UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14a-101)
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange
Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Preliminary
Proxy Statement
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for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
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Definitive
Proxy Statement
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Definitive
Additional Materials
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Soliciting
Material Pursuant to Rule
14a-12
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WGNB
CORP.
(Name of
Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
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of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(3)
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Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee
is calculated and state how it was determined):
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maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or
the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
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Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the
WGNB
Corp. 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on June 16,
2009
The
annual report and proxy statement are available at
www.fnbga.com
. Please
click on the “Investor
Relations”
tab and choose the link “2009 Annual
Meeting”.
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WGNB
CORP.
201
Maple Street
Carrollton,
Georgia 30117
NOTICE
OF 2009 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
to
be held on June 16, 2009
To our
Shareholders:
We hereby notify you that we are
holding our 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 16, 2009, at 3:00 p.m.,
local time, at the University of West Georgia Townsend Center for the Performing
Arts located at West Georgia Drive, Carrollton, Georgia 30116 for the
following purposes:
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1.
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To
elect five Class III directors to serve on our Board of Directors until
the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders;
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2.
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To
amend WGNB Corp.’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation,
to:
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(a)
increase the
number of authorized shares of WGNB Corp.’s common stock from 20,000,000
shares having no par value to 50,000,000 shares having no par value;
and
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(b)
increase the
number of authorized shares of WGNB Corp.’s preferred stock from
10,000,000 shares having no par value to 20,000,000 shares having no par
value; and
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3.
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To
transact any other business that may properly come before the meeting or
any adjournments or postponements
thereof.
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These
items and other matters relating to the meeting are more fully discussed in the
proxy statement that accompanies this notice. Also accompanying this
notice and proxy statement is a copy of WGNB Corp.’s 2008 Annual Report to
Shareholders. We will be mailing this proxy statement and the
accompanying form of proxy to our shareholders beginning May [5],
2009.
You can
vote your shares of WGNB Corp. common stock if our records show that you were
the owner of the shares as of the close of business on April 30, 2009, the
record date for the annual meeting.
To assure your representation at the
annual meeting, please vote. Your Board of Directors recommends that
you vote FOR both of the proposals identified above. Whether or not
you plan to attend the annual meeting, please complete, date, sign and return
the enclosed proxy card promptly in the enclosed prepaid
envelope. This will help ensure that your vote is
counted. If you fail to return your card, your vote will not be
counted, unless you attend the meeting and vote in person. You may
revoke your proxy in the manner described in the proxy statement at any time
before the proxy has been voted at the annual meeting.
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By
Order of the Board of Directors,
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WGNB
Corp.
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/s/
H.B. “Rocky” Lipham, III
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H.
B. “Rocky” Lipham, III
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Chief
Executive Officer
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Carrollton,
Georgia
May [5],
2009
Directions
to the University of West Georgia Townsend Center for Performing Arts from
First National Bank of Georgia’s Carrollton office at 201 Maple Street
Carrollton, Georgia 30117:
University
of West Georgia
Townsend
Center for the Performing Arts
West
Georgia Drive
Carrollton,
GA 30116
Proceed
East on Maple Street toward the campus of University of West
Georgia. Turn right (North) onto West Georgia
Drive. There is a McDonalds on the corner of Maple Street and
West Georgia Drive (formerly known as Back Campus
Drive). Proceed on West Georgia Drive until you reach the
corner of West Georgia Drive and University Drive. The parking
lot for the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts is on the
right.
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PROXY
STATEMENT FOR
2009
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
to
be held on June 16, 2009
Questions
and Answers
Regarding
the Matters Presented and How You May Vote at the
Annual
Meeting
Q: Where
and when will the annual meeting be held?
A: The
date, time and place of the meeting are:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
3:00 p.m., local time
University of West Georgia
Townsend Center for the Performing
Arts
West Georgia Drive
Carrollton,
Georgia 30116
Q: Why
am I receiving these materials?
A: We
sent you this proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card because our Board of
Directors is asking for your proxy to vote your shares at our annual
meeting. We have summarized information in this proxy statement that
you should consider in deciding how to vote at the meeting. You do
not have to attend in order to vote your shares. Instead, you may
simply complete, sign, and return the enclosed proxy card. We first
began mailing this proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card to our
shareholders beginning May [5], 2009.
Q: Who
pays for this solicitation?
A: We
do. In addition to sending you these materials, some of our employees
may contact you by telephone, by mail, or in person. None of these
employees will receive any extra compensation for doing this. We
intend to use the services of our transfer agent, Registrar and Transfer
Company, to administer receipt and tallying of votes for the upcoming meeting.
The cost for these services is not expected to be significant. We
will also reimburse banks, brokers, custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for
their reasonable charges and expenses in forwarding our proxy materials to the
beneficial owners of our common stock.
Q: What
am I voting on?
A: Two
items.
First, a
proposal to elect Grady W. Cole, H.B. “Rocky” Lipham, III, Mary M. Covington,
Gelon E. Wasdin and William W. Stone as Class III directors for a new three year
term expiring in 2012. All of these nominees have indicated that they
will serve as a director if elected. If the situation should arise,
however, that any of these director nominees is no longer able or willing to
serve; the proxy may be voted for the election of such other person as may be
designated by our Board of Directors.
Second, a
proposal to adopt an amendment to our Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from
20,000,000 shares to 50,000,000 shares and the number of authorized shares of
preferred stock from 10,000,000 shares to 20,000,000 shares.
Q: Who
can vote?
A: You
can vote your shares of common stock if our records show that you were the owner
of the shares as of the close of business on April 30, 2009, the record date for
the annual meeting. As of April 30, 2009, there were a total of
[6,058,007] shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the
annual meeting. If you owned common stock on the record date, you
have one vote per share for each matter presented at the annual
meeting. The enclosed proxy card shows the number of shares you can
vote. Our shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights nor are
the election of directors and the proposed amendment to our Articles of
Incorporation matters that give shareholders dissenters or appraisal
rights.
Q: How
do I vote?
A: You
may vote your shares either in person by ballot or by proxy. To vote
by proxy, you should mark, date, sign and mail the enclosed
proxy. The proxy card is self-addressed and has prepaid postage
affixed to facilitate ease in return. Giving a proxy will not affect
your right to vote your shares if you attend the annual meeting and want to vote
in person – by voting you automatically revoke your proxy. You also
may revoke your proxy at any time before the voting by giving the Secretary of
WGNB written notice of your revocation or by submitting a later-dated
proxy. If you execute, date and return your proxy but do not mark
your voting preference, the individuals named as proxies will vote your shares
FOR the election of each of the nominees for director and FOR the amendment to
our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation. We must receive
your proxy prior to the annual meeting for your vote to count.
Q: What
constitutes a quorum?
A: Voting
can take place at the annual meeting only if shareholders owning a majority of
the voting power of our common stock (that is a majority of the total number of
votes entitled to be cast) are present in person or represented by effective
proxies. On the record date, we had [6,058,007] shares of common
stock, no par value per share, outstanding. Both abstentions and
broker non-votes are counted as present for purposes of establishing the quorum
necessary for the annual meeting to proceed. A broker “non-vote”
results from a situation in which a broker holding your shares in “street” or
“nominee” name indicates to us on the proxy that you have not voted and the
broker lacks discretionary authority to vote your shares.
Q: What
vote of the shareholders will result in the matters being passed?
A:
Election of
Directors
: Directors require a plurality of the votes cast in
person or by proxy by the shareholders to be elected. A “plurality”
means that the individuals with the largest number of favorable votes are
elected as directors, up to the maximum number of directors to be chosen at the
meeting. Thus, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be included
in vote totals and will not affect the outcome of the vote assuming a quorum is
present or represented by proxy at the annual meeting. Cumulative
voting will not be applicable to the election of directors at the
meeting. A shareholder has the right to vote the number of shares
owned in the election of each director. With respect to the election
of the five directors to hold office for a term of three years, the nominees
receiving the most votes, up to five, will be elected. If the proxy
is marked to vote for the five directors as a group, one vote will be cast for
each director for each share entitled to vote and represented by the
proxy. If any shareholder wishes to vote for fewer than five
directors, the shareholder may line through or otherwise strike out the name of
any nominee.
Amendment to Articles of
Incorporation
: For all matters affecting our Articles of
Incorporation, the affirmative vote of a majority of all shares of common stock
issued and outstanding is required for approval. Shares not voted
with respect to this matter (whether by abstention or broker non-vote) would
have the effect of a vote cast against this proposal.
Approval of Other
Matters
: For purposes of any other vote occurring at the
meeting, if a quorum is present, the proposal will pass if the votes cast “for”
the action exceed the votes cast “against” the action unless otherwise required
by Georgia law or our Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws. Shares not
voted with respect to any such matters (whether by abstention or broker
non-vote) will not be included in vote totals and will not impact the
vote. As of the date of this proxy statement, we know of no matters
other than the election of directors and the amendment to our Articles of
Incorporation to be presented for action at the meeting.
Q: What
does it mean if I get more than one proxy card?
A: If
your shares are registered differently and are in more than one account, you
will receive more than one proxy card. Sign and return all proxy
cards to ensure that all of your shares are voted. In addition, only
a duly authorized person may sign a proxy on a shareholder’s behalf if that
shareholder is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity. If the shares
of common stock represented by a proxy are registered in more than one name,
each registered owner should sign the proxy. If an authorized person
executes the proxy pursuant to a power of attorney or as an executor,
administrator, trustee or guardian, the person should include his or her full
title on the proxy and enclose a certificate or other evidence of appointment
with the proxy when delivering it to the Secretary. Proxies that are
not properly executed will not be effective.
Q: How
does the Board recommend that I vote on the re-election of Grady W. Cole, H.B.
“Rocky” Lipham, III, Mary M. Covington, Gelon E. Wasdin and William W. Stone to
the Board of Directors and on the proposal to amend the Articles of
Incorporation?
A: Our
Board of Directors unanimously recommends that shareholders vote FOR the
re-election of each of these nominees to the Board as a Class III director at
this year’s annual meeting and FOR the proposal to amend the Articles of
Incorporation.
Q: Where
can I get a copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2008?
A: A
copy of our 2008 Annual Report is being furnished along with this proxy
statement which incorporates WGNB Corp.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 in its entirety. You may
obtain copies of the filings that we have made with the Securities and Exchange
Commission free of charge upon written request to: Steven J. Haack,
Corporate Secretary, WGNB Corp., P.O. Box 280, Carrollton,
Georgia 30112, or by telephone at (770) 830-2945. You may
also download a copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other
filings from our website,
www.fnbga.com
. Click
on the Investor Relations tab and choose “Annual Report”.
If the
person requesting the Annual Report on Form 10-K was not a shareholder on April
30, 2009, the request must include a representation that the person was a
beneficial owner of our common stock on that date. Copies of any
exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K will also be furnished on request and
upon payment of our expenses in furnishing the exhibits.
Q: Where
is the Company’s common stock traded?
A: Our
common stock is currently traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the trading
symbol “WGNB”.
NOMINATION
AND ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
(Proposal
One)
The Board of Directors currently
consists of fourteen members and is divided into three classes, with the term of
each class staggered so that in any given year approximately one-third of the
total Board membership stands for re-election. On August 12, 2008, we
voted to increase the size of the Board from twelve persons to fourteen
persons. Board members continue to be elected for a three-year term
and serve until their successors are duly qualified and elected. The
terms of our current Class III directors (including
Gelon E.
Wasdin and William W. Stone who filled the vacancies created by the Board
increase) will expire at the annual meeting. The terms of the current
Class I and Class II directors will expire at the 2010 and 2011 annual meetings,
respectively.
The persons named in the enclosed proxy
will vote FOR the five nominees named below under “Nominees for Directors” as
the five Class III Directors, unless instructed otherwise in the proxy. The
persons receiving the greatest number of votes, up to the number of directors to
be elected, shall be the persons elected as Class III directors. Each
director is to hold office until the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and
until his or her successor is duly qualified and elected.
