aflac_pre14a.htm
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED
IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A
INFORMATION
Proxy Statement
Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment
No. )
Filed by the Registrant
[x]
Filed by a Party other
than the Registrant [_]
Check the appropriate box:
[x] Preliminary Proxy
Statement
[_] Soliciting Material Under
Rule
[_] Confidential,
For Use of
the
14a-12
Commission Only (as permitted
by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[_]
Definitive Proxy Statement
[_] Definitive Additional
Materials
Aflac
Incorporated
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Name of Registrant as
Specified In Its Charter)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Name of Person(s)
Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee
(Check the appropriate box):
[x] No fee required.
[_] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11.
1) Title of
each class of securities to which transaction applies:
____________________________________________________________________________________
2) Aggregate number of securities to
which transaction applies:
3) Per unit price or
other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the
amount on
which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was
determined):
4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of
transaction:
____________________________________________________________________________________
5) Total fee paid:
[_] Fee paid previously with preliminary
materials:
[_] Check box if any part of the fee is offset
as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the
filing for which
the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous
filing by registration statement number,
or the form
or
schedule and the date of its
filing.
____________________________________________________________________________________
1) Amount
previously paid:
____________________________________________________________________________________
2) Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
____________________________________________________________________________________
3) Filing
Party:
____________________________________________________________________________________
4) Date
Filed:
March 19, 2010
Dear Fellow Aflac Shareholder:
At Aflac, enhancing the value
of your investment remains our first priority and influences every decision we
make. Just as we are driven to be good stewards of your investment in Aflac, we
also strive to respect the resources we use, both environmentally and
financially.
I am pleased to share that we
have identified a way not only to reduce the paper resources we use, but also to
lower our expenses while remaining true to our commitment of being responsive to
you, our valued shareholders. Our proxy materials, including the Proxy
Statement, Proxy Voting Form, and 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders, will still
be presented to you in a format that is familiar to you. However, many
shareholders will now simply be accessing the materials online rather than
receiving a paper copy. We strive to make these electronic documents
informative, convenient and easy to access.
I hope you will be able to
attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Monday, May 3, 2010. Whether or not
you are able to attend, I encourage you to vote your shares over the Internet or
by telephone in accordance with the instructions on the proxy card, or complete,
sign, date and promptly return your proxy card as soon as possible so that your
shares will be represented at the meeting. Your vote provides us with your input
about the important proposals that impact our business.
As fellow shareholders, each
one of us at Aflac thanks you for putting your faith, confidence and resources
in our company.
Sincerely,
Daniel P. Amos
1
NOTICE AND PROXY
STATEMENT
________________________
AFLAC
INCORPORATED
Worldwide Headquarters
1932 Wynnton Road
Columbus, GA 31999
________________________
NOTICE OF 2009 ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
Important Notice
Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Shareholder
Meeting to Be Held on
May 3, 2010
________________________
The Annual Meeting of
Shareholders of Aflac Incorporated (the “Company”) will be held on Monday, May
3, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. at the Columbus Museum (in the Patrick Theatre), 1251
Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia, for the following purposes, all of which are
described in the accompanying Proxy Statement:
1. |
|
To elect 16 Directors of the
Company to serve until the next Annual Meeting and until their successors
are duly elected and qualified; |
|
2. |
|
To consider and approve the
following advisory (non-binding) proposal: |
|
|
|
“Resolved, that the shareholders
approve the overall executive pay-for-performance compensation policies
and procedures employed by the Company, as described in the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis and the tabular disclosure regarding named
executive officer compensation in this Proxy Statement.” |
|
3. |
|
To consider and act upon the
ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as independent registered
public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31,
2010. |
The accompanying
proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors of the Company. The Proxy Statement
and the Company’s Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2009, are
enclosed.
The record date for
the determination of shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting is February
24, 2010, and only shareholders of record at the close of business on that date
will be entitled to vote at this meeting and any adjournment thereof.
YOUR VOTE IS
IMPORTANT! WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO BE PRESENT AT THE MEETING, PLEASE VOTE AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE
SO THAT WE MAY BE ASSURED OF A QUORUM TO TRANSACT BUSINESS. YOU MAY VOTE BY
USING THE INTERNET, TELEPHONE, OR BY SIGNING, DATING AND RETURNING THE PROXY
MAILED TO THOSE WHO RECEIVE PAPER COPIES OF THIS PROXY STATEMENT. IF YOU ATTEND
THE MEETING, YOU MAY REVOKE YOUR PROXY AND VOTE IN PERSON.
|
By order of the Board of
Directors, |
|
|
|
|
|
Joey M.
Loudermilk |
|
|
Secretary |
|
Columbus, Georgia
March 19,
2010
2
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Solicitation and Revocation
of Proxy |
1 |
Proposal 1 — Election of
Directors |
3 |
Security Ownership of
Management |
8 |
Section 16(a) Beneficial
Ownership Reporting Compliance |
8 |
Corporate
Governance |
9 |
Board and
Committees |
11 |
Compensation Discussion and
Analysis |
13 |
Compensation Committee
Report |
26 |
2009 Summary Compensation
Table |
27 |
2009 Grants of Plan-Based
Awards |
30 |
2009 Outstanding Equity
Awards at Fiscal Year-End |
32 |
2009 Option Exercises and
Stock Vested |
34 |
Pension Benefits |
34 |
Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation |
36 |
Potential Payments Upon
Termination or Change in Control |
37 |
Director
Compensation |
43 |
Related Person
Transactions |
44 |
Equity Compensation Plan
Information |
45 |
Audit Committee
Report |
46 |
Proposal 2 — Advisory Vote
on Executive Pay-for-Performance Compensation |
47 |
Proposal 3 — Ratification
of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
47 |
3
AFLAC INCORPORATED
________________________
PROXY STATEMENT
________________________
FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF
SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD MONDAY, MAY
3, 2010
________________________
SOLICITATION AND
REVOCATION OF PROXY
This Proxy Statement
is furnished to shareholders in connection with the solicitation of proxies by
the Board of Directors of the Company for use at the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to be held on Monday, May 3, 2010, and any adjournment thereof, for
the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and described in detail herein. The meeting will be held at 10 a.m.
at the Columbus Museum (in the Patrick Theatre), 1251 Wynnton Road, Columbus,
Georgia.
All properly executed
proxies returned to the Company will be voted in accordance with the
instructions contained thereon. With respect to proxies returned to the Company
with no voting instructions indicated, the proxies will be voted FOR the
election of all Director nominees named in this Proxy Statement, and FOR
approval of each other proposal set forth in the Notice of Meeting, and
according to the discretion of the proxy holders on any other matters that may
properly come before the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.
Shareholders of record may also submit their proxies via the Internet or by
telephone in accordance with the procedures set forth in the enclosed proxy, or
vote in person at the Annual Meeting. Any proxy may be revoked by the
shareholder at any time before it is exercised by giving written notice to that
effect to the Secretary of the Company or by submission of a later-dated proxy
or subsequent Internet or telephonic proxy. Shareholders who attend the meeting
may revoke any proxy previously granted and vote in person orally or by written
ballot.
This Proxy Statement
and the accompanying proxy are being delivered to shareholders on or about March
19, 2010.
Solicitation of Proxies
The Company will pay
the cost of soliciting proxies. The Company will make arrangements with
brokerage firms, custodians, and other fiduciaries to send proxy materials to
their principals by mail and by electronic transmission, and the Company will
reimburse these entities for mailing and related expenses incurred. In addition
to solicitation by mail and electronic transmission, certain officers and other
employees of the Company may solicit proxies by telephone and by personal
contacts. However, they will not receive additional compensation (outside of
their regular compensation) for doing so. In addition, the Company has retained
Georgeson Inc. to assist in the solicitation of proxies for a fee of $9,000,
plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
Proxy Materials and Annual Report
As permitted by the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules, we are making these proxy
materials available to our shareholders via the Internet. Accordingly, we have
mailed to most of our shareholders a notice about the Internet availability of
this Proxy Statement and our 2009 Annual Report instead of a paper copy of those
documents. The notice contains instructions on how to access those documents
over the Internet, how to vote online at www.proxyvote.com and how to request
and receive a paper copy of our proxy materials, including this Proxy Statement
and our 2009 Annual Report. Shareholders who select the online access option to
the Proxy Statement, Annual Report, and other account mailings through aflinc®, Aflac’s secure online
account management system, will receive electronic notice of availability of
these proxy materials. All shareholders who do not receive a notice and did not
already elect online access will receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by
mail. We believe this process will conserve natural resources and reduce the
costs of printing and distributing our proxy materials.
1
Multiple Shareholders Sharing the Same
Address
The Company is
sending only one Annual Report and one Proxy Statement or notice of availability
of these materials to shareholders who consented and who
share a single address. This is known as “householding.” However, if a
registered shareholder residing at such an address wishes to receive a separate
Annual Report or Proxy Statement, he or she may contact Shareholder Services by
phone at 800.235.2667 — Option
2, by e-mail at shareholder@aflac.com, or by mail at the
following address: Shareholder Services, 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia
31999. Registered shareholders who receive multiple copies of the Company’s
Annual Report or Proxy Statement or notice of availability of these materials
may request householding by contacting Shareholder Services using the preceding
options. Shareholders who own the Company’s shares through a bank, broker, or
other holder of record may request householding by contacting the holder of
record.
Description of Voting Rights
In accordance with
the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, shares of the Company’s Common Stock,
par value $.10 per share (the “Common Stock”) are entitled to one vote per share
until they have been held by the same beneficial owner for a continuous period
of greater than 48 months prior to the record date of the meeting, at which time
they become entitled to 10 votes per share. Where a share is transferred to a
transferee by gift, devise, or bequest, or otherwise through the laws of
inheritance, descent, or distribution from the estate of the transferor, or by
distribution to a beneficiary of shares held in trust for such beneficiary, the
transferee is deemed to be the same beneficial owner as the transferor for
purposes of determining the number of votes per share. Shares acquired as a
direct result of a stock split, stock dividend, or other distribution with
respect to existing shares (“dividend shares”) are deemed to have been acquired
and held continuously from the date on which the shares with regard to which the
issued dividend shares were acquired. Shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant
to the exercise of a stock option are deemed to have been acquired on the date
the option was granted.
Shares of Common
Stock held in “street” or “nominee” name are presumed to have been held for less
than 48 months and are entitled to one vote per share unless this presumption is
rebutted by providing evidence to the contrary to the Board of Directors of the
Company. Shareholders desiring to rebut this presumption should complete and
execute the affidavit appearing on the reverse side of their proxy. The Board of
Directors reserves the right to require evidence to support the
affidavit.
Quorum and Vote Requirements
Holders of record of
Common Stock at the close of business on February 24, 2010, will be entitled to
vote at the meeting. At that date, the number of outstanding shares of Common
Stock entitled to vote was 469,150,403. According to the Company’s records, this
represents the following voting rights:
425,944,001 |
|
Shares |
|
@ |
1 Vote Per Share |
= |
|
425,944,001 |
|
Votes |
43,206,402 |
|
Shares |
|
@ |
10 Votes
Per Share |
= |
|
432,064,020 |
|
Votes |
469,150,403 |
|
Shares |
|
|
Total |
|
|
858,008,021 |
|
Votes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders shown
above with one vote per share can rebut the presumption that they are entitled
to only one vote as outlined in “Description of Voting Rights” above. If all of
the outstanding shares were entitled to 10 votes per share, the total votes
available would be 4,691,504,030. However, for the purposes of this Proxy
Statement, it is assumed that the total votes available to be cast at the
meeting will be 858,008,021.
The holders of a
majority of the voting rights entitled to vote at the meeting, present in person
or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of such
business that comes before the meeting. Abstentions are counted as “shares
present” at the meeting for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists. A
broker non-vote occurs when a nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does
not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee does not have
discretionary voting power with respect to that item and has not received voting
instructions from the beneficial owner. Broker non-votes are also counted as
“shares present” at the meeting for purposes of determining whether a quorum
exists.
2
Pursuant to the Company’s
Bylaws, in an uncontested election of Directors, a Director shall be elected if
the votes cast for such Nominee’s election exceed the votes cast against such
Nominee’s election, provided a quorum is present. An abstention with respect to
the election of one or more Nominees will not be counted as a vote cast and will
have no effect on the election of such Nominee or Nominees. If a Nominee who is
already serving as a director is not re-elected at the annual meeting in an
uncontested election, under Georgia law the director would continue to serve on
our Board of Directors as a “holdover director.” However, under our Director
Resignation Policy, as amended by the Board on February 10, 2009, any holdover
director who stood for election but the votes cast for such director did not
exceed the votes cast against such director, must offer to tender his or her
resignation to our Chairman of the Board. The Corporate Governance Committee
will consider such resignation and recommend to the Board whether to accept or
reject it. In considering whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation,
the Corporate Governance Committee will consider all factors deemed relevant by
its members, including the stated reasons why shareholders voted against such
director, the qualifications of the director and whether the resignation would
be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Board will
formally act on the Corporate Governance Committee’s recommendation no later
than 90 days following the date of the shareholders’ meeting at which the
election occurred. The Company will, within four business days after such
decision is made, publicly disclose in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC, the
Board’s decision, together with a full explanation of the process by which the
decision was made and, if applicable, the reasons for rejecting the tendered
resignation. If a Nominee who was not already serving as a director is not
elected at the annual meeting, that Nominee would not become a director and
would not serve on our Board of Directors as a holdover director. In a contested
election at an annual meeting of shareholders (a situation in which the number
of Nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected), the standard for
election of directors would be a plurality of the shares represented in person
or by proxy at any such meeting and entitled to vote on the election of
directors.
Pursuant to the
Company’s Bylaws, approval of Proposals 2 and 3 and any other matters to be
considered at the meeting (other than the election of directors) requires the
affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting rights present in person
or represented by proxy at the meeting. Abstentions will have the effect of
votes against Proposals 2 and 3.
Effect of Not Casting a Vote
It is critical that
all shareholders who hold shares in street name vote their shares if they want
their votes to count in the election of directors (Proposal No. 1 of this Proxy
Statement). In the past, if a shareholder who held shares in street name did not
indicate how such shares should be voted in the election of directors, the bank
or broker was allowed to vote those shares on such shareholder’s behalf in the
election of directors as the bank or broker felt appropriate.
Recent changes in
regulation take away the ability of the bank or broker to vote uninstructed
shares in the election of directors on a discretionary basis. Thus, if a
shareholder holds shares in street name and does not instruct its bank or broker
how to vote in the election of directors, no votes will be cast on behalf of
such shareholder with respect to that matter. The bank or broker will, however,
continue to have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares on the advisory vote
on executive pay-for-performance compensation (Proposal No. 2) and the
ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm (Proposal No. 3). If a shareholder of record does not cast their vote, no votes will be cast
on their behalf on any of the
items of business at the Annual Meeting.
Principal Shareholders
No person, as of
February 24, 2010, was the owner of record or, to the knowledge of the Company,
beneficially owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock or of
the available votes of the Company other than as shown below:
Name and
Address |
|
|
|
Amount
of |
|
|
|
Percent
of |
of
Beneficial |
|
Title of Class |
|
Beneficial
Ownership |
|
Percent of |
|
Available |
Owner |
|
Common Stock |
|
Shares |
|
Votes |
|
Class |
|
Votes |
Daniel P. Amos* |
|
10 Votes Per Share |
|
8,006,980 |
|
80,069,800 |
|
2.0 |
|
9.2 |
1932 Wynnton Road |
|
1
Vote Per Share |
|
1,359,175 |
|
1,359,175 |
|
|
|
|
Columbus, GA
31999 |
|
|
|
9,366,155 |
|
81,428,975 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(*) See footnote 2 on page
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Company proposes
that the following 16 individuals be elected to the Board of Directors of the
Company. The persons named in the following table have been nominated by the
Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors for election as
Directors and, if elected, are willing to serve as such until the next Annual
Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors have been elected and
qualified. It is intended that the persons named in the accompanying proxy, or
their substitutes, will vote for the election of these nominees (unless
specifically instructed to the contrary). However, if any nominee at the time of
the election is unable or unwilling to serve or is otherwise unavailable for
election, and as a result another nominee is designated, the persons named in
the proxy, or their substitutes, will have discretionary authority to vote or
refrain from voting in accordance with their judgment on such other nominees.
The Board of Directors has no reason to believe that any of the persons
nominated for election as Director will be unable or unwilling to
serve.
3
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION
OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING
NOMINEES AS DIRECTORS.
The following information is provided with respect
to the nominee:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares of
Common Stock |
|
Percent
of |
|
|
|
Percent
of |
|
|
|
|
Year
First |
|
Beneficially
Owned on |
|
Outstanding |
|
Voting
Rights on |
|
Available |
Name |
|
Age |
|
Elected |
|
February 24, 2010 (2) |
|
Shares |
|
February 24, 2010 |
|
Votes |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
58 |
|
1983 |
|
9,366,155 |
|
2.0 |
|
81,428,975 |
|
9.2 |
John Shelby Amos
II |
|
57 |
|
1983 |
|
999,282 |
|
.2 |
|
9,936,571 |
|
1.2 |
Paul S. Amos II |
|
34 |
|
2007 |
|
3,539,853 |
|
.8 |
|
34,662,504 |
|
4.0 |
Michael H.
Armacost |
|
72 |
|
1994 |
|
43,197 |
|
* |
|
375,720 |
|
* |
Kriss Cloninger
III |
|
62 |
|
2001 |
|
1,280,192 |
|
.3 |
|
8,109,864 |
|
.9 |
Joe Frank Harris |
|
74 |
|
1991 |
|
91,748 |
|
* |
|
861,230 |
|
.1 |
Elizabeth J.
Hudson |
|
60 |
|
1990 |
|
93,993 |
|
* |
|
883,680 |
|
.1 |
Douglas W.
Johnson |
|
66 |
|
2004 |
|
30,822 |
|
* |
|
247,319 |
|
* |
Robert B. Johnson |
|
65 |
|
2002 |
|
22,531 |
|
* |
|
167,618 |
|
* |
Charles B. Knapp |
|
63 |
|
1990 |
|
70,055 |
|
* |
|
644,300 |
|
.1 |
E. Stephen Purdom |
|
62 |
|
1987 |
|
250,613 |
|
.1 |
|
2,386,880 |
|
.3 |
Barbara K. Rimer, Dr.
PH |
|
61 |
|
1995 |
|
31,460 |
|
* |
|
258,350 |
|
* |
Marvin R.
Schuster |
|
72 |
|
2000 |
|
89,566 |
|
* |
|
701,566 |
|
.1 |
David Gary
Thompson |
|
63 |
|
2005 |
|
27,250 |
|
* |
|
117,250 |
|
* |
Robert L. Wright |
|
72 |
|
1999 |
|
69,766 |
|
* |
|
411,766 |
|
* |
Takuro Yoshida |
|
57 |
|
(1) |
|
3,403,808 |
|
.7 |
|
30,403,808 |
|
3.5 |
(*) |
|
Percentage not listed if
less than .1%. |
(1) |
|
First Year
Nominated |
(2) |
|
Includes options to purchase
shares, which are exercisable within 60 days for: Daniel P. Amos,
3,853,791; John Shelby Amos II, 24,250; Paul S. Amos II, 90,000; Michael H. Armacost, 14,250; Kriss Cloninger III, 779,000; Joe
Frank Harris, 24,250; Elizabeth J. Hudson, 24,250; Douglas W. Johnson,
24,250; Robert B. Johnson, 17,750; Charles B. Knapp,
24,250; E. Stephen Purdom, 24,250; Barbara K. Rimer, Dr. PH, 24,250;
Marvin R. Schuster, 24,250; David Gary Thompson, 16,250; and Robert L.
Wright, 22,250. Also includes shares of restricted stock awarded under the
2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan for: Daniel P. Amos, 190,980; Paul S. Amos
II, 49,467; and Kriss Cloninger III, 124,490, for which they have the
right to vote, but may not transfer until the shares have vested three
years from the date of grant if certain Company performance goals have
been met. Also includes shares of restricted stock awarded under the 2004
Long-Term Incentive Plan for: Robert B. Johnson, 1,152; and Robert L.
Wright, 1,058 which they have the right to vote, but may not transfer
until the shares have vested four years from the date of grant. Includes
1,584,106; 50,000; 505,080; and 46,936 shares pledged for Daniel P. Amos,
John Shelby Amos II, Paul S. Amos II, and Kriss Cloninger III,
respectively. |
Also includes the following shares:
Daniel P. Amos: 76,291 shares owned by his spouse,
which includes options to purchase 50,000 shares that are exercisable within 60
days; 3,122,497 shares owned by partnerships of which he is a partner; 679,475
shares owned by trusts with him as trustee; 922,763 shares owned by the Daniel
P. Amos Family Foundation, Inc.; 90,221 shares owned by a trust with his spouse
as trustee; 75,697 shares owned by his spouse’s children; and 20,082 shares
owned by the Paul S. Amos Family Foundation, Inc.
John Shelby Amos II: 253,266 shares owned by his
children with Mr. Amos as trustee; and 8,867 shares owned by a corporation of
which he is a controlling shareholder.
