Exhibit 3.1
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
Atlantic LIBERTY FINANCIAL corp.
FIRST: The name of the Corporation is Atlantic Liberty Financial Corp.
(hereinafter sometimes referred ----- to as the "Corporation").
SECOND: The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the
State of Delaware is Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, in the City
of Wilmington, County of New Castle. The name of the registered agent at that
address is The Corporation Trust Company.
THIRD: The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or
activity for which a ----- corporation may be organized under the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
FOURTH: A. The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the
Corporation shall have ------ authority to issue is six million five hundred
thousand (6,500,000) consisting of:
1. Five hundred thousand (500,000) shares of Preferred Stock, par
value ten cents ($.10) per share (the "Preferred Stock"); and
2. Six million (6,000,000) shares of Common Stock, par value ten cents
($.10) per share (the "Common Stock").
B. The Board of Directors is authorized, subject to any limitations
prescribed by law, to provide for the issuance of the shares of Preferred Stock
in series, and by filing a certificate pursuant to the applicable law of the
State of Delaware (such certificate being hereinafter referred to as a
"Preferred Stock Designation"), to establish from time to time the number of
shares to be included in each such series, and to fix the designation, powers,
preferences, and rights of the shares of each such series and any
qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The number of authorized
shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the
number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the
holders of a majority of the Common Stock, without a vote of the holders of the
Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is
required pursuant to the terms of any Preferred Stock Designation.
C. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Certificate of
Incorporation, in no event shall any record owner of any outstanding Common
Stock which is beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by a person who, as
of any record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote on any
matter, beneficially owns in excess of ten percent (10%) of the then-outstanding
shares of Common Stock (the "Limit"), be entitled, or permitted to any vote in
respect of the shares held in excess of the Limit. The number of votes which may
be cast by any record owner by virtue of the provisions hereof in respect of
Common Stock beneficially owned by such person beneficially owning shares in
excess of the Limit shall be a number equal to the total number of votes which a
single record owner of all Common Stock owned by such
person would be entitled to cast (subject to the provisions of this Article
FOURTH), multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of
shares of such class or series which are both beneficially owned by such person
and owned of record by such record owner and the denominator of which is the
total number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person owning
shares in excess of the Limit.
2. The following definitions shall apply to this Section C of this
Article FOURTH:
(a) "Affiliate" shall have the meaning ascribed to it in Rule
12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as in effect on the date of filing
of this Certificate of Incorporation.
(b) "Beneficial ownership" shall be determined pursuant to Rule
13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (or any successor rule or statutory
provision), or if said Rule 13d-3 shall be rescinded and there shall
be no successor rule or provision thereto, pursuant to said Rule 13d-3
as in effect on the date of filing of this Certificate of
Incorporation; provided, however, that a person shall, in any event,
also be deemed the "beneficial owner" of any Common Stock:
(1) which such person or any of its affiliates beneficially
owns, directly or indirectly; or
(2) which such person or any of its affiliates has (i) the
right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately
or only after the passage of time), pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding or upon the exercise of conversion
rights, exchange rights, warrants, or options or otherwise, or
(ii) sole or shared voting or investment power with respect
thereto pursuant to any agreement, arrangement, understanding,
relationship or otherwise (but shall not be deemed to be the
beneficial owner of any voting shares solely by reason of a
revocable proxy granted for a particular meeting of stockholders,
pursuant to a public solicitation of proxies for such meeting,
with respect to shares of which neither such person nor any such
Affiliate is otherwise deemed the beneficial owner); or
(3) which is beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by
any other person with which such first mentioned person or any of
its Affiliates acts as a partnership, limited partnership,
syndicate or other group pursuant to any agreement, arrangement
or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or
disposing of any shares of capital stock of this Corporation;
and provided further, however, that (1) no Director or Officer of this
Corporation (or any Affiliate of any such Director or Officer) shall,
solely by reason of any or all of such Directors or Officers acting in
their capacities as such, be deemed, for
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any purposes hereof, to beneficially own any Common Stock beneficially
owned by any other such Director or Officer (or any Affiliate
thereof), and (2) neither any employee stock ownership or similar plan
of this Corporation or any subsidiary of this Corporation, nor any
trustee with respect thereto or any Affiliate of such trustee (solely
by reason of such capacity of such trustee), shall be deemed, for any
purposes hereof, to beneficially own any Common Stock held under any
such plan. For purposes only of computing the percentage beneficial
ownership of Common Stock of a person, the outstanding Common Stock
shall include shares deemed owned by such person through application
of this subsection but shall not include any other Common Stock which
may be issuable by this Corporation pursuant to any agreement, or upon
exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise. For
all other purposes, the outstanding Common Stock shall include only
Common Stock then outstanding and shall not include any Common Stock
which may be issuable by this Corporation pursuant to any agreement,
or upon the exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or
otherwise.