The names and certain information
concerning the persons to be nominated to become Class III directors by the
Board of Directors at the meeting (and information regarding the current Class I
and Class II directors which are not up for election at the meeting) are set
forth below. YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR
THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES NAMED BELOW UNDER “NOMINEES FOR
DIRECTORS”. It is intended that shares represented by the proxies
will be voted FOR the election to the Board of Directors of the persons named
below unless authority to vote for nominees has been withheld in the
proxy. Although each of the persons nominated has consented to serve
as a director if elected and your Board of Directors has no reason to believe
that any of the nominees will be unable to serve as a director, if any nominee
withdraws or otherwise becomes unavailable to serve, the persons named as
proxies will vote for any substitute nominee designated by the Board of
Directors. The following information regarding our directors
(including the nominees) and executive officers is relevant to your
consideration of the slate proposed by your Board of Directors.
Nominees
For Directors
The nominees for the Class III
directors (each of whom is currently a director of WGNB Corp.) are:
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Grady
W. Cole
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H.
B. “Rocky” Lipham, III
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Mary
M. Covington
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Gelon
E. Wasdin
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William
W. Stone
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Continuing
Members of the Board of Directors
Class I directors, whose terms expire
at the 2010 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, consist of Wanda W. Calhoun, L.
Richard Plunkett, Donald C. Rhodes and Thomas T. Richards. Class II
directors, whose terms expire at the 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders,
consist of W. Thomas Green, Jr., Randall F. Eaves, Loy M. Howard, R. David Perry
and J. Thomas Vance.
Information
as to Nominees, Other Directors and Executive Officers
The following table provides
biographical information for each director, including each nominee for director,
and executive officer of the Company. All of our executive officers
are chosen by the Board of Directors and serve at the Board's
discretion. Except as otherwise indicated, each individual has been
or was engaged in his or her present or last principal occupation, in the same
or a similar position, for more than five years.
Name
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Age
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Position
with the Company and Principal Occupation
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W.
T. Green, Jr.
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64
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Mr.
Green is our Chairman of the Board and has served as a director of the
Company and the Bank since 1988. He is a 1966 graduate of the
University of Georgia and is Chairman and CEO of Greenway Medical
Technologies, a software company located in Carrollton, Georgia that
designs computer software applications for healthcare
providers. Mr. Green is past Chairman of the Tanner Medical
Foundation and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the University
of West Georgia Foundation. He is past President of the
Carrollton Rotary Club and Sunset Hills Country Club.
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Wanda
W. Calhoun
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Ms.
Calhoun has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
December 2002. Ms. Calhoun is a retired elementary school
teacher. She holds both a bachelor and masters degree in
education from the University of West Georgia. Ms. Calhoun
currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tanner Medical
Foundation. She also serves on the Board of the LGA at Sunset
Hills Country Club and is committee member for the University of West
Georgia A-Day campaign.
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Grady
W. Cole
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Mr.
Cole has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
1992. Mr. Cole is President and CEO of Carroll Realty and
Insurance Company where he has been employed since 1978. He is
a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BBA in
Finance. Mr. Cole currently serves as a director of the Tanner
Medical Foundation and is a past director of the Carrollton Rotary Club
and the University of West Georgia Foundation. He is also a
past director of the Carrollton City Schools Educational
Foundation.
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Mary
M. Covington
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61
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Ms.
Covington joined as a director of the Company and the Bank in connection
with the July 1, 2007 completion of our merger with First Haralson
Corporation. She holds the position of Vice Chairman of WGNB
Corp. and the Bank and also serves as Executive Vice President of the
Company and the Bank. Before the merger, she had been Executive
Vice President of First National Bank of Georgia since
1991. She began working for First National in 1980, and served
as its director since 1983. She also served as President of
First Haralson Corporation since 1990. Ms. Covington graduated
with a BA degree from Florida State University. She obtained
post-graduate degrees from the Graduate School of Banking of the South at
Louisiana State University as well as an MBA from the University of West
Georgia. Ms. Covington is very active in the Community Bankers
Association of Georgia and has served as its state
Chairman. She also serves on the boards of Tanner Medical
Center, Carroll County Hospital Authority, Carroll Tomorrow Economic
Foundation, Richards College of Business at the University of West
Georgia, and the Community Foundation of West Georgia. She is a
Trustee for the University of West Georgia Foundation.
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Randall
F. Eaves
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Mr.
Eaves joined as a director of the Company and the Bank in connection with
the July 1, 2007 completion of our merger with First Haralson
Corporation. He also serves as President of both the Company
and the Bank. Mr. Eaves was employed with First National Bank of Georgia
since 1974 and served as its director since 1987. He is a
graduate of the University of West Georgia with a BBA in Business
Administration and the Graduate School of Banking of the South at
Louisiana State University. He is a member and past president of the
Bremen Rotary Club and the Haralson County Chamber of Commerce. He is on
the Board and is Secretary/Treasurer of the Georgia Bankers
Association.
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Loy
M. Howard
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Mr.
Howard has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
2007. Mr. Howard is President and CEO of Tanner Health
System. He has been in healthcare administration since
1987. Mr. Howard is a certified public accountant with an MBA
from the University of South Carolina, a BA in accounting from the
University of West Florida and is a graduate of Leadership
Georgia. Mr. Howard is the co-founder and current chairman of
the Carroll Tomorrow Foundation and former chair of the Carroll County
Chamber of Commerce and Oak Mountain Academy. He is a board
member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and University of West Georgia
Foundation.
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H.
B. Lipham, III
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43
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Mr.
Lipham became a director of the Company in 2006 and in 2007 was named as
its Chief Executive Officer and President. He joined the Bank
in 1994 and was appointed to the Board of Directors and assumed the
position of President of the Bank in 2004. In 2006, he was
named Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. Mr. Lipham holds a
BBA in Accounting from the University of West Georgia and is a graduate of
the University of Georgia Banking School. Mr. Lipham serves on
the Boards of Directors of the Tanner Medical Foundation, United Way of
Douglas County, Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, Oak Mountain Academy,
University of West Georgia Foundation, Carroll Tomorrow Foundation and
Alice’s House Community Children’s Home. He is also a member of
the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce and past chair of the University of
West Georgia Annual A-Day Scholarship Drive. Professional
organizations include the Board of Directors of the Community Bankers
Association of Georgia, as well as membership in the Political Action
Committee Board of the Georgia Bankers Association.
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R.
David Perry
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68
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Mr.
Perry is a director of the Company and the Bank. He has been a
director of the Company since 1984 and a director of the Bank since
1980. He is a retired pharmacist and graduated from the
University of Georgia in 1962 with a BS in Pharmacy. Mr. Perry
practiced pharmacy for twenty-five years and owned Perry’s Westside
Pharmacy in Carrollton. After retiring from pharmacy, he served
as interim Executive Director of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce
and training consultant for the University of West Georgia Continuing
Education Department. In 1988, Mr. Perry was elected as sole
Commissioner of Carroll County and later served as the Chairman of the
Board of Commissioners of Carroll County. He also held elected
positions as Chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Carroll
County and member of the City of Carrollton Board of
Education. He served as President of the Carrollton Jaycees and
a member of Carrollton Kiwanis Club and Carrollton Rotary
Club. He served on the Quorum Health Advisory Board, the State
of Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, the Chattahoochee Flint
Development Authority, the City of Carrollton Zoning Board and the
Recreation Commission. Mr. Perry is past Chairman of the Board
of Directors of Tanner Medical Center, and a member of the Board of
Directors of Systems and Methods, Inc., a computer software
company.
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L.
Richard Plunkett
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66
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Mr.
Plunkett has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
1992. He is president of Plunkett & Associates, a money
management and investment firm. He is a graduate of Brown
University and received his MBA in Finance, from Georgia State
University. He earned his Chartered Financial Analyst
certification in 1973. Mr. Plunkett is a member of the
Association for Investment Management and Research and the Society of
International Business Fellows. He is a member of the Board of
Trustees of the Michael C. Carlos Museum and Mercer University and serves
as the Chairman of the University’s Finance Committee. He is
also a board member of Kids Peace.
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Donald
C. Rhodes
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64
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Mr.
Rhodes joined as a director of the Company and the Bank in connection with
the July 1, 2007 completion of our merger with First Haralson Corporation.
He had been employed with First National Bank of Georgia since 1999 as its
Business Development Officer and served as its director since
1983. Beginning 1999, Mr. Rhodes served in the capacity of
Chairman for First National Bank. Prior to joining First
National Bank, Mr. Rhodes owned and operated City Lumber Company, Inc.
from 1967 to 1998. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a
BS in Business Administration. He is a member and past
president of the Bremen Rotary Club and past Chairman and on the board of
the Haralson County Development Authority. He has served on the Board of
West Central Technical College.
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Thomas
T. Richards
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68
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Mr.
Richards
has
served as a director of the Company and the Bank since 1984. He
is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology with a BS in Industrial
Management and earned his MBA from the Harvard Business
School. He is the President of Richards Mortgage Servicing and
is a member of the Board of Directors of Greenway Medical
Technologies. He is also a board member of Tanner Medical
Foundation and Community Foundation of West Georgia.
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William
W. Stone
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43
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Mr.
Stone has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
2008. He serves as president and chief financial officer of
Systems & Methods Inc. (SMI) and manages all administrative and
financial aspects of the business. He has also been active with
affiliations such as Kennesaw State University Family Enterprise Center,
Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Academy, and Community
Foundation of West Georgia, among others.
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J.
Thomas Vance
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62
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Mr.
Vance has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
1991. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1968 with
a BS in accounting. He is also a graduate of the University of
Georgia School of Law and is a partner with the law firm of Tisinger
Vance, PC where his practice concentrates in the areas of business,
family, municipal and healthcare law. He serves as General
Counsel to Tanner Medical Center, Greenway Medical Technologies and
Systems and Methods. He currently serves on the board of the
Georgia World Congress Center Authority, on the board of visitors of the
Richards College of Business at the University of West Georgia and is a
trustee of the University of West Georgia Foundation.
|
|
|
|
Gelon
E. Wasdin
|
61
|
Mr.
Wasdin has served as a director of the Company and the Bank since
2008. He has served as a director of First National Bank of
Georgia since 2006. He is a Certified Public Accountant and
graduated from Florida State University in 1969 with a B.S. in
Accounting. Mr. Wasdin was a principal and employee of a local
accounting firm for twenty-four years. In 1994, he became chief
financial officer and a member of the board of directors for Superior
International Industries, Inc., in Carrollton, a manufacturer of
commercial and soft style play equipment and related components serving
until 2000. Mr. Wasdin currently offers advisory services to
middle market and small companies and in the areas of investments and
acquisitions.
|
Steven
J. Haack
|
49
|
Mr.
Haack
is
Senior Executive
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and a director of the Bank and
Secretary/Treasurer of the Company. He has been employed by the
Bank as its Chief Financial Officer since January, 1995 and has served as
Secretary/Treasurer of the Company since 1998. Mr. Haack holds
a BBA in Accounting from Iowa State University and he has held senior
management positions in banking since 1989. Prior to his
banking career, he practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in
Atlanta.
|
|
|
|
Robert
M. Gordy
|
48
|
Mr.
Gordy is Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of the
Bank. He joined the Bank in November 2005, bringing 26 years of
banking experience. Prior to joining the Bank he worked for 22 years in
various roles with a Synovus Financial Corp. affiliate in Carrollton, most
recently serving as its Chief Credit Officer. Mr. Gordy holds a
BBA in Business Administration from Columbus State University, and is a
graduate of the Georgia Bankers Association Banking School and the GBA
Commercial Lending School.
|
|
|
|
W.
Galen Hobbs, Jr.
|
50
|
Mr.
Hobbs is Executive Vice President of Commercial Lending of the Bank. He
has been employed by the Bank in various capacities since 1991. Mr. Hobbs
holds a BA in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College and an MBA from the
University of West Georgia. He is a graduate of the Graduate
School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State
University. Mr. Hobbs is a member of the West Carrollton
Enterprise Zone Committee and is a member of the Carrollton Rotary
Club. He is also a board member of the University of West
Georgia Alumni Association and on the advisory board of the Burson Center
and member of the Small Business Committee of the Carroll County Chamber
of Commerce.
|
|
|
|
William
R. Whitaker
|
40
|
Mr.
Whitaker serves as Executive Vice President of Commercial Lending of the
Bank. He has been employed by the Bank in various capacities since joining
the Bank in 1995. Mr. Whitaker holds a BBA in Accounting from Georgia
Southwestern State University. He is a 1994 graduate of the University of
Georgia Advanced Compliance School and a 2000 graduate of the Graduate
School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University. He is a past
member of the Board of Directors of the Carrollton Kiwanis Club, the
Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia State Homebuilders
Association and the Northwest Central Georgia Homebuilder Association. Mr.
