Deferred Compensation Plan - Ford Motor Co.
FORD MOTOR COMPANY DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
(Amended and Restated as of January 1, 2000)
1. Purpose. This Plan, which shall be known as the "Ford Motor Company
Deferred Compensation Plan" and is hereinafter referred to as the "Plan", is
intended to provide for the deferment of payment of (i) awards of incentive
compensation under the Ford Motor Company Annual Incentive Compensation Plan
and similar plans, (ii) base salary, (iii) incentive awards payable in cash or
stock under the Ford Motor Company 1990 Long-Term Incentive Plan, Ford Motor
Company 1998 Long-Term Incentive Plan or any other incentive compensation plan
of the Company and (iv) new hire payments.
2. Definitions. As used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the
following meanings, respectively:
(a) The term "AIC Plan" shall mean the Ford Motor Company Annual
Incentive Compensation Pan, as amended.
(b) The term "ARC Plan" shall mean the Automotive Rental Corporation
Executive Management Incentive Plan, as amended.
(c) The term "Committee" shall mean, unless the context otherwise
requires, the following as they from time to time may be constituted:
(i) The Compensation and Option Committee with respect to all
matters affecting any Section 16 Person.
(ii) The Deferred Compensation Committee with respect to all
matters affecting employees other than Section 16 Persons.
(d) The term "Company" when used in the Plan with reference to
employment shall include subsidiaries of the Company.
(e) The term "Compensation and Option Committee" shall mean the
Compensation and Option Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) The term "Deferred Compensation" shall mean compensation
deferred pursuant to paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d) of Section 5 hereto, and
any interest equivalents,
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dividend equivalents or other earnings or return on such amounts determined in
accordance with the Plan.
(g) The term "Deferred Compensation Account" with respect to a
participant shall mean the book entry account established by the Company for
such participant with respect to his or her Deferred Compensation.
(h) The term "Deferred Compensation Committee" shall mean the
committee comprised of the Vice President - Human Resources, the Group Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer and the Vice President - General Counsel
or such other persons as may be designated members of such Committee by the
Compensation and Option Committee.
(i) The term "employee" shall mean any person who is regularly
employed by the Company or a subsidiary at a salary (as distinguished from a
pension, retirement allowance, severance pay, retainer, commission, fee under a
contract or other arrangement, or hourly, piecework or other wage) and is
enrolled on the active employment rolls of the Company or a subsidiary,
including, but without limitation, any employee who also is an officer or
director of the Company or a subsidiary.
(j) The term "Ford Stock" shall mean Ford Common Stock.
(k) The term "Ford Stock Unit" shall mean a unit having a value
based upon Ford Stock.
(l) The term "LTI Plan" shall mean the Ford Motor Company 1990
Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended, the Ford Motor Company 1998 Long-Term
Incentive Plan, as amended, or any other long-term incentive plans subsequently
adopted by the Company that are substantially similar to such plans.
(m) The term "RPM Plan" shall mean the Ford Motor Credit Company
Rewarding Performance Management Plan, as amended.
(n) The term "SC Plan" shall mean the Ford Motor Company
Supplemental Compensation Plan, as amended.
(o) The term "Section 16 Person" shall mean any employee who is
subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) or the liability
provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(p) The term "SSIP" shall mean the Company's Savings and Stock
Investment Plan for Salaried Employees, as amended.
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(q) The term "subsidiary" shall mean (i) any corporation a majority
of the voting stock of which is owned directly or indirectly by the Company or
(ii) any limited liability company a majority of the membership interest of
which is owned directly or indirectly by the Company.
3. Administration. Except as otherwise herein expressly provided, the
Compensation and Option Committee shall have full power and authority to
construe, interpret and administer the Plan. The Compensation and Option
Committee shall make all decisions relating to matters affecting any Section 16
Person, but may otherwise delegate any of its authority under the Plan. The
Compensation and Option Committee and the Deferred Compensation Committee each
may at any time adopt or terminate, and may from time to time amend, modify or
suspend such rules, regulations, policies and practices as they in their sole
discretion may determine in connection with the administration of, or the
performance of their respective responsibilities under, the Plan.