(c) The "Limit" shall mean ten percent (10%) of the
then-outstanding shares of Common Stock.
(d) A "person" shall include an individual, firm, a group acting
in concert, a corporation, a partnership, an association, a joint
venture, a pool, a joint stock company, a trust, an unincorporated
organization or similar company, a syndicate or any other group formed
for the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of securities or
any other entity.
3. The Board of Directors shall have the power to construe and apply
the provisions of this section and to make all determinations necessary or
desirable to implement such provisions, including but not limited to
matters with respect to (i) the number of shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by any person, (ii) whether a person is an affiliate of
another, (iii) whether a person has an agreement, arrangement, or
understanding with another as to the matters referred to in the definition
of beneficial ownership, (iv) the application of any other definition or
operative provision of this section to the given facts, or (v) any other
matter relating to the applicability or effect of this section.
4. The Board of Directors shall have the right to demand that any
person who is reasonably believed to beneficially own Common Stock in
excess of the Limit (or holds of record Common Stock beneficially owned by
any person in excess of the Limit) supply the Corporation with complete
information as to (i) the record owner(s) of all shares beneficially owned
by such person who is reasonably believed to own shares in excess of the
Limit, and (ii) any other factual matter relating to the applicability or
effect of this section as may reasonably be requested of such person.
5. Except as otherwise provided by law or expressly provided in this
Section C, the presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of record of
shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitling the holders thereof to
cast a majority of the votes (after
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giving effect, if required, to the provisions of this Section C) entitled
to be cast by the holders of shares of capital stock of the Corporation
entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the
stockholders, and every reference in this Certificate of Incorporation to a
majority or other proportion of capital stock (or the holders thereof) for
purposes of determining any quorum requirement or any requirement for
stockholder consent or approval shall be deemed to refer to such majority
or other proportion of the votes (or the holders thereof) then entitled to
be cast in respect of such capital stock, after giving effect to this
Section C.
6. Any constructions, applications, or determinations made by the
Board of Directors pursuant to this section in good faith and on the basis
of such information and assistance as was then reasonably available for
such purpose shall be conclusive and binding upon the Corporation and its
stockholders.
7. In the event any provision (or portion thereof) of this Section C
shall be found to be invalid, prohibited or unenforceable for any reason,
the remaining provisions (or portions thereof) of this Section shall remain
in full force and effect, and shall be construed as if such invalid,
prohibited or unenforceable provision had been stricken herefrom or
otherwise rendered inapplicable, it being the intent of this Corporation
and its stockholders that each such remaining provision (or portion thereof
) of this Section C remain, to the fullest extent permitted by law,
applicable and enforceable as to all stockholders, including stockholders
owning an amount of stock over the Limit, notwithstanding any such finding.
FIFTH: The following provisions are inserted for the management of the
business and the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation, and for further
definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the Corporation and of
its Directors and stockholders:
A. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under
the direction of the Board of Directors. In addition to the powers and authority
expressly conferred upon them by statute or by this Certificate of Incorporation
or the Bylaws of the Corporation, the Directors are hereby empowered to exercise
all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by
the Corporation.
B. The Directors of the Corporation need not be elected by written ballot
unless the Bylaws so provide.
C. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the
Corporation must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of
stockholders of the Corporation and may not be effected by any consent in
writing by such stockholders.
