Any shares of Conversion Stock remaining unsold after the
Subscription Offering may be offered for sale to the public through a Community
Offering and a Syndicated Community Offering or Public Offering, as determined
by the Board of Directors of the Holding Company in its sole
discretion.
On February 22, 2010, after careful
study and consideration, the Boards of Directors of the Mid-Tier Holding
Company, the MHC and the Bank adopted this Plan. The Plan must be
approved by: (1) the affirmative vote of a majority of the total
number of votes eligible to be cast by Members; (2) by the holders of at least
two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock
eligible to vote; and (3) by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares
of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock owned by Minority
Stockholders. After the Conversion and Reorganization, the Bank will
continue to be regulated by the OTS, as its chartering authority, and by the
FDIC. The Holding Company will be regulated by the OTS. In addition, the Bank
will continue to be a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank System and all
insured savings deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC up to the
maximum provided by law.
As used in this Plan, the terms set
forth below have the following meaning:
ACTING
IN CONCERT means (i) knowing participation in a joint activity or
interdependent conscious parallel action towards a common goal whether or not
pursuant to an express agreement or understanding; or (ii) a combination or
pooling of voting or other interests in the securities of an issuer for a common
purpose pursuant to any contract, understanding, relationship, agreement or
other arrangement, whether written or otherwise. A Person which acts
in concert with another Person (“other party”) shall also be deemed to be acting
in concert with any Person who is also acting in concert with that other party,
except that any Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan will not be deemed to
be acting in concert with its trustee or a person who serves in a similar
capacity solely for the purpose of determining whether stock held by the trustee
and stock held by the plan will be aggregated and participants or beneficiaries
of any such Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan will not be deemed to be
acting in concert solely as a result of their common interests as participants
or beneficiaries. When Persons act together for such purpose, their group is
deemed to have acquired their stock. The determination of whether a group is
Acting in Concert shall be made solely by the Board of Directors of the Holding
Company or Officers delegated by such Board and may be based on any evidence
upon which the Board or such delegatee chooses to rely, including, without
limitation, joint account relationships or the fact that such Persons share a
common address (whether or not related by blood or marriage) or have filed joint
Schedules 13D or Schedules 13G with the SEC with respect to other companies.
Directors of the Holding Company, the Bank and the MHC shall not be deemed to be
Acting in Concert solely as a result of their membership on any such board or
boards.
AFFILIATE
means a Person who, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries,
controls or is controlled by or is under common control with the Person
specified.
ASSOCIATE
of a Person means (i) a corporation or organization (other than the MHC, the
Mid-Tier Holding Company, the Bank or a majority-owned subsidiary of the MHC,
the Mid-Tier Holding Company or the Bank), if the Person is a senior officer or
partner or beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of any class
of equity securities of the corporation or organization, (ii) a trust or other
estate, if the Person has a substantial beneficial interest in the trust or
estate or is a trustee or fiduciary of the trust or estate, provided, however,
that such term shall not include any Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan
of the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding Company or the Bank in which such Person has a
substantial beneficial interest or serves as a trustee or in a similar fiduciary
capacity, and (iii) any person who is related by blood or marriage to such
Person and who lives in the same home as the Person or who is a director or
senior officer of the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding Company or the Bank or any of
their subsidiaries.
BANK
means Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan.
BANK
BENEFIT PLAN(S) includes, but is not limited to, Tax Qualified Employee
Stock Benefit Plans and Non-Tax Qualified Employee Stock Benefit
Plans.
BANK
MERGER means the merger of Interim Savings Bank with and into the Bank
pursuant to the Plan of Merger included as Annex A
hereto.
CODE
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS means, for purposes of any Community Offering, natural persons
and trusts of natural persons residing in Fairfield and New Haven Counties in
Connecticut.
COMMUNITY
OFFERING means the offering for sale by the Holding Company of any shares
of Conversion Stock not subscribed for in the Subscription Offering to such
Persons as may be selected by the Holding Company in its sole discretion and to
whom a copy of the Prospectus is delivered by or on behalf of the Holding
Company.
CONTROL
(including the terms “controlling,” “controlled by,” and “under common control
with”) means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or
cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through
the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
CONVERSION
AND REORGANIZATION means the series of transactions provided for in this
Plan, including but not limited to (i) the mutual to stock conversion of the MHC
and its subsequent merger pursuant to which it will cease to exist, (ii) the
merger of the Mid-Tier Holding Company with the Bank, pursuant to which it will
cease to exist and the Bank will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Holding
Company and, in connection therewith, each share of Mid-Tier Holding Company
Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the effective time thereof shall
automatically be converted into and become the right to receive shares of
Holding Company Common Stock based on the Exchange Ratio, plus cash in lieu of
any fractional share interest, and (iii) the issuance of Conversion Stock by the
Holding Company in the Offerings as provided herein. All such transactions shall
occur substantially simultaneously.
CONVERSION
STOCK means the Holding Company Common Stock to be issued and sold in the
Offerings, including SSE Merger Shares issued as described in Section 9(e), if
any, pursuant to the Plan.
DEPOSIT
ACCOUNT means any withdrawable account as defined in Section 561.42 of
the Rules and Regulations of the OTS, including a demand account as defined in
Section 561.16 of the Rules and Regulations of the OTS; provided, however, that
the term "Deposit Account" shall not include any escrow accounts maintained at
the Bank.
DEPOSITOR means the
holder of a Deposit Account.
ELIGIBLE
ACCOUNT HOLDER means any Person holding a Qualifying Deposit on the
Eligibility Record Date for purposes of determining Subscription
Rights.
ELIGIBILITY
RECORD DATE means the date for determining Qualifying Deposits of
Eligible Account Holders and is the close of business on December 31,
2008.
ESOP
means the Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan Employee Stock Ownership Plan or
such other Tax Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan adopted by the Holding
Company or the Bank in connection with the Conversion and Reorganization, the
purpose of which shall be to hold Holding Company Common Stock.
ESTIMATED
PRICE RANGE means the range of the estimated aggregate pro forma market
value of the total number of shares of Conversion Stock to be issued in the
Offerings, as determined by the Independent Appraiser in accordance with Section
4 hereof.
EXCHANGE
RATIO means the rate at which shares of Holding Company Common Stock will
be issued in exchange for shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock held
by the Minority Stockholders in connection with the Bank Merger. The exact rate
(which shall be rounded to four decimal places) shall be determined by the MHC,
the Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank in order to ensure that upon
consummation of the Conversion and Reorganization, the Minority Stockholders
will own in the aggregate approximately the same percentage of the Holding
Company Common Stock to be outstanding upon completion of the Conversion and
Reorganization as the percentage of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock owned
by them in the aggregate immediately prior to consummation of the Conversion and
Reorganization, before giving effect to (a) cash paid in lieu of any
fractional interests of Holding Company Common Stock and (b) any shares of
Conversion Stock purchased by the Minority Stockholders in the
Offerings.
EXCHANGE
SHARES mean the shares of Holding Company Common Stock to be issued to
the Minority Stockholders in connection with the Bank Merger.
FDIC
means the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any successor
thereto.
HOLA
means the Home Owners’ Loan Act, as amended.
HOLDING
COMPANY means Newco (as defined in the SSE Merger Agreement), a stock
corporation.
HOLDING
COMPANY COMMON
STOCK means the shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the
Holding Company. The Holding Company Common Stock is not insured by
the FDIC.
INDEPENDENT
APPRAISER means the independent investment banking or financial
consulting firm retained by the Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank to prepare
an appraisal of the estimated pro forma market value of the Conversion
Stock.
INTERIM
SAVINGS BANK means Naugatuck Valley Interim Federal Savings Bank III,
which will be formed as a first-tier, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Holding
Company to facilitate the Bank Merger.
MANAGEMENT
PERSON means any Officer or director of the Bank or the Mid-Tier Holding
Company or any Affiliate of the Bank or the Mid-Tier Holding Company and any
person Acting in Concert with such Officer or director.
MEETING
OF
STOCKHOLDERS means the
meeting of Stockholders of the Mid-Tier Holding Company, which may be an annual
or a special meeting, at which this Plan is submitted to the Stockholders for
their approval, including any adjournments of such meeting.
