This potential wave has generated questions about Change-in-Control (CIC) severance protections, amplified by the significant coverage of Anadarko’s last minute enhancements to its CIC severance programs (see article). The Anadarko enhancements included elevated severance benefits and the re-insertion of excise tax gross-ups. Most companies, including Anadarko, eliminated the use of excise tax gross-ups in new … Continued
Over the past ten years or so – since the widespread adoption of shareholder ‘say on pay’ votes on executive compensation at public companies in the US and elsewhere – arguably no single idea has animated the analysis and design of CEO compensation programmes as much as the goal of ‘paying for performance’. For a … Continued
In 2018, shortly after its acquisition of equity research firm EVA Dimensions, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) announced that it will include Economic Value Added (EVA) measures in advisory reports[1]. ISS believes EVA measures provide a clear and more complete picture of value creation. The challenge for financial companies is that EVA is a difficult metric … Continued
It is a quantifiable, objective way for a compensation committee to gauge how an executive is positioned versus the market, and helps the committee to understand what competitive pay is and if compensation arrangements are adequate to attract, retain and appropriately motivate executives. When proxy season ends, many companies will review market benchmark pay data … Continued
Given its strong alignment with shareholder value creation, earnings per share (EPS) is a common performance metric selected for short-term incentive and long-term incentive plans. A company’s generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)-based EPS is equal to its after-tax net income divided by the number of common shares outstanding (either on a basic or fully diluted … Continued
For well over 50 years, there has been the same three general design categories of long-term incentives for US-based CEOs. These have been full-value share grants, which vest over time and focus on retention; stock appreciation vehicles, such as stock options and stock appreciation rights, which focus on driving share price over the long term; … Continued
During the past decade, the use of total shareholder return (TSR) has risen rapidly in prevalence as a performance metric in executive long-term incentive plans. Many compensation committees believed this was a direct way to align executive pay and performance. But is it? A notable number of large-cap companies are now not so sure. Meridian … Continued
Introduction This is Meridian’s fifth year tracking executive compensation practices at U.S. banks with assets above $10 billion. One theme remains consistent: programs continue to evolve. As we entered the 2018 year, companies invested much time and energy calculating the CEO pay ratio and preparing for its disclosure. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act eliminated … Continued
Employers are generally focused on maximizing productivity and facilitating smooth transitions, while employees are generally focused on timing – not only about when will they have enough money for a comfortable retirement, but also what will they forfeit when they do retire. These different perspectives often create a tension that goes unresolved, resulting in employees … Continued
Based on our experience, it is important to understand the many inputs and ensure the Committee is making informed decisions with “eyes wide open” to avoid surprises. Awards should focus on specific intended objectives. From time to time, Compensation Committees may feel pressured to approve recommended one-time LTI grants, particularly in today’s strong economy (lowest … Continued
Relative total shareholder return (relative TSR), the most commonly used performance share unit (PSU) measure, has recently been challenged by institutional investors. Earlier this year Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) released an article entitled “Is Management Compensation Rewarding the Right Behavior?”, which focuses on incentive design in the oil and gas industry. OTPP criticized relative … Continued
As the global economy remains strong, the pace of mergers and acquisitions will remain robust. As such, this is a good time for compensation committees to review change-in control (CIC) protections, including arrangements for severance, payments, and other special benefits that may be tied to displacement caused by mergers, hostile takeovers, or asset liquidation. While … Continued
Executive compensation is complex and institutional investors and proxy advisors are increasingly aggressive and prescriptive in their views of executive compensation. This makes the role of a public company compensation committee complex and demanding. It is now more important than ever that the Committee process is effective and efficient. While great process does not guarantee … Continued
According to the Meridian 2017 Governance and Incentive Design Survey1, 43% of Meridian 200 companies use an individual performance component in their executive annual incentive plan, typically as a supplement to financial measures. Actual usage may be higher as the 43% does not account for Compensation Committees using discretion to adjust awards for individual performance. … Continued
Much of the commentary on energy industry pay programs has focused on annual bonus metrics. Annual incentives are easier to analyze because the payouts are clearly disclosed each year in the Summary Compensation Table, and those payments can communicate how the company performed over a discrete one-year period. Due to this visibility, compensation committees spend … Continued
Until recently, outside director compensation has not been subject to similar scrutiny primarily due to the narrow range of pay practices for directors, in both pay value and design/delivery. However, a new heightened level of scrutiny is now being applied to outside director pay. This has prompted many companies and their boards of directors to … Continued
Short-termism: Acknowledging a Trend In his 2016 annual letter to CEOs, Larry Fink wrote: “I have written to the CEOs of leading companies urging resistance to the powerful forces of short-termism afflicting corporate behavior. Reducing these pressures and working instead to invest in long-term growth remains an issue of paramount importance for BlackRock’s clients, most … Continued
