Unassociated Document
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
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:
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Preliminary Proxy
Statement
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Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
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Definitive Proxy
Statement
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Definitive Additional
Materials
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to
§240.14a-12
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FIRST
SAVINGS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
(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):
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Fee computed on table below per
Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
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(1)
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Title of each class of securities
to which the transaction
applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate number of securities to
which the transaction
applies:
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(3)
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Per unit price or other
underlying value of the 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):
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(4)
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Proposed maximum aggregate value
of the transaction:
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Fee paid previously with
preliminary materials.
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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.
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(1)
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Amount Previously
Paid:
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(2)
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Form, Schedule or Registration
Statement No.:
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January
19, 2010
Dear
Shareholder:
You are cordially invited to attend the
annual meeting of shareholders of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (the
“Company”). The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Riverside Hotel,
700 West Riverside Drive, Jeffersonville, Indiana, on Wednesday, February 24,
2010, at 2:00 p.m., local time.
The notice of annual meeting and proxy
statement appearing on the following pages describe the formal business to be
transacted at the meeting. Directors and officers of the Company, as
well as representatives of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc., the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm, will be present to respond to
appropriate questions from shareholders.
It is important that your shares are
represented at the meeting, whether or not you attend the meeting in person and
regardless of the number of shares you own. To make sure your shares
are represented, we urge you to vote by promptly completing and mailing the
enclosed proxy card. If you attend the meeting, you may vote in
person even if you have previously mailed a proxy card.
We look forward to seeing you at the
meeting.
Sincerely,
Larry W. Myers
President and Chief Executive
Officer
501
East Lewis & Clark Parkway
Clarksville,
Indiana 47129
(812)
283-0724
NOTICE
OF 2010 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TIME
AND DATE
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2:00
p.m., local time, on Wednesday, February 24, 2010.
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PLACE
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Sheraton
Riverside Hotel, 700 West Riverside Drive, Jeffersonville,
Indiana.
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ITEMS
OF BUSINESS
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(1)
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To
elect four directors to serve for a term of three
years.
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(2)
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To
approve the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive
Plan.
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(3)
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To
ratify the appointment of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as the independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2010.
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(4)
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting and
any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.
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RECORD
DATE
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To
vote, you must have been a shareholder at the close of business on
December 31, 2009.
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PROXY
VOTING
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It
is important that your shares be represented and voted at the
meeting. You can vote your shares by completing and returning
the proxy card or voting instruction form sent to you. You can
revoke a proxy at any time before its exercise at the meeting by following
the instructions in the proxy statement.
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By
Order of the Board of Directors,
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M.
Sue Johnson
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Corporate
Secretary
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FIRST
SAVINGS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
PROXY
STATEMENT
GENERAL
INFORMATION
We are providing this proxy statement
to you in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors
of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. for the 2010 annual meeting of
shareholders and for any adjournment or postponement of the
meeting. In this proxy statement, we may also refer to First Savings
Financial Group as the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us.”
First Savings Financial Group is the
holding company for First Savings Bank, F.S.B. In this proxy
statement, we may also refer to First Savings Bank as the “Bank.”
We are holding the 2010 annual meeting
of shareholders at the Sheraton Riverside Hotel, 700 West Riverside Drive,
Jeffersonville, Indiana, on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 2:00 p.m., local
time.
We intend to mail this proxy statement
and the enclosed proxy card to shareholders of record beginning on or about
January 19, 2010.
IMPORTANT
NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
FOR
THE SHAREHOLDERS’ MEETING TO BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 24, 2010
This Proxy Statement and the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, are available at http://www.cfpproxy.com/6554.
INFORMATION
ABOUT VOTING
Who
Can Vote at the Meeting
You are entitled to vote your shares of
First Savings Financial Group common stock that you owned as of December 31,
2009. As of the close of business on December 31, 2009, 2,414,940
shares of First Savings Financial Group common stock were
outstanding. Each share of common stock has one vote.
The Company’s Articles of Incorporation
provides that record holders of the Company’s common stock who beneficially own,
either directly or indirectly, in excess of 10% of the Company’s outstanding
shares are not entitled to any vote with respect to those shares held in excess
of the 10% limit.
Ownership
of Shares; Attending the Meeting
You may own shares of First Savings
Financial Group in one or more of the following ways:
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Directly
in your name as the shareholder of
record;
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Indirectly
through a broker, bank or other holder of record in “street
name”;
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Indirectly
through the First Savings Bank, F.S.B. Employee Stock Ownership Plan;
or
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Indirectly
through the First Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k)
Plan.
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If your shares are registered directly
in your name, you are the holder of record of these shares and we are sending
these proxy materials directly to you. As the holder of record, you
have the right to give your proxy directly to us or to vote in person at the
meeting.
If you hold your shares in street name,
your broker, bank or other holder of record is sending these proxy materials to
you. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your
broker, bank or other holder of record how to vote by filling out a voting
instruction form that accompanies your proxy materials. Your broker,
bank or other holder of record may allow you to provide voting instructions by
telephone or by the Internet. Please see the instruction form
provided by your broker, bank or other holder of record that accompanies this
proxy statement. If you hold your shares in street name, you will
need proof of ownership to be admitted to the meeting. A recent
brokerage statement or a letter from a bank or broker are examples of proof of
ownership. If you want to vote your shares of First Savings Financial
Group common stock held in street name in person at the meeting, you must obtain
a written proxy in your name from the broker, bank or other nominee who is the
record holder of your shares.
If you own shares of Company common
stock indirectly through the First Savings Bank, F.S.B. Employee Stock Ownership
Plan or the First Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan, see “Participants in the ESOP or the
401(k) Plan” for voting information.
Quorum
and Vote Required
Quorum. We
will have a quorum and will be able to conduct the business of the annual
meeting if the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock
entitled to vote are present at the meeting, either in person or by
proxy.
Vote
Required for Proposals. At
this year’s annual meeting, shareholders will elect four directors to serve for
a term of three years. In voting on the election of directors, you
may vote in favor of the nominees, withhold votes as to all nominees, or
withhold votes as to specific nominees. There is no cumulative voting
for the election of directors. Directors must be elected by a
plurality of the votes cast at the annual meeting. This means that
the nominees receiving the greatest number of votes will be elected up to the
maximum number of directors to be elected at the annual meeting. The
maximum number of directors to be elected at the annual meeting is
four.
In voting on the proposal to approve
the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, you may vote
in favor of the proposal, vote against the proposal or abstain from
voting. To be approved, this matter requires the affirmative vote of
a majority of the votes cast at the annual meeting.
In voting on the ratification of the
appointment of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm, you may vote in favor of the proposal, vote
against the proposal or abstain from voting. To ratify the
appointment of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as our independent registered public
accounting firm for fiscal 2010, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes
cast at the annual meeting is required.
Routine
and Non-Routine Proposals. Applicable
stock exchange rules determine whether proposals presented at shareholder
meetings are routine or non-routine. If a proposal is routine, a
broker or other entity holding shares for an owner in street name may vote on
the proposal without receiving voting instructions from the owner. If
a proposal is non-routine, the broker or other entity may vote on the proposal
only if the owner has provided voting instructions. A broker non-vote
occurs when a broker or other entity is unable to vote on a particular proposal
and the broker or other entity has not received voting instructions from the
beneficial owner. The election of directors and the proposal to
approve the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan are
considered non-routine proposals, and the proposal to ratify the appointment of
Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as the independent registered public accounting
firm is considered a routine proposal.
How
We Count Votes. If
you return valid proxy instructions or attend the meeting in person, we will
count your shares to determine whether there is quorum, even if you abstain from
voting. Broker non-votes also will be counted to determine the
existence of a quorum.
In the election of directors, votes
that are withheld and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the
election.
In counting votes on the proposal to
approve the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan,
abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the
proposal.
In counting votes on the proposal to
ratify the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm,
abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the
proposal.
Voting
by Proxy
The Company’s Board of Directors is
sending you this proxy statement to request that you allow your shares of
Company common stock to be represented at the annual meeting by the persons
named in the enclosed proxy card. All shares of Company common stock
represented at the meeting by properly executed and dated proxies will be voted
according to the instructions indicated on the proxy card. If you
sign, date and return a proxy card without giving voting instructions, your
shares will be voted as recommended by the Company’s Board of
Directors. The Board of Directors recommends that you
vote:
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FOR the election of the
nominees for director;
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FOR the approval of the
First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan;
and
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FOR the ratification of
the appointment of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting
firm.
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If any
matters not described in this proxy statement are properly presented at the
annual meeting, the persons named in the proxy card will use their judgment to
determine how to vote your shares. This includes a motion to adjourn
or postpone the annual meeting to solicit additional proxies. If the
annual meeting is postponed or adjourned, your shares of Company common stock
may be voted by the persons named in the proxy card on the new meeting date,
provided that the new meeting occurs within 30 days of the annual meeting and
you have not revoked your proxy. The Company does not currently know
of any other matters to be presented at the meeting.
You may
revoke your proxy at any time before the vote is taken at the
meeting. To revoke your proxy, you must either advise the Corporate
Secretary of the Company in writing before your shares have been voted at the
annual meeting, deliver a later-dated and properly executed proxy, or attend the
meeting and vote your shares in person. Attendance at the annual
meeting will not in itself constitute revocation of your proxy.
Participants
in the ESOP or the 401(k) Plan
If you participate in the First Savings
Bank, F.S.B. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the “ESOP”) or if you invest in
Company common stock through the First Savings Financial Group Stock Fund in the
First Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), you will
receive a voting instruction form for each plan that reflects all shares you may
direct the trustees to vote on your behalf under the plan. Under the
terms of the ESOP, all allocated shares of First Savings Financial Group common
stock held by the ESOP are voted by the ESOP trustee, as directed by plan
participants. All unallocated shares of Company common stock held by
the ESOP and allocated shares for which no timely voting instructions are
received are generally voted by the ESOP trustee in the same proportion as
shares for which the trustee has received timely voting instructions, subject to
the exercise of its fiduciary duties. Under the terms of the 401(k)
Plan, a participant may direct the stock fund trustees of the 401(k) Plan how to
vote the shares in the First Savings Financial Group stock fund credited to his
or her account. The stock fund trustees will vote all shares for
which timely voting instructions are not received in the same proportion as
shares for which the trustees received voting instructions. The deadline for returning your
voting instruction forms is February 17, 2010.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
Director
Independence
The Company’s Board of Directors
currently consists of eleven members, all of whom are independent under the
listing requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc., except for Larry W.
Myers, John P. Lawson, Jr., Samuel E. Eckart and Vaughn K. Timberlake, whom we
employ as executive officers. In determining the independence of
directors, the Board of Directors considered the various deposit, loan and other
relationships that each director has with First Savings Bank, including loans
and lines of credit outstanding to Charles E. Becht, Jr., Cecile A. Blau, John
P. Lawson, Jr., Robert E. Libs, Vaughn K. Timberlake and Frank N. Czeschin, in
addition to the transactions disclosed under “Other Information Relating to
Directors and Executive Officers—Transactions with Related Persons”, but
determined in each case that these relationships did not interfere with their
exercise of independent judgment in carrying out their responsibilities as
directors.
Corporate
Governance Policy
The Board of Directors has adopted a
corporate governance policy to govern certain activities, including: the duties
and responsibilities of directors; the composition, responsibilities and
operations of the Board of Directors; the establishment and operation of Board
committees; succession planning; convening executive sessions of independent
directors; the Board of Directors’ interaction with management and third
parties; and the evaluation of the performance of the Board of Directors and of
the President and Chief Executive Officer.
Committees
of the Board of Directors
The following table identifies our
standing committees and their members at September 30, 2009. All
members of each committee are independent in accordance with the listing
requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. Each committee operates
under a written charter that is approved by the Board of Directors and that
governs its composition, responsibilities and operation. Each
committee reviews and reassesses the adequacy of its charter at least
annually. The charters of all three committees are available at the
Investor Relations section of our website (www.fsbbank.net). During
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Audit Committee has held eight
meetings, the Compensation Committee has held two meetings and the
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee has held one meeting.
Director
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Audit
Committee
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Compensation
Committee
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Nominating/
Corporate
Governance
Committee
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Charles
E. Becht, Jr.
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X
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X*
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Cecile
A. Blau
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Frank
N. Czeschin
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Gerald
Wayne Clapp, Jr.