MEMBER
means any Person qualifying as a member of the MHC in accordance with its mutual
charter and bylaws and the laws of the United States.
MHC
means Naugatuck Valley Mutual Holding Company.
MHC
MERGER means the merger of the MHC (following its conversion into a
federal interim stock savings association) with and into the Bank pursuant to
the Plan of Merger included as Annex B
hereto.
MID-TIER HOLDING
COMPANY means Naugatuck Valley Financial Corporation, an existing federal
corporation.
MID-TIER
HOLDING
COMPANY COMMON
STOCK means the shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the
Mid-Tier Holding Company. The Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock
is not insured by the FDIC.
MID-TIER
HOLDING COMPANY MERGER means the merger of the Mid-Tier Mutual Holding
Company (following its conversion to a federal interim stock savings
association) with and into the Bank pursuant to the Plan of Merger included as
Annex C
hereto.
MINORITY
STOCKHOLDER means any owner of the Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock
other than the MHC.
OFFERINGS
mean the offering of Conversion Stock to Persons other than the MHC in the
Subscription Offering, the Community Offering and the Syndicated Community or
Public Offering and as issued pursuant to Section 9(e) in connection with the
SSE Merger.
OFFICER
means the president, chief executive officer, vice-president, secretary,
treasurer or principal financial officer, comptroller or principal accounting
officer and any other person performing similar functions with respect to any
organization whether incorporated or unincorporated.
ORDER
FORM means the form or forms to be provided by the Holding Company,
containing all such terms and provisions as set forth in Section 11 hereof, to a
Participant or other Person by which Conversion Stock may be ordered in the
Subscription Offering and in the Community Offering.
OTHER
MEMBER means a Voting Member who is not an Eligible Account Holder or a
Supplemental Eligible Account Holder.
OTS
means the Office of Thrift Supervision or any successor thereto.
PARTICIPANT
means any Eligible Account Holder, Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan,
Supplemental Eligible Account Holder or Other Member, but does not include the
MHC.
PERSON
means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a joint-stock
company, a limited liability company, a trust, an unincorporated organization or
a government or political subdivision of a government.
PLAN
and PLAN OF
CONVERSION AND REORGANIZATION mean this Plan of Conversion and
Reorganization as adopted by the Boards of Directors of the MHC, the Mid-Tier
Holding Company and the Bank and any amendment hereto approved as provided
herein. The Board of Directors of the Holding Company shall adopt
this Plan as soon as practicable following its organization, and the Board of
Directors of Interim Savings Bank shall adopt the Plan of Merger included as
Annex C hereto as soon as practicable following its organization.
PRIMARY
PARTIES mean the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding Company, the Bank and the
Holding Company.
PROSPECTUS
means the one or more documents to be used in offering the Conversion Stock in
the Offerings.
PUBLIC
OFFERING means an underwritten firm commitment offering to the public
through one or more underwriters.
PURCHASE
PRICE means the price per share at which the Conversion Stock is sold by
the Holding Company in the Offerings in accordance with the terms
hereof.
QUALIFYING
DEPOSIT means the aggregate balance of all Deposit Accounts in the Bank
of (i) an Eligible Account Holder at the close of business on the Eligibility
Record Date, provided such aggregate balance is not less than $50.00, and (ii) a
Supplemental Eligible Account Holder at the close of business on the
Supplemental Eligibility Record Date, provided such aggregate balance is not
less than $50.00.
SEC
means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
SPECIAL
MEETING OF
MEMBERS means the Special Meeting of Members called for the purpose of
submitting this Plan to the Voting Members for their approval, including any
adjournments of such meeting.
SSE
means Southern Connecticut Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company, that will be
merged into the Holding Company (or a subsidiary thereof) at the closing of, or
following, the Conversion and Reorganization.
SSE
MERGER means the merger of SSE into the Holding Company (or a subsidiary
thereof) at the closing of, or following, the Conversion and
Reorganization.
SSE
MERGER SHARES means any shares of Conversion Stock issued to stockholders
of SSE in consideration of the SSE Merger.
STOCKHOLDERS
mean those Persons who own shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common
Stock.
STOCKHOLDER
VOTING RECORD DATE means the date for determining the eligibility of
Stockholders to vote at the Meeting of Stockholders, as determined by the Board
of Directors of the Mid-Tier Holding Company.
SUBSCRIPTION
OFFERING means the offering of the Conversion Stock to
Participants.
SUBSCRIPTION
RIGHTS mean nontransferable rights to subscribe for Conversion Stock
granted to Participants pursuant to the terms of this Plan.
SUPPLEMENTAL
ELIGIBLE ACCOUNT HOLDER means any Person, except directors and Officers
of the Bank, the Mid-Tier Holding Company or the MHC (unless the OTS grants a
waiver to permit a director or Officer to be included) and their Associates,
holding a Qualifying Deposit at the close of business on the Supplemental
Eligibility Record Date.
SUPPLEMENTAL
ELIGIBILITY RECORD DATE, if applicable, means the date for determining
Supplemental Eligible Account Holders and shall be required if the Eligibility
Record Date is more than 15 months prior to the date of the approval of the Plan
by the OTS. If applicable, the Supplemental Eligibility Record Date
shall be the last day of the calendar quarter preceding approval by the OTS of
the Plan.
SYNDICATED
COMMUNITY OFFERING means the offering for sale by a syndicate of
broker-dealers to the general public of shares of Conversion Stock not purchased
in the Subscription Offering and the Community Offering.
TAX-QUALIFIED
EMPLOYEE STOCK BENEFIT PLAN means any defined benefit plan or defined
contribution plan, such as an employee stock ownership plan, stock bonus plan,
profit-sharing plan or other plan, which is established for the benefit of the
employees of the Holding Company and/or the Bank and any Affiliate thereof and
which, with its related trust, meets the requirements to be “qualified” under
Section 401 of the Code as from time to time in effect. A
“Non-Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan” is any defined benefit plan or
defined contribution stock benefit plan that is not so qualified.
VOTING
MEMBER means a Person who, at the close of business on the Voting Record
Date, is entitled to vote as a Member of the MHC in accordance with is charter
and bylaws.
VOTING
RECORD DATE means the date for determining the eligibility of Members to
vote at the Special Meeting of Members.
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3.
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GENERAL
PROCEDURE FOR THE CONVERSION AND
REORGANIZATION.
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A. Steps
for Conversion and Reorganization
The
Conversion and Reorganization may be effected in the manner set forth herein or
in any manner approved by the OTS that is consistent with the purposes of this
Plan and applicable law and regulations. This Plan is subject to the approval of
the OTS and must be adopted by (1) at least a majority of the total number of
votes eligible to be cast by Voting Members at the Special Meeting of Members,
(2) the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Mid-Tier
Holding Company Common Stock eligible to vote; and (3) the holders of a majority
of the outstanding shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock owned by
Minority Stockholders. It is currently anticipated that the
Conversion and Reorganization will be effected in accordance with the procedures
specified below. At the effective date of the Conversion and
Reorganization, the following transactions will occur:
(i) The
MHC shall convert from a mutual holding company to an interim stock savings
association (“Interim Association I”). The Mid-Tier Holding Company shall
convert into an interim stock savings association (“Interim Association II”) and
simultaneously merge with and into the Bank in the Mid-Tier Holding Company
Merger, with the Bank being the surviving institution. Immediately thereafter,
the MHC, as converted to Interim Association I, shall merge with and into the
Bank in the MHC Merger, with the Bank being the surviving institution. As a
result of the MHC Merger and the Mid-Tier Holding Company Merger, (x) the shares
of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock held by the MHC (following its
conversion to Interim Association I) shall be extinguished and (y) certain
Members will be granted interests in the liquidation account to be established
by the Bank pursuant to Section 15 hereof.