Paul S. Amos II: 7,889 shares owned by his spouse;
18,890 shares owned by his children; 166,344 shares owned by a trust with his
spouse as trustee; 518,069 shares owned by trusts of which he or his children
are beneficiaries; 15,000 shares owned by a partnership of which he is a
partner; 37,859 shares owned by the Paul & Courtney Amos Foundation; 23,000
shares owned by the Dan Amos Dynasty Trust; 1,584,106 shares owned by The Amos
Family Limited Partnership; 922,763 shares owned by the Daniel P. Amos Family
Foundation, Inc.; and 20,082 shares owned by the Paul S. Amos Family Foundation,
Inc.
Kriss Cloninger III: 28,038 shares owned by his
spouse; 48 shares owned by his spouse’s children; 65,420 shares owned by
partnerships of which Mr. Cloninger is a partner; and 98,336 shares owned by a
trust with Mr. Cloninger as trustee.
Elizabeth J. Hudson: 400 shares owned
by her children.
Charles B. Knapp: 21,000 shares owned
by his spouse.
Takuro Yoshida: 3,403,808
shares owned by The Mizuho Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. Mr. Yoshida shares the
power to vote these shares.
4
Daniel P.
Amos is chairman and chief executive officer
of the Company and Aflac. Mr. Amos holds a bachelor’s degree in risk management
from the University of Georgia and has spent 36 years in various positions at
Aflac. Mr. Amos currently serves as a director of Synovus Financial Corp. He
served as a director of the Southern Company from 2000 to 2006. In 2010,
Institutional Investor magazine named him one
of America’s Best CEOs in the life insurance category for the fourth time. Mr. Amos
previously served as a member of the Consumer Affairs Advisory Committee of the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Under Mr. Amos’ leadership, Aflac became the
first public company in
America to give shareholders the opportunity to have an advisory
“Say-on-Pay” vote on the compensation practices of Aflac’s top five named
executive officers. During Mr. Amos’ 20-year tenure as CEO, the Company
consistently increased operating earnings per diluted share before currency
changes by an annual rate of at least 15%. Mr. Amos’ experience and approach
deliver insightful expertise and guidance to Aflac’s Board of Directors on
topics relating to corporate governance, people management and risk
management.
John Shelby Amos
II is Alabama/West Florida state sales
coordinator for Aflac’s U.S. operations. Mr. Amos joined Aflac’s intensive and
comprehensive management training program in 1970. This training program
strategically rotated Mr. Amos throughout key operational departments, giving
him exposure to, and experience with, a wide variety of operational challenges
and a broad base of knowledge that would prepare him to successfully serve
Aflac’s corporate headquarters and field operations. Mr. Amos’ breadth of
experience in both corporate and field operations give him a unique hybrid of
insight that balances the interests of independent sales force and corporate
initiatives.
Paul S. Amos
II has been president of Aflac since January
2007 and chief operating
officer of Aflac U.S. since February 2006. Prior to his current position, he held
the role of executive vice president, U.S. Operations from January 2005
until January 2007. In his current
role, he is responsible for centralizing the recruiting and training
functions for Aflac’s more than 75,300 U.S. sales associates, creating a new
broker channel, broadening the company’s marketing plan, and improving operating
efficiencies. Previously, Mr. Amos served as state sales coordinator for the
Georgia-North sales territory. Under his leadership, as state sales coordinator, the
Georgia-North territory grew to become the company’s number one state operation
in terms of sales. Mr. Amos holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke
University and a master’s degree in business administration from Emory
University. He also holds a juris doctor degree from Tulane University. Mr. Amos
brings to the Board a deep knowledge of insurance sales, which forms the core of
our business as well as eight years of experience at our
Company, serving in various leadership roles.
Michael H.
Armacost is a Shorenstein Distinguished
Fellow, Stanford University Asia-Pacific Research Center, since September 2002.
From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Armacost served as president and trustee of The Brookings
Institution, a renowned American think tank and private nonpartisan organization
devoted to public policy research. A former undersecretary of state for
political affairs, Mr. Armacost was U.S. ambassador to Japan from 1989 to 1993.
From 1977 to 1978, Mr. Armacost served as a member of the National Security
Council handling East Asian affairs under the Carter administration. From 1978
to 1980 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International
Security Affairs with responsibilities for East Asia and Latin America, and from
1982 to 1984, as Ambassador to the Philippines during a critical period of
political upheaval. Mr. Armacost earned his PhD from Columbia University. He has
previously served on the boards of directors of TRW,
Cargill, Inc, and Applied Materials, Inc. and is currently a director for USEC,
Inc. Mr. Armacost provides Aflac’s Board with valuable insight and guidance into
Aflac’s domestic and international operations. His extensive Asian policy and
government experience provides the Board with valuable insight into Japanese
public policy.
Kriss Cloninger III
is president; chief financial officer, and
treasurer of The Company and executive vice president of Aflac. Since joining
Aflac in 1992, he has had primary responsibility for overseeing the financial
management of all company operations, including Aflac U.S. and Aflac Japan.
Prior to joining Aflac, he was a principal in KPMG’s insurance actuarial
practice and served as a consultant to Aflac from 1977 until he joined the
Company in 1992. Mr. Cloninger has been named Best CFO in the insurance/life
category in America by Institutional
Investor magazine three times. He is a member of the
boards of directors of Total System Services, Inc. (TSYS), and the Tupperware
Brands Corporation, where he serves as chair of the Audit Committee. Mr.
Cloninger holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration
from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a Fellow of the Society of
Actuaries. His financial acumen and expertise in Aflac’s operations and
corporate strategy bring a unique economic perspective to our Board of
Directors.
5
Joe Frank Harris
served as a distinguished executive fellow at Georgia State University and a
lecturer in its School of Policy Studies from 1995 until 2009 and currently
serves as chairman of the board of Harris Georgia Corporation, an industrial
development firm that was established in 1980 in Cartersville, Georgia. He
served as the 78th
Governor of Georgia from 1983 to 1991. After his two terms as Governor, he was
appointed to the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, serving
as chairman of the Board of Regents for two years and a member for seven years.
He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in business
administration. His prior political career included serving nine terms (18
years) as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives starting in 1965 and
as chairman of the Appropriations Committee from 1975 to 1983. His diverse
experience starting out as a small business owner and becoming the Governor of
Georgia gives him rare, valuable and diverse insights ranging from running a
small business to running the State of Georgia. Mr. Harris’ knowledge of the
state insurance regulatory process that governs Aflac’s business is another
asset he brings to the Aflac Board.
Elizabeth
Hudson has served as executive vice president,
communications, of the National Geographic Society since 2000. She is
responsible for all communications and public affairs initiatives undertaken by
the National Geographic Society and its subsidiaries, including media and public
relations, brand development, employee communications, and related
marketing-communications activities. Ms. Hudson earned a bachelor’s degree in
advertising and public relations from the University of Georgia and an honorary
doctorate in commercial science from St. John’s University. She has more than 35
years of experience serving on the executive management teams of several
national and international organizations, including publicly traded entities and
one of the world’s largest scientific and research organizations. She brings
extensive experience in every aspect of strategic corporate communications,
including financial and crisis communications management. In addition, her
knowledge of, exposure to and expertise in developing and articulating
sustainability programs is relevant to her role as a member of Aflac’s Board of
Directors.
Douglas W.
Johnson is a certified public accountant and
retired Ernst & Young LLP audit partner. He began auditing insurance
companies in 1972 and spent the majority of his career focusing on companies in
the life, health and property/ casualty segments of the insurance industry.
During Mr. Johnson’s 30-year tenure with Ernst & Young and its predecessor
firms, he was coordinating partner of several large multinational insurance
companies and for the firm’s largest American insurance client. His work
experience includes extensive coordination with the audit committees of
publicly-held companies. Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from
Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a member of the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and holds an MBA from the Harvard School of
Business. Mr. Johnson’s finance experience and leadership skills enable him to
make valuable contributions to our Audit Committee, serving as its financial
expert.
Robert B.
Johnson is senior advisor, Porter Novelli PR,
where he has worked since 2003. Until 2008, he served as chairman and CEO of the
One America Foundation, an organization that promotes dialogue and solidarity
among Americans of all races and provides education, grants and technical
equipment to disadvantaged youth of all races. Prior to this, he served in
President Clinton’s White House as an assistant to the president and director of
the President’s initiative
for One America. In 2003, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) named him
Deputy Chairman, where he advised the DNC
Chairman in many key areas, including political and media strategic planning and
community involvement. He served two years in the Carter administration and was one of the
30 staff members to serve the entire eight years of the Clinton White House,
achieving the distinction of being one of the longest-serving African-Americans
in White House history. Prior to his service in the Carter White House, Mr.
Johnson was the Business Regulations Administrator for Washington, DC. Mr. Johnson’s
significant public relations experience provides the Board with valuable
expertise in conducting Aflac’s public relations. Promotion of diversity is also
important to Aflac, an area that Mr. Johnson provides extensive experience to
the Board, including through
his service as Chairman and CEO of the One America Foundation.
Charles B.
Knapp is Director of Educational Development
for the CF Foundation. Dr. Knapp also serves as Chairman of the Board of the
East Lake Foundation the organization responsible for leading the revitalization
of the East Lake community in Atlanta and as President of New Community
Ventures, LLC, which supports a network
of communities that are building brighter futures, strengthening human and
physical capital and helping families break the cycle of poverty. He was
president of the Aspen Institute from 1997 to 1999, and from 2000 to 2004 was a
partner with the executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles. Dr. Knapp was
President at the University of Georgia from 1987 to 1997 and currently serves
the university as President Emeritus. His tenure as president was marked by
increased emphasis on teaching excellence, notable growth in research funding,
dynamic and interactive minority programs, successful completion of the largest
fund-raising initiative in the University’s history, and
construction projects totaling more than $400 million. During his presidency,
Dr. Knapp was a founding member of the Georgia Research Alliance and was
instrumental in the creation of Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship program. Dr. Knapp
holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Knapp’s experience and knowledge provide the Aflac
Board with valuable insight into the field of
investments.
6
E. Stephen
Purdom retired from his position as executive
vice president, Insurance Operations at Aflac in 2000. From 1988 through 1994,
he served as Aflac’s senior vice president and medical director. Dr. Purdom
graduated from Emory University Medical School. In Columbus, Georgia, he founded
and served as medical director of the Columbus Clinic, a 20-physician
multi-specialty medical group. He was chief of staff at Doctors’ Hospital and
developed the Columbus Diagnostic Center, a full service radiology/imaging
center. Additionally, Dr. Purdom was manager and general partner of the Columbus
Diagnostic Center, and he developed the Columbus Medical Park. He currently
serves on the board of advisors for Emory University School of Medicine, and is
a retired director of the Trust Company Bank, Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Purdom
actively facilitated the development of new products for Aflac U.S. and Aflac
Japan, with specific expertise in the areas of claims and underwriting. His
proficiency in this regard was particularly instrumental in broadening Aflac’s
medical product line in Japan. Dr. Purdom’s extensive practical medical
experience offers the Board of Directors the medical proficiency that is very
relevant to the technical, product, and business side of Aflac’s operations.
Dr. Barbara K.
Rimer has been Dean of the University of North
Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC since June
2005 and Alumni Distinguished Professor Gillings School of Global Public Health
since 2003. Previously, she was director of the Division of Cancer Control and
Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute. She is a former director
of Cancer Control Research and Professor of Community and Family Medicine at the
Duke University School of Medicine and was elected to the Institute of Medicine
in 2008. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts in English and Masters of
Public Health from the University of Michigan, and her doctorate of
public health (Dr. PH) from
the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. The mission of the
Gillings School of Public Health is to improve public health, promote individual
well-being, and eliminate health disparities across North Carolina and around
the world. In light of her particular health care experience and knowledge, her
insight and leadership are extremely relevant to Aflac’s business and
operations.
Marvin R.
Schuster is chairman of Schuster Enterprises
Inc., a company he founded in 1967 that owns and operates more than 60 Burger
King restaurants throughout the Southeast. He is an emeritus member of the board
of directors of Columbus Bank & Trust Company and has served on the board of
Synovus Trust Company. As an owner of more than 60 restaurants that employ 2,500
people, his position on the Aflac Board captures the viewpoint of the small
business owner, which is essential with approximately 90% of Aflac’s payroll
accounts being small business owners. His half-century of corporate experience
includes eight years of accounting and management of a manufacturing plant,
followed by 42 years as founder, CEO and chairman of Schuster Enterprises, Inc.
[Mr. Schuster took his
expertise in cost accounting and combined it with his manufacturing standards
experience to successfully establish, develop, manage and expand his restaurant
franchises.] Additionally,
his extensive experience in the restaurant industry gives him insight into one
of Aflac’s largest payroll account categories.
David Gary
Thompson is a retired chief executive officer
of Georgia Banking, Wachovia Bank, N.A. and retired executive vice president of
Wachovia Corporation. He serves on the board of directors for Georgia Power
Company, a subsidiary of the Southern Company. Mr. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts in
economics from Guilford College. He began his career with Wachovia while
completing his final year of college and had several positions of leadership
during his tenure, while helping Wachovia navigate the biggest merger it had
experienced to date. The managerial and financial experience and training Mr.
Thompson gained through 36 years of banking, including understanding
and managing credit risks across a variety of businesses and industries,
provides a foundation from which he provides our Board with valuable
observations, insight, and experience.
Dr. Robert L.
Wright has over 40 years of experience in
government, business management, finance, project management and team building
along with a wealth of political experience at both local and national levels.
He served three consecutive terms as a member of the Columbus, Georgia City
Council and was appointed by President Reagan to the position of Associate
Administrator for Minority Small Business at the Small Business Administration.
Dr. Wright received a Degree in Optometry from The College of Optometry at The
Ohio State University. Starting with only three employees in 1985, Dr. Wright
built Dimensions International (DI) into a world-class organization with more
than 100 offices in 10 countries and over 1500 employees in 16 different time
zones. DI provided leading-edge technology to the government and private sector
in the fields of logistics support, systems engineering and integration,
information management and technology, airspace management, and security
engineering and operations. Dr. Wright served as Chairman and CEO of DI, and
later Chairman Emeritus and Senior Advisor until 2007 when the company was sold
to Honeywell. Dr. Wright then served as Chairman of Flight Explorer (FE), which
he purchased from DI prior to the sale of DI to Honeywell. FE is a global flight
tracking, information technology and communications solutions provider to the
business aviation and traveler community. In September of 2008, Dr. Wright sold
FE to Sabre Technologies and currently serves as Chairman and CEO of FE
Holdings, Inc., a company with interests in motorsports, gaming, entertainment,
real estate and lighting. Dr.
Wright enhances the Aflac Board with his strong business and leadership skills
as well as valuable insight into the medical field.
7
Takuro
Yoshida is the president of Nippon
Tochi-Tatemono Co., Ltd., a residential and commercial real estate development
company in Japan, since January, 2010. He has also served as the company’s
executive vice president and operating officer, from May 2009 through December
2009. From 2005 through April of 2009, Mr. Yoshida held various positions which
include executive director, senior operating officer, and central branch manager
and operating officer of Mizuho Bank, Ltd., part of Mizuho Financial Group,
Inc., which was formed in a merger between his former employer, Dai-Ichi Kangyo
Bank, Ltd., and two other banks. He held various positions at Dai-Ichi Kangyo
Bank, Ltd., which he joined in 1976. Mr. Yoshida graduated from the Faculty of
Law, Tokyo University. His extensive Japan financial and managerial experience
will enable him to provide our Board with valuable insight and expertise relevant to the Company’s Japanese
business.
Daniel P. Amos and John Shelby Amos II are cousins.
Daniel P. Amos is the father of Paul S. Amos II. No other family relationships
exist among any other executive officers or Directors.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF
MANAGEMENT
The following table
sets forth, as of February 24, 2010, the number of shares and percentage of
outstanding shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by: (i) our Named
Executive Officers, comprising our CEO, CFO, COO of Aflac U.S., and two other
most highly compensated executive officers as listed in the 2009 Summary
Compensation Table (collectively, the “NEOs”) whose information was not provided
under the heading “Election of Directors,” and (ii) all Directors and executive
officers as a group.
Common Stock Beneficially Owned and
Approximate Percentage of Class as of February 24, 2010
Name and Principal Occupation for five
years |
|
Shares (1) |
|
Percent of Shares |
|
Votes |
|
Percent of Votes |
Tohru
Tonoike President and Chief Operating Officer, Aflac Japan, since July
2007; Deputy President, Aflac Japan, from February 2007 until July 2007;
President, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Asset Management Co., Ltd., from April 2005
until January 2006; Managing Executive Officer, Mizuho Corporate Bank,
Ltd., until April 2005 |
|
95,376 |
|
* |
|
95,376 |
|
* |
|
Joey M.
Loudermilk Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate
Secretary, since 1983 |
|
621,269 |
|
.1 |
|
5,156,390 |
|
.6 |
|
All
Director nominees and executive officers as a group (31
persons) |
|
21,335,145 |
|
4.5 |
|
184,661,722 |
|
20.5 |
(1) |
|
Includes options to purchase
shares that are exercisable within 60 days for: Tohru Tonoike, 25,000; and
Joey M. Loudermilk, 344,146; and all Directors and executive officers as a
group, 5,968,396. Also includes shares of restricted stock awarded under
the 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan for: Tohru Tonoike, 48,930; Joey M.
Loudemilk, 30,952; and all Directors and executive officers as a group,
644,179, which they have the right to vote, but they may not transfer
until the shares have vested three years from the date of grant if certain
Company performance
goals have been met. Includes 2,360,287 shares pledged for all Directors
and executive officers as a group. |
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL
OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Pursuant to Section
16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
executive officers, Directors, and holders of more than 10% of the Common Stock
are required to file reports of their trading in Company equity securities with
the SEC.
Based solely on its
review of the copies of such reports received by the Company, or written
representations from certain reporting persons, the Company believes that during
the last fiscal year, all Section 16 filing requirements applicable to its
reporting persons were complied with, except for: Director Robert L. Wright and
executive officer Takaaki Matsumoto who each filed a late Form 4 when they
purchased shares.
8
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Director Independence
The Board of
Directors annually assesses the independence of each Director nominee. The Board
has determined that with respect to Michael H. Armacost, Elizabeth J. Hudson,
Douglas W. Johnson, Robert B. Johnson, Charles B. Knapp, Barbara K. Rimer, Dr.
PH, Marvin R. Schuster, David Gary Thompson, Robert L. Wright, and Takuro
Yoshida, (i) none of such individuals is precluded from being an independent
director under the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) listing standards and (ii)
none of such individuals has a material relationship with the Company (either
directly or as a partner, shareholder, or officer of an organization that has a
relationship with the Company), and that accordingly, each such individual is
considered an “independent director” for purposes of the NYSE listing standards.
The Board made its determination based on information furnished by all Directors
regarding their relationships with the Company and research conducted by
management.
Board Leadership Structure
Mr. Daniel P. Amos
has served as our Chairman of the Board since 2001 and as our CEO since 1990.
The Board believes that the most effective Board leadership structure for the
Company at the present time is for the CEO to continue to serve as Chairman of
the Board in conjunction with the appointment of a Lead Non-Management Director
as described below, a structure that has served the Company well for many years.
Combining the positions of Chairman and CEO provides the Company with decisive
and effective leadership. The Board believes that Mr. Amos’ in-depth long-term
knowledge of the Company’s operations and vision for its development make him
the best qualified person to serve as both Chairman and CEO. Because the CEO is
ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Company and for
executing the Company’s strategy, and because the performance of the Company is
an integral part of Board deliberations, the Board believes that Mr. Amos is the
director most qualified to act as Chairman of the Board. However, the Board
retains the authority to modify this structure to best advance the interests of
all shareholders, if circumstances warrant such a change.
The Board also
believes that its existing corporate governance practices achieve independent
oversight and management accountability. These governance practices are
reflected in the Company’s Guidelines on Significant Corporate Governance Issues
and the Committee Charters and include the following.
-
The substantial majority of the Board are
independent directors;
-
The Audit, Compensation and Corporate Governance
Committees are all comprised of independent directors;
-
The Company has a Lead Non-Management Director
with the responsibilities described below; and
-
The Non-employee Directors meet at each regularly
scheduled Board meeting in executive session without management
present.
Lead Non-Management Director
The position of Lead
Non-Management Director rotates among the Chairs of the Audit, Compensation and
Corporate Governance Committees. Mr. Robert Wright is currently the Lead
Non-Management Director. The responsibilities of the Lead Non-Management
Director include the following: (i) consulting with the Chairman and Secretary
in establishing the agenda for each Board meeting; (ii) setting the agenda for,
and leading, all executive sessions of the Non-employee Directors; (iii) when
appropriate, discussing with the Chairman matters addressed at such executive
sessions; (iv) facilitating discussions, in between Board meetings, among the
Non-employee Directors as appropriate; (v) serving as a liaison between the
Non-employee Directors and the Chairman of the Board, (vi) serving as a liaison
between management and the Board, and (vii) chairing the meeting of the Board
when it is conducting its annual Board self-evaluation. Furthermore,
the Lead Non-Management Director has the ability to call meetings of the
independent Directors.