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X
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Samuel
E. Eckart
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John
P. Lawson, Jr.
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Robert
E. Libs
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X*
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Michael
F. Ludden
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X
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X
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Larry
W. Myers
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Vaughn
K. Timberlake
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Douglas
A. York
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X*
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________________________________________________________
* Denotes
Chairperson
Audit
Committee
The Audit Committee is responsible for
providing oversight relating to our consolidated financial statements and
financial reporting process, systems of internal accounting and financial
controls, internal audit function, annual independent audit and the compliance
and ethics programs established by management and the Board. The
Audit Committee is also responsible for engaging the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm and monitoring its conduct and
independence. The Company’s Board of Directors has designated Douglas
A. York, CPA as an audit committee financial expert under the rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Compensation
Committee
The Compensation Committee approves the
compensation objectives for the Company and the Bank, establishes the
compensation for the Company’s and Bank’s senior management and conducts the
performance review of the President and Chief Executive Officer. The
Compensation Committee reviews all components of compensation, including
salaries, cash incentive plans, long-term incentive plans and various employee
benefit matters. Decisions by the Compensation Committee with respect
to the compensation of executive officers are approved by the full Board of
Directors. The Committee also assists the Board of Directors in
evaluating potential candidates for executive positions.
Nominating/Corporate
Governance Committee
The Nominating/Corporate Governance
Committee assists the Board of Directors in: (1) identifying individuals
qualified to become Board members, consistent with criteria approved by the
Board; (2) recommending to the Board the director nominees for the next annual
meeting; (3) implementing policies and practices relating to corporate
governance, including implementation of and monitoring adherence to corporate
governance guidelines; (4) leading the Board in its annual review of the Board’s
performance; and (5) recommending director nominees for each
committee.
Minimum
Qualifications for Director Nominees. The
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee has adopted a set of criteria that it
considers when it selects individuals to be nominated for election to the Board
of Directors. A candidate must meet the eligibility requirements set
forth in the Company’s Bylaws, which include an age limitation and a requirement
that the candidate not have been subject to certain criminal or regulatory
actions. A candidate also must meet any qualification requirements
set forth in any Board of Directors or committee governing
documents.
If a candidate is deemed eligible
for election to the Board of Directors, the Nominating/ Corporate Governance
Committee will then evaluate the following criteria in selecting
nominees:
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contributions
to the range of talent, skill and expertise of the Board of
Directors;
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financial,
regulatory and business experience, knowledge of the banking and financial
service industries, familiarity with the operations of public companies
and ability to read and understand financial
statements;
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familiarity
with the Company’s market area and participation in and ties to local
businesses and local civic, charitable and religious
organizations;
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personal
and professional integrity, honesty and
reputation;
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the
ability to represent the best interests of the shareholders of the Company
and the best interests of the
institution;
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the
ability to devote sufficient time and energy to the performance of his or
her duties;
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independence
as that term is defined under applicable Securities and Exchange
Commission and stock exchange listing criteria;
and
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current
equity holdings in the Company.
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The Nominating/Corporate Governance
Committee also will consider any other factors it deems relevant, including
diversity, competition, size of the Board of Directors and regulatory disclosure
obligations.
With respect to nominating an
existing director for re-election to the Board of Directors, the
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will consider and review an existing
director’s attendance and performance at Board meetings and at meetings of
committees on which he or she serves; length of Board service; the experience,
skills and contributions that the existing director brings to the Board; and
independence.
Director
Nomination Process. The
process that the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee follows to identify
and evaluate individuals to be nominated for election to the Board of Directors
is as follows:
For purposes of identifying nominees
for the Board of Directors, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee relies
on personal contacts of the committee members and other members of the Board of
Directors, as well as its knowledge of members of the communities served by the
Bank. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will also
consider director candidates recommended by shareholders according to the policy
and procedures set forth below. The Nominating/Corporate Governance
Committee has not previously used an independent search firm to identify
nominees.
In evaluating potential nominees, the
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee determines whether the candidate is
eligible and qualified for service on the Board of Directors by evaluating the
candidate under the criteria set forth above. If such individual
fulfills these criteria, the Nominating/ Corporate Governance Committee will
conduct a check of the individual’s background and interview the candidate to
further assess the qualities of the prospective nominee and the contributions he
or she would make to the Board.
Considerations
of Recommendations by Shareholders. The policy of the
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is to consider director candidates
recommended by shareholders who appear to be qualified to serve on the Company’s
Board of Directors. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee may
choose not to consider an unsolicited recommendation if no vacancy exists on the
Board of Directors and the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee does not
perceive a need to increase the size of the Board of Directors. To
avoid the unnecessary use of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee’s
resources, the Nominating/ Corporate Governance Committee will consider only
those director candidates recommended in accordance with the procedures set
forth below.
Procedures
to be Followed by Shareholders. To
submit a recommendation of a director candidate to the Nominating/Corporate
Governance Committee, a shareholder should submit the following information in
writing, addressed to the Chairman of the Nominating/Corporate Governance
Committee, care of the Corporate Secretary, at the main office of the
Company:
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The
name of the person recommended as a director
candidate;
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All
information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in
solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Regulation
14A under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934;
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3.
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The
written consent of the person being recommended as a director candidate to
being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a
director if elected;
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4.
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As
to the shareholder making the recommendation, the name and address of such
shareholder as they appear on the Company’s books; provided, however, that
if the shareholder is not a registered holder of the Company’s common
stock, the shareholder should submit his or her name and address along
with a current written statement from the record holder of the shares that
reflects ownership of the Company’s common stock;
and
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5.
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A
statement disclosing whether such shareholder is acting with or on behalf
of any other person and, if applicable, the identity of such
person.
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In order for a director candidate to
be considered for nomination at the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders,
the recommendation must be received by the Nominating/Corporate Governance
Committee at least 120 calendar days before the date the Company’s proxy
statement was released to shareholders in connection with the previous year’s
annual meeting, advanced by one year.
Board
and Committee Meetings
During the fiscal year ended September
30, 2009, the Board of Directors of the Bank held 12 regular meetings and three
special meetings, and the Board of the Directors of the Company held eight
regular meetings and two special meetings. No director attended fewer
than 75% of the total meetings of the Company’s or the Bank’s Board of Directors
and the respective committees on which such director served during fiscal
2009.
Director
Attendance at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders
The Board of Directors encourages each
director to attend the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. All
of the Company’s then directors attended last year’s annual meeting of
shareholders, except for Douglas A. York.
Code
of Ethics and Business Conduct
The Company has adopted a code of
ethics and business conduct which applies to all of the Company’s and the Bank’s
directors, officers and employees. A copy of the code of ethics and
business conduct is available to stockholders on the Investor Relations portion
of the Bank’s website at www.fsbbank.net.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Company’s management is responsible
for the Company’s internal controls and financial reporting
process. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm
is responsible for performing an independent audit of the Company’s consolidated
financial statements and issuing an opinion on the conformity of those financial
statements with generally accepted accounting principles. The Audit
Committee oversees the Company’s internal controls and financial reporting
process on behalf of the Board of Directors.
In this context, the Audit Committee
has met and held discussions with management and the independent registered
public accounting firm. Management represented to the Audit Committee
that the Company’s consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles and the Audit Committee has
reviewed and discussed the consolidated financial statements with management and
the independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit
Committee discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm
matters required to be discussed pursuant to U.S. Auditing Standards No. 380
(The Auditor’s Communication With Those Charged With Governance), including the
quality, and not just the acceptability, of the accounting principles, the
reasonableness of significant judgments and the clarity of the disclosures in
the financial statements.
In addition, the Audit Committee has
received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent registered
public accounting firm required by the applicable requirements of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board and has discussed with the independent
registered public accounting firm the firm’s independence from the Company and
its management. In concluding that the registered public accounting
firm is independent, the Audit Committee considered, among other factors,
whether the non-audit services provided by the firm were compatible with its
independence.
The Audit Committee discussed with the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm the overall scope and
plans for their audit. The Audit Committee meets with the independent
registered public accounting firm, with and without management present, to
discuss the results of their examination, their evaluation of the Company’s
internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial
reporting.
In performing all of these functions,
the Audit Committee acts only in an oversight capacity. In its
oversight role, the Audit Committee relies on the work and assurances of the
Company’s management, which has the primary responsibility for financial
statements and reports, and of the independent registered public accounting firm
who, in its report, express an opinion on the conformity of the Company’s
consolidated financial statements to generally accepted accounting
principles. The Audit Committee’s oversight does not provide it with
an independent basis to determine that management has maintained appropriate
accounting and financial reporting principles or policies, or appropriate
internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting
standards and applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, the Audit
Committee’s considerations and discussions with management and the independent
registered public accounting firm do not assure that the Company’s consolidated
financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, that the audit of the Company’s consolidated financial
statements has been carried out in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards or that the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is
“independent.”
In reliance on the reviews and
discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee has recommended to the Board
of Directors, and the Board has approved, that the audited consolidated
financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended September 30, 2009 for filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Audit Committee also has approved, subject to
shareholder ratification, the selection of the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2010.
Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors of
First
Savings Financial Group, Inc.
Douglas
A. York, Chairman
Gerald W.
Clapp, Jr.
Frank N.
Czeschin
Michael
F. Ludden
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
The following table provides the
compensation received by individuals who served as directors, and who were not
also named executive officers, of First Savings Financial Group during the 2009
fiscal year.
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in Cash
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Charles
E. Becht, Jr.
|
|
$ |
5,400 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
5,400 |
|
Cecile
A. Blau
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
Gerald
Wayne Clapp, Jr.
|
|
|
6,800 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
6,800 |
|
Frank
N. Czeschin(1)
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Samuel
E. Eckart(1)
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Robert
E. Libs
|
|
|
5,600 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
5,600 |
|
Michael
F. Ludden
|
|
|
7,200 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
7,200 |
|
Vaughn
K. Timberlake(1)
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Douglas
A. York
|
|
|
7,700 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
7,700 |
|
_______________________________________________
(1) Appointed
to the Board of Directors effective September 30, 2009.
Cash
Retainer and Meeting Fees For Non-Employee Directors. The
following table sets forth the applicable retainers and fees currently paid to
our non-employee directors for their service on the Boards of Directors of First
Savings Financial Group and First Savings Bank for their
service.
Board
of Directors of First Savings Bank
|
|
|
|
|
Fee
per Board Meeting – Director
|
|
$ |
950 |
|
|
Fee
per Board Meeting – Chairman
|
|
$ |
1,350 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Board
of Directors of First Savings Financial Group
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annual
Retainer
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
|
Fee
per Committee Meeting
|
|
$ |
200 |
|
($300
for Committee Chairman)
|
Directors’
Deferred Compensation Agreements. The
Company and the Bank have entered into deferred compensation agreements with
some of their non-employee directors. Under the agreements, each
director may defer the receipt of meeting and other board fees to a future date;
generally until a director’s normal retirement date of age 70. Under
the agreements, the Company and the Bank credit the deferred compensation
amounts quarterly with interest at an annual rate equal to the prime rate for
the immediately preceding calendar quarter plus 2%, but in no event at a rate in
excess of 8%. Subject to certain elections available to each
director, deferred compensation amounts are distributable over a period of 180
months typically commencing at normal retirement age or termination of
service. Benefits also become distributable over a 180-month period
following a director becoming disabled. If a director dies before the
commencement of benefit payments or before the completion of all benefit
payments, the benefit or remaining benefit, as the case may be, are distributed
to the director’s beneficiary in a single lump sum.
STOCK
OWNERSHIP
The
following table provides information as of December 31, 2009 about the persons,
other than directors and executive officers, known to the Company to be the
beneficial owners of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common
stock. A person may be considered to beneficially own any shares of
common stock over which he or she has, directly or indirectly, sole or shared
voting or investment power.
Name
and Address
|
|
Number
of
Shares
Owned
|
|
|
Percent
of
Common Stock
Outstanding(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First
Savings Bank, F.S.B.
Employee
Stock Ownership Plan
501
East Lewis & Clark Parkway
Clarksville,
Indiana 47129
|
|
|
203,363 |
(2)
|
|
|
8.42 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First
Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan
501
East Lewis & Clark Parkway
Clarksville,
Indiana 47129
|
|
|
124,870 |
(3)
|
|
|
5.17 |
% |
_______________________________________________
(1)
|
Based
on 2,414,940 shares of the
Company’s common stock outstanding and entitled to vote as of December 31,
2009.
|
(2)
|
As
of December 31, 2009, 40,673 shares have been allocated to participants’
ESOP accounts.
|
(3)
|
John
P. Lawson, Jr. and Larry W. Myers are the co-trustees of the Company’s
common stock held in the Company Stock Fund of the First Savings Bank
Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan, over which they have sole voting and shared
investment power.
|
The following table provides
information about the shares of Company common stock that may be considered to
be owned by each director or nominee for director of the Company, by the
executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table and by all directors,
nominees for director and executive officers of the Company as a group as of
December 31, 2009. A person may be considered to own any shares of
common stock over which he or she has, directly or indirectly, sole or shared
voting or investment power. Unless otherwise indicated, each of the
named individuals has sole voting and investment power with respect to the
shares shown and none of the named individuals has pledged any of his or her
shares.