(ii) The
Holding Company shall be organized as a subsidiary of the
Bank. Interim Savings Bank, a first-tier wholly owned subsidiary of
the Holding Company, shall merge with and into the Bank pursuant to the Bank
Merger, with the Bank being the surviving institution. As a result of the Bank
Merger, (x) the shares of Holding Company Common Stock held by the Bank shall be
extinguished; (y) the shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock held by
the Minority Stockholders shall be converted into the right to receive shares of
Holding Company Common Stock based upon the Exchange Ratio, plus cash in lieu of
any fractional share interest based upon the Purchase Price; and (z) the shares
of common stock of Interim Savings Bank held by the Holding Company shall be
converted into shares of Bank Common Stock on a one-for-one basis, with the
result that the Bank shall become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Holding
Company. In addition, as a result of the Bank Merger, options to purchase shares
of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock which are outstanding immediately prior
to consummation of the Conversion and Reorganization shall be converted into
options to purchase shares of Holding Company Common Stock, with the number of
shares subject to the option and the exercise price per share to be adjusted
based upon the Exchange Ratio so that the aggregate exercise price remains
unchanged, and with the duration of the option remaining unchanged.
(iii) The
Holding Company shall sell the Conversion Stock in the Offerings, as provided
herein.
The
effective date of the Conversion and Reorganization shall be the date upon which
the last of the following actions occurs: (i) the filing of Articles of
Combination with the OTS with respect to the Mid-Tier Holding Company Merger,
(ii) the filing of Articles of Combination with the OTS with respect to the MHC
Merger, (iii) the filing of Articles of Combination with the OTS with respect to
the Bank Merger and (iv) the closing of the issuance of the shares of Conversion
Stock in the Offerings. The filing of Articles of Combination relating to the
MHC Merger, the Mid-Tier Holding Company Merger and the Bank Merger and the
closing of the issuance of shares of Conversion Stock in the Offerings shall not
occur until all requisite regulatory, Member and Stockholder approvals have been
obtained, all applicable waiting periods have expired and sufficient
subscriptions and orders for the Conversion Stock have been received. It is
intended that the closing of the MHC Merger, the Mid-Tier Holding Company
Merger, the Bank Merger and the sale of shares of Conversion Stock in the
Offerings shall occur consecutively and substantially
simultaneously.
B. Regulatory
Filings
(i) To
the extent required by applicable laws and regulations, or as the OTS may
otherwise require, the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank shall
provide public notice of the adoption of the Plan. Such notice shall be made by
means of the placing of an advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation
in each community where the Bank maintains an office. In addition, the Bank
shall cause copies of the Plan to be made available at each of its offices for
inspection by Members.
(ii) An
application for the Conversion and Reorganization, including the Plan and all
other requisite material (the “Application for Conversion”), shall be submitted
to the OTS for approval. The MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank will
again cause to be published, in accordance with the requirements of applicable
regulations of the OTS, a notice of the filing with the OTS of an application to
convert the MHC and will post the notice of the filing for the Application for
Conversion in each of the Bank’s offices.
(iii) The
Primary Parties shall submit or cause to be submitted to the OTS all holding
company, merger, and other applications or notices necessary for the Conversion
and Reorganization. All notices required to be published in
connection with such applications shall be published at the times
required.
(iv) The
Holding Company shall file one or more Registration Statements with the SEC to
register the Holding Company Common Stock to be issued in the Conversion and
Reorganization under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and shall register,
where required, such Holding Company Common Stock under any applicable state
securities laws. Upon registration and after the receipt of all
required regulatory approvals, the Conversion Stock shall be first offered for
sale in a Subscription Offering to Eligible Account Holders, the Tax-Qualified
Employee Stock Benefit Plan, Supplemental Eligible Account Holders, if any, and
Other Members. It is anticipated that any shares of Conversion Stock
remaining unsold after the Subscription Offering will be sold through a
Community Offering and a Syndicated Community Offering or a Public
Offering. The purchase price per share for the Conversion Stock shall
be a uniform price determined in accordance with Section 4 hereof and shall be
set forth in the Prospectus. The Holding Company shall contribute to
the Bank an amount of the net proceeds received by the Holding Company from the
sale of Conversion Stock as shall be determined by the Boards of Directors of
the Holding Company and the Bank and as shall be approved by the OTS, but not
less than
fifty
percent (50%) of the net proceeds received by the Holding Company from the sale
of the Conversion Stock, unless otherwise approved by the OTS.
C. Approval
of Plan By Voting Members; The Special Meeting of Members
(i) The
MHC shall file preliminary proxy materials with the OTS, as
required. Promptly following receipt of requisite approval of the
OTS, this Plan will be submitted to the Voting Members for their consideration
and approval at the Special Meeting of Members. The Plan must be
approved by a majority of the total number of votes eligible to be cast by
Voting Members at the Special Meeting of Members. The MHC will mail to all
Members as of the Voting Record Date, at their last known address appearing on
the records of the Bank as of the Voting Record Date, a notice of special
meeting and a proxy statement describing the Plan.
(ii) At
the Special Meeting of Members, each Voting Member shall be entitled to cast one
vote in person or by proxy for every $100.00 of Deposit Accounts, or fraction
thereof, such Voting Member had at the Bank as of the Voting Record
Date. No Voting Member may cast more than 1,000 votes at the Special
Meeting of Members. Deposits held in trust or other fiduciary
capacity may be voted by the trustee or other fiduciary to whom voting rights
are provided under the trust instrument or other governing document or
applicable law. Deposits held in an Individual Retirement Account or
Keogh Account may be voted by the MHC if no other instructions are
received.
D. Approval
of Plan By Stockholders; The Meeting of Stockholders
(i) The
Holding Company shall file a Registration Statement with the SEC to register the
Exchange Shares. A prospectus contained in such Registration
Statement shall also constitute proxy materials of the Mid-Tier Holding Company
with respect to the Meeting of Stockholders. Promptly following the
effectiveness of such Registration Statement and the receipt of any other
requisite approval of the OTS, this Plan will be submitted to the Stockholders
for their consideration and approval at the Meeting of Stockholders. The Plan
must be approved by (1) the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding
shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock eligible to vote and (2) the
holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company
Common Stock owned by Minority Stockholders. The Mid-Tier Holding Company will
mail to all Stockholders as of the Stockholder Voting Record Date, at their last
known address appearing on the records of the Mid-Tier Holding Company, a notice
of meeting and definitive prospectus/proxy statement describing the
Plan.
(ii) The
Meeting of Stockholders shall be held upon written notice given no less than 10
days prior to the date of the Meeting of Stockholders. At the Meeting of
Stockholders, each Stockholder eligible to vote shall be entitled to cast one
vote in person or by proxy for each share of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common
Stock owned by such Stockholder as of the Stockholder Voting Record
Date.
E. Expenses
The Primary Parties may retain and pay
for the services of financial and other advisors and investment bankers to
assist in connection with any or all aspects of the Conversion and
Reorganization, including the payment of fees to brokers for assisting Persons
in completing and/or submitting Order Forms. The Primary Parties
shall use their best efforts to ensure that all fees, expenses, retainers and
similar items shall be reasonable.
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4.
|
TOTAL
NUMBER OF SHARES AND PURCHASE PRICE OF CONVERSION
STOCK.
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(a) The
aggregate amount of shares of Conversion Stock to be offered in the Offerings
shall be stated in terms of a range (the Estimated Price Range), which shall be
based on a pro forma valuation prepared by the Independent Appraiser of the
aggregate market value of the to-be-outstanding Holding Company Common Stock
multiplied by the percentage equal to the MHC’s percentage ownership interest in
all outstanding shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company Common Stock. The
valuation shall be based on financial information relating to the MHC, the
Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank; market, financial and economic
conditions; a comparison of the Mid-Tier Holding Company and the Bank with
selected publicly-held financial institutions and holding companies and with
comparable financial institutions and holding companies; and such other factors
as the Independent Appraiser may deem to be important, including, but not
limited to, the projected operating results and financial condition of the
Holding Company and Bank. The valuation shall be stated in terms of
an Estimated Price Range, the maximum of which shall be no more than 15% above
the average of the minimum and maximum of such price range and the minimum of
which shall be no more than 15% below such average. The valuation
shall be updated during the Conversion and Reorganization as market and
financial conditions warrant and as may be required by the OTS.