Communications with Directors
Shareholders and
interested parties may contact members of the Board by mail. To communicate with
the Board of Directors, any individual Director or any group or committee of
Directors (including Non-employee Directors as a group), correspondence should
be addressed to the Board of Directors or any such individual Director or group
or committee of Directors by either name or title. All such correspondence
should be sent to the Corporate Secretary of Aflac Incorporated at the following
address: 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia 31999.
9
All communications
received as set forth in the preceding paragraph will be opened by the Corporate
Secretary for the sole purpose of determining whether the contents represent a
message to the Directors. Any contents that are not in the nature of
advertising, promotions of a product or service, or patently offensive material
will be forwarded promptly to the addressee. In the case of communications to
the Board or any group or committee of Directors, the Secretary’s office will
make sufficient copies of the contents to send to each Director who is a member
of the group or committee to which the envelope is addressed.
It is Company policy that each of
the Directors attend the Annual Meeting. All of the Directors were in attendance
at the 2009 Annual Meeting except Mr. Yoshiro Aoki.
Director Nominating Process
The Corporate
Governance Committee will consider Director candidates recommended by
shareholders. In considering candidates submitted by shareholders, the Corporate
Governance Committee will take into consideration the needs of the Board and the
qualifications of the candidate. The Corporate Governance Committee may also
take into consideration the number of shares held by the recommending
shareholder and the length of time that such shares have been held. To have a
candidate considered by the Corporate Governance Committee, a shareholder must
submit the recommendation in writing and must include: (i) the name of the
shareholder and evidence of the person’s ownership of Common Stock, including
the number of shares owned and the length of time of ownership; and (ii) the
name of the candidate, the candidate’s resume or a listing of his or her
qualifications to be a Director of the Company and the person’s consent to be
named as a Director if selected by the Corporate Governance Committee and
nominated by the Board. No person 20 years of age or younger or 75 years of age
or older shall be eligible for election or appointment as a member of the Board
of Directors.
The shareholder recommendation and
information described above must be sent to the Corporate Secretary at
Aflac Incorporated, 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia
31999, and must be received by the Corporate Secretary not less than 90 nor more
than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual
meeting of shareholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual
meeting is called for a date that is not within 25 days before or after such
anniversary date, notice by the shareholder, to be timely, must be so received
not later than the close of business on the tenth day
following the day on which such notice of the date of the annual meeting was
mailed or such public disclosure was made, whichever occurs first.
The Corporate
Governance Committee believes that the minimum qualifications for serving as a
Director of the Company are that a nominee demonstrate, by significant
accomplishment in his or her field, an ability to make a meaningful contribution
to the Board’s oversight of the business and affairs of the Company and have an
impeccable record and reputation for honest and ethical conduct in both his or
her professional and personal activities. In addition, the Corporate Governance
Committee examines a candidate’s specific experiences and skills, time
availability in light of other commitments, potential conflicts of interest and
independence from management and the Company. The Corporate Governance Committee
also seeks to create a Board that is strong in its collective knowledge and has
a diversity of backgrounds, skills and experience with respect to accounting and
finance, management and leadership, vision and strategy, business operations,
business judgment, industry knowledge, corporate governance and global markets.
The Company’s Guidelines on Significant Corporate Governance Issues provide that diversity is a factor
the Corporate Governance Committee should consider in nominating Directors. The
diversity of Board and Committee members is one of the specified criteria
considered by the Board as part of its annual self-evaluation.
The Corporate
Governance Committee identifies potential nominees by asking current Directors
and executive officers to notify the Corporate Governance Committee if they
become aware of persons that meet the criteria described above and who have had
a change in circumstances that might make them available to serve on the Board
(for example if an individual has retired as chief executive
officer or chief financial officer of a public company or exited government or
military service). The Corporate Governance Committee may also, from time to
time, engage firms that specialize in identifying Director candidates. As
described above, the Corporate Governance Committee will also consider
candidates recommended by shareholders.
Once the Corporate
Governance Committee identifies a person as a potential candidate, the Corporate
Governance Committee may collect and review publicly available information
regarding the potential candidate to assess whether that person should receive
further consideration. If the Corporate Governance Committee determines that the
candidate warrants further consideration, the Chairman or another member of the
Corporate Governance Committee will contact the person. Generally, if the person
expresses a willingness to be considered
and to serve on the Board, the Corporate Governance Committee requests
information from the candidate, reviews the person’s accomplishments and
qualifications, including in light of any other candidates that the Corporate
Governance Committee might be considering, and conducts one or more interviews
with the candidate. In certain instances, Corporate Governance Committee members
may contact one or more references provided by the candidate or may contact
other members of the business community or other persons that may have greater
firsthand knowledge of the candidate’s accomplishments. The Corporate Governance
Committee’s evaluation process does not vary based on whether or not a candidate
is recommended by a shareholder, although, as stated above, the Board may take
into consideration the number of shares held by the recommending shareholder and
the length of time that such shares have been held.
10
Enterprise-Wide Risk Oversight
Our Board of Directors oversees an enterprise-wide approach to risk
management, designed to support the achievement of organizational objectives,
including strategic objectives, to improve long-term organizational performance
and enhance shareholder value. A fundamental part of risk management is not only
understanding the risks a company faces and what steps management is taking to
manage those risks, but also understanding what level of risk is appropriate for
the company. The involvement of the full Board of Directors in setting the
Company’s business strategy is a key part of its assessment of management’s
appetite for risk and also a determination of what constitutes an appropriate
level of risk for the Company.
While the Board of Directors has the ultimate oversight responsibility
for the risk management process, various committees of the Board also have
responsibility for risk management. The Audit Committee Charter provides that
one of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities and duties is compliance
oversight. The Charter provides that the Audit Committee shall discuss
guidelines and policies governing the process by which senior management of the
Company and the relevant departments of the Company assess and manage the
Company’s exposure to risk, as well as the Company’s major financial risk
exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such
exposures. In addition, in setting compensation, the Compensation Committee
strives to create incentives that encourage a level of risk-taking behavior
consistent with the Company’s business strategy. As more fully discussed in the
“Compensation Discussion and Analysis” (“CD&A”) section of this Proxy
Statement, incentive compensation performance objectives of the Company’s
management are determined and established so as not to encourage excessive risk
taking.
The Company has a Disclosure Control Committee comprised of senior levels
of management across the Company to ensure that disclosure controls and
procedures provide, to the highest degree of certainty possible, that the
information required to be disclosed to investors is accumulated and
communicated to the committee to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.
In its annual self-evaluation, the Board discusses its performance and
oversight responsibility. In this discussion, the Board evaluates the quality of
the information provided to directors by the Audit Committee about the Company’s
risk management and corporate compliance programs.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Company has a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is
applicable to all Directors and employees, including executive officers, of the
Company and its subsidiaries. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics includes a
Code of Ethics for Chief Executive and Senior Financial Officers that sets forth
standards applicable to all officers, directors, and employees but has
provisions specifically applicable to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Financial Officer, and the Chief Accounting Officer. The Company intends to
satisfy any disclosure requirements regarding amendments to, or waivers from,
any provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics by posting such
information on the Aflac Web site at www.aflac.com, under “Investors” then “Corporate
Governance.”
BOARD AND COMMITTEES
During 2009, the Board of Directors met eight times, and all Directors
attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board and of the Board Committees
on which they served.
The Audit Committee Charter, the Compensation Committee Charter, and the
Corporate Governance Committee Charter, as well as the Company’s Guidelines on
Significant Corporate Governance Issues and the Code of Business Conduct and
Ethics, can all be found at the Company’s Web site — www.aflac.com —
under “Investors” then “Corporate Governance.” These documents are also
available in print to shareholders upon request. Shareholders may submit their
request to Aflac Incorporated, Corporate Secretary, 1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus,
Georgia 31999.
11
The Audit Committee
The Audit Committee, which met 14 times during 2009, has the following
primary duties and responsibilities: (i) to oversee that management has
maintained the reliability and integrity of the financial reporting process and
systems of internal controls of the Company and its subsidiaries regarding
finance, accounting, and legal matters; (ii) to issue annually the Audit
Committee Report set forth below; (iii) to monitor the independence and
performance of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and
the performance of the Company’s internal auditing department; (iv) to assist
Board oversight of the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements; (v) to provide an open avenue of communication among the
independent registered public accounting firm, management, the internal auditing
department, and the Board; and (vi) to review and monitor the adequacy of
enterprise risk management activities of the Company. The Audit Committee also
pre-approves audit and non-audit services provided by the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm and pre-approves all related person
transactions that are required to be disclosed in the Company’s annual proxy
statement. In addition, it is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to
select, oversee, evaluate, determine funding for, and, where appropriate,
replace or terminate the independent registered public accounting firm. At least
annually, the Audit Committee reviews the services performed and the fees
charged by the independent registered public accounting firm.
The independent registered public accounting firm has direct access to
the Audit Committee and may discuss any matters that arise in connection with
their audits, the maintenance of internal controls, and any other matters
relating to the Company’s financial affairs. The Audit Committee may authorize
the independent registered public accounting firm to investigate any matters
that the Audit Committee deems appropriate and may present its recommendations
and conclusions to the Board.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is composed of Robert L.
Wright (Chairman), Douglas W. Johnson (financial expert), Charles B. Knapp, and
Marvin R. Schuster, each of whom qualifies as an independent Director under the
NYSE listing standards.
The Corporate Governance Committee
The Company has a Corporate Governance Committee, the functions of which
include: (i) selecting individuals qualified to serve as Directors of the
Company to be nominated to stand for election to the Board of Directors; (ii)
recommending to the Board, Directors to serve on committees of the Board; (iii)
advising the Board with respect to matters of Board composition and procedures;
(iv) developing and recommending to the Board a set of corporate governance
principles applicable to the Company; and (v) overseeing the evaluation of the
Board and the Company’s management. The Corporate Governance Committee operates
under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors.
The Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors is composed
of Marvin R. Schuster (Chairman), Barbara K. Rimer, Dr. PH, and David Gary
Thompson, each of whom qualifies as an independent Director under the NYSE
listing standards. The Corporate Governance Committee met three times during
2009.
The Compensation Committee
The responsibilities of the Compensation Committee include the following:
(i) to review, at least annually, the goals and objectives of the Company’s
executive compensation plans; (ii) to evaluate annually the performance
of the CEO with respect to such goals and objectives; (iii) to determine the
CEO’s compensation level based on this evaluation; and (iv) to evaluate annually the performance
of the employee Directors of the Company in light of such goals and objectives,
and set their compensation levels based on this evaluation. The Compensation
Committee approves all aspects of compensation for executive officers who are
members of the Board. For all other officers who are subject to Section 16
reporting requirements, including all executive officers, the Compensation
Committee reviews and approves compensation levels, equity-linked incentive
compensation, and also annual incentive awards, sometimes referred to as
non-equity incentives, under the Company’s Management Incentive Plan (“MIP”).
With respect to Non-employee Director compensation, the Compensation
Committee recommends to the
Board a policy regarding Non-employee Director compensation and has recommend to
the Board Non-employee Director compensation consistent with such policy. The
Board makes final determinations regarding Non-employee Director compensation.
12
The Compensation Committee may form subcommittees and delegate such power
and authority as the Compensation Committee deems appropriate. However, no
subcommittee may have fewer than two members and the Compensation Committee may
not delegate to a subcommittee any power or authority required by any law,
regulation or listing standard to be exercised by the Compensation Committee as
a whole.
The Compensation Committee retains a nationally recognized compensation
consultant, Mercer Human Resource Consulting (the “Consultant”), to assist and
advise the Compensation Committee in its deliberations regarding executive
compensation. The Consultant works with the Compensation Committee in the review
of executive compensation practices, including the competitiveness of pay
levels, design issues, market trends, and other technical considerations.
The Consultant typically provides
assistance in the following areas:
- Provides comparative company performance to determine CEO
pay;
- Provides an evaluation of the competitiveness of the
Company’s executive compensation and benefit programs;
- Reviews plan design issues and recommends potential
improvement opportunities;
- Apprises the Compensation Committee of trends and
developments in the marketplace;
- Provides assistance in assessing the relationship between
executive pay and performance;
- Provides assistance with assessing proposed performance goals
and ranges for incentive plans;
- Provides comparative company data to determine NEO
compensation; and
- Conducts compensation training sessions for the committee.
Consulting fees paid to the Consultant for
executive compensation consulting services totaled $192,690 in
2009.
Additional information regarding the Company’s processes and procedures
for the consideration and determination of executive compensation can be found
in the CD&A below.
The current members of the Compensation Committee are Robert B. Johnson
(Chairman), David Gary Thompson, and Robert L. Wright. All members of the
Compensation Committee are “outside” Directors as defined by Section 162(m)
(“Section 162(m)”) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”),
“Non-employee Directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange
Act, and independent Directors under the NYSE listing standards. The
Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of
Directors. The Compensation Committee met four times in 2009.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
During 2009, the members of the Company’s Compensation Committee were
Robert B. Johnson (Chairman), David Gary Thompson, and Robert L. Wright. None of
such persons is a current or former employee or officer of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries. No member of the Compensation Committee serving during 2009
had any relationship requiring disclosure under the section titled “Related
Persons Transactions” in this Proxy Statement. During 2009, no member of the
Compensation Committee was an executive officer of another entity on whose
compensation committee or board of directors any executive officer of the
Company served.
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
I. Introduction
The Company’s compensation philosophy is to provide pay-for-performance that is
directly linked to the Company’s results. We believe this is the most effective
method for creating shareholder value, and that it has played a significant role
in making the Company an industry leader. The performance-based elements of our
compensation programs apply to all levels of Company management, including our
executive officers. In fact, pay-for-performance components
permeate every employee level at the Company. The result is that we are able to
attract, retain, motivate and reward talented individuals who have the necessary
skills to manage our growing global business on a day-to-day basis, as well as
for the future.
The Company has a history and a well-earned reputation with its
shareholders as a very transparent organization. That commitment to transparency
on all levels was certainly a driving force in our decision in 2008, to allow
shareholders a “say-on-pay” advisory vote. As a Company, we pride ourselves on
incorporating ethics and transparency into everything we do, including
compensation disclosure. With that in mind, we are pleased to provide the
following CD&A.
13
II. Executive Summary
This CD&A pertains to our executive officers and in particular the
following executive officers, whose 2009 compensation is set out in the Summary
Compensation Table below (our “named executive officers” or “NEOs”).
|
Daniel P. Amos |
|
Chairman and CEO |
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
President, CFO, and Treasurer |
|
Tohru Tonoike |
|
President, COO, Aflac Japan |
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
President, Aflac and COO, Aflac U.S. |
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate
Secretary |
In November 2008, Mr. Daniel P. Amos announced he had decided to
voluntarily forgo the “golden parachute” components in his employment agreement.
Under his original employment agreement, Mr. Amos would have been entitled to
receive three years of salary and bonus in the event of a change in control or
certain other termination events. Mr. Amos executed an amendment to his
employment agreement in December 2008 removing these provisions, which would
have resulted in potential cash payments of approximately $13 million upon the
occurrence of a triggering event at that time. The elimination of these
potential payments has been reflected in the 2009 Potential Payments Upon
Termination or Change in Control table below.
As a leader in our industry segment, we recognize that a sound management
compensation program is a part of what makes a company an employer of choice.
Our compensation philosophy is to provide pay that is directly linked to the
Company’s performance results. By doing so, we are able to provide the
following: reasonable salaries that reflect each executive’s responsibility
level, qualifications and contribution over time; benefits that adequately meet
the needs of our employees and their families at a reasonable shared cost;
meaningful, performance-based annual non-equity incentives, and long-term equity
incentives that reflect the creation of shareholder value.
Of these four pay elements, we consider the annual and long-term
incentive forms of compensation to be the most important because they enable us
to attract, retain, motivate and reward talented individuals who have the
necessary skills to manage our growing global enterprise on a day-to-day basis
as well as for the future.
The value of annual non-equity incentives is directly linked to specific
financial goals such as operating earnings per diluted share, risk-based capital as measured on a
statutory basis, increases in pretax operating earnings, total new annualized
premium sales, premium income, and expenses established and approved by the
Compensation Committee (for purposes of this CD&A, the “Committee”) at the
beginning of each fiscal year. The actual goals are fully described below under
the section Management Incentive Plan. The goals are developed using a corporate
financial model. The ranges are set to allow for the achievement of our overall
corporate objectives and each of the goals have realistically obtainable maximum
payout levels to discourage excessive risk taking. As noted later in this
report, the maximum of the range for the goals is typically expected to be
achieved only 25% of the time on average.
Long-term equity incentives are provided to executive officers in two
forms: stock options whose future value depends upon share price appreciation
and performance-based restricted stock (“PBRS”) whose vesting is determined by
the Company’s performance objectives set by the Committee. For PBRS awards
granted in 2007 and 2008 the performance objective for PBRS awards was based on
cumulative compound growth rate in operating earnings per diluted share,
excluding foreign currency changes, over a three-year performance period. The
performance objective for 2009 PBRS awards was based on the achievement of sound
risk-based capital levels as
determined on a statutory basis. These performance objectives for purposes of
vesting PBRS awards are annually reviewed and established by the Committee for
the ensuing three-year performance period.
Lower level officers receive stock options in combination with time-based
restricted stock (“TBRS”) that vest after three years of continuous service.
This combination is considered to link their interests to those of our
shareholders as well as to help the Company retain their services. These plans
are fully described in Sections V and VI of this CD&A.
To help the Committee execute its responsibilities, the Consultant
annually provides the Committee with comparative performance and pay data based
upon a sample of 15 major insurance companies (see Section V of this CD&A).
The peer group pay data is derived from
the component companies’ proxy statements and helps the Committee establish the
salaries and target incentive award opportunities for the
NEOs.
14
In general, it is the Company’s intent to set individual salaries within
a plus or minus range of 25% from survey medians for comparable positions and to
target incentives at median levels with intended payout variances based upon
results above or below our planned financial goals. In this way, the Committee
intends to have compensation pay levels mirror performance results. Quite
simply, if we are a median performer, our total pay should approximate median
levels. If we are a 75th percentile
performer, our total pay should approximate the 75th percentile. If we
are a 25th percentile
performer, our total pay should approximate the 25th
percentile.
This philosophy is directly applied by the Committee in determining the
CEO’s total pay. Each year the Consultant calculates the Company’s percentile
performance rank for the prior year among the peer group of other major
insurance companies based on 10 weighted-performance measures. These measures
are all related to one year results for the prior year except for Total
Shareholder Return, which is measured over the prior three-year period. The
Consultant then determines the total pay value that matches the Company’s
percentile performance rank. The Committee uses the information from this
analysis to adjust the CEO’s total pay to that indicated by the Company’s
percentile performance rank. This adjustment is accomplished through a final
true-up stock option grant at the Committee’s August meeting. This methodology
is detailed in Section VIII of this CD&A.
In order to directly link the CEO’s total pay to the Company’s
performance results, it is necessary to wait for both the performance and pay
information of all peer group companies to be made public. As a result, the
Committee finalizes the CEO’s total pay based on the prior year’s results at
their August meeting. Accordingly, there is a lag between the payment and
reporting of awards because the CD&A of the peer company groups report their
results in the following year’s proxy. For instance, 2008 performance results
determined the stock award provided to our CEO in August of 2009. For all but one year in which this
approach to the CEO’s compensation was used, the Company’s performance rank
placed it in the upper half, and in the majority of years, the upper quartile
among the peer companies. That was the case again for the 2008 performance year,
when the Company’s performance rank was in the 79th percentile.
III. Oversight of the Executive Compensation
Program
The Company’s executive compensation program is administered by the
Committee with assistance from the CEO and other company officers as
appropriate. The assistance provided by Company personnel, typically consists of
mathematical calculations and schedule preparation, year over year comparisons,
historical information, and clarification of job duties, responsibilities and
organizational reporting. The Committee is also assisted in the execution of its
duties and responsibilities by the Consultant, which reports to the Committee. A
description of the assistance typically provided to the Committee by the
Consultant is presented on page 13 of this Proxy Statement.
15
IV. Executive Compensation Philosophy and Core
Principles
The following table highlights the primary components and rationale of
our compensation philosophy and the pay elements that support such philosophy.
Philosophy Component |
Rationale/Commentary |
Pay Elements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation
should reinforce business objectives and values
|
One of the
Company’s guiding principles is to provide an enriching and rewarding
workplace for our employees. Key goals are to retain, motivate and reward
executives while closely aligning their interests with those of the
Company and its shareholders. Our compensation practices help us achieve
these goals.
|
All elements
(salary, non-equity incentive awards, equity linked compensation,
retirement, and health and welfare benefits)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A majority of
compensation for top executives should be based on performance
|
Performance-based
pay aligns the interest of management with the Company’s shareholders. Pay
for top executives is highly dependent on performance success.