Name
|
|
Number of
Shares Owned
|
|
|
Percent of
Common Stock
Outstanding (1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Directors:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles
E. Becht, Jr.
|
|
|
20,840 |
(2)
|
|
|
* |
|
Cecile
A. Blau
|
|
|
5,500 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Gerald
Wayne Clapp, Jr.
|
|
|
32,800 |
(3)
|
|
|
1.36 |
|
Frank
N. Czeschin
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
* |
|
Samuel
E. Eckart
|
|
|
100 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Robert
E. Libs
|
|
|
27,000 |
(4)
|
|
|
1.12 |
|
John
P. Lawson, Jr.
|
|
|
14,848 |
(5)
|
|
|
* |
|
Michael
F. Ludden
|
|
|
30,000 |
(6)
|
|
|
1.24 |
|
Larry
W. Myers
|
|
|
61,857 |
(7)
|
|
|
2.56 |
|
Vaughn
K. Timberlake
|
|
|
1,500 |
(8)
|
|
|
* |
|
Douglas
A. York
|
|
|
30,000 |
(9)
|
|
|
1.24 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive Officers Who Are Not
Directors:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anthony
A. Schoen
|
|
|
4,229 |
(10)
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (12) persons
|
|
|
228,674 |
|
|
|
9.47 |
|
_____________________________
* Represents
less than 1% of the Company’s outstanding shares.
|
(1)
|
Based
on 2,414,940 shares of the
Company’s common stock outstanding and entitled to vote as of December 31,
2009.
|
|
(2)
|
Includes
840 shares held in an individual retirement
account.
|
|
(3)
|
Includes
10,000 shares held by Mr. Clapp’s
spouse.
|
|
(4)
|
Includes
20,000 shares held in an individual retirement account and 7,000 shares
held in Mr. Libs’ spouse’s individual retirement
account.
|
|
(5)
|
Includes
704 shares allocated under the ESOP and 14,144 shares held under the First
Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan. Excludes shares
allocated under the ESOP as of December 31, 2009 because allocation
information is unavailable as of the mailing date of this proxy
statement.
|
|
(6)
|
Includes
10,000 shares held by Mr. Ludden’s
spouse.
|
|
(7)
|
Includes
20,000 shares held in Mr. Myers’ spouse’s individual retirement account,
40,852 shares held under the First Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan
and 1,005 shares allocated under the ESOP. Excludes shares
allocated under the ESOP as of December 31, 2009 because allocation
information is unavailable as of the mailing date of this proxy
statement.
|
|
(8)
|
Includes
1,500 shares held in an individual retirement
account.
|
|
(9)
|
Includes
20,000 shares held by a limited liability company with which Mr. York is
affiliated.
|
|
(10)
|
Includes
3,332 shares held under the First Savings Bank Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan
and 397 shares allocated under the ESOP. Excludes shares
allocated under the ESOP as of December 31, 2009 because allocation
information is unavailable as of the mailing date of this proxy
statement.
|
ITEMS
OF BUSINESS TO BE VOTED ON BY SHAREHOLDERS
Item
1 — Election of Directors
The Company’s Board of Directors
consists of eleven members. All of the nominees are currently
directors of the Company and the Bank, with the exception of Frank N. Czeschin
and Vaughn K. Timberlake who serve on the Company’s Board only. The
Board is divided into three classes, each with three-year staggered terms, with
approximately one-third of the directors elected each year. The four
nominees who have been nominated for election at the annual meeting to serve for
a three-year term or until their successors have been duly elected and qualified
are: Cecile A. Blau, Douglas A. York, John P. Lawson and Frank N.
Czeschin.
Unless you indicate on the proxy card
that your shares should not be voted for certain nominees, the Board of
Directors intends that the proxies solicited by it will be voted for the
election of each of the Board’s nominees. If any nominee is unable to
serve, the persons named in the proxy card would vote your shares to approve the
election of any substitute proposed by the Board of Directors. At
this time, we know of no reason why any nominee might be unable to
serve.
The Board of Directors recommends that
shareholders vote “FOR” the election of all of the nominees.
Information regarding the nominees for
election at the annual meeting is provided below. Unless otherwise
stated, each individual has held his or her current occupation for the last five
years. The age indicated for each individual is as of September 30,
2009. For those directors who are not former directors of Community
First Bank, the starting year of service as director includes service on the
Board of Directors of First Savings Bank.
Board
Nominees for Terms Ending in 2013
Cecile A.
Blau serves as a Senior Judge for the State of Indiana. Ms.
Blau served as a county judge in the State of Indiana until December 2008, when
her term expired. Age 64. Director since
2008.
Douglas A.
York is
President of Rodefer Moss & Co, PLLC, a public accounting
firm. Age 47. Director since 2008.
John P. Lawson,
Jr. is the Chief Operations Officer of First Savings Bank and First
Savings Financial Group. Mr. Lawson joined First Savings Bank in
1988. Previously, he served as Assistant Vice President, Vice
President, Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President of First Savings
Bank. Age 52. Director since 2006.
Frank N.
Czeschin is President of Indiana Utilities Corporation, a natural gas
distributor, President of Southern Indiana Pipeline Corporation, a natural gas
transporter, and Managing Partner of Zabel Builders, LLC, a residential
construction company. Former director of Community First
Bank. Age 48. Director since 2009.
Directors
Continuing in Office
The
following directors have terms ending in 2011:
Robert E.
Libs is owner and Chief Executive Officer of AML, Inc., a
contractor. Age 68. Director since 1992.
Michael F.
Ludden serves as Chairman of the Board of First Savings Financial Group
and First Savings Bank. He is President and Chief Executive Officer
of L. Thorn Company, Inc., a construction materials distribution
company. Age 60. Director since 1992.
Larry W.
Myers is the President and Chief Executive Officer of First Savings Bank
and First Savings Financial Group. Mr. Myers joined First Savings
Bank in 2005. Previously, he served as Chief Operations Officer of
First Savings Bank. Before joining First Savings Bank, he served as
an Area President of National City Bank in southern Indiana. Age
51. Director since 2005.
Vaughn K.
Timberlake is Executive Vice
President of First Savings Bank. Before joining First Savings Bank,
Mr.Timberlake served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Community First
Bank. Age 68. Director since 2009.
The
following directors have terms ending in 2012:
Charles E. Becht,
Jr. is
owner and President of Ward Forging Co., Inc., a steel fabrication
company. Age 61. Director since 1995.
Gerald Wayne
Clapp, Jr. is President of CLAPP
Auto Group, an auto sales and service company. Age
60. Director since 1995.
Samuel E.
Eckart is
Executive Vice President of First Savings Financial Group and Area President of
First Savings Bank. Before joining First Savings Bank, Mr. Eckart
served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of Community
First Bank. Age 59. Director since 2009.
Executive
Officers Who are Not Directors
Below is information regarding our
other executive officer who is not also a director of the Company. He
has held his current position for at least the last five years, unless otherwise
stated. The age presented is as of September 30, 2009.
Anthony A.
Schoen is the Chief Financial Officer of First Savings
Financial Group and First Savings Bank. Before assuming his current
position, Mr. Schoen served as Assistant Controller of First Savings
Bank. Before joining First Savings Bank, Mr. Schoen was a manager
with Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. Age 32.
Item
2 — Approval of the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive
Plan
On
December 16, 2009, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted, subject to
shareholder approval at the annual meeting, the First Savings Financial Group,
Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2010 Plan”). The 2010 Plan will
become effective as of the date of approval by the Company’s
shareholders.
The Board of Directors has reserved a
total of 355,885 shares of common stock for issuance upon the grant or exercise
of awards made pursuant to the 2010 Plan. Of these shares, the
Company may grant up to 101,681 shares in the form of restricted stock and may
grant stock options for up to 254,204 shares. These figures represent
4% and 10%, respectively, of the shares of stock issued in our initial public
offering, including shares issued to the charitable foundation. Each
employee and director of the Company and its affiliates may participate in the
2010 Plan. A summary of the 2010 Plan follows. This
summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2010 Plan, which is
attached to this proxy statement as Appendix
A.
The Board of Directors recommends that
shareholders vote “FOR” the approval of the First Savings Financial Group, Inc.
2010 Equity Incentive Plan.
Summary
of the 2010 Plan
Purpose. We
believe the 2010 Plan promotes the Company’s success by linking the personal
interests of the employees and directors of the Company and its affiliates to
the interests of the Company’s shareholders, and by providing participants with
an incentive for outstanding performance.
Permissible
Awards.
The 2010 Plan authorizes awards in any of the following forms:
|
·
|
options
to purchase shares of Company common stock, which may either be
non-statutory stock options or incentive stock options under Section 422
of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”);
and
|
|
·
|
restricted
stock grants, which may be subject to restrictions on transferability and
forfeiture.
|
Shares Available
for Awards. Subject to adjustment as provided in the 2010
Plan, the 2010 Plan reserves a total of 355,885 shares of common stock for
issuance pursuant to awards granted under the 2010 Plan, of which up to 101,681
shares may be granted in the form of restricted stock awards and up to 254,204
shares may be granted in the form of stock options.
Limitations on
Awards. We
may grant stock options for a maximum of 63,551 shares of common stock under the
2010 Plan to any one person during any one calendar year.
Section 162(m) of
the Internal Revenue Code. Section 162(m) of the Code denies a
tax deduction to public companies for compensation paid to certain “covered
employees” in a taxable year in excess of $1,000,000, unless the compensation
meets certain exceptions, such as performance-based
compensation. Stock options granted at fair market value may qualify
as “performance-based compensation” if the plan under which the options are
granted is approved by the shareholders and the plan states the maximum number
of options that may be granted any individual over a specified period of
time. For grants of restricted stock shares to meet the requirements
of Section 162(m) of the Code, shareholders must approve the material provision
of the plan regarding performance goals under which the awards will
vest. The 2010 Plan contains all of these features and will enable
awards under the 2010 Plan to qualify for full tax deductibility to the Company
under Section 162(m) of the Code, if we so desire.
Administration. We expect a committee
appointed by the Board of Directors, which consists of at least two
disinterested directors (the “Committee”), will administer the 2010
Plan. However, at times, the Board of Directors may administer the
2010 Plan. The Committee will designate participants; determine the
type or types of awards to be granted to each participant and the number, terms
and conditions of awards; establish, adopt or revise any rules and regulations
it deems advisable to administer the 2010 Plan; and make all other decisions and
determinations necessary under the 2010 Plan.
Limitations on
Transfer; Beneficiaries. Generally, participants
may not assign or transfer awards, other than by will or the laws of descent and
distribution or, except in the case of an incentive stock option, by a qualified
domestic relations order. The Committee may permit other transfers,
however, where it concludes that a transfer will not accelerate taxation, will
not cause any option intended to be an incentive stock option to fail to qualify
as such, and that a transfer is otherwise appropriate and desirable, taking into
account any factors deemed relevant, including, without limitation, applicable
state or federal tax or securities laws or regulations. A participant
may, in the manner determined by the Committee, designate a beneficiary to
exercise the rights of the participant and receive any distribution with respect
to any award upon the participant’s death.
Acceleration Upon
Certain Events. Unless an award agreement provides otherwise,
if a participant’s service terminates by reason of death or disability, all of
the participant’s outstanding options and restricted stock awards will become
fully exercisable and all time-based vesting restrictions on the outstanding
awards will lapse. The vesting of awards will also accelerate upon a
change in control, as defined in the 2010 Plan.
Adjustments. In
the event of a stock split, a dividend payable in shares of Company common
stock, or a combination or consolidation of the Company’s common stock into a
lesser number of shares, the 2010 Plan provides for the automatic proportionate
adjustment of the share authorization limits, and the shares then subject to
each award under the 2010 Plan, without any change in the aggregate purchase
price for each award. If the Company is involved in another corporate
transaction or event that affects its common stock, such as an extraordinary
cash dividend, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off,
combination or exchange of shares, the share authorization limits under the 2010
Plan will be adjusted proportionately and the Committee will adjust the 2010
Plan and outstanding awards as necessary to preserve the benefits or potential
benefits of the awards.
New Plan
Benefits. No grants have been made with respect to the shares
reserved for issuance under the 2010 Plan. The number of shares that
may be granted to any director, executive officer named in the Summary
Compensation Table below or any other employee is not determinable at this time
because such grants are subject to the discretion of the Committee.
