EXHIBIT 10.60
CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
EXECUTIVE SEVERANCE PLAN
A Participant shall be entitled to separation benefits as set forth in Section 4 or 5 below (whichever is applicable) if the Participant incurs a termination of employment from the Company that constitutes a Separation from Service and that is (i) initiated by the Company for any reason other than Cause, death, or Disability, or (ii) initiated by the Participant for Good Reason (collectively, an “Eligible Termination”). If the Participant incurs a Separation from Service for any other reason or dies while employed, the Participant shall not be entitled to any payments or benefits hereunder. An Eligible Employee who is not a Participant on his or her Termination Date shall not be entitled to any payments or benefits hereunder.
4. SEVERANCE PAY AND BENEFITS – UNRELATED TO CHANGE IN CONTROL
In the event the Participant’s Termination Date occurs prior to, or more than 18 months after, a Change in Control, and contingent upon the Participant timely executing, not revoking and complying with the terms of the Release and taking such other actions, as required by Section 6 below, the Company shall pay or provide to the Participant:
4.1 Cash Severance Pay. A cash payment equal to the sum of (i) 100% of the Participant’s Base Salary as of the Participant’s Termination Date, plus (ii) 100% of the dollar amount of the Participant’s annual performance bonus for the year in which the Participant’s Termination Date occurs (with performance deemed to be at target). Such total amount will be payable in substantially equal installments (in accordance with his or her employer’s normal payroll practices) during the 12-month period immediately following the Participant’s Termination Date; provided, that (x) such payments will commence on the first regularly scheduled payroll date that is at least 60 days following the Participant’s Termination Date, and (y) the first such payment shall include all payments that otherwise would have been paid to the Participant pursuant to this subsection between his or her Termination Date and the date payments commence.
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4.2 Prorated Annual Performance Bonus. A cash payment equal to the product of (i) the dollar amount of the Participant’s annual performance bonus for the year in which the Participant’s Termination Date occurs (with performance deemed at target), and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days during the annual performance period for such bonus through and including the Participant’s Termination Date, and the denominator of which is 365. Any amount payable under this section will be paid in a lump sum to the Participant on the first regularly scheduled payroll date that is at least 60 days following the Participant’s Termination Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Participant will not be eligible for any payment under this section unless the Participant’s Termination Date is on or after June 1 of the calendar year in which his or her Termination Date occurs.
4.3 Vesting of Time-Based Restricted Stock Awards. A number of shares of the Participant’s unvested time-based, restricted stock awards will vest on the Participant’s Termination Date. This number is determined separately for each outstanding, unvested award of time-based restricted stock as the product of (i) the total number of the shares of time-based restricted stock granted on the applicable grant date, and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full completed months as of the Participant’s Termination Date, which have elapsed since the grant date, and the denominator of which is the total number of months during the vesting period.
4.4 Vesting of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Awards. A number of shares of performance-based, unvested restricted stock awards (collectively, “PSAs”) will remain eligible to vest after the Participant’s Termination Date. The number of PSAs eligible to vest is determined separately for each outstanding, unvested award of PSAs as the product of (i) the total number of shares of PSAs granted on the applicable grant date, and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of full completed months as of the Participant’s Termination Date which have elapsed since such grant date, and the denominator of which is the total number of months during the vesting period. Any PSAs that remain eligible to vest as determined in the immediately preceding sentence will remain subject to the applicable performance criteria.
4.5 COBRA Continuation Coverage Payment. A cash amount equal to the COBRA continuation coverage premiums that would be payable by the Participant for the first 18 months of the COBRA continuation period, determined as if (i) the Participant elected COBRA continuation coverage for the Participant and the Participant’s spouse and dependents, to the extent such individuals were covered under CSGS’s group medical, dental and/or vision coverage as of the Participant’s Termination Date, and (ii) the cost of such COBRA coverage is measured as of the Participant’s Termination Date assuming such cost remains constant during such 18-month period. The cash amount will be payable to the Participant in a single lump sum on the first regularly scheduled payroll date that is at least 60 days following the Participant’s Termination Date.
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5. SEVERANCE PAY AND BENEFITS – IN CONNECTION WITH CHANGE IN CONTROL
In the event the Participant’s Termination Date occurs within 18 months after a Change in Control, and contingent upon the Participant timely executing, not revoking and complying with the terms of the Release and taking such other actions, as required by Section 6 below, the Company shall pay or provide to the Participant the following pay and other benefits:
5.1 Cash Severance Pay. A cash payment equal to the sum of (i) 200% of the Participant’s Base Salary as of the Participant’s Termination Date, plus (ii) 200% of the dollar amount of the Participant’s annual performance bonus for the year in which the Participant’s Termination Date occurs (with performance deemed to be at target). Such total amount will be paid to the Participant on the first regularly scheduled payroll date that is at least 60 days following the Participant’s Termination Date.