The financial crisis and recession may be history, but the impact these events have had on the financial services industry remains. Meridian Compensation Partners LLC, a consulting firm that serves clients on executive compensation and governance matters, has a dedicated team that specializes in serving financial services organizations. Susan O’Donnell and Daniel Rodda, partners at … Continued
Are US CEOs overpaid? Bob Romanchek, senior partner at the executive compensation consulting firm Meridian Compensation Partners, adds clarity to the issue by looking at the components of pay, the historic levels of total pay opportunity and the critical relationship to company performance. The main components of CEO compensation for large US-based companies are base … Continued
High-performing banks define and execute their strategic vision by clearly articulating what they want to achieve and how they will do it. The old adage, “what gets measured, gets done”, is true when it comes to incentive plans. Companies that define specific measures and create accountability for achieving them are more likely to achieve the … Continued
In many cases, U.S. public companies receive a high level of support from shareholders for their annual advisory vote on the executive compensation program. Based on these results, companies often conclude there is no need to make any material changes to the design of their executive compensation program. As a result, companies may not conduct … Continued
The menu of industry annual incentive metrics (and some long-term incentive metrics) now includes several instances of ROCE, Cash ROCE, ROIC, estimated wellhead returns, and other non-GAAP measures of investment returns. Investors may welcome the incentive accountability to financial returns, but will performance against these new benchmarks create better alignment between pay and performance? Should … Continued
Determining CEO pay is one of the most visible decisions the compensation committee and board will make. CEO pay decisions communicate the board’s perspective on both the CEO’s and the company’s performance to employees, shareholders, and other external observers. Shareholders and proxy advisory firms primarily focus on CEO pay when evaluating whether to support the … Continued
It usually perks up the ears of most corporate directors when you say “board compensation.” What’s happened recently in this area, particularly with equity grants? If you take a step back, outside director compensation has generally been in a pretty narrow range, value-wise. Looking back over the past five to seven years, it’s averaged about … Continued
While the use of stock options as a primary vehicle for executive equity awards has tapered recently, the common belief that stock options are worth about one-third of face value has remained. Although this rule of thumb held true for many years, for reasons described below, that may no longer be the case, especially for … Continued
Are you satisfied with the design and operation of your company’s performance-based longterm incentive program for top executives? Chances are you are not. In chasing that ever-elusive pay-for performance vehicle design, you may have gone from stock options to performance units and performance shares, or some combination thereof, over the last 30 years. You also … Continued
A wave of lawsuits surrounding director compensation surfaced a couple of years ago, often alleging “excessive” pay for boards of directors on a variety of grounds. Because boards set their own pay levels, there are potential legal ramifications due to the “self-dealing” nature of director compensation. While lawsuits were settled and subsequent litigation has subsided, … Continued
There is no more contentious, complex or difficult issue for boards than setting up the right incentives for executives. With companies in cyclical businesses that may have commodity costs as a large portion of performance, the challenge gets even more complex. Corporate Board Member recently talked with Jim Wolf, managing partner at Meridian Compensation Partners, … Continued
As the Dodd-Frank-mandated CEO pay ratio looms large this proxy season, many boards and compensation committees have already completed their calculations and are awaiting the impact. Added as a last-minute mandate to the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, the CEO pay ratio was established in response to mounting discontent with the widening gap between executive and … Continued
Savvy investors understand the value of a strong management team and are willing to pay handsomely—if company performance warrants. It’s important to design executive pay to reward great performance and penalize poor performance. In our experience, most directors strive to do just that. Unfortunately, investors and other stakeholders sometimes struggle to recognize the link between … Continued
Consolidation in the banking industry continues, with more than 200 bank mergers in 2017. Whether your institution is a potential buyer or seller, there are several compensation matters that will need to be addressed proactively. Change-in-Control (CIC) Protections CIC arrangements are particularly important in the banking industry due to the significant consolidation activity. CIC arrangements … Continued
From an executive compensation perspective, boards have an important duty to pay executives appropriately in line with the underlying performance of the company. The age-old issue of paying for performance seems more complex than ever—and more highly scrutinized! The design of short-term and long-term incentive programs needs to align with a company’s business strategy, and … Continued
The key highlights from Meridian’s 2017 Outside Director Compensation study among Fortune 100 companies include: In 2016, total compensation increased modestly at 1.2% Annual cash retainer values were flat for the second consecutive year, but equity values increased at approximately 2.9% per year. Equity comprises 60% of total compensation, while board meeting fees now comprise … Continued