Termination
and Amendment
The Board of Directors or the Committee
may, at any time and from time to time, terminate, modify or amend the 2010
Plan. Shareholders must approve amendments to the 2010 Plan that will
materially increase the number of shares of stock issuable under the 2010 Plan,
expand the types of awards provided under the 2010 Plan, materially expand the
class of participants eligible to participate in the 2010 Plan, materially
extend the term of the 2010 Plan, reduce the exercise price of stock options or
otherwise constitute a material amendment requiring shareholder approval under
applicable stock market or stock exchange listing requirements, laws, policies
or regulations. In addition, the Board of Directors or the Committee
may condition any amendment on the approval of the shareholders for any other
reason. No termination or amendment of the 2010 Plan may adversely affect any
award previously granted under the 2010 Plan without the written consent of the
affected participant.
Prohibition
on Repricing
As discussed above under “Termination and Amendment,”
outstanding stock options cannot be repriced, directly or indirectly, without
the prior consent of the Company’s shareholders. The exchange of an
“underwater” option (i.e., an option having an
exercise price in excess of the current market value of the underlying stock)
for another award under the 2010 Plan would be considered an indirect repricing
and would, therefore, require the prior consent of the Company’s
shareholders.
Certain
Federal Income Tax Effects
Non-statutory
Stock Options. An option holder does
not recognize any income upon the grant of a non-statutory stock option under
the 2010 Plan. When the optionee exercises a non-statutory option,
however, he or she will recognize ordinary income equal to the excess of the
fair market value of the common stock received upon exercise of the option at
the time of exercise over the exercise price, and the Company will be allowed a
corresponding federal income tax deduction, subject to any applicable
limitations under Code Section 162(m). Any gain that the optionee
realizes when he or she later sells or disposes of the option shares will be
short-term or long-term capital gain, depending on how long the optionee held
the shares.
Incentive Stock
Options.
An option holder typically does not recognize any income upon the grant or
exercise of an incentive stock option. If the optionee holds the
option shares for at least two years after the date we grant the option and for
one year after receiving the shares upon exercise, the difference between the
exercise price and the amount realized upon sale or disposition of the option
shares will be long-term capital gain or loss, and the Company will not be
entitled to a federal income tax deduction. If the optionee disposes
of the option shares in a sale, exchange, or other disqualifying disposition
before the expiration of the required holding periods, he or she will recognize
taxable ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market
value of the option shares at the time of exercise over the exercise price, and
the Company will be allowed a federal income tax deduction equal to that same
amount. While the exercise of an incentive stock option may not
result in current taxable income, the excess of the fair market value of the
option shares at the time of exercise over the exercise price may be an item of
adjustment for purposes of determining the optionee’s alternative minimum
taxable income.
Restricted
Stock. Unless a participant
makes an election to accelerate recognition of income to the date of grant as
described below, a participant will not recognize income, and the Company will
not be allowed a federal income tax deduction at the time a restricted stock
award is granted, provided that the award is subject to restrictions on transfer
and is subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. When the
restrictions lapse, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the
fair market value of the common stock as of that date (less any amount he or she
paid for the stock), and the Company will be allowed a corresponding federal
income tax deduction at that time, subject to any applicable limitations under
Code Section 162(m). If the participant files an election under Code Section
83(b) within 30 days after the date of grant of the restricted stock, he or she
will recognize ordinary income as of the date of grant equal to the fair market
value of the stock on that date (less any amount paid for the stock), and the
Company will be allowed a corresponding federal income tax deduction at that
time, subject to any applicable limitations under Code Section
162(m). Any future income recognized in the stock will be taxable to
the participant at capital gains rates. However, if the participant
later forfeits the stock, the participant will not be able to recover the tax
previously paid pursuant to the Code Section 83(b) election.
Item
3 — Ratification of the Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm
The Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors has appointed Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. to be the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for the 2010 fiscal year, subject
to ratification by shareholders. A representative of Monroe Shine
& Co., Inc. is expected to be present at the annual meeting to respond to
appropriate questions from shareholders and will have the opportunity to make a
statement should he desire to do so.
If the ratification of the appointment
of the independent registered public accounting firm is not approved by a
majority of the shares cast at the annual meeting, the Audit Committee of the
Board of Directors may consider other independent registered public accounting
firms.
The Board of Directors recommends that
shareholders vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Monroe Shine
& Co., Inc. as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm
for the 2010 fiscal year.
Audit
Fees. The following table sets forth the fees billed to the
Company and the Bank by Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008:
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
Audit
fees (1)
|
|
$ |
76,115 |
|
|
$ |
151,665 |
|
Audit
related fees (2)
|
|
|
67,360 |
|
|
|
16,560 |
|
Tax
fees (3)
|
|
|
10,770 |
|
|
|
7,765 |
|
All
other fees (4)
|
|
|
87,260 |
|
|
|
77,162 |
|
_____________________________
|
(1)
|
Includes
fees for the audit of the consolidated financial statements and review of
the interim financial information contained in the quarterly reports on
Form 10-Q and other regulatory reporting. In addition, this
category includes fees for services associated with SEC registration
statements or other documents filed in connection with securities
offerings including comfort letters, consents and assistance with the
review of documents filed with the
SEC.
|
|
(2)
|
Includes
fees for attestation and related services traditionally performed by the
auditor including attestation services not required by statute or
regulation, consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting
standards and due diligence and regulatory filings related to mergers or
acquisitions. For 2009, includes fees of $47,560 for assistance
with due diligence and regulatory filings prepared in connection with the
Community First Bank acquisition.
|
|
(3)
|
Includes
fees for tax compliance services including preparation of original and
amended federal and state income tax returns, preparation of property tax
returns and tax payment and planning
advice.
|
|
(4)
|
Other
fees includes fees for information technology project management, process
improvements and network management assistance for information technology
systems not associated with the financial
statements.
|
Policy
on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of
the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. The Audit
Committee has adopted a policy for approval of audit and permitted non-audit
services by the Company’s independent registered public accounting
firm. The Audit Committee will consider annually and approve the
provision of audit services by the independent registered public accounting firm
and, if appropriate, approve the provision of certain defined audit and
non-audit services. The Audit Committee also will consider on a
case-by-case basis and, if appropriate, approve specific
engagements.
Any proposed specific engagement may be
presented to the Audit Committee for consideration at its next regular meeting
or, if earlier consideration is required, to the Audit Committee or one or more
of its members. The member or members to whom such authority is
delegated shall report any specific approval of services at its next regular
meeting. The Audit Committee will regularly review summary reports
detailing all services being provided to the Company by its independent
registered public accounting firm.
During the fiscal year ended September
30, 2009, all of the audit related fees, tax fees and all other fees set forth
above were approved by the Audit Committee.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table. The following information
is furnished for the principal executive officer of First Savings Financial
Group or its subsidiaries and the two most highly-compensated executive officers
(other than the principal executive officer) of First Savings Financial Group or
its subsidiaries whose total compensation for the fiscal year ended September
30, 2009, exceeded $100,000.
Name and Principal
Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation (1)
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Larry
W. Myers
|
|
2009
|
|
$ |
180,123 |
|
|
$ |
24,744 |
|
|
$ |
19,908 |
|
|
$ |
224,775 |
|
President
& Chief
|
|
2008
|
|
|
174,100 |
|
|
|
2,068 |
|
|
|
9,886 |
|
|
|
186,954 |
|
Executive
Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
P. Lawson, Jr.
|
|
2009
|
|
$ |
126,685 |
|
|
$ |
16,873 |
|
|
$ |
13,687 |
|
|
$ |
157,245 |
|
Chief
Operations
|
|
2008
|
|
|
121,800 |
|
|
|
1,448 |
|
|
|
6,000 |
|
|
|
129,248 |
|
Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
_____________________________
(1)
|
For
fiscal 2009, consists of employer contributions to the First Savings Bank
Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan and shares allocated under
the ESOP.
|
Employment
Agreements. The
Company and the Bank have entered into amended and restated employment
agreements with Larry W. Myers and John P. Lawson, Jr. (each an “executive” and,
collectively, the “executives”) effective October 7, 2009. The
employment agreements each provide for three-year terms, subject to annual
renewal by the Boards of Directors for an additional year beyond the
then-current expiration date. The current base salaries under the
employment agreements are $185,200 and $128,800 for Messrs. Myers and Lawson,
respectively. The agreements also provide for participation in
employee benefit plans and programs we maintain for the benefit of employees and
senior management personnel, including incentive compensation, health and
welfare benefits, retirement benefits and certain fringe benefits, as described
in the agreements. We also agree to pay all reasonable costs and
legal fees of the executives in relation to the enforcement of the employment
agreements, provided the executives succeed on the merits in a legal judgment,
arbitration proceeding or settlement. The employment agreements also
provide for indemnification of the executives to the fullest extent legally
permissible. See “Potential Post-Termination
Benefits” for a discussion of the benefits and payments the executives
may receive upon termination of employment.
Potential
Post-Termination Benefits
Payments
Made Upon Termination for Cause or Voluntary Termination Without Good
Reason. If
we terminate the employment of either Larry W. Myers or John P. Lawson, Jr.
(collectively referred to in this section on Post-Termination Benefits as the
“executives” and individually referred to as an “executive”) for cause, or if
either executive terminates employment without good reason, under the terms of
the employment agreements, the executive would receive his base salary through
the date of his termination of employment and retain the rights to any vested
benefits, subject to the terms of any applicable plan or agreement under which
we provide those benefits. Upon termination of employment, each
executive must adhere to a one-year non-competition provision and a two-year
non-solicitation provision. In addition, all vested supplemental ESOP
benefits credited under the supplemental executive retirement plan will be
distributed to the executives in a lump sum as soon as practicable following the
termination of employment.
Payments
Made Upon Voluntary Termination With Good Reason and Termination Without
Cause. If
we terminate either executive for reasons other than cause, or if either
executive resigns after the occurrence of specified circumstances that
constitute constructive termination (in other words, for “good reason”), the
executive will continue to receive his base salary for the remaining unexpired
term of the employment agreement. In addition, we will continue or
cause to be continued the executive’s medical benefits until the earlier of: (1)
the date he becomes eligible for Medicare; (2) his death; or (3) the end of the
remaining term of the employment agreement. Upon termination of
employment, each executive must adhere to a one-year non-competition provision
and a two-year non-solicitation provision.
Payments
Made Upon Disability. Under
the employment agreements, during any incapacity leading up to the termination
of the executive’s employment due to disability, we will continue to pay the
executive’s base salary, benefits (other than bonus) and perquisites until the
executive becomes eligible for benefits under our disability
plan. Upon termination of employment, each executive must adhere to a
one-year non-competition provision and a two-year non-solicitation provision.
Payments
Made Upon Death. Under
the employment agreements, following an executive’s death, we will pay the
executive’s estate the compensation due to the executive through the end of the
month in which his death occurs.
Payments
Made Upon a Change in Control. Under the
employment agreements, if, in connection with or following a change in control
(as described in the agreements), we, or our successor, terminate the executive
without cause or if the executive terminates employment voluntarily under
specified circumstances that constitute good reason, the executive will receive
a payment equal to three times his average annual
taxable compensation for the five preceding taxable years. In
addition, we will continue or cause to be continued the executive’s medical
benefits until the earlier of: (1) the date he becomes eligible for Medicare;
(2) his death; or (3) the end of the remaining term of the employment
agreement. The executives are not subject to any non-competition or
non-solicitation provisions following their termination of employment upon or in
connection with a change in control.
Section 280G of the Internal Revenue
Code provides that severance payments that equal or exceed three times the
individual’s “base amount” are deemed to be “excess parachute payments” if they
are contingent upon a change in control. These amounts are referred
to as “excess parachute payments.” Individuals receiving excess
parachute payments are subject to a 20% excise tax on the amount of the payment
in excess of the base amount, and we would not be entitled to a federal income
tax deduction for any amount above the base amount. For purposes of
Section 280G, an individual’s “base amount” generally equals his average annual
taxable compensation for the five taxable years preceding the year in which the
change in control occurs. The agreements allow, but do not require,
the executives to reduce their change in control payments to the extent
necessary to ensure that they will not receive “excess parachute payments,”
which otherwise would result in the imposition of an excise tax and loss of the
tax deduction.
Under the terms of the ESOP, upon a
change in control (as defined in the plan), the plan trustee will repay in full
any outstanding stock acquisition loan. After repayment of the
acquisition loan, all remaining shares of the Company’s common stock held in the
loan suspense account, all other stock or securities, and any cash proceeds from
the sale or other disposition of any shares of stock held in the loan suspense
account will be allocated among the accounts of all participants in the plan who
were employed by the Bank on the date immediately preceding the effective date
of the change in control. The allocations of shares or cash proceeds
shall be credited to each eligible participant in proportion to the opening
balances in their accounts as of the first day of the valuation period in which
the change in control occurred. Payments under the ESOP are not
categorized as parachute payments and, therefore, do not count towards each
executive’s Section 280G limit.