Performance-based compensation motivates and rewards individual efforts,
unit performance, and Company success. Potential earnings under
performance-based plans are structured such that greater compensation can
be realized in years of excellent performance. Similarly, missing goals
will result in lower, or no, compensation from the performance-based
plans.
|
Merit salary
increases, annual non-equity incentive awards, and equity-linked incentive
compensation (stock options, time-based restricted stock, and
performance-based restricted stock)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation
should be competitive
|
The Compensation
Committee has retained Mercer Human Resource Consulting as an adviser to
assist the Committee with assessing pay practices and peer group
performance, at least annually, in order to maintain competitive
compensation relative to the Company’s industry. The Consultant uses a
combination of proxy data and market surveys to assess the competitiveness
of the Company’s executive pay within the industry. Company philosophies
and cultural practices also affect the overall compensation policies for
the executive officers.
|
All elements
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Key talent should
be retained
|
In order to
attract and retain the highest caliber of management, the Company seeks to
provide financial security for its executives over the long term and to
offer intangible non-cash benefits in addition to other compensation that
is comparable with that offered by the Company’s competitors.
|
Equity-linked
incentive compensation, retirement benefits, employment agreements and
change-in-control provisions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation
should align interests of executives with shareholders
|
Equity ownership
helps ensure that the efforts of executives are consistent with the
objectives of shareholders.
|
Equity-linked
incentive compensation and stock ownership
guidelines
|
V. Executive Compensation
Policies
1. |
|
Total direct compensation relative to
market |
|
|
|
|
|
The Company’s
total direct compensation (base salary, annual non-equity incentive award,
and long-term equity incentive compensation) for our NEOs is generally
designed to provide competitive compensation relative to companies in the
Company’s peer group for “target” performance results. For the CEO, the
Company’s practice is to measure performance relative to peers, which
ensures that the CEO’s compensation in a given year directly correlates
with the Company’s relative performance rank for the prior year. This
process is explained in greater detail below in the section labeled “CEO
Compensation.” We note that
the Company’s performance has ranked first or second in seven of the
twelve years for which such data has been gathered.
The peer group
consists of 15 major insurance companies identified below. The peer group
did not change from 2007 through 2009 except for the elimination of Safeco
Corporation which was acquired by Liberty Mutual. These peer companies are
engaged in similar businesses, of similar size, and are competitors for
talent, although the Company is slightly above the median revenues, market
capitalization, and assets of the peer group. Peer group companies consist
of: Aetna Inc., The Allstate Corporation, Aon Corporation, Assurant, Inc.,
The Chubb Corporation, CIGNA Corporation, Conseco, Inc., Genworth
Financial, Inc., The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Lincoln
National Corporation, Manulife Financial Corporation, The Progressive
Corporation, Prudential Financial, Inc., The Travelers Companies, Inc. and
Unum Group.
|
16
2. |
|
Current vs. long-term
compensation |
|
|
|
The components of
current compensation include an annual salary and an annual non-equity
incentive award. Long-term compensation is provided to link executive
compensation to the delivery of shareholder value. The equity-linked
long-term incentive compensation components include stock options, PBRS,
and in some cases, TBRS. The Company has two long-term equity incentive
plans. The first is a stock option plan, the 1997 Stock Option Plan, which
allows for grants of both incentive stock options (“ISOs”) and
non-qualifying (“NQ”) stock options. This plan expired on February 11,
2007 (although certain options granted before that date remain outstanding
in accordance with their terms). The second plan, the 2004 Long-Term
Incentive Plan, allows for grants of ISOs, NQs, performance- or time-based
restricted stock, restricted stock units, and stock appreciation
rights. |
|
|
|
On an annualized
present value basis, the proportion of long-term incentives to target
annual cash incentives varies based on the responsibility level of the
participant’s job and the ability to impact results over time. In general,
the higher the responsibility level, the greater the proportion of
long-term equity incentives, compared with target annual cash incentives.
In the case of all NEOs, the present value of long-term equity incentive
grants is greater than target annual cash incentives. |
|
3. |
|
Fixed vs. variable
compensation |
|
|
|
The portion of an
executive’s compensation that is variable increases as the scope and level
of the individual’s responsibilities increase. For the NEOs, variable
compensation accounts for a substantial portion of total compensation.
Annual cash incentives increase or decrease with performance. The amount
of equity-linked compensation granted each year is primarily based on
level of responsibility and secondarily on individual performance. The
vesting of PBRS is based on whether a predefined Committee approved
performance objective (i.e., cumulative compound growth rate in operating
earnings per diluted share, excluding foreign currency changes or risk-based capital levels) is
attained over a three-year period. Other contingent components include
vesting restrictions on stock options and TBRS, which require recipients
to fulfill a continuing employment obligation before they can exercise any
option or vest in the TBRS. |
|
|
|
During February
2009, the Committee, with the assistance of the Consultant and management,
reviewed the target award levels for both annual and long-term incentives
for the NEOs and other executive officers. As a result, the annual
non-equity incentive target award for Paul S. Amos was increased from 100%
to 120% of salary based on his time in the job and additional
responsibilities. The target award levels for our NEOs for calendar year
2009 were: |
|
|
Target Incentive as Percent of
Salary |
|
Annual Non-Equity |
Annualized |
NEOs |
Incentive |
Long-Term Equity
Incentives |
Daniel P. Amos |
200% |
Performance-Based |
Kriss Cloninger III |
150% |
350% |
Tohru Tonoike |
100% |
250% |
Paul
S. Amos II |
120% |
250% |
Joey
M. Loudermilk |
80% |
200% |
4. |
|
Mix of long-term
incentives |
|
|
|
In 2009, the
Committee approved a combination of equity-linked incentive compensation
awards for the executive officers. Prior to 2009, the value of equity
grants, as presented in the Summary Compensation Table, was measured based
their financial statement expense under Financial Accounting Standards
Codification (ASC) 718 Stock Compensation (formerly Statement of Financial
Accounting Standard No. 123(R), Share Based Payment). In 2009, the value
presented in the Summary Compensation Table under Option Awards and Stock
Awards was based on the grant date fair value as determined under ASC 718
(using the Black Scholes-Merton valuation model for stock options and the
closing price of our stock on the date of the grant for PBRS). Prior year
amounts have been adjusted to reflect this change in presentation. Under
the columns Stock Awards and Option Awards, stock options represented 77%
and PBRS represented 23% of total long-term incentives for the CEO. For
all other NEOs, stock options ranged from 42% to 53% and PBRS ranged from
47% to 58% of total long-term equity incentive value. See page 21 for a
more detailed discussion of our long-term equity incentive
plan. |
17
5. |
|
Total compensation in light of best
practices and costs |
|
|
|
Every year the
Committee reviews the incentive compensation components of all executive
officers with the help of the Consultant. The Committee believes that many
“best practices” are reflected in the existing compensation strategy and
that the Company’s compensation expenses are reasonable and appropriate
given the superior financial and stock market performance that the Company
has produced over a long period of time. From August 1990, when Daniel P.
Amos was appointed as the CEO, through December 31, 2009, the Company’s
total return to shareholders, including reinvested cash dividends, has
exceeded 2,992% compared with 535% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average
and 417% for the S&P 500. |
|
|
|
Modifications to
the compensation program are periodically made in order to remain
consistent with the competitive market and emerging best practices.
However, our compensation strategy and core program remained essentially
the same in 2009 as they were in 2008 and 2007, and no material changes
are anticipated for 2010. |
VI. Components of the NEO Compensation
Program
Total compensation is provided to the CEO and other NEOs through four
primary components, each of which has a different strategic role and risk
profile. The table below provides an overview of the compensation components,
and is followed by a detailed description of how the amount of each component is
determined.
|
|
|
Element |
Description |
Strategic Role |
Examples |
Risk Profile |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Base Salary |
Fixed based on level
of responsibility, experience, tenure, and qualifications |
- Performance of
day-to-day activities |
- Cash |
- Low to
moderate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity Incentive |
Variable based on
level of responsibility and achievement of annual financial
objectives |
- Policy
implementations - Operating decisions - Short-term focus |
- Cash |
- Moderate to
high |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Equity Incentives |
Variable based on
level of responsibility and the achievement of longer-term financial goals
and shareholder value creation |
- Effective strategy
and policy making - Long-term focus - Alignment with
shareholders |
Equity-Linked
Incentive Compensation - Stock
Options -
Performance-Based
Restricted Stock |
- High |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benefits
& Perquisites |
Satisfy employee
health, welfare, and retirement needs |
- Security -
Tax-effective pay - Time efficiency/convenience |
- Health care -
Life & Disability - Retirement plans - Security |
- Low |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Base
Salary
The primary purpose of the base salary component is to provide the
recipient a steady stream of income consistent with his or her level of
responsibility, qualifications and contribution over time. The Consultant
annually gathers comparative market data on salaries for the Committee to use in
reviewing and determining the CEO’s salary and the CEO’s recommendations for the
salaries of the CFO and all other executive officers.
In the aggregate, the total base salaries of the Company’s executive
officers are at the 50th percentile of the
survey results for these same positions at peer companies. Virtually all
executive officers including our NEOs receive a salary that is within a plus or
minus range of 25% from the survey median for their position. In general,
executive officers who are new to their role are likely to be below the median and executive officers who
have been in their jobs for extended periods are more likely to be above the
median.
18
In 2009 most of the executive officers, including Messrs. Daniel P. Amos, Cloninger and
Loudermilk, received a 3.0% base salary increase. These increases were
derived from the industry projected base salary increase in the Mercer 2009 U.S.
Compensation Planning Survey for the insurance industry, which reflected
expected base salary increases for calendar year 2009. Under the terms of his employment
agreement Mr. Tonoike’s annual base salary increased 5 million yen ($53,482
at the December 31, 2009 yen to dollar exchange rate of 93.49) in 2009. The
Committee increased Mr. Paul S. Amos’ base salary 10%, reflecting his time in
position and increased responsibilities. However, reflective of the
current economic environment, we have elected to defer any merit increases in
2010 for all Aflac U.S.
employees until Aflac U.S.
sales production improves.
Management Incentive Plan
All of the NEOs are eligible to participate in a non-equity incentive
plan sponsored by the Company. The non-equity incentive plan, referred to as the
MIP, has been submitted to and approved by shareholders.
The Company’s MIP uses specific performance objectives to provide
potential annual non-equity incentive awards for the NEOs, and all other
non-sales officers. Performance targets are set annually for the plan, and cash
payouts are made to executives based on actual performance as more fully
described below.
For each of the performance measures, a target performance level is
established. In addition, a minimum and maximum level is established. The payout
for a minimum result is one-half that of the target result, while the payout for
a maximum result is two times that of the target result. Typically the target
result is equidistant between the minimum result and the maximum result.
Interpolation is used to calculate incentive payouts for results between minimum
and target or target and maximum. The two corporate level performance targets of
the MIP are based on the growth of operating earnings per diluted share on a
consolidated basis and risk-based capital levels as
measured on a statutory basis which are the primary financial objectives of the
Company.
The Committee, at its February meeting, approves all MIP performance
objectives. The Company’s two primary financial objectives, the growth in
operating earnings per diluted share and risk-based capital, have specified
levels established that must be achieved before any payout is provided. Our
operating earnings per diluted share objective for 2009 was to increase
operating earnings in a range of 13% to 15%, or $4.43 to $4.59 per diluted share
with a target of 14% or $4.51 per diluted share. The target objective was set at
the mid point of the range, or $4.51, while the minimum was set at the lower end
of the range, or $4.43 per share and the maximum was set at the upper end of the
range, or $4.59 per diluted share, all on a constant currency basis. If the
minimum target performance was not attained, no bonus would be paid for this
performance objective. The actual attained result of $4.59 per diluted share
fell at the top of the range resulting in a 15% increase in operating earnings
per diluted share and a maximum award of 200% for this objective. Our risk-based capital objective was to
maintain a risk-based capital
ratio of a minimum of 325% and maximum 425% with a target objective of 375%. If
the minimum target performance was not attained, no bonus would be paid for this
performance objective. The actual attained result of 435% exceeded the top of
the range resulting in a maximum award of 200% for this objective. We enhanced the capital position of our principal life insurance
subsidiary at the end of 2009 with a $500 million cash contribution from the
Company. This capital contribution was not included in the calculation of the
risk-based capital component
of the MIP awards.
Additional
performance targets are specific to the Company’s two principal business
segments: Aflac U.S. and Aflac Japan. For each segment, the MIP performance
targets include a measure of total new annualized premium sales, premium income,
operating expenses and pretax operating earnings. These measures are considered
to be the most significant to the performance of each segment. They are
understood by those eligible for the non-equity incentive awards, and they are
under the collective influence of the segment officers.
For the Aflac U.S.
business segment in 2009, the following performance incentive measures were
used:
- the percentage increases in new annualized premiums and
premium income
- the percentage increase over the previous year of premium
income, minus the percentage increase in controllable expenses
- the percentage increase in pretax operating earnings over the
previous year
For the Aflac Japan
business segment in 2009, the following performance incentive measures were
used:
- the percentage increases in new annualized premiums and
premium income
- actual operating expenses compared to budget
- the percentage increase in pretax operating earnings over the
previous year, before expenses allocated from the U.S. operations, eliminating
any currency effect
19
The actual 2009 business
segment performance measures and the targets and ranges for each incentive
performance measure were as follows:
Aflac
U.S. business segment: |
Minimum |
|
Target |
|
Maximum |
Percentage increase in new annualized
premiums |
0.0% |
|
|
1.0% |
|
|
5.0% |
|
Percentage increase in premium income |
2.0% |
|
|
4.0% |
|
|
6.0% |
|
Percentage increase in premium income
minus the percentage |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
increase in controllable
expenses |
-2.0% |
|
|
0.0% |
|
|
2.0% |
|
Percentage increase in pretax operating earnings |
9.0% |
|
|
11.0% |
|
|
13.0% |
|
|
|
Aflac
Japan business segment: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Percentage increase in new annualized
premiums |
0.0% |
|
|
1.0% |
|
|
5.0% |
|
Percentage increase in premium income |
1.5% |
|
|
2.5% |
|
|
3.5% |
|
Actual operating expenses compared to
budget (Yen in millions) |
140,047 |
|
|
138,661 |
|
|
137,274 |
|
($ in millions)* |
1,498 |
|
|
1,483 |
|
|
1,468 |
|
Percentage increase in pretax operating
earnings before expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
allocated from the U.S. operations and eliminating any currency
effect |
9.5% |
|
|
11.5% |
|
|
13.5% |
|
*Yen amounts converted to dollars using the weighted average exchange
rate for 2009 of 93.49 yen to the dollar
Actual performance
was determined after the close of the year and presented to the Committee for
discussion and approval at its February 2010 meeting. The actual non-equity
incentive plan payments to the NEOs are reflected in the 2009 Summary
Compensation Table in the column labeled Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation.
The incentive measures described above include statistical and non-GAAP
financial measures as more fully described in this and the next paragraph. Our
corporate performance measure is based on operating earnings per diluted share
excluding the impact of foreign currency and the achievement of risk-based capital levels as
determined on a statutory basis. We define operating earnings per diluted share
to be the net earnings before realized investment gains and losses, the impact
of ASC 815 Derivatives and Hedging (formerly Statement of Financial Accounting
Standard No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities)
(“SFAS No. 133”) and nonrecurring items divided by the weighted-average number
of shares outstanding for the period plus the weighted-average shares for the
dilutive effect of share-based awards. Because foreign exchange rates are
outside of management’s control, operating earnings per diluted share is
computed using the average yen/dollar exchange rate for the prior year, which
eliminates fluctuations from currency rates that can magnify or suppress
reported results in dollar terms.
Aflac U.S. and Aflac Japan segment incentive measures also include
statistical and non-GAAP financial measures. For both the U.S. and Japanese
segment, we use an industry measure of the increase in total new annualized
premium sales, which is the annual premiums on policies sold and incremental
annual premiums on policies converted during the reporting period. For Aflac
U.S., we use the percentage increase in premium income minus the percentage
increase in controllable expenses. Controllable expenses are a component of
total acquisition and operating expenses for the U.S. business segment. For
Aflac Japan, we compare actual expenses against budgeted operating expenses as a
performance measure for the reporting period. For both segments we use the
percentage increase in pretax operating earnings. We define pretax operating
earnings on a segment basis to be the operating profit before realized
investment gains and losses, the impact of ASC 815, and nonrecurring items. The
percentage increase in pretax operating earnings for the Japan segment is also
measured before expenses allocated from the U.S. and currency effects.
We believe the segment measures and operating earnings per diluted share
objectives described above are the most important incentive factors for our
business in terms of creating shareholder value and aligning management’s
interests and rewards with those of our shareholders.
The CEO and CFO recommend to the Committee the specific Company
performance objectives and their ranges. In recommending the incentive
performance objectives to the Committee, the CEO and CFO take into consideration
past performance results and scenario tests of the Company’s financial outlook
as projected by a complex financial model. The model projects the impact on various financial measures using
different levels of total new annualized premium sales, budgeted expenses,
morbidity, and persistency. This enables the Company to set ranges around most
performance objectives.
20
The Committee may consider the probability of attainment of each of the
various measures. Generally, it is expected that target performance will be
attained 50% to 60% of the time, minimum performance attained at least 75% of
the time, and maximum performance attained not more than 25% of the time. At its
February meeting, the Committee reviews and approves, or if deemed appropriate
modifies, the annual incentive goals for the ensuing year.
As noted above, at this same meeting, the Committee also certifies the
incentive plan performance results for the prior year before payments are made
in order to qualify, if appropriate, any payouts to the NEOs as
performance-based and fully deductible as compensation expense for tax purposes
under the IRC. The Committee has the discretion to adjust the MIP results
related to segment performance measures if it deems that a class of MIP
participants would be unduly penalized due to the incomparability of the result
to the performance measure as determined by the Committee. The Committee did adjust the MIP results
in 2009 for a U.S. segment reserve adjustment and excluded the results of newly
acquired Continental American Insurance Company (“CAIC”). CAIC was purchased
October 1, 2009. The Committee also excluded the capital contribution to the
Company’s principal insurance subsidiary. None of the NEOs were affected by these
adjustments. The adjustment
for the capital contribution had no impact on the final MIP
results.
The performance measures are weighted for the NEOs and all other officer
levels of the Company. The intent is to weight them according to how each
position can and should influence their outcome. The following table details
these relative weightings for each of the NEOs for 2009:
|
Weightings of Annual
Incentive Measures as Percent of Target Award
|
Executive |
Corporate |
U.S.
Operations |
Japan
Operations |
Total |
Daniel P. Amos |
50.0 |
% |
15.0 |
% |
35.0 |
% |
100 |
% |
Kriss Cloninger III |
50.0 |
|
17.0 |
|
33.0 |
|
100 |
|
Tohru Tonoike |
25.0 |
|
— |
|
75.0 |
|
100 |
|
Paul
S. Amos II |
25.0 |
|
54.0 |
|
21.0 |
|
100 |
|
Joey
M. Loudermilk |
50.0 |
|
25.0 |
|
25.0 |
|
100 |
|
The following table reflects targets, earned and paid percentages of
salary for the non-equity incentive measures based on 2009 performance results
for the NEOs:
Executive |
Target as Percent of
Salary |
Earned as Percent of
Salary |
Paid as Percent of
Salary |
Daniel P. Amos |
200 |
% |
350 |
% |
300 |
%* |
Kriss Cloninger III |
150 |
|
251 |
|
251 |
|
Tohru Tonoike |
100 |
|
195 |
|
93 |
** |
Paul
S. Amos II |
120 |
|
128 |
|
128 |
|
Joey
M. Loudermilk |
80 |
|
122 |
|
122 |
|
* |
|
The Committee has limited Mr. Daniel Amos' non-equity
incentive award to 300%. |
|
|
|
** |
|
Includes amounts accrued for a
deferred retirement benefit for Mr. Tonoike as more fully described in the
Summary Compensation Table and the Non-qualified Deferred Compensation
Table below. |
For additional information about the MIP, please refer to the 2009 Grants
of Plan-Based Awards table, which shows the threshold, target, and maximum award
amounts payable under the MIP for 2009, and the 2009 Summary Compensation Table,
which shows the actual amount of non-equity incentive plan compensation paid to
our NEOs for 2009.
Long-term Equity Incentives
It is generally the Company’s intent that approximately 50% of the value
of long-term incentive compensation to all officers will be provided through
stock options, and approximately 50% will be provided through restricted stock
awards (either PBRS or TBRS). Section 16 executive officers, which include the
NEOs, receive restricted stock in the form of PBRS, while other officers receive
TBRS that vest over time without a performance component.
PBRS awards generally vest only if the recipient of an award remains an
employee of the Company for the full three-year performance period and the
performance requirement is achieved.
For PBRS awards that were granted in 2009, the performance period is
January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2011. The sole performance measure for
determining vesting is based on the achievement of specified risk-based capital ratios as
determined on a statutory accounting
basis at each calendar year end over the performance period as more fully
described below. This performance measure was selected because of the Company’s
belief that capital adequacy is a significant concern for the financial markets
and shareholder confidence.
21
The Committee adopted performance objectives with a threshold or minimum
risk-based capital ratio of
325%, target of 375% and maximum of 425% for each calendar year end over the
three year performance period. For each calendar year end, management will earn
a PBRS award credit of 50% if the minimum risk-based capital ratio is
achieved, 100% credit if target is achieved and 150% if the maximum is achieved.
If the risk-based capital ratio ends
a year below 325%, no PBRS
award credit will be earned for that year. The three year PBRS award percentage
will be the arithmetic average of the PBRS credit earned in each of the three
calendar years of the performance period. However, the final PBRS credit will
not exceed 100%.