Whitaker has previously served as President of the Villa Rica Kiwanis Club
and is the current President of the Villa Rica Sertoma
Club.
|
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
The Board of Directors has taken active
steps to ensure that the Company is in full compliance with the requirements of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), all implementing
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and the
listing standards and Marketplace Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market (the “NASDAQ
Rules”), and to implement such non-obligatory corporate governance measures as
are determined to be appropriate in light of the nature of our
operations.
Attendance
at Meetings and Board Committees
The Board of Directors conducts its
business through the meetings of its Board and through activities of certain
committees. The Board of Directors has determined that all of its
current directors, except Messrs. Lipham, and Eaves and Ms. Covington, are
“independent”, as that term is currently used in the NASDAQ
Rules. Accordingly, the Board of Directors is comprised of a majority
of independent directors as required by the NASDAQ Rules. In making
its determination, the Board has concluded that none of the members deemed to be
“independent” has a relationship which, in the opinion of the Board, would
interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the
responsibilities of a director.
Our Board of Directors meets quarterly
on a regularly scheduled basis and may have additional special meetings as
circumstances require. During the fiscal year ending December 31,
2008, the Board of Directors met 14 times. No director attended fewer
than 75% of the meetings of our Board of Directors held during the year ended
December 31, 2008 or fewer than 75% of the meetings held by committees on which
he or she served during such fiscal year.
Board
Committees
In
addition to our Executive Committee, the WGNB Corp. Board currently has, and
appoints members to, an Audit Committee, an Executive Compensation Committee and
a Nominating Committee. Each member of these committees is independent as
defined by applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules (including, with respect to our Audit
Committee, SEC Rule 10A-3(c)). The current members of these committees are
identified below:
Director
|
Audit
|
Compensation
|
Nominating
|
|
|
|
|
W.T.
Green, Jr. (Chair)
|
|
|
|
Wanda
W. Calhoun
|
|
X
|
X
|
Grady
W. Cole
|
|
X
|
|
Mary
M. Covington
|
|
|
|
Randall
F. Eaves
|
|
|
|
Loy
M. Howard
|
X
|
X
|
|
H.B.
Lipham, III
|
|
|
|
R.
David Perry
|
X
|
X
|
|
L.
Richard Plunkett
|
X
|
|
X
|
Donald
C. Rhodes
|
|
|
X
|
Thomas
R. Richards
|
X
|
|
|
William
W. Stone
|
|
X
|
|
J.
Thomas Vance
|
|
X
|
|
Gelon
E. Wasdin
|
X
|
|
|
Executive
Committee.
The Executive Committee acts on items requiring
Board approval between meetings and coordinates the work of the other
committees. Upon the recommendation of our Executive Compensation
Committee (which is comprised solely of independent directors), the independent
members of the Executive Committee also have final approval on all matters
relating to the evaluation and compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and
other executive officers. Our Executive Committee met 3 times during the 2008
fiscal year.
Nominating
Committee.
The function of the Nominating and Board Review
Committee (“Nominating Committee”) is to select, screen and recommend to the
Board nominees for election as directors, including any nominees proposed by
shareholders who have complied with the notice procedures set forth in our
Bylaws. The Nominating Committee also has ongoing responsibility for
Board performance, ensuring individual Board member’s continuing commitment to
the Board and our goals and objectives. Additional functions include
regularly assessing the appropriate size of the Board, and whether any vacancies
on the Board are expected due to retirement or otherwise. In the
event that vacancies are anticipated, or otherwise arise, the Nominating
Committee will consider various potential candidates for
director. Candidates may come to the attention of the Nominating
Committee through current Board members, shareholders, or other
persons. The Nominating Committee has not paid fees to any third
party to identify, evaluate, or to assist in identifying or evaluating,
potential nominees, but is not prohibited from doing so, should it be determined
necessary in the future. The Nominating Committee met 2 times during
the 2008 fiscal year. The Nominating Committee operates under a
written charter, a copy of which is available on our website
www.fnbga.com
.
Nomination
Criteria
. In its consideration of Board candidates, the
Nominating Committee considers the following criteria: candidate’s
knowledge of the banking business; involvement in community, business and civic
affairs; financial, regulatory and business experience; integrity, honesty and
reputation. As to the makeup of the Board in general, age, diversity,
size of the Board of Directors and regulatory obligations are additional
considerations taken into account. In the case of incumbent directors
whose terms of office are set to expire, the Nominating Committee reviews such
directors’ overall service to WGNB during their term, including the number of
meetings attended, level of participation, quality of performance, and whether
the director continues to meet the independence standards set forth in the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, SEC and NASDAQ Rules. In the case of new director
candidates, the questions of independence and financial expertise are important
to determine what roles can be performed by the candidate, and the Nominating
Committee determines whether the candidate meets the independence standards set
forth in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, SEC and NASDAQ Rules, and the level of the
candidate’s financial expertise. Candidates are interviewed by the
Nominating Committee, and if approved, then by all other members of the
Board. The full Board approves the final nomination(s) based on
recommendations from the Nominating Committee. The Chairman of the
Board, acting on behalf of the full Board, will extend the formal invitation to
become a nominee of the Board of Directors. Qualified candidates for
membership on the Board will be considered without regard to race, color,
religion, sex, ancestry, national origin or disability.
Shareholder Nomination
Procedures
. The Nominating Committee will consider director
candidates recommended by the shareholders. The Company’s Bylaws set
forth procedures that must be followed by shareholders seeking to make
nominations for directors. Generally, in order for a shareholder of
the Company to make a nomination, he or she must give written notice to our
Secretary so that it is received at least 120 calendar days prior to the first
anniversary of the date the Company’s proxy statement is sent to the
shareholders in connection with the previous year’s annual meeting of
shareholders. If no annual meeting of shareholders was held in the
previous year (or if the date of the annual meeting of shareholders was changed
by more than 30 calendar days from the date contemplated at the time of the
previous year’s proxy statement), the notice must be received by us at least 150
calendar days prior to the date of the annual meeting. The
shareholder’s notice must set forth as to each nominee: (i) the name,
age, business address and residence address of such nominee; (ii) the principal
occupation or employment of such nominee; (iii) the number of shares of WGNB’s
common stock which are beneficially owned by such nominee; and (iv) any other
information relating to such nominee that may be required under federal
securities laws to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for the election of
directors (including the written consent of the person being recommended as a
director candidate to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to
serve as a director if elected). The shareholder’s notice must also
set forth as to the shareholder giving notice: (i) the name and address of such
shareholder; and (ii) the number of shares of WGNB’s common stock which are
beneficially owned by such shareholder.
If the information supplied by the
shareholder is deficient in any material aspect or if the foregoing procedure is
not followed, the chairman of the annual meeting may determine that such
shareholder’s nomination should not be brought before the meeting and that such
nominee shall not be eligible for election as a director of WGNB. The
Nominating Committee will not alter the manner in which it evaluates candidates,
including the minimum criteria set forth above, based on whether the candidate
was recommended by a shareholder or not.
Executive
Compensation Committee.
The functions of the Executive
Compensation and Management Succession Committee (“Executive Compensation
Committee”) include the recommendation of compensation levels and officer titles
for final approval by the independent directors serving on the Executive
Committee and the review and facilitation of any management
transition. The Executive Compensation Committee met 3 times during
the 2008 fiscal year. The Executive Compensation Committee operates under a
written charter, a copy of which is available on our website
www.fnbga.com
.
Audit
Committee.
The Compliance, Audit and Examination Committee
(“Audit Committee”) reviews the internal accounting procedures of the Company
and engages, consults with and oversees the services provided by our independent
auditor. The Audit Committee met 12 times during the 2008 fiscal
year. See Report of the Audit Committee for further information
regarding this committee and its operations. The Audit Committee
operates under a written charter, a copy of which is available on our website
www.fnbga.com
.
Executive
Sessions of the Board
The Board has formally adopted a policy
of meeting in executive session, with only independent directors being present,
at regularly scheduled intervals. In practice, and during fiscal
2008, the independent directors met in executive session on at least a
semi-annual or more frequent basis if needed. There were 2 executive sessions
during 2008.
Codes
of Conduct
The Board has approved and we have
adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, applicable to all of our
directors, officers and employees. This Code is available on our
website,
www.fnbga.com
. The
Board, or a committee of independent members, is responsible for reviewing and
approving or rejecting all requested waivers to the Code, as such waivers may
apply to any of our executive officers or directors. Any waivers will
be disclosed on our website and on Form 8-K to the extent required by the NASDAQ
Rules.
The Board has approved and we have
adopted an additional Code of Ethics, applicable to our Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer, relating to dealings with WGNB’s auditors and the
preparation of our financial statements and other disclosures made to the public
under SEC rules and regulations. This Code is available on our
website,
www.fnbga.com
. Click
on the Investor Relations tab. The Board, or a committee of independent
members, is responsible for reviewing and approving or rejecting all requested
waivers to the Code, as such waivers may apply to our executive officers or
directors. Any waivers will be disclosed on our website and on Form
8-K to the extent required by the NASDAQ Rules.
Communications with the Board of
Directors and Attendance at Annual Meeting.
The Board of Directors maintains an
informal process for shareholders to communicate with the Board of
Directors. Shareholders wishing to communicate with the Board of
Directors should send any communication to WGNB Corp., Attention: Steven J.
Haack, Corporate Secretary, P.O. Box 280, Carrollton,
Georgia 30112. Any such communication must state the
number of shares beneficially owned by the shareholder making the
communication. The Corporate Secretary will forward such
communication to the full Board of Directors or to any individual director or
directors to whom the communication is directed unless the communication is
unduly hostile, threatening, illegal or similarly inappropriate, in which case
the Corporate Secretary has the authority to discard the communication or take
appropriate legal action regarding the communication.
Although we do not have a formal policy
requiring them to do so, all of the members of the Board of Directors are
encouraged to attend the annual meeting of shareholders. At the 2008
annual meeting, all of our directors were in attendance.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE REPORT
The Board of Directors has appointed an
Audit Committee consisting of Messrs. L Richard Plunkett, Chairman, Thomas T.
Richards, Loy M. Howard, R. David Perry, and Gelon E. Wasdin, all of whom are
financially literate and independent (as those terms are defined by NASDAQ Rules
and SEC Rule 10A-3(c)). The Board of Directors has determined Mr.
Plunkett and Mr. Wasdin to be the “audit committee financial experts” (as that
term is defined in pertinent regulations).
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Audit
Committee is directly responsible for the selection, appointment, retention,
compensation and oversight of our independent accountants, including the
pre-approval of both audit and non-audit services (including fees and other
terms), and the resolution of disagreements between management and the auditors
regarding financial reporting, accounting, internal controls, auditing or other
matters.
In carrying out its role, the Audit
Committee (i) makes such examinations as are necessary to monitor our financial
reporting, our external audits and our process for compliance with laws and
regulations, (ii) provides to the Board of Directors the results of our
examinations and recommendation derived therefrom, (iii) proposes to the Board
of Directors improvements in internal accounting controls, (iv) reviews the
results and scope of the annual audit of our financial statements conducted by
WGNB’s independent accountants, (v) reviews the scope of other services provided
by our independent accountants, and (vi) provides to the Board of Directors such
additional information and materials as it may deem necessary to make the Board
aware of significant financial matters that require Board
attention.
The Audit Committee also maintains a
telephone “hotline” by which it can receive, on an anonymous and confidential
basis, complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls and other
auditing matters, including any concerns regarding questionable accounting,
auditing or other matters that our employees, and non-employees, may
have.
Management has the primary
responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process, including
the systems of internal controls, and for the preparation of financial
statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America. WGNB’s independent auditors are responsible
for auditing the financial statements and expressing an opinion on the
conformity of those audited financials statements with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The Audit
Committee monitors and reviews these processes, and reviews the Company’s
periodic reports and quarterly earning releases before they are filed with the
SEC, but is not responsible for the preparation of the Company’s financial
statements.
The Audit Committee is authorized to
engage and determine funding for independent counsel and other advisors it
determines necessary to carry out its duties.