Upon a change of control before the
complete scheduled repayment of the ESOP loan, the First Savings Bank, F.S.B.
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan provides the executives with a benefit
equal to what the individual would have received under the ESOP had he remained
employed throughout the term of the ESOP loan less the benefits actually
provided under the ESOP. An individual’s benefit under the
supplemental executive retirement plan generally becomes payable upon the
participant’s separation from service.
OTHER
INFORMATION RELATING TO
DIRECTORS
AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 requires the Company’s executive officers and directors,
and persons who own more than 10% of any registered class of the Company’s
equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. These individuals are
required by regulation to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a)
reports they file.
Based solely on its review of the
copies of the reports it has received and written representations provided to it
from the individuals required to file the reports, the Company believes that
each of its executive officers and directors has complied with applicable
reporting requirements for transactions in the Company’s common stock during the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2009.
Transactions
with Related Persons
Loans
and Extensions of Credit. The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 generally prohibits First Savings Financial Group
from lending to its executive officers and directors. However, the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act contains a specific exemption from such prohibition for loans
made by the Bank to its executive officers and directors in compliance with
federal banking regulations. Federal regulations require that all
loans or extensions of credit to executive officers and directors of insured
institutions must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest
rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable
transactions with other persons and must not involve more than the normal risk
of repayment or present other unfavorable features. The Bank,
therefore, is prohibited from making any new loans or extensions of credit to
executive officers and directors at different rates or terms than those offered
to the general public. Notwithstanding this rule, federal regulations
permit the Bank to make loans to executive officers and directors at reduced
interest rates if the loan is made under a benefit program generally available
to all other employees and does not give preference to any executive officer or
director over any other employee. The Bank does not sponsor such a
program.
According to the Company’s Audit
Committee Charter, the Audit Committee periodically reviews, no less frequently
than quarterly, a summary of the Company’s transactions with directors and
executive officers of the Company and with firms that employ directors, as well
as any other related person transactions, for the purpose of recommending to the
disinterested members of the Board of Directors that the transactions are fair,
reasonable and within Company policy and should be ratified and
approved. Also, in accordance with banking regulations and Company
policy, the Board of Directors reviews all loans made to a director or executive
officer in an amount that, when aggregated with the amount of all other loans to
such person and his or her related interests, exceed the greater of $25,000 or
5% of the Company’s capital and surplus (up to a maximum of $500,000) and such
loan must be approved in advance by a majority of the disinterested members of
the Board of Directors. Additionally, pursuant to the Company’s Code
of Ethics and Business Conduct, all executive officers and directors of the
Company must disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest to the
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Such potential
conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) the
Company conducting business with or competing against an organization in which a
family member of an executive officer or director has an ownership or employment
interest and (2) the ownership of more than 1% of the outstanding securities or
5% of total assets of any business entity that does business with or is in
competition with the Company.
The aggregate outstanding balance of
loans extended by the Bank to its executive officers, employees and directors
and related parties was $9.5 million at September 30, 2009. These
loans were performing according to their original terms at September 30,
2009. In addition, these loans were made in the ordinary course of
business, on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and
collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable loans with persons
not related to First Savings Bank, and did not involve more than the normal risk
of collectibility or present other unfavorable features when made.
Other
Transactions. Since
October 1, 2008, there have been no transactions and there are no currently
proposed transactions in which the Company or the Bank were or are to be a
participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any of the
Company’s executive officers and directors had or will have a direct or indirect
material interest.
SUBMISSION
OF BUSINESS PROPOSALS AND SHAREHOLDER NOMINATIONS
The Company must receive proposals that
shareholders seek to include in the proxy statement for the Company’s next
annual meeting no later than September 21, 2010. If next year’s
annual meeting is held on a date that is more than 30 calendar days from
February 24, 2011, a shareholder proposal must be received by a reasonable time
before the Company begins to print and mail its proxy solicitation materials for
such annual meeting. Any shareholder proposals will be subject to the
requirements of the proxy rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The Company’s Bylaws provide that, in
order for a shareholder to make nominations for the election of directors or
proposals for business to be brought before the annual meeting, a shareholder
must deliver notice of such nomination and/or proposals to the Company’s
Secretary not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days before the date of the
annual meeting. However, if less than 71 days’ notice or prior public
disclosure of the annual meeting is given to shareholders, such notice must be
delivered not later than the close of the tenth day following the day on which
notice of the annual meeting was mailed to shareholders or public disclosure of
the meeting date was made. A copy of the Bylaws may be obtained from
the Company.
SHAREHOLDER
COMMUNICATIONS
The Company encourages shareholder
communications to the Board of Directors and/or individual
directors. All communications from shareholders should be addressed
to First Savings Financial Group, Inc., 501 East Lewis & Clark Parkway,
Clarksville, Indiana 47129. Communications to the Board of Directors
should be sent to the attention of M. Sue Johnson, Corporate
Secretary. Communications to individual directors should be sent to
such director at the Company’s address. Shareholders who wish to
communicate with a committee of the Board of Directors should send their
communications to the attention of the Chairman of the particular committee,
with a copy to Charles E. Becht, Jr., the Chairman of the Nominating/Corporate
Governance Committee. It is in the discretion of the
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee as to whether a communication sent to
the full Board should be brought before the full Board.
MISCELLANEOUS
The Company will pay the cost of
this proxy solicitation. In addition to the solicitation of proxies
by mail, Regan & Associates, Inc., a proxy solicitation firm, will assist
the Company in soliciting proxies for the annual meeting. The Company
will pay a fee of up to $8,000 for these services, plus related
expenses. The Company will reimburse brokerage firms and other
custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for reasonable expenses incurred by them in
sending proxy materials to the beneficial owners of the
Company. Additionally, directors, officers and other employees of the
Company may solicit proxies personally or by telephone. None of these
persons will receive additional compensation for these activities.
The Company’s Annual Report on Form
10-K has been included with this proxy statement. Any shareholder who
has not received a copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K may obtain a copy by
writing to the Corporate Secretary of the Company. The Annual Report
is not to be treated as part of the proxy solicitation material or as having
been incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.
If you and others who share your
address own your shares in “street name,” your broker or other holder of record
may be sending only one annual report and proxy statement to your
address. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to
reduce our printing and postage costs. However, if a shareholder
residing at such an address wishes to receive a separate annual report or proxy
statement in the future, he or she should contact the broker or other holder of
record. If you own your shares in “street name” and are receiving
multiple copies of our annual report and proxy statement, you can request
householding by contacting your broker or other holder of record.
Whether or not you plan to attend
the annual meeting, please vote by marking, signing, dating and promptly
returning the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed envelope.
|
By
Order of the Board of Directors,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M.
Sue Johnson
|
|
Corporate
Secretary
|
|
|
Clarksville,
Indiana
|
|
January
19, 2010
|
|
APPENDIX
A
FIRST
SAVINGS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
2010
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
ARTICLE
1
PURPOSE
The
purpose of the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan
(the “Plan”) is to promote the success, and enhance the value, of First Savings
Financial Group, Inc. (the “Company”) by linking the personal financial and
economic interests of employees, officers and directors of the Company or any
Affiliate (as defined below) to those of Company shareholders and by providing
such persons with an incentive for performance. The Plan is further
intended to provide flexibility to the Company in its ability to motivate,
attract and retain the services of employees, officers and directors upon whose
judgment, interest and effort the successful conduct of the Company’s operation
largely depends. Accordingly, the Plan permits the grant of equity
incentive awards from time to time to selected employees, officers and directors
of the Company and its Affiliates.
ARTICLE
2
DEFINITIONS
When a
word or phrase appears in this Plan with the initial letter capitalized, and the
word or phrase does not commence a sentence, the word or phrase shall generally
be given the meaning ascribed to it in this Article 2 unless the context clearly
requires a different meaning. The following words and phrases shall
have the following meanings:
“Affiliate” means an entity
that directly or through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by
or is under common control with, the Company, as determined by the
Committee.
“Award” means any Option or
Restricted Stock Award granted to a Participant under the Plan.
“Award Agreement” means a
written document, in such form as the Committee prescribes from time to time,
setting forth the terms and conditions of an Award.
“Board of Directors” means the
Board of Directors of the Company.
“Change in Control” means the
occurrence of any one of the following events:
|
(1)
|
Merger: The Company merges
into or consolidates with another corporation, or merges another
corporation into the Company, and, as a result, less than a majority of
the combined voting power of the resulting corporation immediately after
the merger or consolidation is held by persons who were stockholders of
the Company immediately before the merger or
consolidation;
|
|
(2)
|
Acquisition
of Significant Share Ownership: A report on Schedule
13D or another form or schedule (other than Schedule 13G) is filed or is
required to be filed under Sections 13(d) or 14(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, if the schedule discloses that the filing person or
persons acting in concert has or have become the beneficial owner of 25%
or more of a class of the Company’s voting securities, but this clause (2)
shall not apply to beneficial ownership of Company voting shares held in a
fiduciary capacity by an entity of which the Company directly or
indirectly beneficially owns fifty percent (50%) or more of its
outstanding voting securities;
or
|
|
(3)
|
Change
in Board Composition: During any
period of two consecutive years, individuals who constitute the Board of
Directors at the beginning of the two-year period cease for any reason to
constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors; provided,
however, that for purposes of this clause (3), each director who is first
elected by the Board (or first nominated by the Board for election by the
stockholders) by a vote of at least two-thirds (⅔) of the directors who
were directors at the beginning of the two-year period shall be deemed to
have also been a director at the beginning of such
period.
|
“Change in Control Price”
means the highest price per share of Shares offered in conjunction with any
transaction resulting in a Change in Control (as determined in good faith by the
Committee if any part of the offered price is payable other than in cash) or, in
the case of a Change in Control occurring solely by reason of a change in the
composition of the Board of Directors, the highest Fair Market Value of the
Shares on any of the thirty (30) trading days immediately preceding the date on
which a Change in Control occurs.
“Code” means the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
“Committee” means the
committee of the Board of Directors described in Article 4 of the
Plan.
“Company” means First Savings
Financial Group, Inc., or any successor corporation.
“Continuous Status as a
Participant” means the absence of any interruption or termination of
service as an employee, officer or director of the Company or any Affiliate, as
applicable. Continuous service shall not be considered interrupted in
the case of sick leave, military leave or any other absence approved by the
Company or an Affiliate, in the case of transfers between payroll locations or
between the Company, an Affiliate or a successor, or performance of services in
an emeritus, advisory or consulting capacity; provided, however, that for
purposes of an Incentive Stock Option, “Continuous Status as a Participant”
means the absence of any interruption or termination of service as an employee
of the Company or any Affiliate, as applicable.
“Covered Employee” means a
covered employee as defined in Section 162(m)(3) of the Code.
“Disability” shall mean any
illness or other physical or mental condition of a Participant that renders the
Participant incapable of performing his or her customary and usual duties for
the Company or an Affiliate, or any medically determinable illness or other
physical or mental condition resulting from a bodily injury, disease or mental
disorder which, in the judgment of the Committee, is permanent and continuous in
nature. The Committee may require such medical or other evidence as
it deems necessary to judge the nature and permanency of the Participant’s
condition. Notwithstanding the above, with respect to an Incentive
Stock Option, “Disability” shall mean “Permanent and Total Disability” as
defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.
“Effective Date” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1 of the Plan.
“Eligible Participant” means
an employee, officer or director of the Company or any Affiliate.
“Exchange” means any national
securities exchange on which the Stock may from time to time be listed or
traded.
“Fair Market Value” on any
date, means (i) if the Stock is listed on an Exchange, the closing sales price
on such exchange or over such system on such date or, in the absence of reported
sales on such date, the closing sales price on the immediately preceding date on
which sales were reported, or (ii) if the Stock is not listed on a securities
exchange, “Fair Market Value” shall mean a price determined by the Committee in
good faith on the basis of objective criteria.
“Grant Date” means the date an
Award is made by the Committee.
“Incentive Stock Option” means
an Option that is intended to be an incentive stock option and meets the
requirements of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision
thereto.
“Non-Employee Director” means
a director of the Company or an Affiliate who is not a common law employee of
the Company or an Affiliate.
“Non-Statutory Stock Option”
means an Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.
“Option” means a right granted
to a Participant under Article 7 of the Plan to purchase Stock at a specified
price during specified time periods. An Option may be either an
Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Statutory Stock Option.
“Parent or Subsidiary” means a
“parent corporation” or “subsidiary corporation” as such terms are defined in
Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code.