D. Special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only
by the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the
Whole Board or as otherwise provided in the Bylaws. The term "Whole Board" shall
mean the total number of authorized directorships (whether or not there exist
any vacancies in previously authorized directorships at the time any such
resolution is presented to the Board for adoption).
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SIXTH: A. The number of Directors shall be fixed from time to time
exclusively by the Board of Directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a
majority of the Whole Board. The Directors shall be divided into three classes,
with the term of office of the first class to expire at the first annual meeting
of stockholders, the term of office of the second class to expire at the annual
meeting of stockholders one year thereafter and the term of office of the third
class to expire at the annual meeting of stockholders two years thereafter with
each Director to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly
elected and qualified. At each annual meeting of stockholders following such
initial classification and election, Directors elected to succeed those
Directors whose terms expire shall be elected for a term of office to expire at
the third succeeding annual meeting of stockholders after their election with
each Director to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly
elected and qualified.
B. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock
outstanding, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the
authorized number of Directors or any vacancies in the Board of Directors
resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from
office or other cause, may be filled only by a majority vote of the Directors
then in office, though less than a quorum, and Directors so chosen shall hold
office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders at which the
term of office of the class to which they have been chosen expires. No decrease
in the number of Directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the
term of any incumbent Director.
C. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of Directors
and of business to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the
stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the
Bylaws of the Corporation.
D. Subject to the rights of holders of any series of Preferred Stock then
outstanding, any Directors, or the entire Board of Directors, may be removed
from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of
the holders of at least eighty percent (80%) of the voting power of all of the
then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote
generally in the election of Directors (after giving effect to the provisions of
Article FOURTH of this Certificate of Incorporation ("Article FOURTH")), voting
together as a single class.
SEVENTH: The Board of Directors is expressly empowered to adopt, amend or
repeal Bylaws of the Corporation. Any adoption, amendment or repeal of the
Bylaws of the Corporation by the Board of Directors shall require the approval
of a majority of the Whole Board. The stockholders shall also have power to
adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation; provided, however, that,
in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of stock of this
Corporation required by law or by this Certificate of Incorporation, the
affirmative vote of the holders of at least eighty percent (80%) of the voting
power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the capital stock of the
Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors (after
giving effect to the provisions of Article FOURTH), voting together as a single
class, shall be required to adopt, amend or repeal any provisions of the Bylaws
of the Corporation.
EIGHTH: A. The Board of Directors of the Corporation, when evaluating any
offer of another person to (A) make a tender or exchange offer for any equity
security of the
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Corporation, (B) merge or consolidate the Corporation with another corporation
or entity or (C) purchase or otherwise acquire all or substantially all of the
properties and assets of the Corporation, may, in connection with the exercise
of its judgment in determining what is in the best interest of the Corporation
and its stockholders, give due consideration to all relevant factors, including,
without limitation, those factors that Directors of any subsidiary of the
Corporation may consider in evaluating any action that may result in a change or
potential change in the control of the subsidiary, and the social and economic
effect of acceptance of such offer: on the Corporation's present and future
customers and employees and those of its subsidiaries; on the communities in
which the Corporation and its subsidiaries operate or are located; on the
ability of the Corporation to fulfill its corporate objective as a savings and
loan holding company under applicable laws and regulations; and on the ability
of its subsidiary savings association to fulfill the objectives of a stock form
savings association under applicable statutes and regulations.
B. For purposes of this Article EIGHTH, a "person" shall include an
individual, a group acting in concert, a corporation, a partnership, an
association, a joint venture, a pool, a joint stock company, a trust, an
unincorporated organization or similar company, a syndicate or any other group
formed for the purpose of acquiring, holding or disposing of securities or any
other entity.
C. For purposes of this Article EIGHTH, "subsidiary" means any corporation
of which a majority of any class of equity security is owned, directly or
indirectly, by the Corporation.