In fulfilling its oversight
responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed the audited financial statements
included in WGNB’s Annual Report on Form 10-K with management including a
discussion of the quality, not just the acceptability, of the accounting
principles, the reasonableness of significant judgments, and the clarity of
disclosures in the financial statements. However, members of the
Audit Committee are not employees of WGNB and have relied, without independent
verification, on management’s representation that the financial statements have
been prepared with integrity and objectivity and in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America and on the
representations of the independent auditors included in their report on the
Company’s financial statements. The Audit Committee also discussed
with representatives of Porter Keadle Moore, LLP, our independent auditors for
fiscal 2008, the overall scope and plans for their audit of WGNB’s financial
statements for fiscal 2008. The Audit Committee met with Porter
Keadle Moore, LLP, with and without our management present, to discuss whether
any significant matters regarding internal controls over financial reporting had
come to the auditors’ attention during the conduct of the audit, and the overall
quality of our financial reporting.
The Chairman of the Audit Committee met
with our Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers to discuss their review of
the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls in
connection with the filing of periodic reports with the SEC.
The Audit
Committee reviewed with Porter Keadle Moore, LLP, who are responsible for
expressing an opinion on the conformity of those audited financial statements
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America,
their judgments as to the quality, not just the acceptability, of the Company's
financial statements, changes in accounting policies, sensitive accounting
estimates, accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be
discussed with the Audit Committee under the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States), including the matters required to be
discussed by SAS 61 (Communication with Audit Committees), as amended.
In addition, the Audit Committee has
discussed with Porter Keadle Moore, LLP, their independence from management and
the Company including the matters in the written disclosures required by
applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
regarding the independent accountant’s communications with the audit committee
concerning independence. The Audit Committee considered, among other
things, whether the services Porter Keadle Moore, LLP, provided to WGNB beyond
their audit of the Company’s financial statements was compatible with
maintaining Porter Keadle Moore, LLP’s independence. The Audit
Committee also considered the amount of fees Porter Keadle Moore, LLP received
for audit and non-audit services.
In reliance on the reviews and
discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of
Directors and the Board approved that the audited financial statements be
included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008
for filing with the SEC.
By the
Audit Committee of the Board of Directors:
L.
Richard Plunkett, Audit Committee Chairman
Loy M.
Howard, Audit Committee Member
R. David
Perry, Audit Committee Member
Thomas T.
Richards, Audit Committee Member
Gelon E.
Wasdin, Audit Committee Member
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
During the past year, First National
Bank of Georgia, as the Company’s subsidiary, has had banking transactions in
the ordinary course of its business with its directors and officers on
substantially the same terms, including interest rates, collateral, and
repayment terms on loans, as those prevailing at the time for comparable
transactions with other unaffiliated customers. The extensions of
credit by the Bank to these persons have not and do not currently involve more
than the normal risk of collectability or present other unfavorable features and
are in compliance with the Bank’s lending policies and statutory lending limits
and applicable regulatory requirements.
We do not intend to enter into any
transactions in the future with or involving any of our officers or directors or
any members of their immediate family on terms that would be less favorable to
us than those that would be available from unaffiliated third parties in
arms-length transactions. We have established an Interested Director
Transaction Approval Committee (the “Director Transaction Committee”) jointly
with the Bank and delegated to this committee responsibility for reviewing and
approving any transaction (other than banking transactions involving the Bank’s
normal depository and loan services) involving the Company, the Bank and any
director or officer (or member of that individual’s immediate family or other
affiliate of the director or officer). The Director Transaction
Committee is made up of 7 directors (2 independent directors from the WGNB Corp.
Board and 5 independent directors from the Bank Board), each of whom qualify as
a “disinterested director” under Georgia law and are “independent” as that term
is defined under NASDAQ Rules. The Director Transaction
Committee has the ultimate authority to evaluate and, where appropriate, approve
any proposed transaction between the Company and a director, officer or related
party of a director or officer. In approving a particular
transaction, the Director Transaction Committee may consider all factors it
deems necessary including the adequacy of the director’s or officer’s required
disclosure, the effect the contemplated transaction could have on the ability of
the Company to solicit and receive outside bids for similar services, the level
of commitment the director or officer is willing to give to warrant or guarantee
the goods or performance of services required under the transaction and the
difficulty of the Company in enforcing its rights in the event of a dispute or
default by the provider of goods or services under the
transaction. For any transaction involving payments that would rise
to the level where such transaction would be required to be reported under the
securities laws, the Director Transaction Committee is required to perform a
market check or solicit at least one competing bid for comparable products or
services.
In 2008, we paid Tisinger Vance PC, a
law firm in which Mr. Vance is a partner, legal fees in the aggregate amount of
$124,100. Other than the foregoing, there were no transactions in
2007 or 2008 (nor are any expected in the current year) with any of our
directors, officers or other related parties that involved amounts that exceeded
the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the Company’s total assets at the end
of the past two years.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth the
number and percentage of shares of common stock beneficially owned as of April
16, 2009 by each director and nominee for director, each of the executive
officers of WGNB named in the “
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
,”
all directors and executive officers as a group, and each person known by the
Company to be a beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of the common
stock. Except as otherwise indicated, each beneficial owner has sole voting and
investment power with respect to the shares of common stock listed.
Name of Beneficial Owners
1
|
|
|
|
Title
|
|
|
|
Common
Stock
Owned
|
|
|
|
Percent of Class
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H.
B. Lipham, III (a)
|
|
|
|
CEO
and Director – Company
CEO
and Director – Bank
|
|
|
|
|
62,938
|
|
|
|
|
1.03
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wanda
W. Calhoun (b)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
253,045
|
|
|
|
|
4.12
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grady
Woodfin Cole (c)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
64,187
|
|
|
|
|
1.05
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mary
M. Covington (d)
|
|
|
|
Executive
Vice President and Vice Chairman – Company
EVP
and Vice Chairman – Bank
|
|
|
|
|
122,258
|
|
|
|
|
1.99
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
W.
T. (Tommy) Green, Jr. (e)
|
|
|
|
Chairman
– Company and Bank
|
|
|
|
|
107,654
|
|
|
|
|
1.75
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Randall
F. Eaves (f)
|
|
|
|
President
and Director – Company
President
and Director – Bank
|
|
|
|
|
150,425
|
|
|
|
|
2.45
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loy
M. Howard
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
2,800
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R.
David Perry
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
81,944
|
|
|
|
|
1.34
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L.
Richard Plunkett (g)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
15,225
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Donald
C. Rhodes (h)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
103,358
|
|
|
|
|
1.68
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
T. Richards (i)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
286,898
|
|
|
|
|
4.67
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
J.
Thomas Vance
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
28,589
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
William
W. Stone (j)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
387
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gelon
E. Wasdin (k)
|
|
|
|
Director
|
|
|
|
|
18,436
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Less
than 1%
1
Information
relating to beneficial ownership of common stock is based upon “beneficial
ownership” concepts set forth in rules of the SEC under Section 13(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Under such rules, a
person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or
shares “voting power,” which includes the power to vote or direct the voting of
such security, or “investment power,” which includes the power to dispose of or
to direct the disposition of such security. A person is also deemed
to be a beneficial owner of any security of which that person has the right to
acquire beneficial ownership within sixty (60) days. Under the rules,
more than one person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of the same
securities, and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as
to which he has no beneficial interest. For instance, beneficial
ownership includes stock owned by spouses, minor children and other relatives
residing in the same household, and trusts, partnerships, corporations or
deferred compensation plans which are affiliated with the
principal.
Name of Beneficial Owners
1
|
|
|
|
Title
|
|
|
|
Common
Stock
Owned
|
|
|
|
Percent of Class
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steven
J. Haack (l)
|
|
|
|
Secretary
and Treasurer – Company
Senior
Executive Vice President, CFO and Director – Bank
|
|
|
|
42,737
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Louise
Tyus Roberts Jewell (m)
2002
Bowdon Road
Carrollton,
Georgia
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
490,308
|
|
|
|
7.99
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
Executive Officers
and
Directors as a
Group
(15 persons) (n)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,294,222
|
|
|
|
21.09
|
%
|
(a)
|
Includes
75 shares owned by Budding Tree Ltd. and 12,000 shares owned by Lipham
Family Investments, which are controlled by Mr. Lipham, 1,420 shares owned
jointly with his wife, 780 shares owned jointly with his father and 39,756
options which are currently exercisable.
|
|
|
(b)
|
Includes
15,765 shares owned by Ms. Calhoun’s minor children and 4,035 shares owned
by her husband and 171,465 shares in the J. Whit Walker Testamentary Trust
of which Ms. Calhoun is a trustee and 31,282 shares that are attributable
to her in the KGW Family Limited Partnership of which she owns
49%.
|
|
|
(c)
|
Includes
1,000 shares owned by Mr. Cole’s wife.
|
|
|
(d)
|
Includes
72,875 shares owned by the Hardy S. McCalman Jr. Credit Shelter Trust, of
which Ms. Covington is a trustee, 3,200 shares owned by Ms. Covington’s
husband and 670 options which are currently
exercisable.
|
|
|
(e)
|
Includes
4,800 shares owned by W. T. Green Jr. Family Limited Partnership of which
Mr. Green is the general partner and 488 shares owned by his
wife.
|
|
|
(f)
|
Includes
72,875 shares owned by the Hardy S. McCalman Jr. Credit Shelter Trust, of
which Mr. Eaves is a trustee and 1,478 options which are currently
exercisable.
|
|
|
(g)
|
Includes
1,557 shares held by Mr. Plunkett as custodian for his minor
children.
|
|
|
(h)
|
Includes
28,477 shares owned by Mr. Rhodes’ wife.
|
|
|
(i)
|
Includes
150 shares owned by Mr. Richards’ wife.
|
|
|
(j)
|
Mr.
Stone became a director of the Company on August 12,
2008.
|
|
|
(k)
|
Mr.
Wasdin became a director of the Company on August 12,
2008.
|
|
|
(l)
|
Includes
37,527 options which are currently exercisable.
|
|
|
(m)
|
Includes
shares held personally and as executrix of the Estate of Oscar W. Roberts,
Jr.
|
|
|
(n)
|
See
notes (a) through (m) above.
|
COMPLIANCE
WITH SECTION 16(A) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
requires the Company's executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders to
file reports regarding initial ownership and changes in ownership with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and any exchange upon which the Company’s
securities are listed. Executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders are
required by Securities and Exchange Commission regulations to furnish the
Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. The
Company's information regarding compliance with Section 16(a) is based solely on
a review of the copies of such reports furnished to the Company by the Company's
executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders. The Company
believes that during the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008, all of its
executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders complied with all applicable
Section 16(a) filing requirements.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Philosophy
Changes
to Compensation Programs
All of
our compensation programs are designed to attract and retain key employees,
motivating them to achieve operating goals and rewarding them based
on performance. However, based on current economic, industry and competitive
conditions, we have taken a proactive approach to restructuring these
compensation programs. The following are the primary areas in which we have made
significant changes:
|
●
|
Decreased
total compensation of executives by 25% in 2008;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
Decreased
total compensation of directors in 2008 and 2009;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
No
increases in base salary in 2009;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
No
performance-based bonuses or stock options based on 2008 and none issued
in 2009;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
No
paid travel for conferences or seminars for outside directors in 2009;
and
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
Ceased
paying officers’ dues for country club memberships in March
2009.
|
We
continue to believe that the compensation of our executives should reflect their
success in attaining key operating objectives. Compensation is based on growth
of operating earnings and earnings per share, return on assets, satisfactory
results of regulatory examinations, growth or maintenance of market share and
long-term competitive advantage, which lead to attaining an increased market
price for our stock. We promote asset quality and believe the
performance of executives in managing the Company should be the basis for
determining their overall compensation. We also believe that their compensation
should not be based on the short-term performance of our stock, whether
favorable or unfavorable. The price of our stock will, in the long-term, reflect
our operating performance and, ultimately, the management of the Company by our
executives. We seek to have the long-term performance of our stock reflected in
executive compensation through our stock option and other equity incentive
programs. Because we believe the performance of every employee is key to our
success, we continue to recognize the importance of maintaining a goals, rewards
and expectations oriented environment.