“Participant” means a
person who, as an employee, officer or director of the Company or any Affiliate,
has been granted an Award under the Plan; provided, however, that in the case of
the death of a Participant, the term “Participant” refers to a beneficiary
designated pursuant to Section 9.4 of the Plan or the legal guardian or other
legal representative acting in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of the Participant
under applicable state law and court supervision.
“Plan” means the First Savings
Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended from time to
time.
“Restricted Stock Award” means
Stock granted to a Participant under Article 8 of the Plan that is subject to
certain restrictions and to risk of forfeiture.
“Shares” means shares of the
Company’s Stock. If there has been an adjustment or substitution
pursuant to Article 10 of the Plan, the term “Shares” shall also include any
shares of stock or other securities that are substituted for Shares or into
which Shares are adjusted pursuant to Article 10 of the Plan.
“Stock” means the common stock
of the Company, par value $0.01, and such other securities of the Company as may
be substituted for Stock pursuant to Article 10 of the Plan.
“1933 Act” means the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
“1934 Act” means the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
ARTICLE
3
EFFECTIVE
TERM OF PLAN
3.1 EFFECTIVE DATE. The
Plan shall be effective as of the date it is approved by the shareholders of the
Company (the “Effective Date”).
3.2 TERMINATION OF
PLAN. The Plan shall terminate on the tenth anniversary of the
Effective Date. The termination of the Plan on such date shall not
affect the validity of any Award outstanding on the date of
termination.
ARTICLE
4
ADMINISTRATION
4.1 COMMITTEE. The Plan
shall be administered by a Committee appointed by the Board of Directors (which
Committee shall consist of at least two disinterested directors) or, at the
discretion of the Board of Directors from time to time, the Plan may be
administered by the full Board of Directors. It is intended that at
least two of the directors appointed to serve on the Committee shall be
“non-employee directors” (within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the
1934 Act) and “outside directors” (within the meaning of Code Section 162(m) and
the regulations thereunder) and that any such members of the Committee who do
not so qualify shall abstain from participating in any decision to make or
administer Awards that are made to Eligible Participants who, at the time of
consideration for such Award, (i) are persons subject to the short-swing profit
rules of Section 16 of the 1934 Act, or (ii) are reasonably anticipated to
become Covered Employees during the term of the Award. However, the
mere fact that a Committee member shall fail to qualify under either of the
foregoing requirements or shall fail to abstain from such action shall not
invalidate any Award made by the Committee which Award is otherwise validly made
under the Plan. The members of the Committee shall be appointed by,
and may be changed at any time and from time to time in the discretion of, the
Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may reserve for itself any
or all of the authority and responsibility of the Committee under the Plan or
may act as administrator of the Plan for any and all purposes. To the
extent the Board of Directors has reserved any authority and responsibility or
during any time that the Board of Directors is acting as administrator of the
Plan, it shall have all the powers of the Committee hereunder, and any reference
herein to the Committee (other than in this Section 4.1) shall include the Board
of Directors. To the extent any action of the Board of Directors
under the Plan conflicts with actions taken by the Committee, the actions of the
Board of Directors shall control.
4.2 ACTION AND INTERPRETATIONS BY THE
COMMITTEE. For purposes of administering the Plan, the
Committee may from time to time adopt rules, regulations, guidelines and
procedures for carrying out the provisions and purposes of the Plan and make
such other determinations, consistent with the Plan, as the Committee may deem
appropriate. The Committee’s interpretation of the Plan, any Awards
granted under the Plan, any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations
by the Committee with respect to the Plan are final, binding, and conclusive on
all parties. Each member of the Committee is entitled, in good faith,
to rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by
any officer or other employee of the Company or any Affiliate, by the Company’s
or an Affiliate’s independent certified public accountants, by Company counsel
or by any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by
the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.
4.3 AUTHORITY OF
COMMITTEE. Except as provided below, the Committee has the
exclusive power, authority and discretion to:
(a) Grant
Awards;
(b) Designate
Participants;
(c) Determine
the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant;
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(d)
|
Determine
the number of Awards to be granted and the number of Shares to which an
Award will relate;
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(e)
|
Determine
the terms and conditions of any Award granted under the Plan, including,
but not limited to, the exercise price, any restrictions or limitations on
the Award, any schedule for lapse of forfeiture restrictions or
restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or
waivers thereof, based in each case on such considerations as the
Committee in its sole discretion
determines;
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(f)
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Accelerate
the vesting, exercisability or lapse of restrictions of any outstanding
Award in accordance with Articles 9 and 10 of the Plan, based in each case
on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion
determines;
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(g)
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Prescribe
the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each
Participant;
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(h) Decide
all other matters that must be determined in connection with an
Award;
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(i)
|
Establish,
adopt or revise any rules, regulations, guidelines or procedures as it may
deem necessary or advisable to administer the
Plan;
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(j)
|
Make
all other decisions and determinations that may be required under the Plan
or as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;
and
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(k) Amend
the Plan or any Award Agreement as provided herein.
Notwithstanding
the above, the Board of Directors or the Committee may also delegate, to the
extent permitted by applicable law, to one or more officers of the Company, the
Committee’s authority under subsections (a) through (h) above, pursuant to a
resolution that specifies the total number of Options or Restricted Stock Awards
that may be granted under the delegation; provided that no officer may be
delegated the power to designate himself or herself as a recipient of such
Awards; and provided further, that no delegation of its duties and
responsibilities may be made to officers of the Company with respect to Awards
to Eligible Participants who as of the Grant Date are persons subject to the
short-swing profit rules of Section 16 of the 1934 Act, or who as of the Grant
Date are reasonably anticipated to become Covered Employees during the term of
the Award. The acts of such delegates shall be treated hereunder as
acts of the Committee and such delegates shall report to the Committee regarding
the delegated duties and responsibilities.
4.4 AWARD
AGREEMENTS. Each Award shall be evidenced by an Award
Agreement. Each Award Agreement shall include such provisions, consistent with
the Plan, as may be specified by the Committee.
ARTICLE
5
SHARES
SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
5.1 NUMBER OF
SHARES. Subject to adjustment as provided in Article 10 of the
Plan, the aggregate number of Shares reserved and available for issuance
pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan shall be 355,885.
5.2 SHARE COUNTING. To
the extent that an Award is canceled, terminates, expires, is forfeited or
lapses for any reason, any unissued Shares subject to the Award will again be
available for issuance pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan.
5.3 STOCK
DISTRIBUTED. Any Stock distributed pursuant to an Award may
consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Stock, treasury Stock
or Stock purchased on the open market.
5.4 LIMITATION ON
AWARDS. Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the
contrary (but subject to adjustment as provided in Article 10), the maximum
number of Shares that may be delivered pursuant to Awards under the Plan is
355,885, of which the
maximum number of Shares that may be delivered pursuant to Award of Restricted
Stock under the Plan is 101,681
and the maximum number that may be delivered pursuant to Option exercises
is 254,204. The maximum number of Shares with respect to which
Options may be granted during any one calendar year under the Plan to any one
Participant shall be 63,551.
ARTICLE
6
ELIGIBILITY
Awards
may be granted only to Eligible Participants; except that Incentive Stock
Options may be granted only to Eligible Participants who are employees of the
Company or a Parent or Subsidiary of the Company.
ARTICLE
7
STOCK
OPTIONS
7.1 GENERAL. The
Committee is authorized to grant Options to Participants on the following terms
and conditions:
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(a)
|
Exercise
Price. The exercise price of an Option shall not be less
than the Fair Market Value per Share as of the Grant
Date.
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(b)
|
Time and Conditions of
Exercise. The Committee shall determine the time or
times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part, subject to
Section 7.1(d) of the Plan. The Committee shall also determine
the conditions, if any, that must be satisfied before all or part of an
Option may be exercised or vested. The Committee may waive any
exercise or vesting provisions at any time in whole or in part based upon
factors as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion so that the
Option becomes exercisable or vested at an earlier
date.
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(c)
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Payment. The
Committee shall determine the methods by which the exercise price of an
Option may be paid, the form of payment, including, without limitation,
cash, Shares, or other property (including “cashless exercise”
arrangements), and the methods by which Shares shall be delivered or
deemed to be delivered to
Participants.
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(d)
|
Exercise
Term. In no event may any Option be exercisable for more
than ten (10) years from the Grant
Date.
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7.2 INCENTIVE STOCK
OPTIONS. The terms of any Incentive Stock Options granted
under the Plan must comply with the following additional rules:
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(a)
|
Lapse of
Option. Subject to any earlier termination provision
contained in the Award Agreement, an Incentive Stock Option shall lapse
upon the earliest of the following circumstances; provided, however, that
the Committee may, prior to the lapse of the Incentive Stock Option under
the circumstances described in subsections (3), (4) or (5) below, provide
in writing that the Option will extend until a later date, but if an
Option is so extended and is exercised after the dates specified in
subsections (3) and (4) below, it will automatically become a
Non-Statutory Stock Option:
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(1) The
expiration date set forth in the Award Agreement.
(2) The
tenth anniversary of the Grant Date.
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(3)
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Three
(3) months after termination of the Participant’s Continuous Status as a
Participant for any reason other than the Participant’s Disability or
death.
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(4)
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One
(1) year after the Participant’s Continuous Status as a Participant by
reason of the Participant’s
Disability.
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(5)
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One
(1) year after the Participant’s death if the Participant dies while
employed or during the three-month period described in paragraph (3), or
during the one-year period described in paragraph (4), but before the
Option otherwise lapses.
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Unless
the exercisability of the Incentive Stock Option is accelerated as provided in
Articles 9 or 10 of the Plan, if a Participant exercises an Option after
termination of employment, the Option may be exercised only with respect to the
Shares that were otherwise vested on the Participant’s termination of
employment. Upon the Participant’s death, any exercisable Incentive
Stock Options may be exercised by the Participant’s Beneficiary, determined in
accordance with Section 9.4 of the Plan.
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(b)
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Individual Dollar
Limitation. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined
as of the Grant Date) of all Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock
Options are first exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year may
not exceed $100,000 (or any higher value as may be permitted under Section
422 of the Code).
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(c)
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Ten Percent
Owners. No Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to
any individual who, at the Grant Date, owns stock possessing more than ten
percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock
of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary unless the exercise price per
share of such Option is at least one hundred and ten percent (110%) of the
Fair Market Value per Share at the Grant Date and the Option expires no
later than five (5) years after the Grant
Date.
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(d)
|
Expiration of Authority to
Grant Incentive Stock Options. No Incentive Stock Option
may be granted pursuant to the Plan after the day immediately prior to the
tenth anniversary of the date the Plan was approved by shareholders, or
the termination of the Plan, if
earlier.
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|
(e)
|
Right to
Exercise. During a Participant’s lifetime, an Incentive
Stock Option may be exercised only by the Participant or, in the case of
the Participant’s Disability, by the Participant’s guardian or legal
representative.
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(f)
|
Eligible
Grantees. The Committee may not grant an Incentive Stock
Option to a person who is not at the Grant Date an employee of the Company
or of an Affiliate.
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|
(g)
|
Limitations of Option Grants
for Section 162(m) of the Code. The Committee may not
grant more than 63,551 Options
to any individual in any single calendar
year.
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ARTICLE
8
RESTRICTED
STOCK
8.1 GRANT OF RESTRICTED
STOCK. The Committee is authorized to make Awards of
Restricted Stock to Participants in such amounts and subject to such terms and
conditions as may be selected by the Committee.
8.2 ISSUANCE AND
RESTRICTIONS. Restricted Stock shall be subject to such
restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may
impose (including, without limitation, limitations on the right to vote
Restricted Stock or the right to receive dividends on the Restricted
Stock). These restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at
such times, under such circumstances, in such installments, upon the
satisfaction of performance goals or otherwise, as the Committee determines at
the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter. Except as otherwise
provided in an Award Agreement, the Participant shall have all of the rights of
a shareholder with respect to the Restricted Stock.
8.3 FORFEITURE. Except
as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award
or thereafter, upon termination of Continuous Status as a Participant during the
applicable restriction period, Restricted Stock that is at that time subject to
restrictions shall be forfeited; provided, however, that the Committee may
provide in any Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture conditions
relating to Restricted Stock will be waived in whole or in part in connection
with a Change in Control or in the event of terminations resulting from death or
disability, and the Committee may in other cases waive in whole or in part
restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock.