NINTH: A. Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be
made a party to or is ----- otherwise involved in any action, suit or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative
(hereinafter a "proceeding"), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a
Director or an Officer of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of
the Corporation as a Director, Officer, employee or agent of another corporation
or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service
with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an "indemnitee"), whether
the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a
Director, Officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a
Director, Officer, employee or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by
the Corporation to the fullest extent authorized by the Delaware General
Corporation Law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the
case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the
Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted
the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense,
liability and loss (including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise
taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or
suffered by such indemnitee in connection therewith; provided, however, that,
except as provided in Section C hereof with respect to proceedings to enforce
rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee
in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee
only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of
Directors of the Corporation.
B. The right to indemnification conferred in Section A of this Article
NINTH shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses
incurred in defending any such
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proceeding in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter and "advancement of
expenses"); provided, however, that, if the Delaware General Corporation Law
requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an indemnitee in his or her
capacity as a Director or Officer (and not in any other capacity in which
service was or is rendered by such indemnitee, including, without limitation,
services to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon delivery to the
Corporation of an undertaking (hereinafter an "undertaking"), by or on behalf of
such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be
determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to
appeal (hereinafter a "final adjudication") that such indemnitee is not entitled
to be indemnified for such expenses under this Section or otherwise. The rights
to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in Sections A
and B of this Article NINTH shall be contract rights and such rights shall
continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a Director, Officer, employee
or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the indemnitee's heirs, executors and
administrators.
C. If a claim under Section A or B of this Article NINTH is not paid in
full by the Corporation within sixty (60) days after a written claim has been
received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of
expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be twenty (20) days, the
indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to
recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any
such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of
expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the indemnitee shall be
entitled to be paid also the expenses of prosecuting or defending such suit. In
(i) any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification
hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to an
advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) in any suit by the
Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an
undertaking the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a
final adjudication that, the indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for
indemnification set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law. Neither the
failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal
counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the
commencement of such suit that indemnification of the indemnitee is proper in
the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable standard of
conduct set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law, nor an actual
determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent
legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the indemnitee has not met such
applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the indemnitee
has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit
brought by the indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the
indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of
expenses hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses
pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the
indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of
expenses, under this Article NINTH or otherwise, shall be on the Corporation.
D. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses
conferred in this Article NINTH shall not be exclusive of any other right which
any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, the Corporation's
Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or
disinterested directors or otherwise.
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E. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect
itself and any Director, Officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise
against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would
have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss
under the Delaware General Corporation Law.
F. The Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the
Board of Directors, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of
expenses to any employee or agent of the Corporation to the fullest extent of
the provisions of this Article NINTH with respect to the indemnification and
advancement of expenses of directors and officers of the Corporation.
TENTH: A Director of this Corporation shall not be personally liable to the
Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary
duty as a Director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the Director's
duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or
omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing
violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation
Law, or (iv) for any transaction from which the Director derived an improper
personal benefit. If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to
authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal
liability of Directors, then the liability of a Director of the Corporation
shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware
General Corporation Law, as so amended.
Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders
of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a
Director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.
ELEVENTH: The Corporation reserves the right to amend or repeal any
provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation in the manner
prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware and all rights conferred upon
stockholders are granted subject to this reservation; provided, however, that,
notwithstanding any other provision of this Certificate of Incorporation or any
provision of law which might otherwise permit a lesser vote or no vote, but in
addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of the stock of this
Corporation required by law or by this Certificate of Incorporation, the
affirmative vote of the holders of at least eighty percent (80%) of the voting
power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the capital stock of the
Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors (after
giving effect to the provisions of Article FOURTH), voting together as a single
class, shall be required to amend or repeal this Article ELEVENTH, Section C of
Article FOURTH, Sections C or D of Article FIFTH, Article SIXTH, Article
SEVENTH, or Article EIGHTH.
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TWELFTH: The name and mailing address of the sole incorporator are as
follows: -------
Name Mailing Address
Alan Schick 5335 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20015
I, THE UNDERSIGNED, being the incorporator, for the purpose of forming a
corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware, do make, file and
record this Certificate of Incorporation, do certify that the facts herein
stated are true, and accordingly, have hereto set my hand this 24th day of
May, 2002.
/s/ Alan Schick
---------------------------
Alan Schick
Incorporator