Additional
Factors for Deciding Executive Compensation
In
addition to consideration of the foregoing factors that drive compensation
decisions, we took into account the additional responsibilities our executives
took on to address operational issues caused by continuing economic downturn
that has negatively affected all financial institutions. These additional
responsibilities included:
|
●
|
hiring
and oversight of additional asset recovery staff including management
whose sole responsibility is to manage and reduce non-performing assets as
quickly as possible;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
increased
review and revision, as appropriate, of loan portfolio management
procedures and processes including loan diversification, increased
underwriting standards, intensified loan review and aggressive problem
asset identification;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
increased
valuation, collection and inventory reduction efforts with respect to our
non-performing loans and foreclosed property in order to maximize the net
realizable value of these assets for the shareholders;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
managing
and responding to increased regulatory requirements;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
raised
additional capital through a public offering of our Series A Preferred
Stock and the creation of a Dividend Reinvestment Plan;
and
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
increased
oversight regarding the level of liquidity required to meet customers’
deposit and loan
needs.
|
Overview
of Compensation and Process
Elements
of compensation for our executives include: salary; bonus; stock incentive
awards; 401(k) plan contributions; health, disability and life insurance; and
perquisites. We also assumed and maintain obligations to provide
deferred retirement benefits to two of our executives and one director who were
former employees of First Haralson. Base salaries for our executives
are initially established in formal employment agreements and are subject to
adjustment annually based upon individual performance. The
Compensation Committee typically meets in November and December of each year for
the purpose of reviewing executive base salaries. At these meetings,
our Compensation Committee also approves and adopts the management incentive
plan for the new fiscal year. The Compensation Committee considers
increases in the consumer price index, social security and independent
bank-related salary surveys of peer groups. No increases in base
salary were made based on the reviews undertaken in fiscal 2008.
Our
Compensation Committee reviews the history of all the elements of each executive
officer’s total compensation over the past several years and compares the
compensation of the executive officers with that of the executive officers in an
appropriate market comparison group comprised of other bank holding companies
and financial institutions similar in size, market capitalization and other
characteristics. Typically, the Chief Executive Officer makes
compensation recommendations to the Compensation Committee with respect to all
of the executive officers. The Compensation Committee also considers
recommendations submitted by other persons serving in a supervisory position
over a particular executive officer. Such executive officers are not
present at the time of these deliberations. The Compensation
Committee then makes its formal recommendations to the Executive Committee
(including our Chief Executive Officer) which then sets the final compensation
for executive officers. In the case of compensation for our Chief
Executive Officer, the Compensation Committee also makes its formal
recommendation to the Executive Committee and the independent members of that
committee set the appropriate compensation for the Chief Executive Officer, who
is not present during that portion of the meeting.
We choose
to pay the various elements of compensation discussed in order to attract and
retain the necessary executive talent, reward annual performance and provide
incentive for primarily long-term strategic goals, while considering short-term
performance. The amount of each element of compensation is determined by or
under the direction of our Compensation Committee, which uses the following
factors to determine the amount of salary and other benefits to pay each
executive:
|
●
|
performance
against corporate and individual objectives set for the previous
year;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
difficulty
of achieving desired results in the coming year;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
value
of their unique skills and capabilities to support long-term performance
of the Company;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
performance
of their management responsibilities;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
whether
an increase in responsibility or change in title is warranted;
and
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
contribution
as a member of the executive management
team.
|
These
factors assure alignment between our overall compensation and strategic
objectives such as securing the potential of our operations, facilitating our
entry into new markets, providing proper compliance and regulatory guidance, and
creating a cohesive team.
Our
allocation between long-term and currently paid compensation is intended to
ensure adequate base compensation to attract and retain personnel, while
providing incentives to maximize long-term value for our Company and our
shareholders. We provide cash compensation in the form of base salary
to meet competitive salary norms and reward performance on an annual basis and
in the form of bonus compensation to reward performance against specific
short-term goals. We provide non-cash compensation to reward performance against
specific objectives and long-term strategic goals.
The
following items of corporate performance are taken into account in setting
compensation policies:
|
●
|
corporate
earnings per our financial plan;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
asset
quality and loan portfolio management;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
customer
and shareholder satisfaction;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
regulatory
and corporate governance compliance; and
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
achievement
of our strategic
objectives.
|
Compensation
Consultant
Our
Compensation Committee periodically engages the services of a compensation
consultant to advise them with respect to the compensation packages of our
management group and our Board. Our most recent compensation review
was undertaken in 2005, in which we engaged Clark Consulting to compile a study
for the purpose of determining the appropriateness of our compensation relating
to our stock option and profit-sharing plans and the methods of calculating base
salary and bonuses. Our consultant was charged, among other things,
with conducting a competitive assessment of our executive
compensation. In addition to talking to members of our Compensation
Committee, they also contacted certain of our executive officers and other
employees in our human resources department to obtain historical data and
insight into previous compensation practices. In preparing its
analysis, Clark Consulting reviewed our compensation policies against a peer
group consisting of banking institutions comparable in size, complexity and
performance ranking. Other than making a recommendation that the
director fees be increased and that we implement a monthly retainer for board
members, Clark Consulting concluded that our compensation policy was reasonable
and appropriate. Our Compensation Committee took their
recommendations into consideration as well as updated surveys from 2007 peer
bank proxy statements as a basis to making changes to the bonus and equity
components of executive compensation for fiscal 2008. After
March 2008, however, the Board elected to reduce their director Board meeting
and committee and retainer fees by approximately 25%. Further,
director retainers were eliminated effective February 2009.
Compensation
Realized by Named Executive Officers for 2008
The Summary Compensation Table on
page 21 provides compensation information for each named executive officer
as required by SEC rules. However, the Summary Compensation Table
includes amounts that reflect the theoretical fair value of option awards. Based
on the current value of our common stock compared to the exercise price of these
options, no outstanding options have any value that could be realized by
our executives. The following table reflects only compensation
realized by each named executive officer for 2008 and is not a substitute for
the Summary Compensation Table (which, in addition to the amounts reported
below, includes amounts relating to outstanding options as required by SEC
rules). In addition, it is not part of the compensation tables that
we are required by SEC rules to present in this proxy statement.
TABLE
OF REALIZED COMPENSATION
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation ($)
|
|
|
All
Other Compensation
($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H.B.
Lipham III, CEO of WGNB Corp.
and
Bank
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
300,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
14,840
|
|
|
$
|
55,225
|
|
|
$
|
370,065
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Randall
F. Eaves, President of
WGNB
Corp. and Bank
|
2008
|
|
$
|
240,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
6,615
|
|
|
$
|
104,831
|
|
|
$
|
351,446
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steven
J. Haack, Secretary & Treasurer of
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
210,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
13,230
|
|
|
$
|
37,053
|
|
|
$
|
260,283
|
|
WGNB
Corp. and CFO of Bank
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mary
M. Covington, Executive Vice
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
80,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
79,032
|
|
|
$
|
159,032
|
|
President
of WGNB Corp. and Bank
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
See footnotes to Summary
Compensation Table
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
($)(c)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
H.B.
Lipham III, CEO of
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
300,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
55,878
|
|
|
$
|
14,840
|
|
|
$
|
55,225
|
|
|
$
|
425,943
|
|
WGNB
Corp. and Bank
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
221,154
|
|
|
$
|
26,538
|
|
|
$
|
72,501
|
|
|
$
|
167,447
|
|
|
$
|
66,934
|
|
|
$
|
554,574
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Randall
F. Eaves, President
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
240,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
24,908
|
|
|
$
|
6,615
|
|
|
$
|
104,831
|
(b)
|
|
$
|
376,354
|
|
of
WGNB Corp. and Bank *
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
90,000
|
|
|
$
|
10,800
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
136,989
|
(b)
|
|
$
|
297,325
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steven
J. Haack, Secretary &
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
210,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
49,815
|
|
|
$
|
13,230
|
|
|
$
|
37,053
|
|
|
$
|
310,098
|
|
Treasurer
of WGNB Corp. and
CFO
of Bank
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
170,000
|
|
|
$
|
20,400
|
|
|
$
|
65,254
|
|
|
$
|
149,569
|
|
|
$
|
45,126
|
|
|
$
|
450,349
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mary
M. Covington,
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
80,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
11,296
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
79,032
|
(b)
|
|
$
|
170,328
|
|
Executive
Vice President of WGNB Corp.
and
Bank *
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
37,500
|
|
|
$
|
4,500
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
261,633
|
(b)
|
|
$
|
303,633
|
|
* Joined
WGNB Corp. and Bank effective July 1, 2007
(a)
|
See
Notes 1 and 14, “Stock Compensation Plans”, in the Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on
March 11, 2009 for the relevant assumptions under SFAS No. 123 (R),
“Share-Based Payments” used to determine the valuation of our option
awards. However, no outstanding options had intrinsic value as
of December 31, 2008.
|
|
|
(b)
|
Includes
a $53,208 change as to Mr. Eaves and a $39,158 change as to Ms. Covington
in pension value of amounts credited to the executive’s account for
retirement benefits. The Company assumed a post-retirement benefit plan to
provide retirement benefits to First Haralson key officers.
See Note 15
“Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan”, in the Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on
March 11, 2009.
|
|
|
(c)
|
For
2008, amounts shown include: (i) matching contributions made
under our 401(k) plan on behalf of the named executive officers as
follows: Mr. Lipham - $15,500; Mr. Eaves - $14,797; Mr. Haack -
$13,394; Ms. Covington - $4,800 (ii) country club dues; and (iii) auto
allowances as follows: Mr. Lipham - $13,200; Mr. Eaves -
$13,200; Mr. Haack - $7,200; Ms. Covington - $10,800. The
amounts for Mr. Lipham, Mr. Eaves, Mr. Haack and Ms. Covington include
$21,800, $18,762, $11,700 and $19,963, respectively, in director fees
received by them for their service on the Company’s and/or Bank’s Board of
Directors. Included in Mr. Lipham’s and Ms. Covington's
director fees are fees received for participating on the Executive
Committee and Executive Loan Committee. Included in Mr. Eaves’
director fees are fees received for participating on the Executive Loan
Committee. None of these directors receives fees for their
involvement on any other Company or Bank Board
committees.
|
Base
Salary
The
Compensation Committee desires to establish salary compensation for our
executive officers based on our Company’s operating performance relative to
comparable peer companies over a three to five year period. In
setting base salaries for fiscal 2008, we considered salaries paid to executive
officers of other bank holding companies and other financial institutions
similar in size, market capitalization and other characteristics. We
also considered the additional responsibilities required of our executive
officers in managing the increased regulatory and liquidity concerns caused by
this challenging economic environment and discussed in detail in the section
entitled “Philosphy” above. The Compensation Committee’s objective is
to provide for base salaries that are competitive with the average salary paid
by the Company’s peers. In making its recommendations, the
Compensation Committee takes into account recommendations submitted by persons
serving in a supervisory position over a particular executive
officer. The Compensation Committee’s recommendations are made to the
Executive Committee who approves the compensation for the executive
officers. In the case of compensation for our Chief Executive
Officer, the Compensation Committee also makes a recommendation to the Executive
Committee and the independent members of that committee approve the appropriate
compensation for our Chief Executive Officer who is absent from those
discussions.
Bonus
and Other Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
Bonus
Plans
Our executive officers participate in
two bonus plans. We refer to them as the “profit sharing bonus plan”
and the “formula-based executive bonus plan.” The profit sharing
bonus is typically paid to all employees, including executives, upon the
discretion of the Board of Directors. Should earnings of the Company
be insufficient, the Board of Directors may elect to forego payment of the
profit sharing bonus. In determining the amount of profit sharing
bonus to be paid we first establish a bonus dollar “pool” which is calculated by
multiplying the Bank’s pretax profits by 8 percent less the matching
contributions paid under our 401(k) plan. In allocating the total
bonus dollar pool to our employees, we have historically divided the bonus
dollar pool by the total salaries of all participating employees and apply the
percentage derived to each employee’s salary earned for the year. To
qualify for a profit sharing bonus, an employee need only have been an employee
and earned salary during the bonus calculation period. Taking into
account the above-described calculation, no profit sharing bonuses were
paid in 2008.
Our
formula-based executive bonuses are conditioned upon satisfaction of a
combination of stated Company performance objectives. The amount of
such bonuses has historically been determined by the Compensation Committee in
accordance with stated performance objectives, subject to ratification by the
Executive Committee. Draws against projected bonuses in prior years
were paid to executives on quarterly intervals during the first three quarters
of the applicable fiscal year with an additional draw against the projected
bonus paid during December of that year. Any final amounts due an
executive for bonus compensation were typically paid during February of the next
fiscal year following completion of the Company’s audit for the preceding fiscal
year end. As is the case with base salary, the independent members of
the Executive Committee approve all annual formula-based executive bonus
compensation for our Chief Executive Officer based on the formula guidelines
described below. However, no formula based bonuses were paid in
2008, with the exception of final amounts due on awarded 2007 bonuses which
were payable in February 2008.