8.4 DELIVERY OF RESTRICTED
STOCK. Unless otherwise held in a trust and registered in the
name of the trustee, reasonably promptly after the Grant Date with respect to
shares of Restricted Stock, the Company shall cause to be issued a stock
certificate, registered in the name of the Participant to whom the Restricted
Stock was granted, evidencing such shares. Each such stock
certificate shall bear the following legend:
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“The
transferability of this certificate and the shares of stock represented
hereby are subject to the restrictions, terms and conditions (including
forfeiture provisions and restrictions against transfer) contained in the
First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and in the
Award Agreement entered into between the registered owner of such shares
and First Savings Financial Group, Inc. or its Affiliates. A
copy of the Plan and the Award Agreement is on file in the office of the
Corporate Secretary of First Savings Financial Group,
Inc.”
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Such
legend shall not be removed until the Participant vests in such shares pursuant
to the terms of the Plan and the Award Agreement. Each certificate
issued pursuant to this Section 8.4, in connection with a Restricted Stock
Award, shall be held by the Company or its Affiliates, unless the Committee
determines otherwise.
8.5 VOTING
RIGHTS. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at the
time of grant, a Participant holding Restricted Stock shall be entitled to
exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares during the restriction
period.
8.6 DIVIDENDS AND OTHER
DISTRIBUTIONS. During the restriction period, a Participant
holding Restricted Stock may, if the Committee so determines, be credited with
dividends paid with respect to the underlying Shares. Such dividends
shall be paid to the Participant at times determined by the Committee in its
sole discretion. The Committee may apply any restrictions to the
dividends that the Committee deems appropriate.
8.7 PERFORMANCE AWARDS. Subject to the
limitations of this Plan, the Committee may, in its discretion, grant
performance awards to eligible individuals upon such terms and conditions and at
such times as the Committee shall determine. Performance awards may
be in the form of performance shares. An award of a performance share
is a grant of a right to receive shares of Stock which is contingent upon
the achievement of performance or other objectives during a specified period and
which has a value on the date of grant equal to the Fair Market Value of a share
of Stock.
Subject
to the terms of this Plan and the requirements of Section 409A of the Code,
the Committee has the authority to determine the nature, length and starting
date of the period during which a Participant may earn a performance award and
will determine the conditions that must be met in order for a performance award
to be granted or to vest or be earned. These conditions may include
specific performance objectives, continued service or employment for a certain
period of time, or a combination of such conditions. Performance awards
granted under the Plan may be based on one or more of the following business
criteria: basic earnings per common share, basic cash earnings per common share,
diluted earnings per common share, diluted cash earnings per common share, net
income, cash earnings, net interest income, non-interest income, general and
administrative expense to average assets ratio, cash general and administrative
expense to average assets ratio, efficiency ratio, cash efficiency ratio, return
on average assets, cash return on average assets, return on average
stockholders’ equity, cash return on average stockholders’ equity, return on
average tangible stockholders’ equity, cash return on average tangible
stockholders’ equity, core earnings, operating income, operating efficiency
ratio, net interest rate spread, loan production volume, nonperforming loans,
cash flow, strategic business objectives, consisting of one or more objectives
based upon meeting specified cost targets, business expansion goals, and goals
relating to acquisitions or divestitures, or goals relating to capital raising
and capital management, or any combination of the foregoing.. Each
goal may be expressed on an absolute and/or relative basis, may be based on or
otherwise employ comparisons based on internal targets, past performance of the
Company or any subsidiary, operating unit or division of the Company and/or the
past or current performance of other companies, and in the case of
earnings-based measures, may use or employ comparisons relating to capital,
stockholders’ equity and/or shares of common stock outstanding, or to assets or
net assets.
No later than ninety (90) days
following the commencement of a performance period (or such other time as may be
required by Section 162(m) of the Code), the Committee shall, in writing (i)
select the performance goal or goals applicable to the performance period, (ii)
establish the various targets and bonus amounts which may be earned for such
performance period, and (iii) specify the relationship between the performance
goals and targets and the amounts to be earned by each Participant for the
performance period.
ARTICLE
9
GENERAL
PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS
9.1 STAND-ALONE AND TANDEM
AWARDS. Awards granted under the Plan may, in the sole
discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone or in addition to or, in
tandem with, any other Award granted under the Plan.
9.2 TERM OF AWARD. The
term of each Award shall be for the period as determined by the Committee,
provided that in no event shall the term of any Incentive Stock Option exceed a
period of ten (10) years from its Grant Date (or, if Section 7.2(c) applies,
five (5) years from its Grant Date).
9.3 LIMITS ON
TRANSFER. No right or interest of a Participant in any
unexercised or restricted Award may be pledged, encumbered, or hypothecated to
or in favor of any party other than the Company or an Affiliate, or shall be
subject to any lien, obligation, or liability of such Participant to any other
party other than the Company or an Affiliate. No unexercised or
restricted Award shall be assignable or transferable by a Participant other than
by will or the laws of descent and distribution or, except in the case of an
Incentive Stock Option, pursuant to a domestic relations order that would
satisfy Section 414(p)(1)(A) of the Code if that Code section applied to an
Award under the Plan; provided, however, that the Committee may (but need not)
permit other transfers where the Committee concludes that such transferability
(i) does not result in accelerated taxation, (ii) does not cause any Option
intended to be an Incentive Stock Option to fail to be an option described in
Code Section 422(b), and (iii) is otherwise appropriate and desirable, taking
into account any factors deemed relevant, including without limitation, state or
federal tax or securities laws applicable to transferable Awards.
9.4 BENEFICIARIES. Notwithstanding
Section 9.3 of the Plan, a Participant may, in the manner determined by the
Committee, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and
to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participant’s
death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other
person claiming any rights under the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions
of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to the Participant, except to the
extent the Plan and the Award Agreement otherwise provide, and to any additional
restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee. If no
beneficiary has been designated or survives the Participant, payment shall be
made to the Participant’s estate. Subject to the foregoing, a
beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at any time
provided the change or revocation is filed with the Committee.
9.5 STOCK
CERTIFICATES. All Stock issuable under the Plan is subject to
any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee deems necessary
or advisable to comply with federal or state securities laws, rules and
regulations and the rules of any national securities exchange or automated
quotation system on which the Stock is listed, quoted or traded. The
Committee may place legends on any Stock certificate or issue instructions to
the transfer agent to reference restrictions applicable to the
Stock.
9.6 ACCELERATION UPON DEATH OR
DISABILITY. Except as otherwise provided in the Award
Agreement, upon the Participant’s death or Disability during his or her
Continuous Status as a Participant, all of such Participant’s outstanding
Options and other Awards in the nature of rights that may be exercised shall
become fully exercisable and all time-based vesting restrictions on the
Participant’s outstanding Awards shall lapse. Any Awards shall
thereafter continue or lapse in accordance with the other provisions of the Plan
and the Award Agreement. To the extent that this provision causes
Incentive Stock Options to exceed the dollar limitation set forth in Section
7.2(b) of the Plan, the excess Options shall be deemed to be Non-Statutory Stock
Options.
9.7 TERMINATION OF
EMPLOYMENT. Whether military, government or other service or
other leave of absence shall constitute a termination of employment shall be
determined in each case by the Committee at its discretion and in accordance
with the terms of the Plan, and any determination by the Committee shall be
final and conclusive. A Participant’s Continuous Status as a
Participant shall not be deemed to terminate in a circumstance in which a
Participant transfers from the Company to an Affiliate, transfers from an
Affiliate to the Company, or transfers from one Affiliate to another
Affiliate. To the extent that this provision causes Incentive Stock
Options to extend beyond three (3) months from the date a Participant is deemed
to be an employee of the Company, a Parent or Subsidiary for purposes of
Sections 424(e) and 424(f) of the Code, the Options held by such Participant
shall be deemed to be Non-Statutory Stock Options.
ARTICLE
10
CHANGE
IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE; CHANGE IN CONTROL
10.1 CHANGES IN CAPITAL
STRUCTURE. In the event of a corporate event or transaction
involving the Company (including, without limitation, any stock dividend, stock
split, extraordinary cash dividend, recapitalization, merger, consolidation,
split-up, spin-off, combination or exchange of shares), the authorization limits
under Article 5 shall be adjusted proportionately, and the Committee shall
adjust the Plan and Awards to preserve the benefits or potential benefits of the
Awards. Action by the Committee may include: (i) adjustment of the
number and kind of Shares which may be delivered under the Plan; (ii) adjustment
of the number and kind of Shares subject to outstanding Awards; (iii) adjustment
of the exercise price of outstanding Awards or the measure to be used to
determine the amount of the benefit payable on an Award; and (iv) any other
adjustments that the Committee determines to be equitable. Without
limiting the foregoing, in the event of a subdivision of the outstanding Stock
(stock-split), a declaration of a dividend payable in Shares, or a combination
or consolidation of the outstanding Stock unto a lesser number of Shares, the
authorization limits under Article 5 shall automatically be adjusted
proportionately, and the Shares then subject to each Award shall automatically
be adjusted proportionately without any change in the aggregate purchase price
therefor.
10.2 ACCELERATED VESTING AND
PAYMENT. Subject to the provisions of Section 10.3 of the Plan
or as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, in the event of a Change in
Control, unless otherwise specifically prohibited under law or by the rules and
regulations of an Exchange:
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(a)
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Any
and all Options granted hereunder shall become immediately exercisable;
additionally, if a Participant’s employment or service is involuntarily
terminated or constructively terminated for any reason except cause (as
determined by the Committee) within twelve (12) months of the Change in
Control, the Participant shall have until the expiration of the term of
the Option to exercise such
Options;
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(b)
|
Any
time-based and other restrictions imposed on Restricted Stock shall lapse;
and
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(c)
|
The
Committee shall have the ability to unilaterally determine that all
outstanding Awards are cancelled upon a Change in Control, and the value
of such Awards, as determined by the Committee in accordance with the
terms of the Plan and the Award Agreement, be paid out in cash in an
amount based on the Change in Control Price within a reasonable time
subsequent to the Change in
Control.
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10.3 ALTERNATIVE
AWARDS. Notwithstanding Section 10.2 of the Plan, no cash
settlement or other payment shall occur with respect to any Award if the
Committee reasonably determines in good faith prior to the occurrence of a
Change in Control that such Award shall be honored or assumed, or new rights
substituted therefor (such honored, assumed or substituted Award hereinafter
called an “Alternative Award”) by any successor as described in Section 12.16 of
the Plan; provided, however, that any such Alternative Award
must:
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(a)
|
Be
based on stock which is traded on an established U.S. securities market,
or that the Committee reasonably believes will be so traded within sixty
(60) days after the Change in
Control;
|
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(b)
|
Provide
the Participant with rights and entitlements substantially equivalent to
or better than the rights, terms and conditions applicable under such
Award;
|
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(c)
|
Have
substantially equivalent economic value to such Award (determined at the
time of the Change in Control); and
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(d)
|
Have
terms and conditions which provide that, in the event the Participant’s
employment is involuntarily terminated or constructively terminated, any
conditions on a Participant’s rights under, or any restrictions on
transfer or exercisability applicable to, each Alternative Award shall be
waived or shall lapse, as the case may
be.
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ARTICLE
11
AMENDMENT,
MODIFICATION AND TERMINATION
11.1 AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION AND
TERMINATION. The Board of Directors or the Committee may, at
any time and from time to time, amend, modify or terminate the Plan without
shareholder approval; provided, however, that if an amendment to the Plan would,
in the reasonable opinion of the Board of Directors or the Committee, either (i)
materially increase the number of Shares available under the Plan, (ii) expand
the types of awards under the Plan, (iii) materially expand the class of
Eligible Participants, (iv) materially extend the term of the Plan, or (v)
otherwise constitute a material change requiring shareholder approval under
applicable laws, policies or regulations or the applicable listing or other
requirements of an Exchange, then such amendment shall be subject to shareholder
approval; and provided, further, that the Board of Directors or Committee may
condition any other amendment or modification on the approval of shareholders of
the Company for any reason, including by reason of such approval being necessary
or deemed advisable to (i) permit Awards made hereunder to be exempt from
liability under Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act, (ii) comply with the listing or
other requirements of an Exchange, or (iii) satisfy any other tax, securities or
other applicable laws, policies or regulations.
11.2 AWARDS PREVIOUSLY
GRANTED. At any time and from time to time, the Committee may
amend, modify or terminate any outstanding Award without approval of the
Participant; provided, however:
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(a)
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Subject
to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement, such amendment,
modification or termination shall not, without the Participant’s consent,
reduce or diminish the value of such Award determined as if the Award had
been exercised, vested, or otherwise settled on the date of such amendment
or termination (with the per-share value of an Option for this purpose
being calculated as the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value per Share
as of the date of such amendment or termination over the exercise price of
such Award);
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(b)
|
The
original term of an Option may not be extended without the prior approval
of the shareholders of the
Company;
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(c)
|
Except
as otherwise provided in Article 10 of the Plan, the exercise price of an
Option may not be reduced, directly or indirectly, without the prior
approval of the shareholders of the Company;
and
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(d)
|
No
termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect
any Award previously granted under the Plan, without the written consent
of the Participant affected thereby. An outstanding Award shall
not be deemed to be “adversely affected” by a Plan amendment if such
amendment would not reduce or diminish the value of such Award determined
as if the Award had been exercised, vested, or otherwise settled on the
date of such amendment (with the per-share value of an Option for this
purpose being calculated as the excess, if any, of the Fair Market Value
per Share as of the date of such amendment over the exercise or base price
of such Award).