As published in BankDirector.com By: Susan O’Donnell, Daniel Rodda| SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2017 Since 2010, banks have followed the Interagency Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies and reviewed their incentive plans to ensure they do not motivate inappropriate risk taking. However, incentive compensation in the retail business lines was often perceived as inconsequential and unlikely to … Continued
From the July/August 2017 issue of NACD Directorship Visit NACDonline.org Meridian Compensation Partners has deep experience working with companies throughout the typical PE ownership life cycle—from public to private and back into the public markets through an initial public offering (IPO). In a recent interview, Meridian’s PE experts—Ryan Harvey, Matthew Isakson, Tom McNeill, and Marc … Continued
Approximately 25 percent of U.S. public companies will be asking shareholders to approve a new or amended share plan this proxy season. Since most companies do not revise share plans on an annual basis, boards may want a refresher on issues to consider when seeking shareholder approval. When asking for approval of a share plan, … Continued
Find this article and more in the NYSE Governance Services Corporate Board Member Magazine – nyse.com/governance Over the last 10–15 years, we have observed a sea change in long-term incentive (LTI) award design. The role of stock options has dramatically declined, generally replaced by performance share or unit (PS/U) awards. Factors driving this change included … Continued
There has been a lot of attention (both from the media and investors) focused on whether E&P companies are using the right metrics in their annual incentive programs. E&P companies have been criticized for a heavy focus on production and other volume measures without a corresponding link to whether that volume is profitable or generating … Continued
While we wait to see what deregulation might come out of the new administration regarding Dodd-Frank or other executive compensation regulations, the Texas legislature might take a huge step in favor of corporate boards and management. A bill currently pending in committee in the Texas legislature would impact any company headquartered in Texas, which includes … Continued
This interview originally appeared in Corporate Board Member magazine. Corporate Board Member spoke to Bob Romanchek, partner and consultant with Meridian Compensation Partners, about the expected use of stock options going forward. At one time, the use of stock options for executive pay purposes was a strong majority practice. What changed and why? If you … Continued
Find this article and more in the most recent issue of Equilar C-Suite magazine. Find past issues of C-Suite at Equilar.com. Boards walk a fine line to align director pay with shareholder value By Ryan Villard Boards of directors bridge the gap between investors and their executive teams, providing guidance and holding management accountable … Continued
This article originally appeared on BankDirector.com. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can create significant value for shareholders. Accordingly, bank executives should be rewarded when completing and integrating successful transactions. However, in today’s environment of heightened executive pay scrutiny, some approaches to providing additional compensation for M&A can result in criticism from shareholders and advisory firms such … Continued
Looking at larger companies’ practices for compensating outside directors, lead directors are typically provided a cash retainer of approximately $30,000 for performing this role in addition to the regular outside director pay package. This retainer is oftentimes the same or slightly higher than the extra retainer provided to the audit committee chair. In comparison, the … Continued
It has been six years since the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which mandated that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) develop rules intended to address the then-current financial crisis. One such rule concerns the ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay, which was finalized on Aug. 5, … Continued
This blog is Part 2 in a Boardroom Resources series on compensation committees chairs. We identify the steps necessary for a smooth transition and outline action items for key players. In Part 1, we discussed how the role of the compensation chair is becoming increasingly complex and public-facing. While three years was once a common … Continued
This blog is Part 1 in a Boardroom Resources series on compensation committee chairs. We discuss why rotating your compensation chair too quickly could impact your committee’s effectiveness. Read Part 2 here. Compensation committees face a tall order in today’s business environment. With regulators and investors shining brighter lights on executive pay, much of the … Continued
This year marks the sixth year in the United States of say on pay, the rule that allows shareholders to cast non-binding votes that voice their approval—or disapproval—of a company’s executive compensation programs. Shareholders cast votes based on the perceived degree of alignment between executive pay and company performance, and achieving a high level of … Continued
From the July/August 2016 issue of NACD Directorship Visit NACDonline.org As one of the largest independent advisory firms, Meridian Compensation Partners is uniquely positioned to guide committees through pivotal events such as IPOs, spins, or separations where a company is entering the public markets. In a recent interview, Meridian’s IPO experts Ryan Harvey, Marc Ullman, … Continued
High performing banks execute customized strategies that deliver results. They have the vision, leadership, culture and incentive programs that help to attract, motivate and retain top talent. Leaders of high performing banks articulate their strategic direction with laser focus, communicate performance expectations and achieve or exceed their stated goals. Properly designed compensation programs should reward … Continued
Compensation is often more about the message than the money. BP’s recent shareholder vote offered some valuable lessons for other energy companies about sending the right messages to shareholders when commodity prices impact business results. On April 14th, nearly 60% of voting BP shareholders opposed BP’s compensation programs. The press reported that shareholders were upset … Continued