There are
two types of performance criteria which are factored in the calculations used to
determine the formula-based bonuses paid to executives: (i) a “corporate
performance” calculation which is applicable to Mr. Lipham, Mr. Eaves, Mr. Haack
and one executive officer who is not a named executive officer; and (ii) a
“lending performance” calculation which is applicable to certain executive
officers who are not a named executive officer. The corporate
performance bonus calculation typically takes into account the following
components: return on assets; CAMELS rating (a regulatory rating applicable to
the banking industry); total asset growth; and three-year average diluted
earnings per share growth. The lending performance bonus calculation
takes into account the following components: our Community
Reinvestment Act rating (a regulatory rating applicable to the banking
industry); three-year average diluted earnings per share growth; loan growth;
level of thirty-day past due loans; net charged-off loans; and the level of
criticized and classified assets. The lending performance bonus
calculation is positively impacted by a good CRA rating, diluted earnings per
share growth and loan growth, but is negatively impacted by increased levels of
past due loans, net charged-off loans and criticized and classified
loans. If certain of the loan criteria are sufficiently negative, it
is possible that no formula-based bonus will be paid the lending
executives. Because those items also typically impact our earnings,
poor performance under these loan criteria can negatively impact the bonuses
based on corporate performance as well.
In
designing the formula-based bonus plan, the Compensation Committee attempts to
align the positive or negative impact that the stated performance criteria have
on the formula-based bonuses paid to our executives with the positive or
negative impact that these components have on shareholder
return. These performance components are weighted individually in
deriving an overall bonus factor which is then multiplied by our reported net
earnings in determining the bonus amounts to be paid.
Perquisites
Our
executives are entitled to few benefits that are not otherwise available to all
of our employees. In this regard it should be noted that, other than
with respect to Mr. Eaves, Ms. Covington and Mr. Rhodes as described below, we
do not provide pension arrangements, post-retirement health coverage, or similar
benefits for our executives or employees.
Defined
Contribution Plan
We maintain a qualified retirement plan
pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 401(k) covering substantially all
employees subject to certain minimum age and service
requirements. Our 401(k) plan allows employees to make voluntary
contributions and provides for discretionary profit sharing and matching
contributions by the Company. The assets of the 401(k) plan are held
in trust for participants and are distributed upon the retirement, disability,
death or other termination of employment of the participant. Our
Board, in its discretion, determines the amount of any Company profit sharing
contributions, and the amount of any matching contributions to be made based on
participants’ 401(k) contributions (6% of the participants’ salary in 2008 and
1% of salary beginning January 2009).
Employees
who participate in our 401(k) may contribute to their 401(k) account between 1%
and 15% (in increments of 1%) of their compensation by way of salary reductions
that cannot exceed a maximum amount that varies annually in accordance with the
Internal Revenue Code. The Company also makes available to 401(k)
plan participants the ability to direct the investment of their 401(k) accounts
(including the Company’s matching contributions) in various investment
funds. Participants’ interests in Company contributions allocated to
their accounts vest over five years.
In fiscal
2008, the Company contributed no discretionary profit sharing contributions and
$503,708 in matching contributions to the 401(k) plan on behalf of all
employees, including executive officers. These contributions were
allocated to the matching contribution accounts in each participant’s 401(k)
accounts. The Company’s contributions to each of the named executive
officers are reflected in the “All Other Compensation” column of the above
Summary Compensation Table. All of the Company’s named executive
officers who had account balances under the 401(k) plan were 100% vested in
their accounts.
Other
Items
Each of
the Company’s named executive officers received automobile allowances in
2008. All other officers of the Company receive a
position-appropriate gasoline allowance. Prior to March 2009, when the practice
was discontinued, the Company paid the monthly country club dues for all of the
named executive officers and certain other officers who are responsible for
business development. The dues per officer ranged from $2,000 to
$3,700 per year. All of these amounts are reflected in the “All Other
Compensation” column of the above Summary Compensation Table.
Stock
Option and Equity Incentive Programs
We
believe that our stock option program should be the primary vehicle for offering
long-term incentives and rewarding our executive officers. We also regard our
stock option program as a key retention tool. This is a very important factor in
our determination of the type of award to grant and the number of underlying
shares that are granted in connection with that award. Because of the direct
relationship between the value of an option and the market price of our common
stock, we have always believed that granting stock options is the best method of
motivating the executive officers to manage our Company in a manner that is
consistent with the interests of our Company and our
shareholders. However, because of the evolution of regulatory, tax
and accounting treatment of equity incentive programs, we realize the importance
of having the ability to utilize other forms of equity awards as we may deem
necessary.
Stock
Options Granted
We grant
stock awards to our executive officers and have the ability to include key
non-executive officers based upon their performance and the discretion of the
Board. Each year the executive officers execute a stock option
agreement to document the terms of the grant. The Compensation Committee has
approved a calculation methodology for the annual granting of stock options to
executives but retains the discretion to change the calculation methodology in
the future. In determining the number of stock options awarded to our
named executive officers and other eligible executive officers for a particular
year, we first divide the amount that the individual earned for the immediately
preceding fiscal year as a formula-based executive bonus by the weighted average
share price for our Common Stock for the 90 days preceding the grant
date. We then multiply that number by a factor of
two. Options are typically exercisable 20 percent per year for five
years from the date of grant and expire ten years from the date of
grant. All options are intended to be qualified stock options as
defined under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended. No options were awarded in 2009 based on 2008
results.
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
|
|
Number
of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable
(#)(a)
|
|
|
Number
of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
(#)(a)
|
|
|
Option
Exercise
Price
($)(b)
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
(c)
|
H.B.
Lipham III, CEO
|
|
|
432
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.33
|
|
2/9/2009
|
|
|
|
783
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.33
|
|
1/10/2010
|
|
|
|
1,235
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15.00
|
|
1/8/2011
|
|
|
|
2,364
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.00
|
|
2/11/2012
|
|
|
|
2,499
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.66
|
|
2/10/2013
|
|
|
|
7,625
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.66
|
|
2/10/2013
|
|
|
|
2,288
|
|
|
|
573
|
|
|
|
19.25
|
|
2/9/2014
|
|
|
|
5,806
|
|
|
|
3,871
|
|
|
|
19.62
|
|
2/3/2015
|
|
|
|
4,529
|
|
|
|
6,795
|
|
|
|
24.99
|
|
2/13/2016
|
|
|
|
2,269
|
|
|
|
9,077
|
|
|
|
29.91
|
|
2/12/2017
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
16,581
|
|
|
|
17.90
|
|
2/10/2018
|
Randall
F. Eaves, President
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
7,391
|
|
|
|
17.90
|
|
2/10/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Steven
J. Haack, CFO
|
|
|
480
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13.33
|
|
2/9/2009
|
|
|
|
822
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.33
|
|
1/10/2010
|
|
|
|
1,589
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15.00
|
|
1/8/2011
|
|
|
|
3,614
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.00
|
|
2/11/2012
|
|
|
|
4,342
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.66
|
|
2/10/2013
|
|
|
|
7,625
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.66
|
|
2/10/2013
|
|
|
|
2,993
|
|
|
|
748
|
|
|
|
19.25
|
|
2/9/2014
|
|
|
|
2,488
|
|
|
|
1,659
|
|
|
|
19.62
|
|
2/3/2015
|
|
|
|
3,624
|
|
|
|
5,435
|
|
|
|
24.99
|
|
2/13/2016
|
|
|
|
2,042
|
|
|
|
8,170
|
|
|
|
29.91
|
|
2/12/2017
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
14,782
|
|
|
|
17.90
|
|
2/10/2018
|
Mary
M. Covington, EVP
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
3,352
|
|
|
|
17.90
|
|
2/10/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
Options
become exercisable five years after date of grant
|
(b)
|
No
outstanding options had intrinsic value as of December 31,
2008
|
(c)
|
The
expiration date of each option occurs ten years after the date of grant of
each option
|
None of
our named executive officers exercised any stock options during
2008.
Post-Employment
Compensation
Retirement
Benefits
We
typically do not provide pension arrangements or post-retirement health coverage
for our executives or employees. We are, however, required to continue Ms.
Covington’s and Mr. Rhodes’ health coverage. Our executive officers
are eligible to participate in our 401(k) contributory defined contribution
plan. In any plan year, we will contribute to each participant a matching
contribution up to 6% of the participant’s compensation that has been
contributed to the plan and up to 5% of the participant’s compensation, in the
Board’s discretion, as an additional Company contribution to the
plan. The discretionary 5% of the participant’s compensation was not
paid to any employee in 2008. All of our executive officers
participated in our 401(k) plan during fiscal 2008 and received matching
contributions. Effective January 2009, the matching contribution was
reduced from 6% of a participant’s salary to 1% for all employees including
executive officers.
In
connection with our acquisition of First Haralson Corporation, we assumed an
obligation to provide retirement benefits to Mr. Eaves and Ms. Covington, two of
our named executive officers, and Mr. Rhodes, one of our directors, as well as
other First Haralson employees we acquired who were then beneficiaries, under a
non-qualified deferred compensation plan (“Supplemental Executive Retirement
Benefit Agreement’) maintained by First Haralson Corporation. All
participants are fully vested.
Under the
Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefit Agreement, when a participant retires,
we will pay to the participant a fixed annual amount for 20 years (payable in
equal monthly installments). The benefits, based upon seniority and
position, range from $38,000 to $90,000 per year and are taxable to the
participant. The normal retirement age for purposes of the Supplemental
Executive Retirement Benefit Agreement is age 60 for Mr. Eaves, age 62 for Ms.
Covington and age 64 for Mr. Rhodes. The benefits would similarly be
payable (but would only commence upon reaching their normal retirement ages) in
the event these participants were to be terminated without cause, voluntarily or
as a result of his or her disability. In the event of death, the
benefit payments would be payable to the participant’s
beneficiary. In calculating present value for purposes of the above
table, we used an FAS discount rate of 5.70% and the GAR-94 mortality table
defined in IRS Revenue Ruling 2001-62. See also Note 15,
“Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan”, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 11, 2009
for additional information regarding this plan.
Employment
Agreements
We have
entered into formal employment agreements with each of our named executive
officers.
Our
employment agreements with Mr. Lipham, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Eaves,
our President, and Mr. Haack, our Chief Financial Officer, each provide for
severance benefits in certain instances, including severance benefits equal to
the greater of (i) such executive’s base salary, target bonus and profit sharing
bonus for the remainder of the employment term or (ii) one and one-half times
his annual base salary, target bonus and profit sharing bonus based on the
executive’s current base salary at the time of his termination, in the event the
executive’s employment is terminated “without cause” or by the executive “with
good reason” (each as defined in the respective employment agreement), together
with fully-paid health insurance benefits for eighteen months. If
such executive is employed on the date a “change in control” occurs or is
terminated without cause in the twelve month period immediately preceding a
“change in control” (as defined in the applicable employment agreement), he
would also be entitled to severance pay as a result. In such
instance, the executive would be entitled to an amount equal to two times his
annual base salary (based on the greater of his base salary on the termination
date or his base salary for the fiscal year immediately preceding the date of
the change in control)
plus
two times his bonus and
profit sharing bonus earned for the fiscal year which ended immediately
preceding the termination date or date of the change in control.
The
severance payments referenced above are payable in lump sum, subject only to the
execution by the executive of a general release in favor of the Bank and the
Company. The initial term of Mr. Lipham’s employment agreement
commenced effective as of May 9, 2006. His employment agreement
provides for an initial term of one year with automatic renewals for additional
terms of one year each unless either party gives notice of its intent not to
extend the agreement at least ninety days prior to the expiration of the then
current term. The initial term of Mr. Eaves’ employment agreement
commenced effective July 1, 2007. His employment agreement provides
for an initial term of three years with automatic renewals for additional terms
of three years each unless either party gives notice of its intent not to extend
the agreement at least ninety days prior to the expiration of the then current
term. The initial term of Mr. Haack’s employment agreement commenced
effective August 8, 2005. His employment agreement provides for an
initial term of three years with automatic renewals for additional terms of
three years each unless either party gives notice of its intent not to extend
the agreement at least ninety days prior to the expiration of the then current
term.