(b) Based
upon the independent valuation, the Board of Directors of the Holding Company
shall fix the Purchase Price and the number of shares of Conversion Stock to be
offered in the Offerings. The Purchase Price for the Conversion Stock shall be a
uniform price determined in accordance with applicable laws and
regulations. The total number of shares of Conversion Stock to be
issued in the Offerings shall be determined by the Board of Directors of the
Holding Company upon conclusion of the Offerings in consultation with the
Independent Appraiser and any financial advisor or investment banker retained by
the Primary Parties in connection with the Offerings.
(c) Subject
to the approval of the OTS, the Estimated Price Range may be increased or
decreased to reflect market, financial and economic conditions prior to
completion of the Conversion and Reorganization, and under such circumstances
the Holding Company may increase or decrease the total number of shares of
Conversion Stock to be issued in the Conversion and Reorganization to reflect
any such change. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in this Plan, no resolicitation of subscribers shall be required and subscribers
shall not be permitted to modify or cancel their subscriptions unless the gross
proceeds from the sale of the Conversion Stock in the Offerings are less than
the minimum or more than 15% above the maximum of the Estimated Price Range set
forth in the Prospectus.
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5.
|
SUBSCRIPTION
RIGHTS OF ELIGIBLE ACCOUNT HOLDERS (FIRST
PRIORITY).
|
(a) Each
Eligible Account Holder shall receive, as first priority and without payment,
Subscription Rights to purchase up to the greater of (i) $300,000 of Conversion
Stock (or such maximum purchase limitation as may be established for the
Community Offering and/or Syndicated Community Offering), (ii) one-tenth of 1%
of the total offering of shares in the Subscription Offering, or (iii) 15
times the product (rounded down to the next whole number) obtained by
multiplying the total number of shares of Conversion Stock offered in the
Subscription Offering by a fraction, of which the numerator is the amount of the
Qualifying Deposit of the Eligible Account Holder and the denominator is the
total amount of all Qualifying Deposits of all Eligible Account Holders, in each
case subject to Section 10 hereof.
(b) In
the event of an oversubscription for shares of Conversion Stock pursuant to
Section 5(a), available shares shall be allocated among subscribing Eligible
Account Holders so as to permit each
such
Eligible Account Holder, to the extent possible, to purchase a number of shares
which will make his or her total allocation equal to the lesser of the number of
shares subscribed for or 100 shares. Any available shares remaining
after each subscribing Eligible Account Holder has been allocated the lesser of
the number of shares subscribed for or 100 shares shall be allocated among the
subscribing Eligible Account Holders whose subscriptions remain unsatisfied in
the proportion that the Qualifying Deposit of each such subscribing Eligible
Account Holder bears to the total Qualifying Deposits of all such subscribing
Eligible Account Holders whose orders are unfilled, provided that no fractional
shares shall be issued.
(c) Subscription
Rights of Eligible Account Holders who are also directors or Officers of the
Mid-Tier Holding Company or the Bank and their Associates shall be subordinated
to those of other Eligible Account Holders to the extent that they are
attributable to increased deposits during the one-year period preceding the
Eligibility Record Date.
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6.
|
SUBSCRIPTION
RIGHTS OF TAX-QUALIFIED EMPLOYEE STOCK BENEFIT PLANS (SECOND
PRIORITY).
|
Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit
Plans (excluding the Bank’s Employee Savings/401(k) Plan) shall receive, without
payment, Subscription Rights to purchase in the aggregate up to 10% of the
Conversion Stock. The subscription rights granted to Tax-Qualified
Employee Stock Benefit Plans shall be subject to the availability of shares of
Conversion Stock after taking into account the shares of Conversion Stock
purchased by Eligible Account Holders; provided, however, that if the total
number of shares of Common Stock is increased to any amount greater than the
number of shares representing the maximum of the Estimated Price Range as set
forth in the Prospectus (“Maximum Shares”), the ESOP shall have a first priority
right to purchase any such shares exceeding the Maximum
Shares. Shares of Conversion Stock purchased by any individual
participant (“Plan Participant”) in a Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan
using funds therein pursuant to the exercise of subscription rights granted to
such Participant in his individual capacity as an Eligible Account Holder,
Supplemental Eligible Account Holder or Other Member and/or purchases by such
Plan Participant in the Community Offering shall not be deemed to be purchases
by a Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan for purposes of calculating the
maximum amount of Conversion Stock that Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit
Plans may purchase pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 6 if the
individual Plan Participant controls or directs the investment authority with
respect to such account or subaccount. Consistent with applicable
laws and regulations and policies and practices of the OTS, the Tax-Qualified
Employee Stock Benefit Plans may use funds contributed by the Holding Company or
the Bank and/or borrowed from an independent financial institution to exercise
such Subscription Rights, and the Holding Company and the Bank may make
scheduled discretionary contributions thereto, provided that such contributions
do not cause the Bank to fail to meet any applicable regulatory capital
requirement. The Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans may, in
whole or in part, fill their orders through open market purchases subsequent to
the closing of the Offerings, subject to approval of the OTS.
The Tax-Qualified Employee Stock
Benefit Plans shall not be deemed to be an Associate or Affiliate of or Person
Acting in Concert with any Management Person.
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7.
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SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS OF
SUPPLEMENTAL ELIGIBLE ACCOUNT HOLDERS (THIRD
PRIORITY).
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(a) In
the event that the Eligibility Record Date is more than 15 months prior to the
date of approval of the Plan by the OTS, then, and only in that event, a
Supplemental Eligibility Record Date shall be set and each Supplemental Eligible
Account Holder shall receive, without payment, Subscription Rights to purchase
up to the greater of (i) $300,000 of Conversion Stock (or
such maximum purchase limitation as may be established for the Community
Offering and/or Syndicated Community Offering), (ii) one-tenth of 1% of the
total offering of shares in the Subscription Offering and (iii) 15 times the
product (rounded down to the next whole number) obtained by multiplying the
total number of shares of Conversion Stock offered in the Subscription Offering
by a fraction, of which the numerator is the amount of the Qualifying Deposits
of the Supplemental Eligible Account Holder and the denominator is the total
amount of all Qualifying Deposits of all Supplemental Eligible Account Holders,
in each case subject to Section 10 hereof and the availability of shares of
Conversion Stock for purchase after taking into account the shares of Conversion
Stock purchased by Eligible Account Holders and Tax-Qualified Employee Stock
Benefit Plans through the exercise of Subscription Rights under Sections 5 and 6
hereof.
(b) In
the event of an oversubscription for shares of Conversion Stock pursuant to
Section 7(a), available shares shall be allocated among subscribing Supplemental
Eligible Account Holders so as to permit each such Supplemental Eligible Account
Holder, to the extent possible, to purchase a number of shares sufficient to
make his or her total allocation equal to the lesser of the number of shares
subscribed for or 100 shares. Any remaining available shares shall be
allocated among subscribing Supplemental Eligible Account Holders whose
subscriptions remain unsatisfied in the proportion that the amount of their
respective Qualifying Deposit bears to the total amount of the Qualifying
Deposits of all such subscribing Supplemental Eligible Account Holders whose
orders are unfilled, provided that no fractional shares shall be
issued.
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8.
|
SUBSCRIPTION
RIGHTS OF OTHER MEMBERS (FOURTH
PRIORITY).
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(a) Each
Other Member shall receive, without payment, Subscription Rights to purchase up
to the greater of (i) $300,000 of Conversion Stock (or
such maximum purchase limitation as may be established for the Community
Offering and/or Syndicated Community Offering) and (ii) one-tenth of 1% of the
total offering of shares in the Subscription Offering, subject to Section 10
hereof and the availability of shares of Conversion Stock for purchase after
taking into account the shares of Conversion Stock purchased by Eligible Account
Holders, Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans and Supplemental Eligible
Account Holders, if any, through the exercise of Subscription Rights under
Sections 5, 6 and 7 hereof.
(b) If,
pursuant to this Section 8, Other Members subscribe for a number of shares of
Conversion Stock in excess of the total number of shares of Conversion Stock
remaining, available shares shall be allocated among subscribing Other Members
so as to permit each such Other Member, to the extent possible, to purchase a
number of shares which will make his or her total allocation equal to the lesser
of the number of shares subscribed for or 100 shares. Any remaining
available shares shall be allocated among subscribing Other Members whose
subscriptions remain unsatisfied on a pro rata basis in the same proportion as
each such Other Member’s subscription bears to the total subscriptions of all
such subscribing Other Members, provided that no fractional shares shall be
issued.