This measure, and its minimum, target and maximum performance
requirements, was reviewed and approved by the Committee at its March 2009
meeting, thereby potentially qualifying the awards made to the NEOs as
performance-based for tax purposes under IRC Section 162(m).
It is important to note that the
option grants for 2008, for which 2008 compensation has been included in the
Summary Compensation Table under
the column “option awards,”
are referred to as “out of the money” options. This means that even though the
grant date fair value compensation for the option has been included as a
component of total compensation for the named NEOs, these stock option grants
actually had no economic value based on the Company’s closing stock price on
February 24, 2010.
Most of the Company’s stock option and restricted stock grants are
approved by the Committee and made on the day of its February meeting. Stock options
are granted with an exercise price equal to 100% of the closing market value of
the underlying shares on the grant date. A detailed description of how the CEO’s
long-term incentives are determined is provided in Section VIII below.
Retirement, Deferral and Savings
Plans
The retirement, deferral and savings plans described below were
established in order to provide competitive post-termination benefits for
officers and employees of the Company, including the NEOs, in recognition of
their long-term service and contributions to the Company.
Defined Benefit Pension
Plans
As described further in “Pension Benefits” below, the Company maintains
tax-qualified, noncontributory defined benefit pension plans covering
substantially all U.S. and Japanese employees, including the NEOs, who satisfy
the eligibility requirements, and the Company also maintains nonqualified
supplemental retirement plans covering the NEOs.
Executive Deferred Compensation
Plan
The U.S.-based NEOs, in addition to other U.S.-based eligible executives,
are entitled to participate in the Executive Deferred Compensation Plan
(“EDCP”). As more fully described under
"Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation," Mr. Tonoike defers a portion of his bonus
until his retirement. The EDCP is discussed in more detail below under
“Nonqualified Deferred Compensation.”
401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing
Plan
The Company maintains a tax qualified 401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing
Plan (the “401(k) Plan”) in which all U.S.-based employees, including the
U.S.-based NEOs, are eligible to participate. The Company will match 50% of the
first 6% of eligible compensation that is contributed to the 401(k) Plan.
Employee contributions made to the 401(k) Plan are 100% vested. Employees vest
in employer contributions at the rate of 20% for each year of service the
employee completes. After five years of service, employees are fully vested in
all employer contributions.
Other Benefits
The Company maintains medical and dental insurance, accidental death
insurance, cancer insurance, and disability insurance programs for all of its
employees, as well as customary vacation, leave of absence, and other similar
policies. The NEOs and other officers are eligible to participate in these
programs along with, and on the same basis as, the Company’s other salaried
employees.
22
In addition, the NEOs are eligible to receive reimbursement for medical
examination expenses. For security and time management reasons, certain of the
Company’s officers occasionally travel on corporate aircraft for business and
personal purposes. Personal travel on corporate aircraft and security services
are provided where considered by the Board of Directors to be in the best
interest of the Company and its business objectives.
VII. Additional Executive Compensation Practices
and Procedures
1. |
|
Equity Granting
Policies |
|
|
|
The
February meeting of the Committee is held approximately one to two weeks
after the Company’s fiscal year results are released to the public. As a
general practice, the Company makes the majority of its equity grants on
the date the Board of Directors meets in February, and has done so since
2002. The Company has never engaged in the “backdating” of options. Based
on recommendations developed by the CEO and CFO with input from the
Consultant, options, PBRS and TBRS awards are submitted to the Committee
for approval at its February meeting. Option grants are awarded on the
date of the meeting, and have a per share exercise price set at the
closing price on the date of grant. |
|
|
|
The
Company may periodically make additional equity grants during the course
of the year. However, it is the Company’s policy not to make any equity
grants in advance of material news releases. As detailed below in the
section labeled “CEO Compensation,” it has also been the Company’s
practice to grant the CEO a stock option award in August based on the
Company’s performance relative to peers in the prior year. This grant is
issued on the date of the relevant Committee meeting, with a per share
exercise price set at the closing price on the date of grant. |
|
2. |
|
Stock Ownership
Guidelines |
|
|
|
The
Company established stock ownership guidelines for officers in 1998.
Officers (beginning at the Second Vice President level and above) have
four years from date of hire or promotion to reach their respective stock
ownership guidelines. The ownership guidelines are defined as stock
ownership value as a multiple of salary and are set as follows: CEO, CFO,
and President – not less than five times salary; Executive Vice President
– not less than three times salary; Senior Vice President/Vice President –
not less than two times salary; and Second Vice President – not less than
one times salary. Ownership includes all shares held by the executive and
their spouse as well as vested options. It does not include unvested
options and restricted stock. All of the Company’s NEOs have stock
ownership that exceeds their ownership guidelines except for Mr. Tonoike,
who has not been in his current position for at least four years. The
Corporate Governance Committee approved a moratorium for compliance with
the stock ownership guidelines at its meeting held in February 2009, based
on the significant decline in the Company’s common stock price in early
2009. |
|
3. |
|
Employment
Agreements |
|
|
|
The
Company has employment agreements with the NEOs and certain other
executives in key roles. The agreements generally address: role and
responsibility; rights to compensation and benefits during active
employment; termination in the event of death, disability or retirement
and termination for cause or without cause; and resignation by the
employee. Agreements also contain termination and related pay provisions
in the event of a change in control. In all cases, for the change in
control provisions in the employment agreements to apply, there must be
both (1) a change in control, as well as (2) a termination by the Company
without cause or a resignation by the executive for good reason. This is
commonly referenced as a “double trigger” requirement. Further, they
stipulate that the executive may not compete with the Company for
prescribed periods following termination of employment or disclose
confidential information. |
|
|
|
In
November 2008, Mr. Daniel Amos announced he had decided to voluntarily
forgo the “golden parachute” components in his employment agreement. Under
his original employment agreement, Mr. Amos would have been entitled to
receive three years of salary and bonus in the event of a change in
control or certain other termination events. Mr. Amos executed an
amendment to his agreement in December 2008 removing these provisions,
which would have resulted in potential cash payments of approximately $13
million upon the occurrence of a triggering event at that time. The
elimination of these potential payments has been reflected in the 2009
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control table
below. |
|
|
|
In the
case of Mr. Tonoike’s employment agreement, the Company has a unique
retirement obligation. For the years 2007 through 2012, the Company is
obligated to provide for a special retirement benefit equal to 110% of all
amounts actually paid to Mr. Tonoike as performance bonus compensation
under the Company’s MIP. This amount is payable upon termination as a lump
sum retirement benefit and the annual accrual for this obligation has been
included in the non-equity incentive plan compensation column of the
Summary Compensation Table and in the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Table. |
23
4. |
|
Change in Control (“CIC”) Policy and
Severance Agreements |
|
|
|
The
Company has no formal change in control or severance policy. However, as
noted above, individual employment agreements generally have provisions
related to both CIC and severance. |
|
5. |
|
Compensation Recovery
Policy |
|
|
|
The
Committee has a policy that allows it to review any adjustment or
restatement of performance measures and make a determination if
adjustments or recoveries of non-equity incentives are necessary. If it is
deemed that adjustments or recoveries of non-equity incentives are
appropriate, the Committee is charged with determining the amount of
recovery and the proper officer group subject to any potential adjustments
or recovery. |
|
6. |
|
Certain Tax Implications of Executive
Compensation (IRC Section 162(m)) |
|
|
|
In
connection with making decisions on executive compensation, the Committee
takes into consideration the provisions of IRC Section 162(m), which
limits the deductibility by the Company for federal income tax purposes of
certain categories of compensation in excess of $1 million paid to certain
executive officers. The Committee may decide to authorize compensation
arrangements that exceed the $1 million deductibility cap imposed by
Section 162(m), as it did with respect to the CEO for 2007, 2008 and 2009.
However, the Committee deferred payment of the nondeductible amount in
excess of $1 million until the CEO’s retirement. In early 2009, the
Company identified a clerical error in the amounts actually deferred for
the CEO in previous years. The Company has corrected these errors in order
to comply with the intent of the Committee to defer all amounts in excess
of $1 million. |
|
|
|
The
1997 Stock Option Plan, the 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan, and the MIP
presently conform to the requirements of Section 162(m). This means that
Long-Term Incentive Plan awards (exclusive of TBRS) and MIP awards are
generally considered to be performance-based and are therefore not subject
to the deduction limitation contained in Section 162(m). |
|
7. |
|
Accounting and Other Tax Implications of
Executive Compensation |
|
|
|
The
Company has considered the accounting and other tax implications of all
aspects of the compensation program for its employees, including the NEOs
and other officers. While accounting and other tax considerations do not
dictate compensation decisions, the compensation program is designed to
achieve the most favorable accounting and other tax treatment consistent
with the intent and spirit of the compensation plan design. |
|
8. |
|
Long-term Incentive Fair Value
Determinations |
|
|
|
A
challenging issue for publicly traded companies is how to value long-term
incentive awards for grant purposes. Like many companies, we target and
express such awards as a percent of salary. We also seek to balance the
value of stock options with those of PBRS awarded to executive officers
and to balance the value of stock options with those of TBRS awarded to
other award recipients. Of particular concern to the Company is how to
calculate the value of a stock option. |
|
|
|
The
predominate valuation model used to value stock options is the Black
Scholes-Merton valuation model. This model considers various assumptions
for duration prior to exercise, risk-free interest rate, stock volatility
and termination rates. We segregate groups of option holders within the
model by exercise patterns to better estimate the value of an option. For
example, NEOs and executive officers typically hold their options much
longer before exercising them than do non-officer employees. |
|
|
|
However, this value changes each year in direct relation to
fluctuations in the current market value of the Company’s common shares
and changes in pricing assumptions. Therefore, when the share price goes
up, so do option grants’ fair value and their strike price, and the number
of awarded shares equal to a designated dollar value would decrease.
Conversely, if the share price goes down, both the option’s fair value and
its strike price go down, and the number of awarded shares would increase.
This result seems counterintuitive from a pay-for-performance perspective
in that a lower stock price would lead to more options being granted at a
lower price and a higher stock price would lead to fewer options being
granted at a higher price. |
|
|
|
|
|
Our solution for grant purposes
only is to stabilize the deemed present value of a stock option for a
three-year period. We think the use of such a value is more in line with
creating long-term shareholder value and pay-for-performance, and allows
us to better manage our burn rate (number of shares granted each year
divided by the number of common shares outstanding) and budget the number
of awarded shares over the life of the share authorization approved by
shareholders. |
|
|
|
|
|
For grants made in years 2007,
2008, and 2009, our deemed fair value of a stock option is $13.91, but its
actual per share exercise price is the closing price of a common share on
the day it is granted. |
24
VIII. CEO Compensation
The Committee is responsible for the review and determination of the
CEO’s pay. The Committee has developed and long utilized a methodology for
determining CEO compensation that is directly linked to the Company’s
comparative performance results. To achieve this linkage, the Consultant
annually calculates the Company’s percentile composite performance rank among
the peer group of 15 major insurance companies previously identified in this
CD&A. The CEO’s total direct compensation for the following calendar year is
then determined in accordance with that percentile rank. As a result, the CEO’s
compensation varies with the amount determined by reference to the Company’s
performance rank among its peers. The following describes in greater detail the
process for determining CEO pay:
1. |
|
At its
February meeting, the Committee grants the CEO stock options and PBRS with
a total present value equal to 60% of his prior year’s long-term equity
incentive award. The intent is to make a partial grant in February, and
then a “true-up” grant in August once the Company’s percentile performance
rank can be determined (as more fully described below). |
|
2. |
|
The
Consultant gathers both compensation data for the NEO positions and
company performance data from public records for the Company and the group
of peer companies. Competitive pay data is gathered for salaries, annual
non-equity incentive, cash compensation (salary plus annual non-equity
incentive), annualized value of long-term equity incentives, and total
direct compensation (cash compensation plus annualized value of long-term
equity incentives). |
|
3. |
|
For
performance measures, the Consultant collects specific results for the
Company and the 15 peer companies on each of 10 performance measures for
their most recently completed fiscal year, except for total shareholder
return, which is computed using a three-year period ending with the last
fiscal year. The performance measures used and their weightings ( )
are: |
|
|
|
- Revenue
Growth (1)
- Net
Income (2)
- Net
Income Growth (1)
- Premium
Income (1)
- Premium
Income Growth (1)
|
- Earnings
Per Share Growth (1)
- Return
on Revenues (2)
- Return
on Average Equity (2)
- Return
on Average Assets (2)
- Total
Shareholder Return (4)
|
|
|
Results are sorted for each measure, and the best performer is
assigned a ranking of “1” and the lowest performer is assigned a ranking
of “16.” The weighted performance ranks for each measure for each company
are then summed to determine each company’s overall composite performance
score. |
|
4. |
|
The
percentile rank that corresponds to each company’s composite performance
score is then determined. The Company achieved an overall performance
rank of 4th in 2009 for 2008 results, which equated to the 79th
percentile on a performance basis. |
|
5. |
|
Each
company, including Aflac Incorporated, is then ranked on the basis of
Total Direct Compensation. For this computation, the highest paid and
lowest paid CEOs from the peer group are excluded, which reduces the total
sample by two. A pay line is then plotted based on the remaining
companies, and the exact pay amount (Total Direct Compensation) that
corresponds to the Company’s percentile performance rank is
determined. |
|
6. |
|
That
amount is then aged to represent the expected value of the compensation at
the end of the applicable fiscal year. The aging adjustment factor
was 2% for 2009,
which was the insurance industry’s surveyed projected increase for
salaries. |
25
7. |
|
Once
the Total Direct Compensation amount corresponding to the Company’s
composite performance percentile is determined, a two-step calculation is
performed. First, the CEO’s salary and non-equity incentive award (total
cash compensation) for the previous year is deducted from the determined
total direct compensation. This calculation results in the gap between
market total direct compensation and the CEO’s total cash compensation.
The second calculation, which is also used to determine his February stock
grants, subtracts 60% of the present value of the annualized long-term
equity incentive received in the prior year to determine the Remaining Gap. This Remaining Gap determines the
equity value the CEO will receive in the August stock option
grant. |
|
8. |
|
A
second stock option grant is then made at the Committee’s August meeting,
with a present value equal to the Remaining Gap and thereby truing up the
CEO’s Total Direct Compensation to that which corresponds to the Company’s
performance rank. These calculations for determining CEO compensation for
2009 are shown below. |
|
2009 CEO Compensation
Determination |
|
$ |
12,989,628 |
|
79th percentile Total Direct Compensation (TDC) |
|
|
-4,138,200 |
|
CEO FY 2008 Total Cash Compensation (TCC) |
|
|
8,851,428 |
|
Gap between Market TDC and CEO
TCC |
|
|
-2,165,904 |
|
Feb. 2009 grant of 75,546 PBRS with a value of $28.67 per
share |
|
|
-2,165,954 |
|
Feb. 2009 grant of 155,715 stock options with a value of
$13.91 per option share |
|
$ |
4,519,570 |
|
Remaining Gap |
|
|
324,915 |
|
Number of options with an option
value of $13.91 per option share granted 8/08 (value equal
to the Remaining Gap) |
9. |
|
At its
December meeting, the Committee sets the CEO’s salary for the next
calendar year. At its February meeting, the Committee approves the
MIP-based non-equity incentive after reviewing the financial results,
compared with the performance objectives, and (as noted above) awards the
CEO PBRS and a partial grant of stock options. |
|
|
|
Using
this method, the Company is able to pay the CEO in direct alignment with
the Company’s percentile performance results versus the peer group. It
also means that the CEO’s pay will not exceed the Total Direct
Compensation amount indicated by the Company’s performance success versus
the peer group. Because of the higher Company performance rank for 2008,
the CEO’s Total Direct Compensation in 2009 increased by 15% from its 2008
level. |
|
|
|
The
Company believes it is important for shareholders and other interested
parties to note that 2009 was the 12th consecutive year in which this
extensive analysis was used to determine the CEO’s total compensation.
Reflecting the Company’s lengthy track record of strong financial
performance and shareholder returns, the Company ranked either first or
second among its peer group in seven of the 12 years. Furthermore, the
Company’s average percentile performance rank over this 12-year period has
been the highest among all peers currently in the analysis.
|
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the preceding
CD&A with management and, based on that review and discussion, has
recommended to the Board of Directors to include the CD&A in this Proxy
Statement.
Compensation Committee
Robert B. Johnson,
Chairman
David Gary Thompson
Robert L. Wright
26
The following table
provides information concerning total compensation earned or paid to our CEO,
CFO and the three other most highly compensated executive officers who were
serving as executive officers at the end of 2009. These five officers are
referred to as our NEOs in this Proxy Statement.
2009 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change in |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pension |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Value and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonqualified |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity |
|
Deferred |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock |
|
Option |
|
Incentive Plan |
|
Compensation |
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awards |
|
Awards |
|
Compensation |
|
Earnings |
|
Compensation |
|
Total |
Name and Principal
Position |
|
Year |
|
Salary($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
($)(3) |
|
($)(4) |
|
($)(5) |
|
($)(6) |
|
($)(7) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
2009 |
|
1,378,400 |
|
1,671,833 |
|
5,779,519 |
|
4,135,200 |
|
|
409,910 |
|
|
216,649 |
|
13,591,511 |
Chairman and CEO |
|
2008 |
|
1,338,200 |
|
2,334,131 |
|
6,921,700 |
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
189,202 |
|
10,783,233 |
|
|
2007 |
|
1,289,200 |
|
3,049,226 |
|
4,522,054 |
|
2,813,035 |
|
|
2,062,763 |
|
|
289,925 |
|
14,026,203 |
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
2009 |
|
883,500 |
|
1,145,228 |
|
851,785 |
|
2,217,939 |
|
|
539,394 |
|
|
92,493 |
|
5,730,339 |
President, CFO, and Treasurer |
|
2008 |
|
857,700 |
|
1,916,110 |
|
1,972,558 |
|
913,119 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
162,453 |
|
5,821,940 |
|
|
2007 |
|
826,300 |
|
1,817,920 |
|
1,540,938 |
|
1,446,025 |
|
|
1,732,808 |
|
|
167,079 |
|
7,531,070 |
|
Tohru Tonoike (1) |
|
2009 |
|
597,925 |
|
497,925 |
|
376,380 |
|
1,165,236 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
172,941 |
|
2,810,407 |
President and COO Aflac Japan |
|
2008 |
|
518,316 |
|
618,100 |
|
758,676 |
|
547,023 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
159,621 |
|
2,601,736 |
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
2009 |
|
515,000 |
|
486,860 |
|
346,270 |
|
660,745 |
|
|
398,251 |
|
|
132,499 |
|
2,539,625 |
President, Aflac and COO Aflac U.S. |
|
2008 |
|
466,667 |
|
679,910 |
|
720,742 |
|
426,534 |
|
|
436,702 |
|
|
115,189 |
|
2,845,744 |
|
|
2007 |
|
402,550 |
|
358,800 |
|
405,510 |
|
533,581 |
|
|
9,019 |
|
|
109,570 |
|
1,819,031 |
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
2009 |
|
518,700 |
|
287,690 |
|
216,818 |
|
632,555 |
|
|
533,358 |
|
|
11,719 |
|
2,200,840 |
Executive Vice President, |
|
2008 |
|
503,500 |
|
494,480 |
|
493,667 |
|
637,944 |
|
|
112,353 |
|
|
17,294 |
|
2,259,238 |
General Counsel, and |
|
2007 |
|
485,000 |
|
358,800 |
|
405,510 |
|
648,733 |
|
|
149,388 |
|
|
14,646 |
|
2,062,077 |
Corporate Secretary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27
(1) |
|
Includes payments made to Mr. Tonoike in yen for salary, non-equity
incentive plan compensation and some perquisites and converted to dollars
by dividing the actual yen denominated payments by the 2009 weighted
average exchange rate of 93.49 yen to the dollar. Mr. Tonoike was employed
by the Company in February, 2007. |
|
(2) |
|
Includes $378,400 deferred for Mr. Daniel Amos. This amount has been
included in the 2009 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table
below. |
|
(3) |
|
In
accordance with the SEC's changed reporting requirements we report all
equity awards at their full
grant date fair value in accordance with FASB ASC 718. Previously
we reported the amounts actually expensed for these awards over their
vesting period in accordance with ASC 718. Prior year values have been
recalculated to reflect this change in reporting requirements. The
Company's valuation assumptions are described in Note 10 “Share-Based
Transactions” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the
Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31,
2009. The grant date fair market value for Aflac stock included in the
stock award column was $47.84, $52.59, $61.81, $55.72, $22.13 and $40.23
for the grant dates February 13, 2007, August 14, 2007, February 12, 2008
August 12, 2008, February 10, 2009 and August 11, 2009 respectively. Grant
date fair market values represent the closing market price on the New York
Stock Exchange on the date of grant. See page 47 of our CD&A for a
more detailed discussion of our outstanding equity grants compared to
current fair market value. |
|
(4) |
|
The
amount reported in this column for Mr. Tonoike has two components. Mr.