We also
have an employment agreement with Mary M. Covington, an Executive Vice
President. Her employment agreement provides for severance benefits
in certain instances. We are not permitted to terminate Ms. Covington
for any reason other than cause. Upon an early termination as a
result of a change in control or a termination of the agreement by Ms. Covington
for good reason, in addition to any earned but unpaid base salary, vacation, and
bonus, Ms. Covington will be eligible to receive the remainder of the salary and
bonuses she otherwise would have received for the remainder of the term and for
extended coverage under our group health plan until age 65. In the event of an
early termination for cause, death or disability, Ms. Covington (or her estate)
will receive any earned but unpaid base salary and vacation pay as well as any
unpaid incentive bonus and/or profit sharing bonus for the immediately preceding
year. A termination for cause would also entitle her to extended
coverage under our group health plan until age 65. Ms. Covington’s
employment agreement commenced July 1, 2007 and provides for a single term that
expires December 31, 2009.
All of the employment agreements with
our named executive officers were amended on December 31, 2008 for purposes of
bringing them into compliance with the applicable provisions of Section 409A of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Treasury Regulations and
interpretive guidance issued thereunder. Section 409A is the
provision of the tax law enacted in 2004 to govern certain “nonqualified
deferred compensation” arrangements that imposes accelerated taxation and
additional tax penalties on service providers (including employees and
directors) if a covered arrangement does not comply with Section 409A. Although
Section 409A’s provisions have been in effect since 2005, final regulations
under Section 409A were not issued until 2007 and took effect on January 1,
2009. The amendments included, among other things, providing that if
the named executive officer is deemed to be a “specified employee” (within the
meaning of Section 409A), to the extent necessary to avoid the imposition of tax
under Section 409A, any payments that are otherwise payable to the executive
within the first six months following the effective date of termination, shall
be suspended and paid on the first day of the seventh month following such
effective date. Our executives also orally waived any change in
control payments for a 12-month period ending March 31, 2010.
|
|
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in Cash
($)
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
Earnings
($)
|
|
|
|
|
W.
T. Green, Jr., Chairman
|
|
|
33,575
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33,575
|
|
Wanda
W. Calhoun
|
|
|
14,175
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,175
|
|
Grady
W. Cole
|
|
|
22,181
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,181
|
|
Loy
M. Howard
|
|
|
20,094
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,094
|
|
R.
David Perry
|
|
|
25,394
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,394
|
|
L.
Richard Plunkett
|
|
|
19,225
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,225
|
|
Donald
C. Rhodes (c)
|
|
|
23,063
|
|
|
|
24,600
|
|
|
|
47,663
|
|
Thomas
T. Richards
|
|
|
27,238
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,238
|
|
William
W. Stone (d)
|
|
|
4,763
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,763
|
|
J.
Thomas Vance
|
|
|
24,731
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,731
|
|
Gelon
E. Wasdin (d)
|
|
|
24,950
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,950
|
|
(a)
|
Director
fees for Mr. Lipham, Mr. Eaves and Ms. Covington have been excluded from
this table as they are reported in the Summary Compensation Table under
the “All Other Compensation” column.
|
|
|
(b)
|
We
do not make stock awards to our directors as part of their compensation
package. However, directors may elect to receive cash fees
earned for service on the Board and various committees in
stock. In 2008, no director elected to receive stock in payment
for earned fees.
|
|
|
(c)
|
Includes
the change in pension value of amounts credited to his account for certain
retirement benefits we assumed in our merger with First Haralson
Corporation.
|
|
|
(d)
|
Messrs.
Wasdin and Stone joined the WGNB Corp. Board in August 2008. Mr. Wasdin’s
fees also include his service on the Bank Board for the entire
year.
|
Overview
of Director Compensation and Procedures
We review
the level of compensation of our non-employee directors on an annual basis. To
determine how appropriate the current level of compensation for our non-employee
directors is, we have historically obtained data from a number of different
sources including:
|
●
|
publicly
available data describing director compensation in peer
companies;
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
survey
data collected by our human resources department or from third-party
consultants; and
|
|
|
|
|
●
|
information
obtained directly from other
companies.
|
We
periodically engage outside consultants to review and make recommendations with
respect to our compensation, including director compensation. Our
most recent compensation review was undertaken in 2005, when we engaged Clark
Consulting to perform an updated study regarding management and director
compensation. Director and committee fees were increased based on
recommendations from this study and a monthly retainer was
implemented. These increases in director fees were comparable to
other similarly situated publicly traded bank holding companies.
Our
directors receive compensation in the form of fees for services performed as
directors and members of various committees. Prior to March 2008,
directors received $300 per month as a retainer and were paid an additional $900
for each board meeting attended. Directors also received $400 per
quarter for each WGNB Corp. meeting they attended. After March 2008
and continuing through January 2009, the retainer, monthly and quarterly
attendance fees were reduced to $225, $625 and $300, respectively. Beginning in
February of 2009, the retainer, monthly and quarterly attendance fees were
further reduced to $0, $600 and $200, respectively. Directors
who served on the various committees were paid fees ranging from $100 to $250
per meeting depending on the particular committee involved. The Audit
Committee chairman received $350 per month and Audit Committee members received
$300 per month regardless of the number of meetings held. The
Chairman of the Board also received a flat fee of $3,000 per month through March
2008 when the flat fee was reduced to $2,175 per month through December
2008. Effective February 2009, his retainer was further reduced to
$1,800 per month. This compensation was in addition to compensation
he received for the WGNB Corp. retainer and supplemental board
meetings.
AMENDMENT
OF THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
(Proposal
Two)
On March
10, 2009, our Board of Directors approved an amendment, subject to shareholder
approval, to WGNB Corp.’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to
increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 20,000,000 to
50,000,000 and the number of authorized shares of preferred stock from
10,000,000 to 20,000,000. We currently have authorized capital stock
of (i) 20,000,000 common shares having no par value per share, of which
[6,058,007] shares are outstanding as of the Record Date and (ii) 10,000,000
preferred shares having no par value per share. Our Board of Directors has the
authority to designate the preferred shares from time to time into one or more
series having such preferences, rights and limitations as they deem
appropriate. To date, we have designated 3,750,000 shares as Series A
Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred”) for sale in our ongoing
public offering. As of the Record Date, 1,509,100 shares of our
Series A Preferred are issued and outstanding.
The Board
believes that the increase in authorized common shares and in the preferred
shares would provide the Company greater flexibility with respect to its capital
structure for such purposes as additional equity financing, and stock based
acquisitions. In particular, the Company has submitted an application
to participate in the Capital Purchase Program (“CPP”), a component of the
Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”) established by Congress under the broader
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 passed in October
2008. Pursuant to the CPP, the U.S. Treasury will purchase up to $250
billion of senior preferred shares on standardized terms from qualifying
financial institutions. The purpose of the CPP is to encourage U.S. financial
institutions to build capital to increase the flow of financing to U.S.
businesses and consumers and to support the U.S. economy. The CPP is
voluntary and requires a participating institution to comply with a number of
restrictions and provisions, including standards for executive compensation and
corporate governance and limitations on share repurchases and the declaration
and payment of dividends on common shares. The CPP allows qualifying
financial institutions to issue senior preferred shares to the U.S. Treasury in
aggregate amounts between 1 percent and 3 percent of the institution's risk
weighted assets ("Senior Preferred Shares"). The Senior Preferred Shares
will qualify as Tier 1 capital and rank senior to our common stock. The
Senior Preferred Shares will pay a cumulative dividend rate of 5 percent per
annum for the first five years and will reset to a rate of 9 percent per annum
after year five. The Senior Preferred Shares will be non-voting, other
than class voting rights on matters that could adversely affect the shares. The
Senior Preferred Shares will be callable at par after three years. Prior
to the end of three years, the Senior Preferred Shares may be redeemed with the
proceeds from a qualifying equity offering of any Tier 1 perpetual preferred or
common stock. U.S. Treasury may also transfer the Senior Preferred Shares
to a third party at any time. In conjunction with the purchase of Senior
Preferred Shares, Treasury will receive warrants to purchase common stock with
an aggregate market price equal to 15 percent of the Senior Preferred Shares.
The exercise price on the warrants will be the market price of the
participating institution's common stock at the time of issuance, calculated on
a 20-trading day trailing average. Companies participating in the CPP must
adopt the U.S. Treasury's standards for executive compensation and corporate
governance.
The
Company currently has sufficient authorized preferred stock to issue as Senior
Preferred Shares should its pending application be accepted. However,
any sale of Senior Preferred Shares (and issuance to the U.S. Treasury of the
required warrants to purchase common stock) would likely result in an adjustment
to the conversion price of our outstanding Series A Preferred which becomes
convertible at the option of the holder beginning September
2011. Each share of our outstanding Series A Preferred will be
convertible at the election of the holder into shares of our common stock by
dividing the $8.00 stated value of the Series A Preferred by a conversion price,
which will initially be $8.00. The conversion price will be adjusted
to reflect subdivisions or combinations of our common stock such as stock
splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or reverse splits. The
conversion price will also be adjusted if, during the first year following the
date we first issue shares of our Series A Preferred stock, we issue additional
shares of our common stock, or options, rights, warrants or other securities
convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock, at a price per
share less than $8.00, except for issuances authorized under existing stock
incentive and dividend reinvestment plans and issuances in connection with
acquisitions. Based on the current trading price of our common stock,
any warrants issued to the U.S. Treasury in connection with a sale of Senior
Preferred Shares should our CPP application be approved would likely have an
exercise price well below $8.00. If the sale of Senior Preferred
Shares is completed prior to September 19, 2011, at the time of the closing of
the transaction the conversion price of our Series A Preferred would
automatically be reduced to the exercise price of the warrants issued to the
U.S. Treasury. The 20,000,000 shares of common stock we currently
have authorized, after deducting the 6,058,007 shares that are currently
outstanding and 2,559,060 shares reserved for issuance under currently existing
agreements (including outstanding stock option agreements and the terms of the
Series A Preferred), would be insufficient to complete a transaction under our
pending CPP application.
YOUR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR PROPOSAL
TWO.
Text
of Amendment
“Article V of the Articles of
Incorporation of the Company hereby is amended by deleting section 5.1 of such
article in its entirety, and inserting in lieu thereof the
following:
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5.1
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Authorized
Shares
. The total number of shares which the Company is
authorized to issue is 70,000,000, consisting of 50,000,000 shares of
common stock, no par value per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, no par value per
share.”
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Authorization
of Additional Preferred Stock
The
amendment to WGNB Corp.’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation will
authorize another 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, the creation and
issuance of which is authorized in advance by the shareholders and the terms,
rights and features of which are determined by the Board of Directors of the
Company upon issuance. We currently have 10,000,000 shares of
preferred stock authorized for issuance which the Board of Directors has
authority to authorize and issue from time to time in one or more
series.
Subject
to the provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and the limitations
prescribed by law, the Board of Directors would be expressly authorized, at its
discretion, to adopt resolutions to issue shares, to fix the number of shares
and constituting of any series and to provide for or change the voting powers,
designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special
rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend
rights (including whether the dividends are cumulative), dividend rates, terms
of redemption (including sinking fund provisions), redemption prices, conversion
rights and liquidation preferences of the shares constituting any series of the
preferred stock, in each case without any further action or vote by the
shareholders. The Board of Directors would be required to make any determination
to issue shares of preferred stock based on its judgment as to the best
interests of the Company and its shareholders. The amendment to our Amended and
Restated Articles of Incorporation would give the Board of Directors
flexibility, without further shareholder action, to issue additional shares of
preferred stock beyond the 10,000,000 shares it currently has authority to issue
on such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors deems to be in the best
interests of the Company and its shareholders.
Any
issuance of preferred stock (including the 10,000,000 shares we currently have
authorized) with voting rights could, under certain circumstances, have the
effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company by
increasing the number of outstanding shares entitled to vote and by increasing
the number of votes required to approve a change in control of the Company.