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9.
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COMMUNITY
OFFERING, SYNDICATED COMMUNITY OFFERING, PUBLIC OFFERING AND OTHER
OFFERINGS.
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(a) If
less than the total number of shares of Conversion Stock offered by the Holding
Company are sold in the Subscription Offering, it is anticipated that remaining
shares of Conversion Stock shall, if practicable, be sold in a Community
Offering. Subject to the requirements set forth herein, the manner in
which the Conversion Stock is sold in the Community Offering shall have as the
objective the achievement of the widest possible distribution of such
stock. The Holding Company may commence the Community Offering
concurrently with, at any time during, or as soon as practicable after the end
of, the Subscription Offering, and the Community Offering must be completed
within 45 days after the completion of the Subscription Offering, unless
extended by the Holding Company with any required regulatory
approval.
(b) In
the event of a Community Offering, shares of Conversion Stock that are not
subscribed for in the Subscription Offering shall be offered for sale by means
of a direct community marketing program, which may provide for the use of
brokers, dealers or investment banking firms experienced in the sale of
financial institution securities. Shares not subscribed for in the
Subscription Offering will be available for purchase by members of the general
public to whom a Prospectus is delivered by the Holding Company or on its
behalf, with preference given first to Community Members and second to Minority
Stockholders as of the Stockholder Voting Record Date.
(c) A
Prospectus and Order Form shall be furnished to such Persons as the Holding
Company may select in connection with the Community Offering, and each order for
Conversion Stock in the Community Offering shall be subject to the absolute
right of the Primary Parties to accept or reject any such order in whole or in
part either at the time of receipt of an order or as soon as practicable
following completion of the Community Offering. In the event of an
oversubscription for shares in the Community Offering, available shares will be
allocated first to each Community Member whose order is accepted in an amount
equal to the lesser of 100 shares or the number of shares subscribed for by each
such Community Member, if possible. Thereafter, unallocated shares
shall be allocated among the Community Members whose accepted orders remain
unsatisfied on an equal number of shares basis per order until all available
shares have been allocated, provided that no fractional shares shall be
issued. If there are any shares remaining after all accepted orders
by Community Members have been satisfied, such remaining shares shall be
allocated next to Minority Stockholders as of the Stockholder Voting Record Date
and then to other members of the general public who purchase in the Community
Offering, applying the same allocation described above for Community
Members.
(d) No
Person may purchase more than $300,000 of Conversion Stock in
the Community Offering; provided, however, that this amount may be increased to
up to 5% of the shares sold in the Offerings or decreased to less than $300,000
upon resolution of the Boards of Directors of the Primary Parties, subject to
any required regulatory approval but without the further approval of Members or
Minority Stockholders or the resolicitation of subscribers.
(e) Notwithstanding
Sections 9(a) through 9(d), if subscriptions totaling at least the minimum of
the Estimated Price Range are not received in the Subscription Offering in the
categories described in Sections 5 through 8 hereof, then unsubscribed shares of
Common Stock may be issued to stockholders of SSE in exchange for their shares
of SSE or in any other manner that facilitates the completion of the SSE Merger,
provided that the total SSE Merger Shares, including the SSE Merger Shares
issued pursuant to this Section 9(e), are less than 50% of the outstanding
Conversion Stock
immediately
after the closing of the Conversion and Reorganization and the SSE
Merger. Conversion Stock may only be issued pursuant to this Section
9(e) in order to achieve the minimum of the Estimated Price Range.
(f) Subject
to such terms, conditions and procedures as may be determined by the Primary
Parties, shares of Conversion Stock not subscribed for in the Subscription
Offering or ordered in the Community Offering may be sold by a syndicate of
broker-dealers to the general public in a Syndicated Community
Offering. Each order for Conversion Stock in the Syndicated Community
Offering shall be subject to the absolute right of the Primary Parties to accept
or reject any such order in whole or in part either at the time of receipt of an
order or as soon as practicable after completion of the Syndicated Community
Offering. The amount of Conversion Stock that any Person may purchase
in the Syndicated Community Offering shall not exceed $300,000 of Conversion Stock,
provided, however, that this amount may be increased to up to 5% of the total
offering of shares of Conversion Stock or decreased to less than $300,000 upon
resolution of the Boards of Directors of the Primary Parties, subject to any
required regulatory approval but without the further approval of Members or
Minority Stockholders or the resolicitation of subscribers; and provided further
that, to the extent applicable, and subject to the limitations on purchases of
Conversion Stock set forth in this Section 9(f) and Section 10 of this Plan, in
the event of an oversubscription for shares in the Syndicated Community
Offering, orders for Conversion Stock in the Syndicated Community Offering shall
first be filled to a maximum of 2% of the total number of shares of Conversion
Stock sold in the Offerings. The Holding Company may commence the
Syndicated Community Offering concurrently with, at any time during, or as soon
as practicable after the end of, the Subscription Offering and/or Community
Offering, and the Syndicated Community Offering must be completed within 45 days
after the completion of the Subscription Offering, unless extended by the
Holding Company with any required regulatory approval.
(g) The
Holding Company may sell any shares of Conversion Stock remaining following the
Subscription Offering and Community Offering in a Public Offering instead of a
Syndicated Community Offering. The provisions of Section 10 hereof
shall not be applicable to the sales to underwriters for purposes of the Public
Offering but shall be applicable to sales by the underwriters to the
public. The price to be paid by the underwriters in such an offering
shall be equal to the Purchase Price less an underwriting discount to be
negotiated among such underwriters and the Holding Company, subject to any
required regulatory approval or consent.
(h) If
for any reason a Syndicated Community Offering or Public Offering of shares of
Conversion Stock not sold in the Subscription Offering and the Community
Offering cannot be effected, or if any insignificant residue of shares of
Conversion Stock is not sold in the Offerings, the Holding Company shall use its
best efforts to obtain other purchasers for such shares in such manner and upon
such conditions as may be satisfactory to the OTS.
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10.
|
LIMITATIONS
ON SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PURCHASES OF CONVERSION
STOCK.
|
The
following limitations shall apply to all purchases of Conversion Stock in the
Offerings:
(a) Except
in the case of Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans in the aggregate, as
set forth in Section 10(e) hereof, and in addition to the other restrictions and
limitations set forth herein, no Person may subscribe for or purchase more than
$300,000 of Conversion Stock in the Offerings and no Person together with any
Associates or Persons otherwise Acting in Concert may, directly or indirectly,
subscribe for or purchase more than $600,000 of Conversion Stock in the
Offerings.
(b) No
Person may purchase fewer than 25 shares of Conversion Stock in the Offerings,
to the extent such shares are available; provided, however, that if the Purchase
Price is greater than $20.00 per share, such minimum number of shares shall be
adjusted so that the aggregate Purchase Price for such minimum shares will not
exceed $500.00.
(c) Except
in the case of Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans in the aggregate, as
set forth in Section 10(e) hereof, and in addition to the other restrictions and
limitations set forth herein, the maximum aggregate amount of Conversion Stock
which any Person together with any Associate or Persons Acting in Concert may,
directly or indirectly, subscribe for or purchase in the Offerings, when
combined with any Exchange Shares received by such Person(s), shall not exceed
5.0% of the total number of shares of Holding Company Common Stock to be
outstanding upon consummation of the Conversion and Reorganization; provided,
however, that nothing herein shall require any Minority Stockholder to divest
any Exchange Shares or otherwise limit the amount of Exchange Shares to be
issued to a Minority Stockholder.
(d) The
number of shares of Conversion Stock that directors and Officers and their
Associates may purchase in the aggregate in the Offerings shall not exceed 25%
of the total number of shares of Conversion Stock sold in the Offerings,
including any shares which may be issued in the event of an increase in the
maximum of the Estimated Price Range to reflect changes in market, financial and
economic conditions after commencement of the Subscription Offering and prior to
completion of the Offerings.