Tonokie’s earned bonus is paid one half in cash and the other half is
increased by 10% and deferred until his retirement date. The total
amount has been included in the Summary Compensation Table and the
deferred amount including the 10% addition has been included in the 2009
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table below. |
|
(5) |
|
No amount
in this column is attributable to above market earnings on deferred
compensation. |
|
|
|
(6) |
|
Additional information regarding all other compensation is provided
in the “All Other Compensation” or “Perquisites” tables detailed
below. |
|
(7) |
|
The
NEOs did not receive any discretionary bonus awards for 2009. Base salary
is typically the smallest component of total compensation for the NEOs as
the majority of their total compensation is based on performance awards on
a cash and equity basis. Base salaries (including deferrals) as a percent
of total compensation for Messrs. Daniel Amos, Cloninger, Tonoike, Paul
Amos and Loudermilk for 2009 were approximately 10%, 15%, 21%, 20% and
24%, respectively. |
28
The following table
identifies the amount of each item included for 2009 in the All Other
Compensation column in the Summary Compensation Table above.
2009 ALL OTHER
COMPENSATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company |
|
Renewal |
|
|
|
|
Perquisites and |
|
|
|
Contribution |
|
Commissions |
|
|
|
|
Other Personal |
|
Insurance |
|
to 401(k) |
|
from Previous |
|
|
Name |
|
Benefits ($)(1) |
|
Premiums($) |
|
Plan ($) |
|
Job
($)(2) |
|
Total($) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
206,977 |
|
2,322 |
|
7,350 |
|
0 |
|
216,649 |
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
81,579 |
|
3,564 |
|
7,350 |
|
0 |
|
92,493 |
Tohru Tonoike |
|
171,723 |
|
1,218 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
172,941 |
Paul S. Amos II |
|
82,412 |
|
432 |
|
6,284 |
|
43,371 |
|
132,499 |
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
1,538 |
|
2,831 |
|
7,350 |
|
0 |
|
11,719 |
(1) |
|
Perquisites are more fully described in the Perquisites table
below. |
|
(2) |
|
Amounts are for earned renewal sales commissions before expenses on
Aflac products sold before the NEO became an Aflac
employee. |
The following table identifies the incremental cost to the Company of
each perquisite included for 2009 in the All Other Compensation table above.
2009 PERQUISITES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
|
Personal Use |
|
Security |
|
|
|
|
Perquisites and |
|
|
of Company |
|
Services |
|
Other |
|
Other Personal |
Name |
|
Aircraft ($)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
Benefits ($)(4) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
|
11,190 |
|
|
|
195,787 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
206,977 |
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
|
73,520 |
|
|
|
6,947 |
|
|
|
1,112 |
|
|
|
81,579 |
|
Tohru Tonoike (5) |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
1,574 |
|
|
|
170,149 |
|
|
|
171,723 |
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
|
77,331 |
|
|
|
4,615 |
|
|
|
466 |
|
|
|
82,412 |
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
|
1,251 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
287 |
|
|
|
1,538 |
|
(1) |
|
Incremental cost for the personal use of corporate aircraft
includes the following: direct fuel costs and an allocation for
maintenance charges, landing fees, handling and catering, and when
necessary, any additional crew expenses such as transportation, lodging
and meals. The personal use of corporate aircraft has been authorized by
the Company’sBoard of Directors for security reasons and to maximize the
effectiveness of the the executives’ time. Included in the amount reported for Mr.
Cloninger is $10,727 for attending outside Board of Directors meetings for
a Board on which he serves. |
|
(2) |
|
Incremental costs for security services include the salaries and
benefits of security officers and the actual costs of any security
equipment, monitoring and maintenance fees. |
|
(3) |
|
Amounts included in the other column for Messrs. Cloninger, Paul
Amos and Loudermilk are charges for the use of Company automobile
transportation. The amount included in the other column for Mr. Tonoike
includes the cash cost to the Company
for the cost of a leased car, driver compensation and related
expenses. |
|
(4) |
|
The
Company did not gross up for tax purposes any of the perquisites described
in this table. |
|
(5) |
|
The
amounts reported for Mr. Tonoike for other were paid in yen and converted
to dollars by dividing the yen payment by the average 2009 exchange rate
of 93.49 yen to the dollar. |
29
The following table
provides information with respect to the 2009 grants of plan-based awards for
the NEOs.
2009 GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awards: |
|
Exercise |
|
Grant Date |
|
|
|
|
Estimated Possible Payouts
Under |
|
Estimated Future Payouts
Under |
|
Number of |
|
or |
|
Fair Value of |
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
(1) |
|
Equity Incentive Plan Awards
(2) |
|
Securities |
|
Base Price |
|
Stock and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying |
|
of Option |
|
Option |
|
|
Grant |
|
Threshold |
|
Target |
|
Maximum |
|
Threshold |
|
Target |
|
Maximum |
|
Options |
|
Awards |
|
Awards |
Name |
|
Date |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
($/Sh) |
|
($) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
155,712 |
|
22.13 |
|
1,205,756 |
|
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37,773 |
|
75,546 |
|
75,546 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,671,833 |
|
|
8/11/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
324,915 |
|
40.23 |
|
4,573,763 |
|
|
N/A |
|
1,378,400 |
|
2,756,800 |
|
4,235,200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
110,000 |
|
22.13 |
|
851,745 |
|
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,875 |
|
51,750 |
|
51,750 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,145,228 |
|
|
N/A |
|
662,625 |
|
1,325,250 |
|
2,650,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tohru Tonoike |
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
22.13 |
|
376,380 |
|
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,250 |
|
22,500 |
|
22,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
497,925 |
|
|
N/A |
|
299,667 |
|
599,333 |
|
1,198,666 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
46,000 |
|
22.13 |
|
346,270 |
|
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,000 |
|
22,000 |
|
22,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
486,860 |
|
|
N/A |
|
309,000 |
|
618,000 |
|
1,236,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28,000 |
|
22.13 |
|
216,818 |
|
|
2/10/2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,500 |
|
13,000 |
|
13,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
287,690 |
|
|
N/A |
|
207,480 |
|
414,960 |
|
829,920 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30
(1) |
|
The
amounts shown in Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards reflect the payout levels for the NEOs under the Company’s
MIP, based on the achievement of certain performance goals approved by the
Compensation Committee. With respect to each Company performance goal, a
minimum, target and maximum performance level is specified, the attainment
of which determines the amount paid for each performance goal (generally
50%, 100%, and 200% of base salary, respectively). Base salary is
typically the smallest component of total compensation for the NEOs, as
the majority of their total compensation is based on performance awards on
a cash and equity basis. |
|
(2) |
|
The
amounts shown under Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan
Awards reflect the number of PBRS, with restrictions that will lapse upon
the attainment of performance goals in each award agreement as set by the
Compensation Committee. Awards
vest on the third anniversary of the award based on the attainment of the
three-year cumulative target performance goal for risk-based capital
ratios of the Company’s principal insurance subsidiary. Each year a credit
will be earned with a minimum of 50% and maximum of 150% as measured at
each year-end. The final award will be the arithmetic average of the
credit earned each year with a maximum payout not to exceed 100%.
All NEOs possess the same rights as all other employees receiving PBRS,
such as all incidents of ownership with respect to the shares, including
the right to receive or reinvest dividends with respect to such shares and
to vote such shares. The dividends accrued on the award shares will be
reinvested in the Company’s Common Stock at the same dividend rate as
other holders of Company Common Stock and held as additional restricted
shares in the book entry account subject to the same terms and conditions
attributable to the original grant, until such time as all restrictions
have lapsed on the shares of Company Common Stock with respect to which
the original dividend was accrued. |
31
The following table
provides information with respect to the equity awards outstanding at the 2009
fiscal year-end for the NEOs.
2009 OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL
YEAR-END
|
|
Option
Awards |
|
Stock
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive |
|
Plan Awards: |
|
|
|
|
Number of |
|
Number of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan Awards: |
|
Market or |
|
|
|
|
Securities |
|
Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of |
|
Payout Value |
|
|
|
|
Underlying |
|
Underlying |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unearned |
|
of Unearned |
|
|
|
|
Unexercised |
|
Unexercised |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares, Units |
|
Shares, Units |
|
|
|
|
Options |
|
Options |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or Other |
|
or Other |
|
|
|
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
Option |
|
|
|
Stock |
|
Rights That |
|
Rights That |
|
|
Option |
|
|
|
|
|
Exercise |
|
Option |
|
Award |
|
Have Not |
|
Have Not |
|
|
Grant |
|
|
|
|
|
Price |
|
Expiration |
|
Grant |
|
Vested |
|
Vested |
Name |
|
Date |
|
Exercisable |
|
Unexercisable |
|
($) |
|
Date |
|
Date |
|
(#)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
02/12/02 |
|
421,575 |
|
|
|
25.1250 |
|
02/12/12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/13/02 |
|
287,170 |
|
|
|
30.5750 |
|
08/13/12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/11/03 |
|
663,692 |
|
|
|
31.4650 |
|
02/11/13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/12/03 |
|
325,000 |
|
|
|
31.7050 |
|
08/12/13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/04 |
|
221,349 |
|
|
|
40.4250 |
|
02/10/14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/10/04 |
|
255,882 |
|
|
|
38.3200 |
|
08/10/14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/08/05 |
|
143,169 |
|
|
|
38.7500 |
|
02/08/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/09/05 |
|
289,405 |
|
|
|
43.6650 |
|
08/09/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/14/06 |
|
172,723 |
|
|
|
47.2500 |
|
02/14/16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/08/06 |
|
209,527 |
|
|
|
43.0700 |
|
08/08/16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
160,387 |
|
|
|
47.8400 |
|
02/13/17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
68,347 |
|
3,161,049 |
|
|
08/14/07 |
|
107,707 |
|
|
|
52.5900 |
|
08/14/17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
128,541 |
|
|
|
61.8100 |
|
02/12/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
39,896 |
|
1,845,190 |
|
|
08/12/08 |
|
261,952 |
|
|
|
55.7200 |
|
08/12/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
|
|
155,712 |
|
22.1300 |
|
02/10/19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
78,450 |
|
3,628,313 |
|
|
08/11/09 |
|
|
|
324,915 |
|
40.2300 |
|
08/11/19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
02/11/03 |
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
31.4650 |
|
02/11/13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/10/04 |
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
38.3200 |
|
08/10/14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/08/05 |
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
38.7500 |
|
02/08/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/09/05 |
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
43.6650 |
|
08/09/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/14/06 |
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
47.2500 |
|
02/14/16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/08/06 |
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
43.0700 |
|
08/08/16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
95,000 |
|
|
|
47.8400 |
|
02/13/17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
40,748 |
|
1,884,595 |
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
104,000 |
|
|
|
61.8100 |
|
02/12/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
32,751 |
|
1,514,734 |
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
|
|
110,000 |
|
22.1300 |
|
02/10/19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
53,739 |
|
2,485,429 |
32
2009 OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
|
|
Option
Awards |
|
Stock
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive |
|
Plan Awards: |
|
|
|
|
Number of |
|
Number of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan Awards: |
|
Market or |
|
|
|
|
Securities |
|
Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of |
|
Payout Value |
|
|
|
|
Underlying |
|
Underlying |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unearned |
|
of Unearned |
|
|
|
|
Unexercised |
|
Unexercised |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares, Units |
|
Shares, Units |
|
|
|
|
Options |
|
Options |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or Other |
|
or Other |
|
|
|
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
Option |
|
|
|
Stock |
|
Rights That |
|
Rights That |
|
|
Option |
|
|
|
|
|
Exercise |
|
Option |
|
Award |
|
Have Not |
|
Have Not |
|
|
Grant |
|
|
|
|
|
Price |
|
Expiration |
|
Grant |
|
Vested |
|
Vested |
Name |
|
Date |
|
Exercisable |
|
Unexercisable |
|
($) |
|
Date |
|
Date |
|
(#)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
Tohru Tonoike |
|
02/13/07 |
|
|
|
25,000 |
|
47.8400 |
|
02/13/17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
21,446 |
|
991,878 |
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
61.8100 |
|
02/12/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
10,565 |
|
488,631 |
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
22.1300 |
|
02/10/19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
23,365 |
|
1,080,631 |
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
02/08/05 |
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
38.7500 |
|
02/08/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/14/06 |
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
47.2500 |
|
02/14/16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
|
|
25,000 |
|
47.8400 |
|
02/13/17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
8,042 |
|
371,943 |
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
|
|
38,000 |
|
61.8100 |
|
02/12/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
11,621 |
|
537,471 |
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
|
|
46,000 |
|
22.1300 |
|
02/10/19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
22,846 |
|
1,056,628 |
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
01/22/01 |
|
56,594 |
|
|
|
29.3438 |
|
01/22/11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11/13/01 |
|
35,000 |
|
|
|
24.9800 |
|
11/13/11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/13/02 |
|
46,730 |
|
|
|
30.5750 |
|
08/13/12 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/11/03 |
|
36,822 |
|
|
|
31.4650 |
|
02/11/13 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
08/10/04 |
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
38.3200 |
|
08/10/14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/08/05 |
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
38.7500 |
|
02/08/15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/14/06 |
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
47.2500 |
|
02/14/16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
47.8400 |
|
02/13/17 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/13/07 |
|
8,042 |
|
371,943 |
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
26,000 |
|
|
|
61.8100 |
|
02/12/18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/12/08 |
|
8,452 |
|
390,905 |
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
|
|
28,000 |
|
22.1300 |
|
02/10/19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
02/10/09 |
|
13,500 |
|
624,375 |
(1) |
|
Includes dividend shares accumulated as of December 31, 2009 for
PBRS awards granted on February 13, 2007, February 12, 2008 and February
10, 2009, respectively of 4,609; 2,133 and 2,904 for Mr. Daniel Amos;
2,748; 1,751 and 1,989 for Mr. Cloninger; 1,446; 565 and 865 for Mr.
Tonoike; 542, 621 and 846 for Mr. Paul Amos; 542; 452 and 500 for Mr.
Loudermilk. |
|
(2) |
|
Based
on the closing price of $46.25 as of December 31,
2009. |
33
Grant Date |
|
Options Vesting
Schedule |
02/13/07 |
|
100% vesting on the third anniversary of the option for Messrs.
Tonoike and Paul Amos |
02/12/08 |
|
100% vesting on the first anniversary of the option for Messrs.
Daniel Amos, Cloninger, and Loudermilk |
|
|
100% vesting on the third anniversary of the option for Messrs.
Tonoike and Paul Amos |
08/12/08 |
|
100% vesting on the first anniversary of the option for Mr. Daniel
Amos |
02/10/09 |
|
100% vesting on the first anniversary of the option for Messrs.
Daniel Amos, Cloninger, and Loudermilk |
|
|
100% vesting on the third anniversary of the option for Messrs.
Tonoike and Paul Amos |
08/11/09 |
|
100% vesting on the first anniversary of the option for Mr. Daniel
Amos |
|
|
|
Stock Award |
|
|
Grant Date |
|
Stock Award Vesting
Schedule |
02/13/07; 02/12/08 & |
|
Graded vesting on the third anniversary of the award equal to
one-half of the PBRS shares vesting on the attainment of 90% of the
three-year cumulative target performance goal, with an additional vesting
of 5% of the remaining PBRS shares for each additional 1% of the target
goal attained. |
|
2/10/2009 |
|
Graded vesting on the third anniversary of the award based on the
attainment of the three-year cumulative target performance goal for
risk-based capital
ratios of the Company’s principal insurance subsidiary. Each year a credit
will be earned with a minimum of 50% and maximum of 150% as measured at
each year-end. The final award will be the arithmetic average of the
credit earned each year with a maximum payout not to exceed
100%. |
The following table provides information with respect to options
exercised and stock awards vested during 2009 for each of the NEOs.
2009 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK
VESTED
|
|
Option Awards |
|
Stock Awards |
|
|
|
Number of Shares |
|
Value Realized |
|
Number of Shares |
|
Value Realized |
|
|
Acquired on Exercise |
|
on Exercise |
|
Acquired on Vesting |
|
on Vesting |
Name |
|
(#) |
|
($) |
|
(#) |
|
($) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
1,048,694 |
|
16,884,796 |
|
67,198 |
|
1,378,231 |
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
26,131 |
|
535,947 |
Tohru Tonoike |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
Paul S. Amos II |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7,839 |
|
160,778 |
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
7,839 |
|
160,778 |
PENSION BENEFITS
The Company maintains tax-qualified, noncontributory defined benefit
pension plans that cover the NEOs other than Mr. Tonoike, and it also maintains
nonqualified supplemental retirement plans covering the NEOs other than Mr.
Tonoike, as described below. Mr. Tonoike participates in a defined benefit plan
maintained in Japan specific to the terms of his employment agreement. The
Company does not credit extra years of service under any of its retirement
plans, unless required by employment agreements under certain termination events
such as termination following a change-in-control or termination without cause.
Messrs. Daniel Amos, Cloninger, and Loudermilk are eligible to receive immediate
retirement benefits. For Mr. Daniel Amos, retirement benefits fall under the
provisions of the U.S. tax qualified plan and the Retirement Plan for Senior
Officers, and for Messrs. Cloninger and Loudermilk, retirement benefits fall
under the U.S. tax qualified plan and the Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan.
34
Qualified Defined Benefit Pension
Plan
The Aflac
Incorporated Defined Benefit Pension Plan (“Plan”) is a funded tax-qualified
retirement program that covers all eligible employees in the U.S. Benefits under
the Plan are calculated in accordance with the following formula: l% of average
final monthly compensation multiplied by years of credited service (not in
excess of 25 years), plus .5% of average final monthly compensation
multiplied by the number of years of credited service in excess of 25 years. For
purposes of the Plan, final average monthly compensation is deemed to be the
participant’s highest average compensation during any five consecutive years of
service within the 10 consecutive plan years of service immediately preceding
retirement. Compensation means salary and non-equity incentive plan
compensation. Participants are eligible to receive full retirement benefits upon
attaining a retirement age of 65. Participants with at least 15 years of
credited service are eligible to receive reduced retirement benefits upon
reaching an early retirement age of 55. A participant may be eligible for full
retirement benefits when the participant’s years of credited service plus
attained age equals or exceeds 80.
The benefits payable under the Plan are not subject to adjustment for
Social Security benefits or other offsets. The benefits may be paid monthly over
the life of the participant (with joint and survivor options available at
actuarially reduced rates). The maximum annual retirement benefit was limited,
in accordance with IRC Section 415, to $195,000 for 2009. The maximum annual
compensation that may be taken into account in the calculation of retirement
benefits was limited, in accordance with IRC Section 401(a)(17), to $245,000 for
2009. These limitation amounts for future years will be indexed for
cost-of-living adjustments.
Benefits under the Japanese retirement plan are based on a point system.
Eligible employees accumulate points over their respective service periods based
on job grades. At retirement, the total points accumulated are multiplied by a
unit price per point of 8,500 yen and then adjusted for years of service with
the Company.
Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan
The Company’s Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) is an
unfunded and unsecured obligation of the Company and is not a tax-qualified
plan. The SERP provides retirement benefits to certain officers of the Company
in addition to those provided by the qualified Plan. Mr. Cloninger, Mr. Paul
Amos, and Mr. Loudermilk participate in the Company’s SERP. Participation in the
SERP is limited to certain key employees of the Company as periodically
designated by the Board of Directors. To be eligible for benefits under the
SERP, participants generally must be employed with the Company or a subsidiary
at age 55. To be eligible to receive benefits under the SERP, participants who
began participating in the SERP after August 11, 1992, also must complete at
least 15 years of employment with the Company or a subsidiary and participate in
the SERP for at least five years.
The SERP includes a four-tiered benefit formula that provides for a
benefit based on average final compensation. The benefit is 40% upon retirement
between the ages of 55 and 59, a 50% benefit upon retirement between the ages of
60 and 64, and a 60% benefit upon retirement for ages 65 and over. A reduced 30%
benefit is available to participants with at least 15 years of service who
terminate employment prior to age 55.
Benefits are generally payable in the form of an annuity for the life of
the participant. The participant may elect to receive reduced benefits during
his or her lifetime. After his or her death, the surviving spouse will receive a
benefit equal to 50% of the amount paid to the participant. The benefit formula
computes benefits using the average annual compensation for the three
consecutive calendar years out of the final 10 consecutive calendar years of
employment that yield the highest average. Average final compensation is
calculated using “Annual Compensation,” which is defined to include both base
salary and non-equity incentive plan compensation for a calendar year. Benefits
under the SERP are subject to offset for amounts paid under the qualified Plan.
Retirement Plan for Senior
Officers
The CEO participates in the Retirement Plan for Senior Officers (“RPSO”).
Participants in the RPSO receive full compensation for the first 12 months after
retirement. Thereafter, a participant may elect to receive annual lifetime
retirement benefits equal to 60% of final compensation, or 54% of such
compensation with 50% of such amount to be paid to a surviving spouse for a
specified period after death of the participant. Final compensation is deemed to
be the higher of either the compensation paid during the last 12 months of
active employment with the Company or the highest compensation received in any
calendar year of the last three years preceding the date of retirement.
Compensation under this plan is defined to be base salary plus non-equity
incentive award.
Generally, no benefits are payable until the participant accumulates 10
years of credited service at age 60, or 20 years of credited service. Reduced
benefits may be paid to a participant who retires (other than for disability)
before age 65 with less than 20 years credited service. The CEO is currently the
only active employee participating in the RPSO, and he has 36 years of credited
service, meaning he is fully vested for retirement benefits.