Shares of voting or convertible preferred stock could be issued, or rights to
purchase such shares could be issued, to render more difficult or discourage an
attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a tender offer, proxy
contest, merger or otherwise. The ability of the Board of Directors to issue
such additional shares of preferred stock, with the rights and preferences it
deems advisable, could discourage an attempt by a party to acquire control of
the Company by tender offer or other means. Such issuance could
therefore deprive shareholders of benefits that could result from such an
attempt, such as the realization of a premium over the market price that such an
attempt could cause. Moreover, the issuance of such additional shares of
preferred stock to persons friendly to the Board of Directors could make it more
difficult to remove incumbent managers and directors from office even if such
change were to be favorable to shareholders generally.
While the
amendment may have anti-takeover ramifications, the Board of Directors believes
that the financial flexibility offered by the amendment outweighs any
disadvantages. For example, we are required to meet certain capital
adequacy requirements under federal and state banking regulations. To the extent
continued downturns in the economy affect the strength of our balance sheet, we
need to have a mechanism for raising additional capital in a speedy and
efficient manner or face adverse consequences. Our pending CPP
application will require, if it should be approved, that we issue from our
currently authorized preferred stock a series that meets the requirements of
Senior Preferred Shares. It is unclear at this time how many of our
currently available preferred shares will be needed for issuance to the Treasury
under our CPP application should it be approved. Having a greater
number of authorized shares of preferred stock would allow our Board to conduct
one or more additional registered or unregistered offerings to raise needed
capital beyond our CPP application without the need to call a special meeting of
our shareholders to authorize such issuances. The ability to
determine the rights and preferences of a given series of preferred stock on a
case-by-case basis also allows the Board great flexibility in determining such
things as, whether the stock would be redeemable by us at a given date or
convertible into shares of our common stock. Further, to the extent that the
amendment may have anti-takeover effects, the amendment may encourage persons
seeking to acquire the Company to negotiate directly with the Board of Directors
enabling the Board of Directors to consider the proposed transaction in a manner
that best serves the shareholders’ interests.
Increase
In Authorized Common Stock
The terms
of the additional shares of common stock will be identical to those of the
currently outstanding shares of common stock. However, because holders of common
stock have no preemptive rights to purchase or subscribe for any unissued stock
of the Company, the issuance of additional shares of common stock will reduce
the current shareholders’ percentage ownership interest in the total outstanding
shares of common stock. This amendment and the creation of additional shares of
authorized common stock will not alter the current number of issued shares. The
relative rights and limitations of the shares of common stock will remain
unchanged under this amendment.
As of the
Record Date, a total of 6,058,007 shares of the Company’s currently authorized
20,000,000 shares of common stock are issued and outstanding. The increase in
the number of authorized but unissued shares of common stock would enable the
Company, without further shareholder approval, to issue shares from time to time
as may be required for proper business purposes, such as raising additional
capital for ongoing operations (including under our pending CPP application),
stock splits and dividends, present and future employee benefit programs and
other corporate purposes.
The
proposed increase in the authorized number of shares of common stock could
similarly have a number of effects on the Company’s shareholders depending upon
the exact nature and circumstances of any actual issuances of authorized but
unissued shares. The increase could have an anti-takeover effect, in that
additional shares could be issued (within the limits imposed by applicable law)
in one or more transactions that could make a change in control or takeover of
the Company more difficult. For example, additional shares could be issued by
the Company so as to dilute the stock ownership or voting rights of persons
seeking to obtain control of the Company, even if the persons seeking to obtain
control of the Company offer an above-market premium that is favored by a
majority of the independent shareholders. Similarly, the issuance of additional
shares to certain persons allied with the Company’s management could have the
effect of making it more difficult to remove the Company’s current management by
diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of persons seeking to cause such
removal. The Company has no plans or proposals to adopt other provisions or
enter into other arrangements, except as disclosed, that may have material
anti-takeover consequences. The Board of Directors is not aware of any attempt,
or contemplated attempt, to acquire control of the Company, and this proposal is
not being presented with the intent that it be utilized as a type of
anti-takeover device.
INDEPENDENT
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
The Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors has selected Porter Keadle Moore, LLP to audit the financial
statements of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2009. Porter Keadle Moore, LLP has audited the Company's financial
statements since 1995. A representative of Porter Keadle Moore,
LLP
will
be
present at the meeting to respond to any questions or to make a statement on
behalf of his firm. During the last two fiscal years, the Company paid Porter
Keadle Moore, LLP fees as follows:
Audit Fees
. The
aggregate fees billed by Porter Keadle Moore, LLP for professional services
rendered for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007 and for the review of
the financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q for such fiscal years were $160,781 and $136,135,
respectively.
Audit-Related
Fees
. The aggregate fees billed by Porter Keadle Moore, LLP
for assurance and related services that were reasonably related to the audit
(including services related to benefit plan audits) of the Company’s annual
financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and December
31, 2007 were $13,743 and $11,000, respectively.
Tax Fees
. The
aggregate fees billed by Porter Keadle Moore, LLP for tax compliance, tax advice
and tax planning for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and December 31,
2007 were $25,162 and $24,150, respectively.
All Other
Fees
. There were no other fees billed by Porter Keadle Moore,
LLP or paid by the Company for services rendered to the Company, other than the
services described above for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and
December 31, 2007.
The Audit Committee is responsible for
pre-approving all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be
performed by its independent auditors. Pre-approval may be granted by
action of the full Audit Committee or, in the absence of such Audit Committee
action, by any member to whom the Audit Committee has delegated such
authority. All of the fees paid to Porter Keadle Moore, LLP in each
of the categories described above were pre-approved by the Audit
Committee.
OTHER
MATTERS
Solicitation
of Proxies
We will
solicit proxies for the meeting by mail. We will bear the cost of
preparing, assembling, printing, mailing and soliciting proxy solicitation
materials. In addition to sending you these materials, some of our
employees may contact you by telephone, by mail, or in person. None
of these employees will receive any extra compensation for doing
this. We intend to use the services of our transfer agent, Registrar
and Transfer Company, to administer receipt and tallying of votes for the
upcoming meeting. The cost for these services is not expected to be
significant. We will reimburse brokerage firms and other nominees,
custodians and fiduciaries for the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses they incur
in forwarding proxy solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of common
stock held of record by them.
Transaction
of Other Business at the 2009 Annual Meeting
At this time, the Board of Directors
does not know of any matters to be presented for action at the 2009 Annual
Meeting other than those mentioned in the Notice of Annual Meeting of
Shareholders and referred to in this proxy statement. If any other
matter comes before the meeting, it is intended that the persons who are named
in the proxies will vote the shares represented by effective proxies in their
discretion.
Shareholder
Proposals for the 2010 Annual Meeting
If you wish to submit a stockholder
proposal pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act for inclusion in our
proxy statement and proxy card for our 2010 annual meeting of stockholders, you
must submit the proposal to our secretary no later than 120 days before the
first anniversary of the date we mailed this proxy statement (which would be
January [5], 2010), or if the meeting date has changed by more than 30 days from
the date of this year’s meeting, you must submit your proposal a reasonable time
period before we begin to print and send our proxy materials for our 2010 annual
meeting. In addition, if you desire to bring business (including director
nominations) before our 2010 annual meeting, you must comply with our bylaws,
which currently require that you provide written notice of such business to our
secretary no later than 120 days before the first anniversary of the date we
mailed this proxy statement (which would be January [5], 2010); provided,
however, that in the event that the date of the 2010 annual meeting is advanced
or delayed by more than 30 days from the date contemplated at the time we mailed
this proxy statement, notice must be delivered no later than 150 days prior to
the date of the 2010 annual meeting. For additional requirements,
shareholders should refer to our Bylaws, article IV, section 1, a current copy
of which may be obtained from our secretary. If we do not receive timely notice
pursuant to our bylaws, any proposal may be excluded from consideration at the
meeting, regardless of any earlier notice provided in accordance with Rule
14a-8. The proxy solicited by the Board of Directors for the 2010 Annual Meeting
of Shareholders will confer discretionary authority to vote as the proxy holders
deem advisable on such shareholder proposals that are considered
untimely.
Incorporation
by Reference of this Proxy Statement
The Audit
Committee Report in this proxy statement shall not be deemed to be incorporated
by reference into any report, statement or other filing made by us with the SEC
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, or in any
related prospectus, that incorporates this proxy statement by reference, in
whole or in part, notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth
therein.
Availability
of Form 10-K
A copy of
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, as
filed with the SEC, has been incorporated in its entirety into the annual report
delivered to shareholders with this proxy statement. Shareholders may
request copies of our SEC filings generally by directing such requests to Steven
J. Haack, Corporate Secretary, at WGNB Corp., P.O. Box 280, Carrollton,
Georgia 30112, or by telephone at (770) 830-2945. A
shareholder may also download a copy of our filings from the Company’s website,
www.fnbga.com
.
Additional
copies of our annual report and proxy statement are available at
www.fnbga.com
. Please
click on the “Investor Relations” tab and choose the link “2009 Annual
Meeting”.
Other
Available Information
WGNB is subject to the informational
requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, is required to
file reports, proxy statements and other information with the
SEC. Shareholders may inspect and copy such reports, proxy statements
and other information at the Public Reference Section of the Commission at 100 F
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Shareholders may also obtain
copies of the reports, proxy statements and other information from the Public
Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed
rates. The SEC maintains a World Wide Web site on the internet at
http://www.sec.gov
that contains reports, proxies, information statements, and registration
statements and other information filed with the SEC through the EDGAR
system.
Please return your proxy as soon as
possible. Unless a quorum consisting of a majority of the outstanding shares
entitled to vote is represented at the meeting, no business can be
transacted. Therefore, please be sure to date and sign your proxy
exactly as your name appears on your stock certificate and return it to
us. The proxy is self-addressed and has prepaid postage affixed to
facilitate its return. Please act promptly to ensure that you will be
represented at this important meeting.
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By
Order of the Board of Directors
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WGNB
Corp.
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/s/
H.B. “Rocky” Lipham, III
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H.
B. Lipham, III
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Chief Executive
Officer
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May [5],
2009
Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the
WGNB
Corp. 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on June 16,
2009.
Additional
copies of our annual report and proxy statement are available at
www.fnbga.com
. Please
click on
the
“Investor Relations” tab and choose the link “2009 Annual
Meeting”
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FORM
OF PROXY
WGNB
CORP.
The
undersigned hereby appoints W.T. (Tommy) Green, Jr., Randall F. Eaves and J.
Thomas Vance, or any one of them, with full power of substitution, as proxy for
the undersigned, to vote all shares of common stock, no par value per share, of
WGNB Corp. owned of record by the undersigned, with all powers the undersigned
would have if personally present at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of WGNB
Corp. to be held on June 16, 2009 at 3:00 p.m., local time, at the University of
West Georgia Townsend Center for the Performing Arts located at the corner of
West Georgia Drive (formerly known as Back Campus Drive) and University Drive,
Carrollton, Georgia 30116 and any adjournments thereof for the following
purposes:
1.
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(a)
FOR ALL NOMINEES ______WITHHOLD ALL NOMINEES _____ for election, by the
holders of common stock of WGNB Corp. (Proposal
One):
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¨
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Grady
W. Cole
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H.
B. “Rocky” Lipham, III
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Mary
M. Covington
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Gelon
E. Wasdin
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William
W. Stone
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Instructions:
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To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee, place an X in the
box on the left and strike a line through the name of any nominee(s)
listed above.
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2.
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To
amend WGNB Corp.’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation,
to:
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(a)
increase the
number of authorized shares of WGNB Corp.’s common stock from 20,000,000
shares having no par value to 50,000,000 shares having no par value;
and
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(b)
increase the
number of authorized shares of WGNB Corp.’s preferred stock from
10,000,000 shares having no par value to 20,000,000 shares having no par
value.
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FOR
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¨
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AGAINST
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¨
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ABSTAIN
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¨
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3.
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the
meeting.
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THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED “FOR” ALL NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL ONE AND “FOR” APPROVAL
OF THE AMENDMENT LISTED IN PROPOSAL TWO IF NO INSTRUCTION TO THE CONTRARY IS
INDICATED OR IF NO INSTRUCTION IS GIVEN.
THIS
PROXY IS BEING SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WGNB
CORP.
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Dated:______________,
2009
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Signature
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Print
Name:__________________________________
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Address:____________________________________
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Number
of Common Shares Voted:______________
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Please
mark, date and sign this Proxy and deliver it to any of the above-named proxies
whether or not you plan to attend the meeting. You may revoke a
previously delivered Proxy at any time prior to the
meeting.