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ARTICLE
12
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
12.1 NO RIGHTS TO AWARDS; NON-UNIFORM
DETERMINATIONS. No Participant or any Eligible Participant
shall have any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan. Neither the
Company, its Affiliates nor the Committee is obligated to treat Participants or
Eligible Participants uniformly, and determinations made under the Plan may be
made by the Committee selectively among Eligible Participants who receive, or
are eligible to receive, Awards (whether or not Eligible Participants are
similarly situated).
12.2 NO SHAREHOLDER
RIGHTS. Except as otherwise provided in this Plan or in an
Award Agreement, no Award gives a Participant any of the rights of a shareholder
of the Company unless and until Shares are in fact issued to such person in
connection with such Award.
12.3 WITHHOLDING. The
Company or any Affiliate shall have the authority and the right to deduct or
withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient
to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes (including the Participant’s FICA
obligation) required by law to be withheld with respect to any exercise, lapse
of restriction or other taxable event arising as a result of the
Plan. If Shares are surrendered to the Company to satisfy withholding
obligations in excess of the minimum withholding obligation, such Shares must
have been held by the Participant as fully vested shares for such period of
time, if any, as necessary to avoid variable accounting for the
Option. With respect to withholding required upon any taxable event
under the Plan, the Committee may, at the time the Award is granted or
thereafter, require or permit that any such withholding requirement be
satisfied, in whole or in part, by withholding from the Award Shares such number
of Award Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding equal to
the minimum amount (and not any greater amount) required to be withheld for tax
purposes, all in accordance with such procedures as the Committee
establishes.
12.4 NO RIGHT TO CONTINUED
SERVICE. Nothing in the Plan, in any Award Agreement or in any
other document or statement made with respect to the Plan, shall interfere with
or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate any
Participant’s employment or status as an officer, director or consultant at any
time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue as an employee,
officer, director or consultant of the Company or any Affiliate, whether for the
duration of a Participant’s Award or otherwise.
12.5 UNFUNDED STATUS OF
AWARDS. The Plan is intended to be an “unfunded” plan for
incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments not
yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or
in any Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater
than those of a general creditor of the Company or any Affiliate. The
Plan is not intended to be subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, as amended.
12.6 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER
BENEFITS. No payment under the plan shall be taken into
account in determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, savings,
profit sharing, group insurance, welfare or benefit plan of the company or any
affiliate unless expressly provided otherwise in such other plan.
12.7 EXPENSES. The
expenses of administering the plan shall be borne by the company and its
affiliates.
12.8 TITLES AND
HEADINGS. The titles and headings of the sections in the Plan
are for convenience of reference only, and in the event of any conflict, the
text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall
control.
12.9 GENDER AND
NUMBER. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any
masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine; the plural shall
include the singular and the singular shall include the plural.
12.10 FRACTIONAL
SHARES. No fractional Shares shall be issued and the Committee
shall determine, in its discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of
fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares shall be eliminated by
rounding up or down.
12.11 GOVERNMENT
AND OTHER REGULATIONS.
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(a)
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Notwithstanding
any other provision of the Plan, no Participant who acquires Shares
pursuant to the Plan may, during any period of time that such Participant
is an affiliate of the Company (within the meaning of the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1933 Act),
sell such Shares, unless such offer and sale is made (i) pursuant to an
effective registration statement under the 1933 Act, which is current and
includes the Shares to be sold, or (ii) pursuant to an appropriate
exemption from the registration requirement of the 1933 Act, such as that
set forth in Rule 144 promulgated under the 1933
Act.
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(b)
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Notwithstanding
any other provision of the Plan, if at any time the Committee shall
determine that the registration, listing or qualification of the Shares
covered by an Award upon any Exchange or under any federal, state or local
law or practice, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory
body, is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with,
the granting of such Award or the purchase or receipt of Shares
thereunder, no Shares may be purchased, delivered or received pursuant to
such Award unless and until such registration, listing, qualification,
consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any
condition not acceptable to the Committee. Any Participant
receiving or purchasing Shares pursuant to an Award shall make such
representations and agreements and furnish such information as the
Committee may request to assure compliance with the foregoing or any other
applicable legal requirements. The Company shall not be
required to issue or deliver any certificate or certificates for Shares
under the Plan prior to the Committee’s determination that all related
requirements have been fulfilled. The Company shall in no event
be obligated to register any securities pursuant to the 1933 Act or
applicable state law or to take any other action in order to cause the
issuance and delivery of such certificates to comply with any such law,
regulation or requirement.
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12.12 GOVERNING LAW. To
the extent not governed by federal law, the Plan and all Award Agreements shall
be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of
Indiana.
12.13 ADDITIONAL
PROVISIONS. Each Award Agreement may contain such other terms
and conditions as the Committee may determine; provided, however, that such
other terms and conditions are not inconsistent with the provisions of the
Plan.
12.14 INDEMNIFICATION. To
the extent allowable under applicable law, each member of the Committee shall be
indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or
expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in
connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to
which such member may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason
of any action or failure to act under the Plan and against and from any and all
amounts paid by such member in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or
proceeding against him or her provided he or she gives the Company an
opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she
undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The
foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of
indemnification to which such persons may be entitled under the Company’s
Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any
power that the Company may have to indemnify or hold them harmless.
12.15 NO LIMITATIONS ON RIGHTS OF
COMPANY. Subject to Section 12.16 of the Plan, the grant of
any Award shall not in any way affect the right or power of the Company to make
adjustments, reclassification or changes in its capital or business structure or
to merge, consolidate, dissolve, liquidate, sell or transfer all or any part of
its business or assets. The Plan shall not restrict the authority of
the Company, for proper corporate purposes, to draft or assume Awards, other
than under the Plan, to or with respect to any person. If the
Committee so directs, the Company may issue or transfer Shares to an Affiliate,
for such lawful consideration as the Committee may specify, upon the condition
or understanding that the Affiliate will transfer such Shares to a Participant
in accordance with the terms of an Award granted to such Participant and
specified by the Committee pursuant to the provisions of the Plan.
12.16 SUCCESSORS. Any
obligations of the Company or an Affiliate under the Plan with respect to Awards
granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company or Affiliate,
respectively, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct
or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or
substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company or Affiliate, as
applicable.
Dear ESOP
Participant:
On behalf
of the Board of Directors of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (the
“Company”), I am forwarding you the enclosed blue vote authorization form
to convey your voting instructions to First Bankers Trust Services, Inc. (the
“Trustee”) on the proposals to be presented at the Company’s Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to be held on February 24, 2010. Also enclosed is a
Notice and Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders and a copy of
the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders.
As a
participant in the First Savings Bank, F.S.B. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (the
“ESOP”), you are entitled to vote all shares of Company common stock allocated
to your account as of December 31, 2009, the record date for the Annual
Meeting. All allocated shares of the Company’s common stock will be
voted by the Trustee as directed by participants, so long as participant
instructions are received by the Trustee by February 17,
2010. If you do not direct the Trustee how to vote the shares
of the Company’s common stock allocated to your ESOP account, the Trustee will
vote your shares in the same proportion as shares for which the Trustee has
received voting instructions from other participants, subject to its fiduciary
duties.
Please
complete, sign and date the enclosed blue vote authorization form
and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided. Your vote will
not be revealed, directly or indirectly, to any employee or director of the
Company or First Savings Bank, F.S.B.
If you
participate in several employer-sponsored stock based benefit plans you will
receive multiple vote authorization forms. Please submit all the vote
authorization forms you receive.
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Sincerely,
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Larry
W. Myers
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President
and Chief Executive Officer
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VOTE AUTHORIZATION
FORM
I understand that First Bankers Trust
Services, Inc. (the “Trustee”) is the holder of record and trustee of all shares
of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (the “Company”) common stock under the
First Savings Bank, F.S.B. Employee Stock Ownership Plan. I
understand that my voting instructions are solicited on behalf of the Company’s
Board of Directors for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on February
24, 2010.
You are authorized to vote my shares as
follows:
1.
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The
election as directors of all nominees listed (unless the “For All Except”
box is marked and
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the
instructions below are complied
with).
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Cecile
A. Blau
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John
P. Lawson, Jr.
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Douglas
A. York
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Frank
N. Czeschin
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FOR
ALL
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FOR
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WITHHOLD
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EXCEPT
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☐
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☐
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☐
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INSTRUCTION: To
withhold your vote for any individual nominee, mark “FOR ALL EXCEPT” and write
that nominee’s name on the line provided below.
2.
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The
approval of the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive
Plan.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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☐
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☐
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☐
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3.
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The
ratification of the appointment of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as the
independent registered
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public
accounting firm of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. for the fiscal year
ending September 30,
2010.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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☐
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☐
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☐
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THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE NOMINEES AND THE OTHER LISTED
PROPOSALS.
The Trustee is hereby authorized to
vote all shares of Company common stock allocated to me in its trust capacity as
indicated above.
Please
date, sign and return this form in the enclosed postage-paid envelope no later
than February 17, 2010.
Dear
401(k) Plan Participant:
On behalf
of the Board of Directors of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (the
“Company”), I am forwarding you the enclosed green vote authorization form
to convey your voting instructions to Larry W. Myers, John P. Lawson, Jr. and
Gregory A. McMurry, the trustees (collectively the “Trustees”), of the First
Savings Financial Group Stock Fund (the “Stock Fund”) of the First Savings Bank
Profit Sharing/401(k) Plan (the “401(k) Plan”), on the proposals to be presented
at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on February 24,
2010. Also enclosed is a Notice and Proxy Statement for the Annual
Meeting of Shareholders and a copy of the Company’s Annual Report to
Shareholders.
As a
holder of the Company’s common stock through the Stock Fund, you are entitled to
direct the Trustees how to vote the shares of common stock credited to your
account as of December 31, 2009, the record date for the Annual
Meeting. If the Trustees do not receive your instructions by February 17, 2010, the
Trustees will vote your shares in the same proportion as shares for which the
Trustees have received voting instructions from other 401(k) Plan
participants.
Please
complete, sign and date the enclosed green vote authorization form
and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided. Your vote will
not be revealed, directly or indirectly, to any employee or director of the
Company or First Savings Bank, F.S.B.
If you
participate in several employer-sponsored stock based benefit plans you will
receive multiple voting instruction cards. Please submit all the
voting instruction cards you receive.
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Sincerely,
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Larry
W. Myers
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President
and Chief Executive Officer
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VOTE AUTHORIZATION
FORM
I understand that Larry W. Myers, John
P. Lawson, Jr. and Gregory A. McMurry (the “Trustees”) are the holders of record
and trustees of all shares of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. (the
“Company”) common stock credited to me under the First Saving Bank Profit
Sharing/401(k) Plan (the “401(k) Plan”). I understand that my voting
instructions are solicited on behalf of the Company’s Board of Directors for the
Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on February 24, 2010.
You are authorized to vote my shares as
follows:
1.
|
The
election as directors of all nominees listed (unless the “For All Except”
box is marked and
|
|
the
instructions below are complied
with).
|
Cecile
A. Blau
|
John
P. Lawson, Jr.
|
Douglas
A. York
|
Frank
N. Czeschin
|
|
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FOR
ALL
|
FOR
|
WITHHOLD
|
EXCEPT
|
☐
|
☐
|
☐
|
INSTRUCTION: To
withhold your vote for any individual nominee, mark “FOR ALL EXCEPT” and write
that nominee’s name on the line provided below.
2.
|
The
approval of the First Savings Financial Group, Inc. 2010 Equity Incentive
Plan.
|
|
|
|
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
☐
|
☐
|
☐
|
3.
|
The
ratification of the appointment of Monroe Shine & Co., Inc. as the
independent registered
|
|
public
accounting firm of First Savings Financial Group, Inc. for the fiscal year
ending September 30,
2010.
|
|
|
|
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
☐
|
☐
|
☐
|
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE NOMINEES AND THE OTHER LISTED
PROPOSALS.
The Trustees are hereby authorized to
vote all shares of Company common stock allocated to me in their trust capacity
as indicated above.
Please
date, sign and return this form in the enclosed postage-paid envelope no later
than February 17, 2010.