4. Eligibility of Participants; Amounts Deferrable.
(a) Participating Subsidiaries and Foreign Location Participants.
The Deferred Compensation Committee shall determine the extent to which
subsidiaries and employees at foreign locations may participate in the Plan or
similar plans and the type and amount of compensation that may be deferred
under, or the type and amount of account balances that may be transferred to,
the Plan pursuant to this paragraph (a).
(b) Annual Incentive Compensation Deferrals Under the AIC Plan and
Other Similar Plans. Subject to any limitations determined under paragraph (a)
or paragraph (g) of this Section 4, U.S. employees who receive an award or an
installment of an award payable in cash under the AIC Plan, are eligible to
defer payment under the Plan from 1% to 100%, in 1% increments, of such amount
net of applicable taxes, but not less than $1,000, provided that such employees
are actively employed by the Company in Leadership Level 1-5 or the equivalent
at the time of the election to defer. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Compensation and Option Committee may in its sole discretion allow deferrals
under this paragraph (b) by persons that do not meet the eligibility
requirements described above.
(c) Base Salary Deferrals. Subject to any limitations determined
under paragraph (a) or paragraph (g) of this Section 4, U.S. employees who are
eligible to participate in the AIC Plan or the RPM Plan, and who are actively
employed by the Company in Leadership Level 1-5 or the equivalent at the time a
salary deferral election is made are eligible to defer payment of from 1% to
50% of base salary in 1% increments, provided that the Compensation and Option
Committee has determined that base salary deferrals may be made for the
employment period covered by such deferral. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Compensation and Option Committee may impose such additional limitations on
eligibility as it deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
(d) Deferrals of Incentive Compensation. Subject to any limitations
determined under paragraph (a) or paragraph (g) of this Section 4, U.S.
employees who are eligible to participate in the AIC Plan or the RPM Plan, and
who are actively employed by the Company at the time an election is made to
defer payment of an award payable under the LTI Plan or other incentive
compensation plan are eligible to defer payment of from 1% to 100%, in 1%
increments, of such award net of applicable taxes, but not less than $1,000 or
the equivalent value determined at the time of the deferral, provided that the
Compensation and Option Committee has determined that deferrals may be made for
such awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Compensation and Option
Committee may in its sole discretion allow deferrals under this paragraph (d)
by persons that do not meet the eligibility requirements described above.
(e) Deferral of Awards under SC Plan. Notwithstanding anything in the
Plan to the contrary, deferrals of awards of supplemental compensation made
under the SC Plan for years 1995-1997 shall be governed by the same provisions
of the Plan that apply to awards of incentive compensation under the AIC Plan.
Any references to the AIC Plan shall be deemed to cover awards under the SC
Plan.
(f) Deferral of New Hire Payments. Notwithstanding anything
contained in the Plan to the contrary, subject to any limitations determined
under paragraph (a) or paragraph (e) of this Section 4, newly hired U.S.
employees who are eligible to participate in the AIC Plan or the RPM Plan, and
who received an employment offer from the Company that included a new hire
payment in cash are eligible to defer payment from 1% to 100%, in 1% increments,
of such new hire payment net of applicable taxes, but not less than $1,000,
provided that such employees are actively employed by the Company in Leadership
Level 1-5 or the equivalent at the time the new hire payment would otherwise be
payable in the absence of such deferral.
(g) Eligibility of Compensation and Option Committee Members. No
person while a member of the Compensation and Option Committee shall be
eligible to participate under the Plan.
