Exhibit 10.1
WHITING PETROLEUM CORPORATION
AMENDMENTS TO AWARDS UNDER
THE 2013 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN AND
THE EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND SEVERANCE AGREEMENT
August 24, 2018
Dear Award Holder:
The Compensation Committee recently approved enhanced vesting features for our long-term incentive compensation program for our officers. We intend to include these enhanced vesting features in future long-term incentive compensation awards granted to our officers and the vesting features will also apply to your outstanding restricted stock and performance share awards granted in 2016, 2017 and 2018 under the Whiting Petroleum Corporation 2013 Equity Incentive Plan. However, these enhanced vesting features will apply only if you also agree to an amendment to your Executive Employment and Severance Agreement. The enhanced vesting features and the amendment to your Executive Employment and Severance Agreement are described below.
Enhanced Vesting Features
| • | | Restricted Stock—Retirement or Death While Retirement Eligible. If you retire after age 60 with at least 10 years of service (a “qualifying retirement”) or if you die while eligible for a qualifying retirement, then all of your unvested restricted stock will vest and be released. |
| • | | Performance Shares—Retirement or Death While Retirement Eligible. If you have a qualifying retirement or die while eligible for a qualifying retirement, then a pro rata portion of your performance shares (based on time served as an employee during the relevant performance period) will vest and be released, subject to determination of the number of shares earned based on performance through the end of the relevant performance period. |
Amendment to Employment and Severance Agreement
In exchange for the enhanced vesting features described above, you are being asked to agree to an amendment to your Executive Employment and Severance Agreement. The amendment would remove the exception to yournon-competition obligations for your service as a director of an entity that has less than 10% of its assets located in the Whiting Fields and Plays.
The descriptions above are only a summary of the proposed amendments to your equity awards and your Executive Employment and Severance Agreement and are qualified in their entirety by the full text of the amendments as set forth inExhibit A to this letter. In the event of any difference between the descriptions above and the text inExhibit A, the text inExhibit A will govern. If you agree to the amendments, please sign and date this letter below where indicated and return the signed original to Bruce R. DeBoer.
Please be aware that, if you agree to these amendments and you either (1) are currently eligible for a qualifying retirement, or (2) become eligible for a qualifying retirement during the vesting or performance period that applies to your awards, then you may have a taxable event with respect to your awards before the shares are released to you. If that happens, Whiting will withhold shares from your award to cover the related tax withholding obligation so that you will not need to pay for the full amount of such taxes before receiving the shares.