(e) The
maximum number of shares of Conversion Stock that may be purchased in the
Offerings by the ESOP shall not exceed 8% and all Tax-Qualified Employee Stock
Benefit Plans shall not exceed 10% of the total number of shares of Conversion
Stock sold in the Offerings, in each instance, including any shares which may be
issued in the event of an increase in the maximum of the Estimated Price Range
to reflect changes in market, financial and economic conditions after
commencement of the Subscription Offering and prior to completion of the
Offerings; provided, however, that purchases of Conversion Stock which are made
by Plan Participants pursuant to the exercise of subscription rights granted to
such Plan Participant in his individual capacity as a Participant or purchases
by a Plan Participant in the Community Offering using the funds thereof held in
Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans shall not be deemed to be purchases
by a Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan for purposes of this Section
10(e).
(f) For
purposes of the foregoing limitations and the determination of Subscription
Rights, (i) directors, Officers and employees of the MHC, the Mid-Tier Holding
Company, the Bank or their subsidiaries shall not be deemed to be Associates or
a group Acting in Concert solely as a result of their capacities as such, (ii)
shares purchased by Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans shall not be
attributable to the individual trustees or beneficiaries of any such plan for
purposes of determining compliance with the limitations set forth in Section
10(a) or Section 10(d) hereof, and (iii) shares purchased by a
Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan pursuant to instructions of an
individual in an account in such plan in which the individual has the right to
direct the investment, including any plan of the Bank qualified under Section
401(k) of the Code, shall be aggregated and included in that individual’s
purchases and not attributed to the Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit
Plan.
(g) Subject
to any required regulatory approval and the requirements of applicable laws and
regulations, but without the further approval of Members or Minority
Stockholders or the resolicitation of subscribers, the Primary Parties may
increase or decrease any of the individual or aggregate purchase
limitations
set forth herein to a percentage which does not exceed 5% of the total shares
sold in the Offerings whether prior to, during or after the Subscription
Offering, Community Offering and/or Syndicated Community Offering. If
an individual purchase limitation is increased after commencement of the
Subscription Offering or any other offering, the Primary Parties shall permit
any Participant or other Person who subscribed for the maximum number of shares
of Conversion Stock to subscribe for an additional number of shares, so that
such Participant or other Person shall be permitted to subscribe for the then
maximum number of shares permitted to be subscribed for by such Participant or
other Person, subject to the Subscription Rights of any
Participant. If any of the individual or aggregate purchase
limitations are decreased after commencement of the Subscription Offering or any
other offering, the orders of any Participant or other Person who subscribed for
more than the new purchase limitation shall be decreased by the minimum amount
necessary so that such Participant or other Person shall be in compliance with
the then maximum number of shares permitted to be subscribed for by such
Participant or other Person. In the event that the maximum purchase limitation
is increased to 5% of the shares sold in the Offerings, such limitation may be
further increased to 9.99%, provided that orders for Conversion Stock exceeding
5% of the shares of Conversion Stock sold in the Offerings shall not exceed in
the aggregate 10% of the total shares of Conversion Stock sold in the
Offerings.
(h) The
Primary Parties shall have the right to take all such action as they may, in
their sole discretion, deem necessary, appropriate or advisable to monitor and
enforce the terms, conditions, limitations and restrictions contained in this
Section 10 and elsewhere in this Plan and the terms, conditions and
representations contained in the Order Form, including, but not limited to, the
absolute right (subject only to any necessary regulatory approvals or
concurrences) to reject, limit or revoke acceptance of any subscription or order
and to delay, terminate or refuse to consummate any sale of Conversion Stock
that they believe might violate, or is designed to, or is any part of a plan to,
evade or circumvent such terms, conditions, limitations, restrictions and
representations. Any such action shall be final, conclusive and binding on all
persons, and the Primary Parties and their respective Boards shall be free from
any liability to any Person on account of any such action.
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11.
|
TIMING
OF SUBSCRIPTION OFFERING; MANNER OF EXERCISING SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS AND
ORDER FORMS.
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(a) The
Subscription Offering may be commenced concurrently with or at any time after
the mailing to Stockholders of the proxy materials to be used in connection with
the Meeting of Stockholders and the mailing to Voting Members of the proxy
materials to be used in connection with the Special Meeting of
Members. The Subscription Offering may be closed before the Special
Meeting of Members and the Meeting of Stockholders, provided that the offer and
sale of the Conversion Stock shall be conditioned upon the approval of the Plan
by the Voting Members at the Special Meeting of Members and by the Stockholders
at the Meeting of Stockholders.
(b) The
exact timing of the commencement of the Subscription Offering shall be
determined by the Primary Parties in consultation with the Independent Appraiser
and any financial advisory or investment banking firm retained by it in
connection with the Conversion and Reorganization. The Primary
Parties may consider a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the
Bank’s current and projected future earnings, local and national economic
conditions, and the prevailing market for stocks in general and stocks of
financial institutions in particular. The Primary Parties shall have
the right to withdraw, terminate, suspend, delay, revoke or modify any such
Subscription Offering, at any time and from time to time, as they in their sole
discretion may determine, without liability to any Person, subject to compliance
with applicable securities laws and any necessary regulatory approval or
concurrence.
(c) Promptly
after the SEC has declared the Registration Statement, which includes the
Prospectus, effective and all required regulatory approvals have been obtained,
the Holding Company shall, distribute or make available the Prospectus, together
with Order Forms for the purchase of Conversion Stock, to all Participants for
the purpose of enabling them to exercise their respective Subscription Rights,
subject to Section 13 hereof.
(d) A
single Order Form for all Deposit Accounts maintained with the Bank by any
Eligible Account Holder, Supplemental Eligible Account Holder or Other Member
may be furnished, irrespective of the number of Deposit Accounts maintained with
the Bank on the Eligibility Record Date, the Supplemental Eligibility Record
Date or the date for determining Other Members, respectively. No
person holding a Subscription Right may exceed any otherwise applicable purchase
limitation by submitting multiple orders for Conversion
Stock. Multiple orders are subject to adjustment, as appropriate, on
a pro rata basis and deposit balances will be divided equally among such orders
in allocating shares in the event of an oversubscription.
(e) The
recipient of an Order Form shall have no less than 20 days and no more than 45
days from the date of mailing of the Order Form (with the exact termination date
to be set forth on the Order Form) to properly complete and execute the Order
Form and deliver it to the Holding Company. The Holding Company may
extend such period by such amount of time as it determines is
appropriate. Failure of any Participant to deliver a properly
executed Order Form to the Holding Company, along with full payment (or
authorization for full payment by withdrawal from a Deposit Account) for the
shares of Conversion Stock subscribed for, within the time limits prescribed,
shall be deemed a waiver and release by such person of any rights to subscribe
for shares of Conversion Stock. Each Participant shall be required to
confirm to the Holding Company by executing an Order Form that such Person has
fully complied with all of the terms, conditions, limitations and restrictions
in the Plan.
(f) The
Primary Parties shall have the absolute right, in their sole discretion and
without liability to any Participant or other Person, to reject any Order Form
that, among other things, is (i) improperly completed or executed; (ii) not
timely received; (iii) not accompanied by the proper and full payment (or
authorization of withdrawal for full payment) or, if provided for by the Holding
Company, in the case of institutional investors in the Community Offering, not
accompanied by an irrevocable order together with a legally binding commitment
to pay the full amount of the purchase price prior to 48 hours before the
completion of the Offerings; or (iv) submitted by a Person whose representations
the Primary Parties believe to be false or who they otherwise believe, either
alone, or Acting in Concert with others, is violating, evading or circumventing,
or intends to violate, evade or circumvent, the terms and conditions of the
Plan. Furthermore, in the event Order Forms (i) are not delivered by
the United States Postal Service, or (ii) are not mailed pursuant to a “no mail”
order placed in effect by the account holder, the Subscription Rights of the
Person to which such rights have been granted will lapse as though such Person
failed to return the contemplated Order Form within the time period specified
thereon. The Primary Parties may, but will not be required to, waive
any irregularity on any Order Form or may require the submission of corrected
Order Forms or the remittance of full payment for shares of Conversion Stock by
such date as it may specify. The interpretation of the Primary
Parties of the terms and conditions of the Order Forms shall be final and
conclusive.