(h) Transfer of Deferral Accounts from SC Plan. Effective as of the
close of business on October 16, 1998, all outstanding book entry accounts
maintained under the SC Plan in the form of contingent credits for cash and/or
Ford Common Stock shall be transferred to the Plan and governed by the
provisions of the Plan. Upon such transfer, contingent credits for cash shall
be valued based on the Fidelity Retirement Money Market Portfolio and
contingent credits for Ford Common Stock shall be valued based on the Ford
Stock Fund until such time, if any, as all or any part of such amounts are
transferred by the applicable participants to other investment options
available under the Plan. Ultimate payout of a transferred deferral account
shall be in cash, except that, to the extent that the transferred account is
valued based on the Ford Stock
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Fund, the participant may make an election prior to the transfer of the account
to receive the ultimate payout in whole shares of Common Stock.
5. Deferral Elections.
(a) Annual Incentive Compensation Deferrals. A participant's
decision to defer payment of annual incentive compensation under paragraph (b)
of Section 4 under the Plan must be made prior to October 31 of the performance
year for which the compensation is determined.
(b) Base Salary Deferrals. A participant's decision to defer payment
of base salary under the Plan must be made prior to the calendar year during
which the base salary will be earned; provided, however, that such decision may
be made with respect to base salary earned during the first calendar year that
base salary deferrals are permitted under the Plan within thirty days of
implementation of the base salary component of the Plan but prior to earning
any such salary.
(c) Incentive Compensation Deferrals. Subject to the limitations set
forth in Section 4 hereof, the Compensation and Option Committee shall
determine the required timing for participants to make elections to defer
payment of awards payable only in cash under the LTI Plan or other incentive
compensation plan.
(d) New Hire Payment Deferrals. A participant's decision to defer
payment of a new hire payment must be made no later than the day the payment
would otherwise be made.
(e) Mandatory Deferrals. The Compensation and Option Committee may
mandatorily defer payment under the Plan of a portion of certain annual
incentive compensation awards pursuant to the AIC Plan. The Compensation and
Option Committee may determine the extent to which it may mandatorily defer
payment under the Plan of compensation payable only in cash under the LTI Plan
or other incentive compensation plan.
(f) Deferred Compensation Accounts. Amounts deferred pursuant to
paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) of Section 5, and deferral amounts
relating to any transfer to the Plan pursuant to paragraph (h) of Section 4,
will be credited by book entry to the participant's Deferred Compensation
Account. All such amounts shall be held in the general funds of the Company.
Each participant shall have the status of an unsecured general creditor of the
Company with respect to his or her Deferred Compensation Account. The
participant shall designate the percentage of the amount elected for deferral
to be allocated to each investment option available under the Plan for purposes
of accounting only and not for actual investment. In addition, with respect to
any particular deferral under the Plan, the participant shall elect (i) the
year in which distribution shall be made or distribution upon retirement and
(ii) the method of
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distribution desired with respect to any such deferral election if the
participant elected distribution upon retirement, i.e., in a lump sum payment
or in up to ten annual installments.
6. Investment Options; Methodology; No Ownership Rights.
(a) General. Unless otherwise delegated to the Deferred Compensation
Committee, the Compensation and Option Committee has the sole discretion to
determine the investment options available as the measurement mechanism for
deferrals and redesignations under the Plan, the manner and extent to which
elections may be made, the method of valuing the various investment options and
the Deferred Compensation Accounts and the method of crediting the Deferred
Compensation Accounts with, or making other adjustments as a result of,
dividend equivalents, interest equivalents or other earnings or return on such
Accounts.
(b) Investment Options. Unless otherwise determined by the
Compensation and Option Committee, the investment options available as the
measurement mechanism for deferrals and redesignations under the Plan shall be
some or all of those provided in the Company's SSIP.
(c) Methodology. Unless otherwise determined by the Compensation and
Option Committee, the methodology for valuing the various investment options
and the Deferred Compensation Accounts and for calculating amounts to be
credited or debited or other adjustments to any Deferred Compensation Account
with respect to any investment options shall be the same as that used under the
SSIP.