5.2 Prorated Annual Performance Bonus. An amount equal to the product of (i) the dollar amount of the Participant’s annual performance bonus for the year in which the Participant’s Termination Date occurs with performance deemed to be at target, and (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days during the annual performance period for the bonus through and including the Participant’s Termination Date, and the denominator of which is 365. Any amount payable under this section will be paid in a lump sum to the Participant on the first regularly scheduled payroll date that is at least 60 days following the Participant’s Termination Date.
5.3 Vesting of Time-Based Restricted Stock Awards. All of the Participant’s unvested time-based, restricted stock awards will vest on the Participant’s Termination Date.
5.4 Vesting of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Awards. All of the Participant’s unvested PSAs will vest on the Participant’s Termination Date, with the actual number of PSAs vesting determined based on the assumptions that the Company’s (and the Participant’s, if applicable) performance under such awards is achieved at target; provided, however, that in the event a PSA includes a stock price performance metric, the measurement period for such stock price performance metric will be deemed to have ended on the date of the Change in Control, and that metric will be measured on that date.
5.5 COBRA Continuation Coverage Payment. A cash amount equal to the COBRA continuation coverage premiums that would be payable by the Participant for the first 18 months of the COBRA continuation period, determined as if (i) the Participant were to elect COBRA continuation coverage for the Participant and the Participant’s spouse and dependents, to the extent such individuals were covered under CSGS’s group medical, dental and/or vision coverage as of the Participant’s Termination Date, and (ii) the cost of such COBRA coverage is measured as of the Participant’s Termination Date assuming such cost remains constant during such 18-month period. The cash amount will be payable to the Participant in a single lump sum on the first regularly scheduled payroll date that is at least 60 days following the Participant’s Termination Date.
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5.6 Excess Parachute Payments.
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The Participant will be eligible for severance pay and benefits under Section 4 or 5, as applicable, only if the Participant meets the conditions set forth in this Section, which shall serve, at least in part, as consideration for such severance pay and benefits.
6.1 Release. The Participant must sign and not revoke a written Release containing any terms specified by the Company in its sole discretion for (i) the Participant’s release of the Company, its affiliates and related persons from all claims arising from the Participant’s employment or termination; and (ii) to the extent required by the Company in its sole discretion, the Participant’s promise to comply with specified confidentiality, noncompetition, nonsolicitation and/or other restrictive covenants. The Company may terminate the Participant’s eligibility for severance pay and benefits if he or she fails to sign or comply with the terms of, the Participant’s Release or if the Participant revokes his or her Release. In order to be eligible for any pay or benefits under this Plan, the Participant must sign the Release after his/her Termination Date (or execute a “bring-down” release after his/her Termination Date, if signed earlier) and within 45 days (or such longer or shorter period specified by the Plan Administrator) following the date the Company provides the Participant with a copy of the Release. No severance payments or benefits under this Plan shall be paid or provided unless and until the Release becomes effective following the revocation period. If the Participant has not executed the Release and/or the revocation period has not expired by the time any payment or benefit under this Plan is due, such payment will be forfeited and no longer due or payable.
6.2 Board Resignation. As a condition precedent to the payment or provision by the Company of the amounts or benefits due under Sections 4 and 5, as applicable, the Participant must tender his or her resignation from the Board. the board of directors of any of the Company’s affiliates, and any committees of the Board, the other boards or the Company, upon termination of the Participant’s employment with the Company.
7. SPECIAL RULES APPLICABLE TO SEVERANCE PAY AND BENEFITS
7.1 Coordination of Severance Pay with Various Benefits. The amount of any severance pay or benefits payable under Sections 4 or 5, as applicable, will be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis by any severance, separation or termination pay or benefits that the Company pays or is required to pay to the Participant through insurance or otherwise under any plan or contract of the Company or under any federal or state law, including the following:
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7.2 Clawback Rights. The Participant understands that the Company has adopted a “clawback” policy pursuant to which the Company, in certain cases, may reduce or cancel, or require the recovery of, an executive officer’s annual bonus or long-term incentive compensation award, or portions thereof, if the Board determines that such bonus or award should be adjusted, cancelled or recovered because the executive officer has engaged in intentional misconduct that has led to a material restatement of the financial statements of the Company.