All benefits under the RPSO are subject to annual cost-of-living
increases as approved by the Compensation Committee. Retired participants and
their spouses are also entitled to receive full medical expense benefits for
their lifetimes. The benefits payable under the RPSO are not subject to Social
Security or qualified Plan offsets.
35
PENSION BENEFITS
|
|
|
|
|
|
Present Value |
|
Change |
|
Payments |
|
|
|
|
Number of Years |
|
of Accumulated |
|
from Prior |
|
During Last |
|
|
|
|
Credited Service |
|
Benefit |
|
Year |
|
Fiscal Year |
Name |
|
Plan Name |
|
(#) |
|
($)(1) |
|
($) |
|
($) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
Retirement Plan for Senior
Officers |
|
36 |
|
50,141,773 |
|
|
344,718 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
Aflac Incorporated Defined Benefit Pension Plan |
|
36 |
|
862,627 |
|
|
65,192 |
|
|
0 |
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan |
|
18 |
|
11,448,370 |
|
|
458,510 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
Aflac Incorporated Defined Benefit Pension Plan |
|
18 |
|
456,531 |
|
|
80,884 |
|
|
0 |
|
Tohru Tonoike |
|
Aflac Japan Defined Benefit Pension
Plan |
|
3 |
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan |
|
5 |
|
876,973 |
|
|
381,609 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
Aflac Incorporated Defined Benefit Pension Plan |
|
5 |
|
45,793 |
|
|
16,642 |
|
|
0 |
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan |
|
26 |
|
4,243,321 |
|
|
474,421 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
Aflac Incorporated Defined Benefit Pension Plan |
|
26 |
|
732,263 |
|
|
58,937 |
|
|
0 |
(1) |
|
Assumed retirement age for all calculations was the earliest
retirement age for unreduced benefits. Assumptions used to calculate
pension benefits are more fully described in Note 12, “Benefit Plans”, in
the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company’s Annual
Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31,
2009. |
NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION
The following 2009 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table shows, for
Mr. Daniel Amos, Company contributions to, and earnings and account balances
under, the Aflac Incorporated Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, an unfunded,
unsecured deferred compensation plan. The table also includes the amount
contributed and the year end accrued balance in dollars for a deferred
retirement obligation for Mr. Tonoike. Mr. Tonoike does not participate in the
EDCP but the Company is obligated to accrue a deferred retirement benefit under
the terms of his employment agreement.
2009 NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED
COMPENSATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aggregate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive |
|
Registrant |
|
Earnings in |
|
Aggregate |
|
Aggregate Balance |
|
|
Contributions in Last |
|
Contributions in |
|
Last Fiscal |
|
Withdrawals/ |
|
at Last Fiscal Year- |
|
|
Fiscal Year |
|
Last Fiscal Year |
|
Year |
|
Distributions |
|
End |
Name |
|
($) |
|
($)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
|
($) |
|
($) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
0 |
|
378,400 |
|
222,223 |
|
0 |
|
1,528,288 |
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
Paul S. Amos II |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
Tohru Tonoike |
|
0 |
|
610,361 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
1,112,382 |
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
(1) |
|
The
$378,400 deferred for
Mr. Amos has been included in the Summary Compensation Table for the
current year. Additionally, previous years deferrals included in the
Aggregate Balance column were reported as compensation in prior periods.
The amount reported for Mr. Tonoike has been included in the non-equity
incentive plan column in the Sumary Compensation Table; this amount is
based on 110% of the amount earned under the Company’s MIP each year and
is payable as a lump sum upon retirement. |
|
(2) |
|
The
Company does not pay or credit above market earnings on amounts deferred
by executives. |
The EDCP allows certain U.S.-based officers, including the NEOs other
than Mr. Tonoike (the “Participants”), to defer up to 100% of their base
salaries and up to 100% of their annual non-equity incentive awards. The Company
may make discretionary matching or other discretionary contributions in such
amounts, if any, that the Compensation Committee may determine from year to
year. The EDCP also allows Participants to elect to defer restricted stock
awarded under a Company restricted stock program and amounts realized under
stock options that are “grandfathered” under IRC Section 409A, as discussed
below. Matching or other discretionary contributions and restricted stock
deferrals may be subject to vesting conditions.
36
The EDCP is subject to the requirements of Section 409A of the IRC. The
Company amended the EDCP document to conform to Section 409A’s requirements in
December 2009. Deferred amounts earned and vested prior to 2005 (“grandfathered”
amounts) under the EDCP are not subject to Section 409A’s requirements and
continue to be governed generally under the terms of the EDCP and the tax laws
in effect before January 1, 2005, as applicable.
In addition to amounts that the NEOs elected to defer and amounts of
discretionary contributions the Company credited to the NEOs’ accounts, the
amounts in the Aggregate Balance column include investment earnings (and losses)
determined under the phantom investments described below. Account balances may
be invested in phantom investments selected by Participants from an array of
investment options that substantially mirror the funds available under the
Company’s 401(k) Plan. The array of available investment options changes from
time to time. As of December 31, 2009, Participants could choose from among
several different investment options, including domestic and international
equity, income, short-term investment, blended and Company Common Stock funds.
Participants can change their investment selections daily (unless prohibited by
the fund or trading restrictions on Company Common Stock) by contacting the
EDCP’s third-party recordkeeper in the same manner that applies to participants
in the 401(k) Plan.
Each fiscal year, when Participants elect to defer compensation under the
EDCP, they also may elect the timing and form of their future distributions
attributable to those deferrals, with a separate election permitted for each
type deferral (i.e., salary, non-equity incentive award, stock option, or
restricted stock award deferral). Under this process, each NEO may elect for
distributions attributable to deferrals either to be made or begin in a specific
year (whether or not employment has then ended) or at a time that begins six
months after the NEO’s termination of employment. Each NEO may elect for any
distribution to be made in a lump sum or in up to 10 annual installments.
Distributions attributable to discretionary contributions are made in the form
and at the time specified by the Company.
An NEO may delay the timing and form of his or her distributions
attributable to his or her deferrals as long as the change is made at least 12
months before the initial distribution date. With respect to non-grandfathered
amounts, new elections must satisfy the requirements of Section 409A. In
general, Section 409A requires that distributions may not be accelerated (other
than for hardships) and any delayed distribution may not begin earlier than five
years after the original distribution date.
Deferral amounts for which no distribution elections have been made are
distributed in a lump sum six months after an NEO separates from service.
POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR
CHANGE-IN-CONTROL
The Company has employment agreements with each of the NEOs. The
agreements are substantially similar in nature and contain provisions relating
to termination, disability, death and changes in control of the Company. As
previously mentioned in our CD&A, Mr. Daniel Amos, in the fourth quarter of
2008, decided to voluntarily forgo certain “golden parachute” and other
severance components in his employment agreement (the provisions providing for
special payments in connection with a change in control of the Company or other
termination of employment). The elimination of these potential payments to Mr.
Daniel Amos has been reflected in the 2009 Potential Payments Upon Termination
or Change in Control table below. For the remaining NEOs, the Company remains
obligated to continue compensation and benefits to the NEO for the scheduled
term of the agreement if the employment of the NEO is terminated by the Company
without “good cause.” If the NEO’s employment is terminated by the Company for
“good cause,” or by the NEO without “good reason,” the Company is generally
obligated to pay compensation and benefits only to the date of termination
(except that the NEO is entitled to benefits under the RPSO or SERP if the
termination is not for “good cause”). “Good cause” generally means (i) the
willful failure by the NEO to substantially perform his management duties for
more than 60 days, (ii) intentional conduct by the NEO causing substantial
injury to the Company, or (iii) the conviction or plea of guilty by the NEO of a
felony crime involving moral turpitude. “Good reason” is defined to include a
breach of the agreement, a diminution or change in the NEO’s title, duties, or
authority, or a relocation of the Company’s principal offices. Upon voluntary
termination without “good reason” or termination by the Company for “good
cause,” the NEO is prohibited for a two-year period from directly or indirectly
competing with the Company.
The agreements provide that compensation and benefits continue for
certain specified periods in the event that the NEO becomes totally disabled.
Upon the death of the NEO, his estate is to be paid an amount, payable over a
three-year period, equal to the NEO’s base salary and any non-equity incentive
award actually paid during the last three years of his life.
Upon a “change in control” of the Company, the employment agreements are
extended for an additional three-year period. If, following a change in control,
the NEO’s (with the exception of Mr. Daniel Amos) employment with the Company is
terminated by the Company without “good cause,” or by the NEO for “good reason,”
the Company must pay to the NEO, among other payments but in lieu of any further
salary payments subsequent to the date of termination, a lump-sum severance
payment equal to three times the
sum of the NEO’s base salary and non-equity incentive award under the MIP (as
paid during periods specified in the agreement).
37
A “change in control” is generally deemed to occur when (i) a person or
group acquires beneficial ownership of 30% or more of the Company’s Common
Stock; (ii) during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who
constitute the Board at the beginning of such period cease for any reason to
constitute a majority of the Board; or (iii) the shareholders approve a
liquidation or sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company or certain
merger and consolidation transactions.
Under the employment agreements of Messrs. Cloninger, Paul Amos, and
Loudermilk, each is a participant in the SERP but not the RPSO. Under the SERP,
in the event that a participant’s employment with the Company is terminated
within two years after a “change in control” of the Company other than for
death, disability or cause, or a participant terminates his employment during
such period for “good reason,” the participant becomes 100% vested in his
retirement benefits and is entitled to receive a lump-sum amount equal to the
actuarial equivalent of the annual retirement benefit to which he would have
been entitled had he remained in the employ of the Company until (i) age 55 (in
the case of a participant who is not yet 55); (ii) age 60 (in the case of a
participant who is at least 55, but not yet 60); or (iii) age 65 (in the case of
a participant who is at least 60, but not yet 65), as the case may be. A “change
in control” shall generally occur under the same circumstances described in the
paragraph above. “Cause” for this purpose generally means (i) the participant’s
willful failure to substantially perform his duties with the Company (other than
that resulting from illness or after a participant gives notice of termination
of employment for “good reason”) after a written demand for substantial
performance is delivered to the participant by the Board or (ii) the willful
engaging by the participant in conduct materially injurious to the Company.
“Good reason” is defined for this purpose to include various adverse changes in
employment status, duties, and/or compensation and benefits following a “change
in control.” Benefits may be reduced to the extent that they are not deductible
by the Company for income tax purposes.
The table below reflects the amount of compensation payable to each of
the NEOs in the event of termination of such executive’s employment. The amounts
shown assume in all cases that the termination was effective on December 31,
2009, and therefore include amounts earned through such time and estimates of
the amounts which would be paid to the NEOs upon their termination. Due to the
number of factors that affect the nature and amount of any benefits under the
various termination scenarios, actual amounts paid or distributed may be
different. Messrs. Daniel Amos, Cloninger, and Loudermilk are the only NEOs who
are eligible to receive immediate retirement benefits. See “Pension Benefits”
and “Nonqualified Deferred Compensation” above for more information about these
benefits.
The provision for potential payments upon termination, retirement, death,
disability, and change in control in the NEOs’ employment agreements are
generally similar in nature, with the exception of Mr. Daniel Amos who has
amended his employment agreement to remove provisions that entitle him to
termination payments of salary and non-equity incentives in connection with a
change in control of the Company or his termination by the Company. The
agreements impose various non-competition and other requirements upon
termination of employment. As noted in the table that follows, the benefits
provided and requirements imposed vary with the circumstances under which the
termination occurs.
38
2009 POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE IN CONTROL
|
|
|
|
Before Change in
Control |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination |
|
|
|
Voluntary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
without “Good |
|
Company |
|
Termination |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change in |
|
|
|
|
Cause” or by |
|
Termination |
|
without “Good |
|
Voluntary |
|
|
|
|
|
Control Termination |
|
|
|
|
employee for |
|
for “Good |
|
Reason” and no |
|
Termination with |
|
|
|
|
|
without “Good Cause” |
|
|
|
|
“Good Reason” |
|
Cause” |
|
competition |
|
competition |
|
|
|
Disability |
|
or for “Good Reason” |
Name |
|
Benefit |
|
($)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
($)(4) |
|
Death ($)(5) |
|
($)(6) |
|
($)(7) |
Daniel P. Amos |
|
Salary |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
4,005,800 |
|
2,067,600 |
|
0 |
|
|
Non-equity Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Award (8) |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
5,424,400 |
|
10,338,000 |
|
0 |
|
|
Severance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Retirement (9) |
|
(12) |
|
862,627 |
|
(12) |
|
(12) |
|
28,447,255 |
|
(12) |
|
(12) |
|
|
EDCP |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
|
Health & Welfare
Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(10) |
|
354,000 |
|
0 |
|
356,000 |
|
356,000 |
|
275,000 |
|
359,000 |
|
359,000 |
|
|
Stock Options &
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11) |
|
14,346,313 |
|
0 |
|
14,346,313 |
|
0 |
|
14,346,313 |
|
14,346,313 |
|
14,346,313 |
|
|
Life Insurance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
500,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Totals (14) |
|
67,233,001 |
|
2,390,915 |
|
67,235,001 |
|
52,888,688 |
|
54,527,056 |
|
79,643,601 |
|
67,228,522 |
|
Kriss Cloninger III |
|
Salary |
|
1,951,063 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
2,567,500 |
|
1,325,250 |
|
0 |
|
|
Non-equity Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Award (8) |
|
7,115,888 |
|
2,217,939 |
|
2,217,939 |
|
0 |
|
4,577,083 |
|
5,544,848 |
|
2,217,939 |
|
|
Severance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
9,304,317 |
|
|
Retirement (9) |
|
(12) |
|
(12) |
|
(12) |
|
456,531 |
|
6,749,555 |
|
(12) |
|
(12) |
|
|
Health & Welfare
Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(10) |
|
60,000 |
|
0 |
|
56,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
58,000 |
|
58,000 |
|
|
Stock Options &
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11) |
|
8,537,958 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
8,537,958 |
|
8,537,958 |
|
8,537,958 |
|
|
Life Insurance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
500,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Totals (14) |
|
29,569,809 |
|
2,674,470 |
|
14,178,840 |
|
456,531 |
|
22,932,096 |
|
26,831,562 |
|
31,483,721 |
39
|
|
|
|
Before Change in
Control |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination |
|
|
|
Voluntary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
without “Good |
|
Company |
|
Termination |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change in |
|
|
|
|
Cause” or by |
|
Termination |
|
without “Good |
|
Voluntary |
|
|
|
|
|
Control Termination |
|
|
|
|
employee for |
|
for “Good |
|
Reason” and no |
|
Termination with |
|
|
|
|
|
without “Good Cause” |
|
|
|
|
“Good Reason” |
|
Cause” |
|
competition |
|
competition |
|
|
|
Disability |
|
or for “Good Reason” |
Name |
|
Benefit |
|
($)(1) |
|
($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
($)(4) |
|
Death ($)(5) |
|
($)(6) |
|
($)(7) |
Tohru Tonoike |
|
Salary |
|
1,793,775 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
1,469,828 |
|
896,888 |
|
0 |
|
|
Non-equity Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Award (8) |
|
4,660,944 |
|
1,165,236 |
|
1,165,236 |
|
0 |
|
2,123,658 |
|
2,913,090 |
|
1,165,236 |
|
|
Severance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3,434,844 |
|
|
Retirement (9) |
|
N/A |
|
N/A |
|
N/A |
|
N/A |
|
N/A |
|
N/A |
|
N/A |
|
|
EDCP |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
(13) |
|
|
Health & Welfare
Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(10) |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Stock Options &
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11) |
|
3,767,140 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3,767,140 |
|
3,767,140 |
|
3,767,140 |
|
|
Life Insurance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
502,610 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Totals (14) |
|
11,334,241 |
|
2,277,618 |
|
2,277,618 |
|
1,112,382 |
|
8,975,618 |
|
8,689,500 |
|
9,479,602 |
|
Paul S. Amos II |
|
Salary |
|
1,030,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
981,667 |
|
700,001 |
|
0 |
|
|
Non-equity Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Award (8) |
|
1,982,235 |
|
660,745 |
|
660,745 |
|
0 |
|
2,047,394 |
|
1,651,863 |
|
660,745 |
|
|
Severance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3,000,744 |
|
|
Retirement (9) |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
22,248 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Health & Welfare
Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(10) |
|
23,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
18,000 |
|
35,000 |
|
|
Stock Options &
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11) |
|
3,075,561 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3,075,561 |
|
3,075,561 |
|
3,075,561 |
|
|
Life Insurance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
500,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Totals (14) |
|
6,110,796 |
|
660,745 |
|
660,745 |
|
0 |
|
6,626,870 |
|
6,368,190 |
|
7,694,816 |
|
Joey M. Loudermilk |
|
Salary |
|
1,383,200 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
1,507,200 |
|
778,050 |
|
0 |
|
|
Non-equity Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Award (8) |
|
2,319,368 |
|
632,555 |
|
632,555 |
|
0 |
|
19,192,332 |
|
1,581,388 |
|
632,555 |
|
|
Severance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
3,453,765 |
|
|
Retirement (9) |
|
(12) |
|
732,263 |
|
(12) |
|
732,263 |
|
2,455,547 |
|
(12) |
|
(12) |
|
|
Health & Welfare
Benefits |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(10) |
|
123,000 |
|
0 |
|
126,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
127,000 |
|
127,000 |
|
|
Stock Options &
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11) |
|
1,387,223 |
|
0 |
|
1,387,223 |
|
0 |
|
1,387,223 |
|
1,387,223 |
|
1,387,223 |
|
|
Life Insurance |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
500,000 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Totals (14) |
|
9,655,017 |
|
1,364,818 |
|
6,588,004 |
|
732,263 |
|
7,769,202 |
|
8,849,244 |
|
10,576,127 |
40
(1) |
|
Salary
and non-equity incentive award would be paid semi-monthly for the contract
term, with the exception of Mr. Daniel Amos, who voluntarily gave up his
right to such salary and non-equity incentive payments. All health and
welfare benefits would continue for the remainder of the contract
term. |
|
(2) |
|
Termination for good cause eliminates the salary and non-equity
incentive award obligation for the remainder of the contract period and
the executive forfeits his participation in any supplemental retirement
plan. |
|
(3) |
|
Voluntary termination by the executive without good reason
eliminates the salary and non-equity incentive award obligations for the
remainder of the contract term. |
|
(4) |
|
If the
executive leaves the Company to go into direct competition, he will
eliminate the right to any further salary and non-equity incentive award
obligations on the part of the Company. |
|
(5) |
|
Upon
death, the executive’s estate is entitled to receive terminal pay (paid in
equal installments over 36 months) equal to the amount of the executive’s
base pay and non-equity incentive award for the previous 36 months of his
life. Additionally, retirement benefits in this column reflect the present
value of the accumulated benefit obligation for a surviving spouse
annuity. |
|
(6) |
|
Any
actual Company paid disability benefits would be offset by the maximum
annual amount allowed ($96,000) under the Company sponsored disability
income plan for all executives except for Mr. Tonoike. |
|
(7) |
|
Termination after a change in control entitles the executive to a
lump-sum severance payment of three times the sum of: (i) the executive’s
annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the change in control,
and (ii) the highest non-equity incentive award paid in the year preceding
the termination date or the year preceding the change in control. As
previously mentioned, Mr. Daniel Amos voluntarily gave up his right to
these payments by amending his employment agreement in the fourth quarter
of 2008. |
|
(8) |
|
The
non-equity incentive award amounts on this line include in all instances,
except for termination with competition, the 2009 non-equity incentive
award that was paid to the NEOs in February 2010. |
|
(9) |
|
Retirement benefits expressed in dollars and disclosed in certain
columns of this table relate to termination events where the executive
would receive a benefit different from that disclosed in the Pension
Benefits table. Generally, the termination events resulting in a payment
in lieu of the amount disclosed in the Pension Benefits table are
termination for “good cause” and death, except for Paul Amos who has less
than the required years of credited service to qualify for certain pension
benefits. |
|
(10) |
|
Represents the estimated lump sum present value of all premiums
that would be paid for applicable health and welfare plan
benefits. |
41
(11) |
|
Represents the estimated value of accelerated vesting of stock
options and awards. The value for stock options and awards was determined
as follows: for stock options, the excess of the closing price on the NYSE
on the last business day of the year over the option exercise price
multiplied by the number of unvested option shares; for stock awards, the
number of unvested stock awards multiplied by the same closing price used
for options. |
|
(12) |
|
See
the Pension Benefits section in this Proxy Statement including the table
that details the accumulated benefit obligation for the
executives. |
|
(13) |
|
See
the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation section in this Proxy Statement,
including the table that details deferred compensation balances for the
executives. |
|
(14) |
|
Totals
were calculated to present a full walk-away value and include salary,
non-equity incentive award, severance where applicable, the present value
of the NEO’s accumulated benefit under all retirement plans as presented
above in the Pension Benefits table or as a surviving spouse benefit in
the death column, the value of nonqualified deferred compensation as
presented in the 2009 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation table, the
present value of any health and welfare benefits, the value of long-term
equity incentives that would accelerate vesting, and life insurance
proceeds upon death. |
42
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Directors who also serve as officers of the Company or its subsidiaries
are not entitled to compensation as Board members. All other Directors of the
Company (“Non-employee Directors”) receive $50,000 annually for service as such.
A Non-employee Director serving on one or more committees of the Board receives
an additional $8,400 annually for that service. A Non-employee Director serving
on the Audit Committee receives an additional $10,000 annually for that service.
Each Non-employee Director also receives $2,000 for attendance at each meeting
of the Board of Directors. In addition, the chairmen of the Compensation
Committee, Audit Committee, and Corporate Governance Committee receive
additional annual fees of $10,000, $12,000, and $7,500, respectively.
When a Non-employee Director first joins the Board of Directors, he or
she is granted an award of nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation
rights, restricted stock, or a combination thereof with a value as determined by
the Board of Directors, not in excess of the value of a nonqualified stock
option covering an aggregate of 10,000 shares of Common Stock. In the following
calendar year, and for each year thereafter, each Non-employee Director may, at
the discretion of the Board, receive nonqualified stock options, stock
appreciation rights, restricted stock, or a combination thereof with a value not
in excess of the value of a nonqualified stock option covering an aggregate of
up to 5,000 shares of Common Stock. If the Board grants stock options, it may
permit Non-employee Directors to elect to receive restricted stock in lieu
thereof. In 2009, all Non-employee Directors received nonqualified stock options
covering 5,000 shares of Common Stock. The exercise price for the stock options is the closing market
price of the Common Stock on the date of grant. Options granted to each
Non-employee Director become exercisable under the terms and conditions as
determined by the Board of Directors at the date of grant. Grants of options
made to Non-employee Directors in 2009 become exercisable in equal installments
on each of the next four anniversaries of the date of the option, and restricted
stock awards issued in 2009 become vested on the fourth anniversary of the date
of the award, in each case if the Non-employee Director continues to be a
Director through such date. However, upon cessation of service by reason of
retirement, a Non-employee Director becomes immediately vested in all
outstanding stock options and awards that have not yet expired, as long as the
Non-employee Director has completed at least one full year of vesting.
Non-employee Directors, with the exception of those who are or within one
year will become retirement eligible, may elect to have all or a portion of
their Board annual retainer and/or meeting fees paid in the form of immediately
vested nonqualified stock options, restricted stock that vests upon four years
of continued service, or a combination thereof as determined by the Board of
Directors. In 2009, none of the Non-employee Directors made such an election.
The following table
identifies each item of compensation paid to Non-employee Directors for
2009.
2009 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change in Pension |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Value and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonqualified |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fees Earned |
|
|
|
|
Deferred |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or |
|
|
|
|
Compensation |
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paid in Cash |
|
Option Awards |
|
Earnings |
|
Compensation |
|
Total |
Name (1) |
|
$ |
|
($)(2) |
|
($)(3) |
|
($)(4) |
|
$ |
Yoshiro Aoki |
|
|
71,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
137,170 |
|
Michael H. Armacost |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
13,789 |
|
|
1,081 |
|
|
|
154,040 |
|
Joe Frank Harris |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
6,073 |
|
|
4,309 |
|
|
|
149,552 |
|
Elizabeth J. Hudson |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
24,413 |
|
|
3,501 |
|
|
|
167,084 |
|
Douglas W. Johnson |
|
|
88,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
4,115 |
|
|
|
158,285 |
|
Robert B. Johnson |
|
|
83,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
3,813 |
|
|
|
152,983 |
|
Charles B. Knapp |
|
|
88,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
21,671 |
|
|
1,081 |
|
|
|
176,922 |
|
Barbara K. Rimer, Dr. PH |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
25,618 |
|
|
3,548 |
|
|
|
168,336 |
|
Marvin R. Schuster |
|
|
95,700 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
23,546 |
|
|
4,360 |
|
|
|
189,576 |
|
David Gary Thompson |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
0 |
|
|
4,168 |
|
|
|
143,338 |
|
Robert L. Wright |
|
|
95,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
21,949 |
|
|
6,818 |
|
|
|
189,937 |
|
John Shelby Amos II |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
24,748 |
|
|
3,350,148 |
|
|
|
3,514,066 |
|
Kenneth S. Janke Sr. |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
2,450 |
|
|
1,189 |
|
|
|
142,809 |
|
E. Stephen Purdom, M.D. |
|
|
73,200 |
|
|
65,970 |
|
|
28,418 |
|
|
438 |
|
|
|
168,026 |
|
43
(1) |
|
Daniel
Amos, Chairman and CEO; Paul Amos II, President, Aflac and COO, Aflac
U.S.; and Kriss Cloninger III, President, CFO, and Treasurer, are not
included in the table, as they are employees of the Company and thus do
not receive compensation for their services as Directors. The compensation
received by Messrs. Daniel Amos, Paul Amos, and Cloninger as employees of
the Company is shown in the Summary Compensation Table. |
|
(2) |
|
In
accordance with the SEC’s new disclosure rules, this column represents the
grant date fair value as determined using the Black Scholes-Merton
valuation model with respect to the 2009 stock option grants. The fair
values of the stock options granted on August 11, 2009, were calculated
using the closing stock price on August 11, 2009, of $40.23. Assumptions
used to calculate the grant date fair value of a stock option award are
more fully described in Note 10 “Share-Based Transactions” in the Notes to
the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company’s Annual Report to
Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2009. Stock options granted
to Non-employee directors vest 25% per year over a four-year vestng
period. The Black Scholes-Merton grant date fair value of stock option
awards was $13.19 for the August 11, 2009 grants. The grant date fair
value per option was based on an assumption of four years of expected life
from each of the four vesting dates, expected volatility of 32%, expected
dividend yield of 1.3% and a risk free interest rate of 3.2%. As of
December 31, 2009, each Non-employee Director had the following number of
stock options outstanding: Yoshiro Aoki, 20,000; Michael H. Armacost,
36,000; Joe Frank Harris, 36,000; Elizabeth J. Hudson, 36,000; Douglas W.
Johnson, 36,000; Robert B. Johnson, 38,000; Charles B. Knapp, 36,000;
Barbara K. Rimer, Dr. PH, 36,000; Marvin R. Schuster, 56,000; David Gary
Thompson, 28,000; Robert L. Wright, 32,000; John Shelby Amos II, 36,000;
Kenneth S. Janke Sr., 16,000; and E. Stephen Purdom, 36,000. As of December 31, 2009 the
following Non-employee Directors held the following number
of outstanding stock awards that will vest upon the fourth
anniversary of the awards: Kenneth S. Janke Sr., 3,302; Robert B. Johnson,
1,152; and Robert L. Wright, 1,058. |
|
(3) |
|
The
Company maintains a retirement plan for Non-employee Directors who have
attained age 55 and completed at least five years of service as a
Non-employee Director. Effective 2002, newly elected Non- employee
Directors are not eligible for participation in this plan. The annual
benefit paid to a Non-employee Director upon retirement (or to his or her
spouse in the event of death prior to completion of payments under the
plan) is equal to the Non-employee Director’s compensation for the 12
months preceding retirement, including retainer and regular Board member
fees, but excluding committee fees, paid for a period of time equal to the
number of completed years served. The Non-employee Directors do not
participate in any nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Yoshiro Aoki,
Douglas W. Johnson, Robert B. Johnson and David Gary Thompson do not
participate in the plan. |
|
(4) |
|
Included in All Other Compensation for John Shelby Amos II, who
presently serves as the State Sales Coordinator- Alabama/West Florida, is
$3,349,849 in renewal and first-year sales commissions before expenses.
The compensation arrangement with John Shelby Amos II was no more
favorable when contracted than those of other State Sales
Coordinators. |
RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS
The Company recognizes that transactions between the Company and any of
its Directors or executives can present potential or actual conflicts of
interest and create the appearance that Company decisions are based on
considerations other than the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders. Accordingly, consistent with the Company’s Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics, as a general matter, it is the Company’s preference to avoid
such transactions. Nevertheless, the Company recognizes that there are
situations where such transactions may be, or may not be, inconsistent with the
best interests of the Company and its shareholders. Therefore, the Company has
adopted a formal policy which requires the Company’s Audit Committee to review
and, if appropriate, to approve or ratify any such transactions. Pursuant to the
policy, the Audit Committee will review any transaction in which the Company is
or will be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which
any of the Company’s Directors or executives had, has or will have a direct or
indirect material interest. After its review the Audit Committee will only
approve or ratify those transactions that are in, or are not inconsistent with,
the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, as the Audit Committee
determines in good faith.
44
Each of the following ongoing transactions has
been reviewed and ratified by the Audit
Committee:
In 2009, Aflac paid $131,669 to a corporation
of which Maria Theresa Land, the sister of John Shelby Amos II, is the sole
shareholder. This amount was earned as renewal commissions before expenses by W.
Donald Land, the deceased husband of Maria Theresa Land. W. Donald Land served as State
Sales Coordinator-Florida with Aflac from 1975 until May 1990. In 2009, Aflac
paid $463,510 to Michael S. Kirkland, the son of Ronald E. Kirkland, former
Senior Vice President, Director of Sales, retired March 2009. Michael Kirkland
serves as a State Sales Coordinator-Texas East. In 2009, Aflac paid $933,891 to
Jonathan S. Kirkland, the son of Ronald E. Kirkland. Jonathan Kirkland serves as
a State Sales Coordinator-Colorado. The amounts for Michael Kirkland and
Jonathan Kirkland were earned as renewal and first-year commissions before
expenses. State Sales Coordinators are not salaried employees but are
independent contractors compensated on a commission basis and are required to
pay their own expenses, including travel, office expenses, incentives for
District and Regional Sales Coordinators and Associates in their states, and
recruiting and training costs. The compensation arrangement with W. Donald Land,
Michael Kirkland, and Jonathan Kirkland was no more favorable when contracted
than those of other State Sales Coordinators. In November 2009, the Company
loaned $350,000 to Ronald E. Kirkland. Under the terms, the note is paid in
three annual installments of $100,000 and a final installment of $50,000 in the
fourth and final year of the note. The note bears interest of 2.62% per
annum.
In 2009, Aflac paid $200,062 to John William Amos, the son of John Shelby
Amos II. This amount was earned as renewal and first-year commissions before
expenses. John William Amos serves as a Regional Sales Coordinator-Alabama/West
Florida. In 2009, $253,408 was paid by Aflac to Joe Frank Harris Jr., the son of
Joe Frank Harris. This amount was earned as renewal and first-year commissions
before expenses. Joe Frank Harris Jr. serves as a Regional Sales
Coordinator-Georgia/Northwest. Regional Sales Coordinators are not salaried
employees but are independent contractors compensated on a commission basis and
are required to pay their own expenses. The compensation arrangement with John
William Amos and Joe Frank Harris Jr. is no more favorable than with other
Regional Sales Coordinators.
During 2009, Aflac Japan, Aflac Insurance Services Co., Ltd., and Aflac
Payment Services Co., Ltd. leased office space from Seiwa Sogo Tatemono Co.,
Ltd. Lease payments made in 2009 totaled $2,368,754. Yoshiro Aoki, a Director of
the Company in 2009, is and throughout 2009 was President and a Director of
Seiwa Sogo Tatemono.
For services rendered in 2009, the Company paid $587,310 in salary and
non-equity incentive award to Kenneth S. Janke Jr., the son of Kenneth S. Janke
Sr., who was a Director in 2009. Mr. Janke Jr. serves as Senior Vice President,
Investor Relations. In addition, he received such employee benefits and other
compensation (including equity awards) as were generally made available to
senior management of the Company. For services rendered in 2009, Aflac paid
$145,587 in salary and non-equity incentive award to J. Matthew Loudermilk, the
son of Joey M. Loudermilk. Mr. J. Matthew Loudermilk serves as Second Vice
President, Associate Counsel, of Aflac and Assistant Corporate Secretary of the
Company and Aflac.In addition,
they received such employee benefits and other compensation (including equity
awards) pursuant to the Company’s equity award and benefit programs. All of
these employees are also eligible to participate in all fringe benefit programs
generally available to employees and their compensation is commensurate with
that of their peers.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN
INFORMATION
The following table provides information with respect to compensation
plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance to our
employees or Non-employee Directors, as of December 31, 2009.
|
|
|
Number of Securities |
|
|
|
Remaining Available
for |
|
Number of Securities to |
Weighted-Average |
Future Issuance Under
Equity |
|
be Issued Upon Exercise |
Exercise Price of |
Compensation Plans |
|
of Outstanding Options, |
Outstanding Options, |
Excluding Securities |
|
Warrants and Rights |
Warrants and Rights |
Reflected in Column
(a) |
Plan Category |
(a) |
(b) |
(c) |
Equity Compensation
Plans Approved by |
|
|
|
Shareholders |
16,417,296 |
$37.89 |
17,996,020* |
Equity Compensation
Plans Not Approved |
|
|
|
by
Shareholders |
-0- |
-0- |
-0- |
Total |
16,417,296 |
$37.89 |
17,996,020 |
*Of the shares listed in
column (c), 10,162,334 shares are available for grant other than in the form of
options, warrants, or rights (i.e., in the form of restricted stock or
restricted stock units).
45
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors is composed of
four directors, each of whom, the Board has determined, is independent as
defined by the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules, and is financially
literate. The Board has determined that at least one member of the Audit
Committee is an audit committee financial expert as defined by the SEC rules.
Mr. Douglas W. Johnson, with 30 years as an auditor with Ernst & Young, 20
of those years as a partner, working primarily with the insurance industry
segment, is the audit committee financial expert. The Audit Committee operates
under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors.
Management has the primary responsibility for the Company’s financial
statements and the reporting process, including the system of internal controls.
The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing
an independent audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in
conformity with the auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”) and issuing a report thereon. The
Audit Committee has general oversight responsibility to monitor and oversee
these processes on behalf of the Board of Directors.
In connection with these responsibilities, the Audit Committee has met
with management and the independent registered public accounting firm to review
and discuss the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2009. The Audit Committee has also discussed with the
independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be
discussed by applicable generally accepted auditing standards regarding
communication with Audit Committees and by the NYSE. The Audit Committee has
also received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent
registered public accounting firm required by applicable requirements of the
PCAOB regarding the independent registered accounting firm’s communications with
the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with the
independent registered public accounting firm its independence. The Audit
Committee has reviewed this report and such firm’s work throughout the year in
order to evaluate the independent registered public accounting firm’s
qualifications, performance, and independence.
Additionally, the Audit Committee has monitored the Company’s compliance
with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 regarding the reporting
related to internal control over financial reporting. This monitoring process
has included regular reports and representations by financial management of the
Company, the internal auditors, and by KPMG LLP, the independent registered
public accounting firm. The Audit Committee has also reviewed the certifications
of Company executive officers contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 filed with the SEC, as well as
reports issued by KPMG LLP, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
related to its audit of (i) the consolidated financial statements and (ii) the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.
Based upon the Audit Committee’s discussions with management and the
independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth above, and the Audit
Committee’s review of the representations of management and the independent
registered public accounting firm, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board
of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009,
for filing with the SEC.
Audit Committee
Robert L. Wright,
Chairman
Douglas W. Johnson (financial expert)
Charles B. Knapp
Marvin
R. Schuster
46
2. ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE
PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE COMPENSATION
We believe that our compensation policies and procedures are centered on
a pay-for-performance culture and are
strongly aligned with the long-term interests of our shareholders. This advisory
shareholder vote, commonly known as “Say-on-Pay,” gives you as a shareholder the
opportunity to endorse or not endorse our executive pay program and policies
through the following resolution.
“Resolved, that the shareholders approve the
overall executive pay-for-performance compensation policies and procedures
employed by the Company, as described in the Compensation Discussion and
Analysis and the tabular disclosure regarding named executive officer
compensation in this Proxy Statement.”
Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding upon the Board.
However, the Compensation Committee will take into account the outcome of the
vote when considering future executive compensation arrangements.
We believe the “Say-on-Pay” proposal demonstrates our commitment to our
shareholders; that commitment extends beyond adopting innovative corporate
governance practices. We also are committed to achieving a high level of total
return for our shareholders.
From August 1990, when Daniel P. Amos was appointed as the CEO through
December 31, 2009, the Company’s total return to shareholders, including
reinvested cash dividends, has exceeded 2,992% compared with 535% for the Dow
Jones Industrial Average and 417% for the S&P 500.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS
A VOTE “FOR”
APPROVAL OF THE PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE COMPENSATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
EMPLOYED
BY THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE, AS DESCRIBED IN THE COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS AND THE TABULAR DISCLOSURE REGARDING NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER
COMPENSATION IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.
3. RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
In February 2010, the Audit Committee voted to appoint KPMG LLP, an
independent registered public accounting firm, to perform the annual audit of
the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year 2010,
subject to ratification by the shareholders.
Representatives of KPMG LLP are expected to be present at the 2010 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders with the opportunity to make a statement if they so
desire. Such representatives are expected to be available to respond to
appropriate questions.
The aggregate fees for professional services rendered to the Company by
KPMG LLP for the years ended December 31, were as follows:
|
2009 |
|
2008* |
Audit fees — Audit of the Company’s
consolidated financial |
|
|
|
|
|
statements for the years ended December 31 |
$ |
3,951,453 |
|
$ |
3,745,543 |
Audit related fees (audits of subsidiaries and employee benefit
plans)** |
|
622,736 |
|
|
380,711 |
Tax fees |
|
1,670 |
|
|
1,670 |
All other fees*** |
|
141,500 |
|
|
4,000 |
Total fees: |
$ |
4,717,359 |
|
$ |
4,131,924 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(*) |
|
The
2008 amounts have been reclassified to conform to reporting in
2009. |
|
(**) |
|
Includes $439,770 for the audit of the Japan branch regulatory
financial statements and the audit of internal controls over financial
reporting on the regulatory basis as promulgated by the Japanese Financial
Services Agency. |
|
(***) |
|
Comfort letters related the Company’s two debt offerings in 2009
and consent letter for filing of AFL 401(k)
S-8. |
47
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has considered whether the
provision of the non-audit professional services is compatible with maintaining
KPMG LLP’s independence and has concluded that it is. The Audit Committee
pre-approves all audit and non-audit services provided by KPMG LLP.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS UNANIMOUSLY
A VOTE “FOR”
RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF KPMG LLP
AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.
Shareholder Proposals
For a shareholder’s proposal to be included in the Company’s Proxy
Statement for the 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the shareholder must
follow the procedures of Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act, and the proposal
must be received by the Secretary of the Company by November 19, 2010. To be
timely, shareholder proposals submitted outside the processes of Rule 14a-8 must
be received by the Secretary of the Company after January 3, 2011 and before
February 2, 2011.
Annual Report
The Company has delivered a copy of its Annual Report to each shareholder
entitled to vote at the 2010 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. A copy of the
Company’s Form 10-K is available at no charge to all shareholders. For a copy,
write to:
Kenneth S. Janke Jr.
Senior Vice
President, Investor Relations
Aflac Incorporated
Worldwide
Headquarters
1932 Wynnton Road
Columbus, Georgia
31999
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By Order of the
Board of Directors,
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Joey M.
Loudermilk
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Secretary |
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March 19,
2010
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48
Joey M. Loudermilk
General Counsel,
Corporate Secretary and
Executive Vice
President
March 2,
2010
United States
Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation
Finance 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549 |
Attn: |
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Jeffrey Riedler, Assistant
Director (Health Care and Insurance) |
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Re: |
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Preliminary Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A |
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Filed March 2,
2010 |
Dear Mr. Riedler:
We are writing to request that the
staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) accelerate the
ten-day period for review of Aflac Incorporated’s (“the Company”) preliminary
proxy statement under Rule 14a-6.
Beginning with the Company’s 2008
Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Company has included in its proxy statement
for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders a proposal to approve, via a non-binding
advisory vote, the overall executive pay-for-performance compensation policies
and procedures employed by the Company (the “Say-On-Pay Proposal”).1 In connection with the preparation of the
proxy statement for the current year’s Annual Meeting, the Company has
experienced numerous delays caused by a combination of factors, including
personnel changes due to the death of an employee responsible for drafting
certain sections of the proxy statement. Because the Company was delayed in
meeting its initial timeline for filing the preliminary proxy statement for the
current year’s Annual Meeting, the Company is currently under a compressed
timeline for filing its proxy statement in definitive form and meeting its
mailing deadline.
In light of the delays the Company
has experienced, the Company respectfully requests that the ten-day review
period be accelerated to end no later than 11:00 AM, Eastern Time, on March 8,
2010 in order for it to finalize the definitive proxy statement for the current
year’s Annual Meeting. For the foregoing reasons, the Company believes that it
has good cause to request acceleration of the ten-day review period to Monday,
March 8, 2010.
____________________
1 But for the
inclusion of the Say-On-Pay Proposal, the Company would be permitted to file its
2010 proxy materials in definitive form pursuant to the exclusions found in Rule
14a-6(a).
Worldwide Headquarters · 1932 Wynnton Road · Columbus, GA
31999
706.596.3733 tel · 706.323.1448 fax ·
jloudermilk@aflac.com
If you have any questions or comments
regarding the foregoing or require additional information, please contact the
undersigned at (706) 596-3733 or Matt Loudermilk at (706) 660-7317.
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Very truly yours, |
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Joey M. Loudermilk
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Worldwide
Headquarters · 1932 Wynnton Road · Columbus, GA 31999
706.596.3733 tel
· 706.323.1448 fax · jloudermilk@aflac.com