(d) No Ownership Rights. Investment options available under the Plan
shall be used solely for measuring the value of Deferred Compensation Accounts
and accounting, on a book entry basis, as if the deferred amounts had been
invested in actual investments, but no such investments shall be made on behalf
of participants. Participants shall not have any voting rights or any other
ownership rights with respect to the investment options selected as the
measuring mechanism for their Deferred Compensation Accounts.
7. Redesignation Within a Deferred Compensation Account.
(a) General. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f) of this
Section 7, a participant or the beneficiary or legal representative of a
deceased participant, may redesignate amounts credited to a Deferred
Compensation Account among the investments available under the Plan. No
redesignations relating to a particular deferral may occur on or after the
scheduled distribution date for the deferral under the Plan.
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(b) Eligible Participants. Active employees and retired participants
are eligible to redesignate.
(c) Permitted Frequency. Redesignations may be made at the same
frequency as transfers may be made under the SSIP.
(d) Amount of Redesignation. Any redesignation relating to a
particular deferral shall be in a specified percentage or dollar amount of the
investment option from which the redesignation is being made.
(e) Timing. Redesignation shall occur on the day the participant's
written redesignation election form or telephonic election is received by the
Company or its agent designated for this purpose; provided, however, that if
such redesignation request is received after 4 p.m. Eastern Time, or on a day
that is not a business day (i.e., a day that either the Company's World
Headquarters offices in Dearborn, Michigan or the principal offices of its
designated agent are not open to the public for business), then such
redesignation shall be effective on the next business day.
(f) Limitations on Redesignations Involving Ford Stock Units. The
Committee in its sole discretion at any time may rescind a redesignation in or
out of Ford Stock Units if such redesignation was made by a participant who (i)
at the time of the redesignation the Committee believes was in the possession
of material, nonpublic information with respect to the Company and (ii) in the
Committee's estimation benefited from such information by the timing of his or
her redesignation. In the event of a rescission, the participant's Deferred
Compensation Account shall be restored to a status as though such redesignation
had not occurred.
8. Adjustments. In the event of a reorganization, recapitalization,
stock split, stock dividend, combination of shares, merger, consolidation,
rights offering or any other change in the corporate structure of the Company
or shares of Ford Stock or units of any other investment option provided under
the Plan, the Compensation and Option Committee shall make such adjustments, if
any, as it may deem appropriate in the number of Ford Stock Units, shares of
Ford Stock represented by Ford Stock Units or shares or units of other
investment options credited to participants' Deferred Compensation Accounts.
9. Distribution of Deferred Compensation; Financial Hardship.
(a) General. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this
Section 9 or in Section 11, or as otherwise determined by the Committee,
distribution of all or any part of a participant's Deferred Compensation
Account shall be made on, or as soon thereafter as practicable, (i) March 15 of
the year selected by the participant for distribution with respect to the
particular deferral if the participant is an active employee of the Company on
the distribution
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date, (ii) the March 15 following death or termination for
reasons other than retirement, notwithstanding any prior selection by the
participant of a subsequent year for distribution with respect to the
particular deferral, (iii) the March 15 following retirement if the participant
selected distribution upon retirement with respect to the particular deferral
and a lump sum distribution was selected, or if the participant selected a
particular year for distribution with respect to the particular deferral but
retired prior to the year selected, or (iv) the March 15 following retirement
with respect to the first annual installment and continuing on the applicable
number of consecutive anniversaries of such date if no more than ten annual
installments were selected by the participant with respect to the particular
deferral. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, a Deferred Compensation
Account or part thereof relating to a particular distribution shall be valued,
for purposes of the distribution, as of the following applicable date or as soon
thereafter as practicable: March 15 of the year of distribution or the next
preceding day for which valuation information is available.