7.3 Death During Severance Payment Period. If the Participant dies after the Participant’s Termination Date and before all of the severance pay and benefits due to the Participant are paid, all such unpaid amounts will be paid to the Participant’s designated beneficiary(ies), if any. If the Participant has not designated a beneficiary, such amounts will be paid to the Participant’s estate.
8. ADMINISTRATION AND GENERAL TERMS
8.1 Type of Plan. This Plan is intended to be a welfare plan under Section 3(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), covering a select group of key management or highly compensated employees (which includes all of the executive officers covered by this Plan). As such, this Plan is exempt from most of the ERISA requirements that apply to ERISA employee benefit plans.
8.2 Plan Administrator. The Compensation Committee of the Board or its designee will serve as the “Plan Administrator” and will be responsible for and will control and manage the operation of the Plan. Upon a Change in Control (and thereafter to the extent the issue in question relates to a termination of employment, which occurs on or within 18 months following the Change in Control, of the Participants immediately prior to the Change in Control), the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of CSGS, as constituted immediately before the Change in Control, with such changes in the membership thereof as may be approved from time to time following the Change in Control by a majority of such Compensation Committee as constituted immediately before the Change in Control, will be the Plan Administrator. No party will have the right to appoint members to, or to remove members from, such Compensation Committee following, or otherwise in connection with, the Change in Control. All reasonable expenses of such Compensation Committee will be paid or reimbursed by CSGS. CSGS hereby agrees to indemnify members of such Compensation Committee against personal liability for actions taken in good faith in the discharge of their duties as a member of such Compensation Committee and will provide coverage to them under CSCG’s liability insurance programs for directors and officers. Following the Change in Control, the members of such Compensation Committee will be entitled to compensation in respect of their service on such committee at the rate determined by the Board prior to the Change in Control; provided, if the Board does not set any such compensation, the Compensation Committee members’ compensation will be equal to the amount they received as Board members immediately before the Change in Control.
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8.3 Plan Interpretation. The Plan Administrator has the exclusive authority and sole discretion to interpret this Plan with respect to any question arising under this Plan, including eligibility for benefits and the amount, term and duration of benefits. The interpretations, decisions and determinations of the Plan Administrator are conclusive and binding on the Company and all of its employees, including the applicable Eligible Employees.
8.4 Rights. This Plan does not create any vested rights in any individual. In addition, this Plan does not affect the right of the Company to conduct its business affairs, including laying off or terminating the employment of any employee.
(ii) 6-Month Delay in Certain Cases. Notwithstanding anything in Section 4 or 5 to the contrary, to the extent (i) any payments made under the Plan, which are payable within the first 6 months following the Participant’s date of Separation from Service, are not exempt from Code Section 409A, and (ii) the Participant is a specified employee (within the meaning of Code Section 409A) on the date of the Participant’s Separation from Service, then the non-exempt payments that would have been paid within such 6-month period will be delayed, accumulated without interest, and paid in a lump sum on the applicable pay date that coincides with or immediately follows the 6-month anniversary of the date of the Participant’s Separation from Service.
8.5 Amendment or Termination. The Board may amend or terminate this Plan for any reason prior to a Change in Control; provided, however, that no such amendment or termination may adversely affect the rights of any the Participant in the Plan in any material way unless the Plan Administrator secures such the Participant’s written consent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may amend or terminate this Plan in any way after the end of the 24-month period commencing on the date of a Change in Control.
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9. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
9.1 Claims Procedures.
9.2 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be interpreted, construed and governed according to the laws of the State of Colorado to the extent not preempted by ERISA or other federal law. Any legal action brought in regard to this Plan shall be brought in the United States District Court of Colorado, and the Company and the Participant waive jurisdiction and venue in any other court.
9.3 Headings. Headings contained in this Plan are for convenience only and shall in no manner be construed as part of this Plan.
_______________________ Date
| CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
By:__________________________________
Title: Chief People and Places Officer |
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APPENDIX A
DEFINITIONS
When capitalized in the Plan, the following words will have the meanings set forth below. All section references below refer to sections of the Plan document (and not this Appendix A).
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To have “Good Reason”, the Participant must give the Company notice of any event or condition that would constitute a basis for “Good Reason” within 90 days of the event or condition that would constitute a basis for “Good Reason;” and, upon the receipt of such notice, the Company will have 30 days to remedy such event or condition. If such event or condition is not remedied within such 30-day period, any termination of employment by the Participant for “Good Reason” must occur within 30 days after the period for remedying such condition or event has expired.
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