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12.
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PAYMENT
FOR CONVERSION STOCK.
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(a) Payment
for shares of Conversion Stock subscribed for by Participants in the
Subscription Offering and payment for shares of Conversion Stock ordered by
Persons in the Community Offering shall be equal to the Purchase Price
multiplied by the number of shares that are being subscribed for or ordered,
respectively. Such payment may be by personal check, bank draft or
money order at the time the Order Form is delivered to the Holding Company,
provided that checks will only be accepted subject to collection. The
Holding Company, in its sole and absolute discretion, may also elect to receive
payment for shares of Conversion Stock by wire transfer. In addition,
the Holding Company may elect to provide Participants and/or other Persons who
have a Deposit Account with the Bank the opportunity to pay for shares of
Conversion Stock by authorizing the Bank to withdraw from the types of Deposit
Accounts provided for on the Order Form in the amount equal to the aggregate
Purchase Price of such shares. Payment may also be made by a
Participant or other Person using funds held for such Participant’s benefit by a
Bank Benefit Plan to the extent that such plan allows participants or any
related trust established for the benefit of such participants to direct that
some or all of their individual accounts or sub-accounts be invested in
Conversion Stock.
(b) Notwithstanding
the above, if the Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans subscribe for
shares during the Subscription Offering, such plans will not be required to pay
for the shares at the time they subscribe but rather may pay for such shares of
Conversion Stock subscribed for by such plans upon consummation of the
Offerings, provided that, in the case of the employee stock ownership plan,
there is in force from the time of its subscription until the consummation of
the Offerings, a loan commitment to lend to the employee stock ownership plan,
at such time, the aggregate price of the shares for which it
subscribed.
(c) If
a Participant or other Person authorizes the Bank to withdraw the amount of the
aggregate Purchase Price from his or her Deposit Account, the Bank shall have
the right to make such withdrawal or to freeze funds equal to the aggregate
Purchase Price upon receipt of the Order Form. Notwithstanding any
regulatory provisions regarding penalties for early withdrawals from certificate
accounts, the Bank may allow payment by means of withdrawal from certificate
accounts without the assessment of such penalties. In the case of an
early withdrawal of only a portion of such account, the certificate evidencing
such account shall be canceled if any applicable minimum balance requirement
ceases to be met. In such case, the remaining balance will earn
interest at the regular passbook rate. However, where any applicable
minimum balance is maintained in such certificate account, the rate of return on
the balance of the certificate account shall remain the same as prior to such
early withdrawal. This waiver of the early withdrawal penalty applies
only to withdrawals made in connection with the purchase of Conversion Stock and
is entirely within the discretion of the Holding Company and the
Bank.
(d) The
subscription funds will be held by the Bank or, in the Bank’s discretion, in an
escrow account at an unaffiliated insured financial institution. The
Holding Company shall pay interest, at not less than the Bank’s passbook rate,
for all amounts paid by personal check, bank draft or money order to purchase
shares of Conversion Stock in the Subscription Offering and the Community
Offering from the date payment is received until the date the Offerings are
completed or terminated.
(e) The
Holding Company will not knowingly offer or sell any of the Conversion Stock
proposed to be issued to any Person whose purchase would be financed by funds
loaned, directly or indirectly, to the Person by the Bank.
(f) Each
share of Conversion Stock shall be non-assessable upon payment in full of the
Purchase Price.
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13.
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ACCOUNT HOLDERS IN NONQUALIFIED
STATES OR FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
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The Holding Company shall make
reasonable efforts to comply with the securities laws of all jurisdictions in
the United States in which Participants reside. However, the Holding
Company may elect that no Participant will be offered or receive any Conversion
Stock under the Plan if such Participant resides in a foreign country or resides
in a jurisdiction of the United States with respect to which any of the
following apply: (a) there are few Participants otherwise eligible to subscribe
for shares under this Plan who reside in such jurisdiction; (b) the granting of
Subscription Rights or the offer or sale of shares of Conversion Stock to such
Participants would require any of the Holding Company or the Bank or their
respective directors and Officers, under the laws of such jurisdiction, to
register as a broker-dealer, salesman or selling agent or to register or
otherwise qualify the Conversion Stock for sale in such jurisdiction, or any of
the Holding Company or the Bank would be required to qualify as a foreign
corporation or file a consent to service of process in such jurisdiction; or (c)
such registration, qualification or filing in the judgment of the Primary
Parties would be impracticable or unduly burdensome for reasons of cost or
otherwise.
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14.
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VOTING
RIGHTS OF STOCKHOLDERS.
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Following consummation of the
Conversion and Reorganization, voting rights with respect to the Bank shall be
held and exercised exclusively by the Holding Company as holder of all of the
Bank’s outstanding voting capital stock, and voting rights with respect to the
Holding Company shall be held and exercised exclusively by the holders of the
Holding Company’s voting capital stock.
(a) At
the time of the MHC Merger, the Bank shall establish a liquidation account in an
amount equal to the percentage of the outstanding shares of the Mid-Tier Holding
Company Common Stock owned by the MHC before the Mid-Tier Holding Company
Merger, multiplied by the Mid-Tier Holding Company’s total stockholders’ equity
as reflected in its latest statement of financial condition contained in the
final Prospectus utilized in the Conversion and Reorganization. The
function of the liquidation account will be to preserve the rights of certain
holders of Deposit Accounts in the Bank who maintain such accounts in the Bank
following the Conversion and Reorganization to a priority to distributions in
the unlikely event of a liquidation of the Bank subsequent to the Conversion and
Reorganization.
(b) The
liquidation account shall be maintained for the benefit of Eligible Account
Holders and Supplemental Eligible Account Holders, if any, who maintain their
Deposit Accounts in the Bank after the Conversion and
Reorganization. Each such account holder will, with respect to each
Deposit Account held, have a related inchoate interest in a portion of the
liquidation account balance, which interest will be referred to in this Section
15 as the “subaccount balance.” All Deposit Accounts having the same social
security number will be aggregated for purposes of determining the initial
subaccount balance with respect to such Deposit Accounts, except as provided in
Section 15(d) hereof.
(c) In
the event of a complete liquidation of the Bank subsequent to the Conversion and
Reorganization (and only in such event), each Eligible Account Holder and
Supplemental Eligible Account Holder, if any, shall be entitled to receive a
liquidation distribution from the liquidation account in the amount of the then
current subaccount balances for Deposit Accounts then held (adjusted as
described below) before any liquidation distribution may be made with respect to
the capital stock of the Bank. No merger, consolidation, sale of bulk
assets or similar combination transaction with another FDIC-insured institution
in which the Bank is not the surviving entity shall be considered a complete
liquidation for this purpose. In any such transaction, the
liquidation account shall be assumed by the surviving entity.
(d) The
initial subaccount balance for a Deposit Account held by an Eligible Account
Holder and Supplemental Eligible Account Holder, if any, shall be determined by
multiplying the opening balance in the liquidation account by a fraction, of
which the numerator is the amount of the Qualifying Deposits of such account
holder and the denominator is the total amount of Qualifying Deposits of all
Eligible Account Holders and Supplemental Eligible Account Holders, if
any. For Deposit Accounts in existence at both the Eligibility Record
Date and the Supplemental Eligibility Record Date, if any, separate initial
subaccount balances shall be determined on the basis of the Qualifying Deposits
in such Deposit Accounts on each such record date. Initial subaccount
balances shall not be increased, and shall be subject to downward adjustment as
provided below.
(e) If
the aggregate deposit balance in the Deposit Account(s) of any Eligible Account
Holder or Supplemental Eligible Account Holder, if any, at the close of business
on any December 31 annual closing date, commencing on or after the effective
date of the Conversion and Reorganization, is less than the lesser of (a) the
aggregate deposit balance in such Deposit Account(s) at the close of business on
any other annual closing date subsequent to such record dates or (b) the
aggregate deposit balance in such Deposit Account(s) as of the Eligibility
Record Date or the Supplemental Eligibility Record Date, if any, the subaccount
balance for such Deposit Account(s) shall be adjusted by reducing such
subaccount balance in an amount proportionate to the reduction in such deposit
balance. In the event of such a downward adjustment, the subaccount
balance shall not be subsequently increased, notwithstanding any subsequent
increase in the deposit balance of the related Deposit
Account(s). The subaccount balance of an Eligible Account Holder or
Supplemental Eligible Account Holder, if any, will be reduced to zero if the
account holder ceases to maintain a Deposit Account at the Bank that has the
same social security number as appeared on his Deposit Account(s) at the
Eligibility Record Date or, if applicable, the Supplemental Eligibility Record
Date.
(f) Subsequent
to the Conversion and Reorganization, the Bank may not pay cash dividends
generally on deposit accounts and/or capital stock of the Bank, or repurchase
any of the capital stock of the Bank, if such dividend or repurchase would
reduce the Bank’s regulatory capital below the aggregate amount of the then
current subaccount balances for Deposit Accounts then held; otherwise, the
existence of the liquidation account shall not operate to restrict the use or
application of any of the net worth accounts of the Bank.
(g) For
purposes of this Section 15, a Deposit Account includes a predecessor or
successor account which is held by an account holder with the same social
security number.
16. TRANSFER
OF DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS.
Each Person holding a Deposit Account
at the Bank at the time of the Conversion and Reorganization shall retain an
identical Deposit Account at the Bank following the Conversion and
Reorganization in the same amount (as adjusted to give effect to any withdrawal
made for the purchase of Conversion Stock) and subject to the same terms and
conditions (except as to voting and liquidation rights).
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17.
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REQUIREMENTS
FOLLOWING THE CONVERSION AND REORGANIZATION FOR REGISTRATION, MARKET
MAKING AND STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING.
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In connection with the Conversion and
Reorganization, the Holding Company shall register the Holding Company Common
Stock pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and shall undertake not to deregister the Holding Company Common Stock
for a period of three years following the Conversion and
Reorganization. The Holding Company also shall use its best efforts
to (i) encourage and assist a market maker to establish and maintain a market
for the Holding Company Common Stock, and (ii) list the Holding Company Common
Stock on a national or regional securities exchange or to have quotations for
such stock disseminated on the OTC Bulletin Board.
18. COMPLETION
OF THE STOCK OFFERING.
The Offerings will be terminated if not
completed within 45 days after the last day of the Subscription Offering, unless
an extension is approved by the OTS.
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19.
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REQUIREMENTS
FOR STOCK PURCHASES BY DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS FOLLOWING THE CONVERSION AND
REORGANIZATION.
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For a period of three years following
the Conversion and Reorganization, the directors and Officers of the Holding
Company and the Bank and their Associates may not purchase Holding Company
Common Stock without the prior written approval of the OTS except from a
broker-dealer registered with the SEC. This prohibition shall not
apply, however, to (i) a negotiated transaction involving more than 1% of the
outstanding Holding Company Common Stock, and (ii) purchases of stock made by
and held by any Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan (and purchases of
stock made by and held by any Non-Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plan
following the receipt of stockholder approval of such plan) even if such Holding
Company Common Stock may be attributable to individual Officers or directors and
their Associates. The foregoing restriction on purchases of Holding
Company Common Stock shall be in addition to any restrictions that may be
imposed by federal and state securities laws.
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20.
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RESTRICTIONS
ON TRANSFER OF STOCK.
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All shares of Conversion Stock that are
purchased by Persons other than directors and Officers of the Holding Company or
the Bank shall be transferable without restriction. Shares of
Conversion Stock purchased by directors and Officers of the Holding Company or
the Bank on original issue from the Holding Company (by subscription or
otherwise) shall be subject to the restriction that such shares shall not be
sold or otherwise disposed of for value for a period of one year following the
date of purchase, except for any disposition of such shares following the death
of the original purchaser. The shares of Conversion Stock issued by
the Holding Company to such directors and Officers shall bear the following
legend giving appropriate notice of such one-year restriction:
“The
shares of stock evidenced by this Certificate are restricted as to transfer for
a period of one year from the date of this Certificate. These shares
may not be sold during such one-year period without a legal opinion of counsel
for the Company that said transfer is permissible under the provisions of
applicable law and regulation. This restrictive legend shall be
deemed null and void after one year from the date of this
Certificate.”
In
addition, the Holding Company shall give appropriate instructions to the
transfer agent for the Holding Company with respect to the applicable
restrictions relating to the transfer of restricted stock. Any shares
issued at a later date as a stock dividend, stock split or otherwise with
respect to any such restricted stock shall be subject to the same holding period
restrictions as may then be applicable to such restricted stock. The
foregoing restriction on transfer shall be in addition to any restrictions on
transfer that may be imposed by federal and state securities laws.
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21.
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TAX
RULINGS OR OPINIONS.
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Consummation of the Conversion and
Reorganization is conditioned upon prior receipt by the Primary Parties of
either a ruling or an opinion of counsel with respect to federal tax laws to the
effect that consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not result
in a taxable reorganization under the provisions of the applicable codes or
otherwise result in any adverse tax consequences to the Primary Parties or to
account holders receiving Subscription Rights before or after the Conversion and
Reorganization, except in each case to the extent, if any, that Subscription
Rights are deemed to have fair market value on the date such rights are
issued.
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22.
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STOCK
COMPENSATION PLANS; EMPLOYMENT AND SEVERANCE
AGREEMENTS.
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(a) The
Holding Company and the Bank are authorized to adopt Tax-Qualified Employee
Stock Benefit Plans in connection with the Conversion and Reorganization,
including without limitation an employee stock ownership plan.
(b) Subsequent
to the Conversion and Reorganization, the Holding Company and the Bank are
authorized to adopt Non-Tax Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans, including
without limitation, stock option plans and restricted stock plans, provided
however that any such plan implemented during the one-year period subsequent to
the date of consummation of the Conversion and
Reorganization: (i) shall be disclosed in the Prospectus;
(ii) in the case of stock option plans and employee recognition or grant
plans, shall be submitted for approval by the holders of the Common Stock no
earlier than six months following consummation of the Conversion and
Reorganization; and (iii) shall comply with all other applicable
requirements of the OTS.
(c) Existing,
as well as any newly-created, Tax-Qualified Employee Stock Benefit Plans may
purchase shares of Conversion Stock in the Offerings, to the extent permitted by
the terms of such benefit plans and this Plan.
(d) The
Holding Company and the Bank are authorized to enter into employment or
severance agreements with their executive officers.
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23.
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DIVIDEND
AND REPURCHASE RESTRICTIONS ON
STOCK.
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(a) Following
consummation of the Conversion and Reorganization, any repurchases of shares of
capital stock by the Holding Company will be made in accordance with then
applicable laws and regulations.
(b) The
Bank may not declare or pay a cash dividend on, or repurchase any of, its
capital stock if the effect thereof would cause the regulatory capital of the
Bank to be reduced below the amount required for the liquidation
account. Any dividend declared or paid on, or repurchase of, the
Bank’s capital stock also shall be in compliance with then applicable laws and
regulations.
24. AMENDMENT
OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN.
If deemed necessary or desirable by the
Boards of Directors of the Primary Parties, this Plan may be substantively
amended, as a result of comments from regulatory authorities or otherwise, at
any time before the solicitation of proxies from the Members and the
Stockholders to vote on the Plan and at any time thereafter with the concurrence
of the OTS. Any amendment to this Plan made after approval by the
Members and the Stockholders shall not necessitate further approval by the
Members and the Stockholders unless otherwise required by the
OTS. This Plan shall terminate if the sale of all shares of
Conversion Stock is not completed within 24 months from date of the Special
Meeting of Members. Before the earlier of the Meeting of Stockholders
and the Special Meeting of Members, this Plan may be terminated by the Boards of
Directors of the Primary Parties without approval of the OTS. After
the earlier of the Meeting of Stockholders and the Special Meeting of Members,
the Primary Parties may terminate this Plan only with the concurrence of the
OTS.
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25.
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INTERPRETATION
OF THE PLAN.
|
All interpretations of this Plan and
application of its provisions to particular circumstances by a majority of the
Boards of Directors of the Primary Parties shall be final, subject to the
authority of the OTS.
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