(b) Financial Hardship. At the written request of a participant, the
Committee, in its sole discretion, may authorize the cessation of deferrals
under the Plan by such participant and distribution of all or any part of the
participant's Deferred Compensation Account prior to his or her scheduled
distribution date or dates, or accelerate payment of any installment payable
with respect to Deferred Compensation, upon a showing of unforeseeable
emergency by the participant. For purposes of this paragraph, "unforeseeable
emergency" shall mean severe financial hardship resulting from extraordinary
and unforeseeable circumstances arising as a result of one or more recent
events beyond the control of the participant. In any event, payment shall not
be made to the extent such emergency is or may be relieved (i) through
reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise, (ii) by liquidation of
the participant's assets, to the extent the liquidation of such assets would
not itself cause severe financial hardship and (iii) by cessation of deferrals
under the Plan. Withdrawals of amounts because of unforeseeable emergency shall
only be permitted to the extent reasonably necessary to satisfy the emergency.
Examples of what are not considered to be unforeseeable emergencies include the
need to send a participant's child to college or the desire to purchase a home.
The Committee shall determine the applicable distribution date and the date as
of which the amount to be distributed shall be valued with respect to any
financial hardship withdrawal or distribution made pursuant to this paragraph
(b) of this Section 9. Any participant whose deferrals have ceased under the
Plan pursuant to this paragraph may not elect to recommence deferrals until the
next applicable deferral period.
10. Designation of Beneficiaries and Effect of Death.
(a) Designation of Beneficiaries. A participant may file with the
Company a written designation of a beneficiary or beneficiaries (subject to
such limitations as to the classes and number of beneficiaries and contingent
beneficiaries and such other limitations as the Compensation and Option
Committee from time to time may prescribe) to receive, in the event
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of the death of the participant, undistributed amounts of Deferred Compensation
that would have been payable to such participant had he or she been living. A
participant shall be deemed to have designated as beneficiary or beneficiaries
under the Plan the person or persons who receive such participant's life
insurance proceeds under the Company-paid basic Life Insurance Plan unless such
participant shall have assigned such life insurance or shall have filed with
the Company a written designation of a different beneficiary or beneficiaries
under the Plan. A participant may from time to time revoke or change any such
designation of beneficiary and any designation of beneficiary under the Plan
shall be controlling over any testamentary or other disposition; provided,
however, that if the Committee shall be in doubt as to the right of any such
beneficiary to receive any such payment, or if applicable law requires the
Company to do so, the same may be paid to the legal representatives of the
participant, in which case the Company, the Committee and the members thereof
shall not be under any further liability to anyone.
(b) Distribution Upon Death. Subject to the provisions of Section 9
hereof, in the event of the death of any participant prior to distribution of
all or part of such participant's Deferred Compensation Account, the total
value of such participant's entire Deferred Compensation Account shall be
distributed in cash, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (h) of Section
4, in one lump sum in accordance with paragraph (a) of Section 9 to any
beneficiary or beneficiaries designated or deemed designated by the participant
pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 10 who shall survive such participant
(to the extent such designation is effective and enforceable at the time of
such participant's death) or, in the absence of such designation or such
surviving beneficiary, or if applicable law requires the Company to do so, to
the legal representative of such person, at such time (or as soon thereafter as
practicable) and otherwise as if such person were living and had fulfilled all
applicable conditions as to earning out set forth in, or established pursuant
to the Plan, provided such conditions shall have been fulfilled by such person
until the time of his or her death.
11. Effect of Inimical Conduct. Anything contained in the Plan
notwithstanding, all rights of a participant under the Plan to receive
distribution of all or any part of his or her Deferred Compensation Account
shall cease on and as of the date on which it has been determined by the
Committee that such participant at any time (whether before or subsequent to
termination of such participant's employment) acted in a manner inimical to the
best interests of the Company.
12. Limitations. A participant shall not have any interest in any
Deferred Compensation credited to his or her Deferred Compensation Account
until it is distributed in accordance with the Plan. All amounts deferred under
the Plan shall remain the sole property of the Company, subject to the claims
of its general creditors and available for use for whatever purposes are
desired. With respect to Deferred Compensation, a participant shall be merely a
general creditor of the Company and the obligation of the Company hereunder
shall be purely contractual and shall not be funded or secured in any way. The
Plan shall not constitute part of
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any participant's or employee's employment contract with the Company or any
participating subsidiary. Participation in the Plan shall not create or imply a
right to continued employment.
13. Annual Statements of Account. Account statements shall be sent to
participants as soon as practicable following the end of each year as to the
balances of their respective Deferred Compensation Accounts as of the end of
the previous calendar year.
14. Withholding of Taxes. The Company shall have the right to withhold an
amount sufficient to satisfy any federal, state or local income taxes or FICA
or medicare taxes that the Company may be required by law to pay with respect
to any Deferred Compensation Account, including withholding payment from a
participant's current compensation.
15. No Assignment of Benefits. No rights or benefits under the Plan
shall, except as otherwise specifically provided by law, be subject to
assignment (except for the designation of beneficiaries pursuant to paragraph
(a) of Section 10), nor shall such rights or benefits be subject to attachment
or legal process for or against a participant or his or her beneficiary or
beneficiaries, as the case may be.
16. Administration Expense. The entire expense of offering and
administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company and its participating
subsidiaries.
17. Amendment, Modification, Suspension and Termination of the Plan;
Rescissions and Corrections. The Compensation and Option Committee, at any time
may terminate, and at any time and from time to time, and in any respect, may
amend or modify the Plan or suspend any of its provisions; provided, however,
that no such amendment, modification, suspension or termination shall, without
the consent of a participant, adversely affect such participant's rights with
respect to amounts credited to or accrued in his or her Deferred Compensation
Account. The Committee at any time may rescind or correct any deferrals or
credits to any Deferred Compensation Account made in error or that jeopardize
the intended tax status or legal compliance of the Plan.
18. Indemnification and Exculpation.
(a) Indemnification. Each person who is or shall have been a member
of the Compensation and Option Committee or a member of the Deferred
Compensation Committee shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company
against and from any and all loss, cost, liability or expense that may be
imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such person in connection with or
resulting from any claim, action, suit or proceeding to which such person may
be or become a party or in which such person may be or become involved by
reason of any action taken or failure to act under the Plan and against and
from any and all amounts paid by such person in settlement thereof (with the
Company's written approval) or paid by such person
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in satisfaction of a judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding, except a
judgment in favor of the Company based upon a finding of such person's lack of
good faith; subject, however, to the condition that upon the institution of any
claim, action, suit or proceeding against such person, such person shall in
writing give the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and
defend the same before such person undertakes to handle and defend it on such
person's behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive
of any other right to which such person may be entitled as a matter of law or
otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify or hold such
person harmless.
(b) Exculpation. Each member of the Compensation and Option
Committee and each member of the Deferred Compensation Committee shall be fully
justified in relying or acting in good faith upon any information furnished in
connection with the administration of the Plan or any appropriate person or
persons other than such person. In no event shall any person who is or shall
have been a member of the Compensation and Option Committee or a member of the
Deferred Compensation Committee be held liable for any determination made or
other action taken or any omission to act in reliance upon any such information,
or for any action (including the furnishing of information) taken or any
failure to act, if in good faith.
19. Finality of Determinations. Each determination, interpretation or
other action made or taken pursuant to the provisions of the Plan by the
Compensation and Option Committee or the Deferred Compensation Committee shall
be final and shall be binding and conclusive for all purposes and upon all
persons, including, but without limitation thereto, the Company, its
stockholders, the Compensation and Option Committee and each of the members
thereof, the Deferred Compensation Committee and each of the members thereof,
and the directors, officers, and employees of the Company, the Plan
participants, and their respective successors in interest.
20. Governing Law. The Plan shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan.