Effective January 1, 2009, to comply with Section 409A of the Code, payment of benefits under the Pension Restoration Plan commences the first of the month following a participant’s separation from service or six months following a participant’s separation from service if he is considered a specified employee. Also, benefit options under the Pension Restoration Plan include various actuarial equivalent annuity options. A participant with at least three years of service with us may elect to retire after attaining age 55, but prior to age 65, and receive reduced benefits. Benefits are reduced 1/180th for each of the first 60 months and by 1/360th for each of any additional months by which the benefit commencement date precedes the participant’s normal retirement date. Mr. Sando is the only NEO who participates in the Pension Restoration Plan, and he was eligible for early retirement but not normal retirement at December 31, 2020.
On June 1, 2010, in connection with spinning off the businesses now known as FAFC, the sponsorship of a portion of the Pension Restoration Plan and the liabilities under the plan were transferred to FAFC with respect to the accrued benefits for employees and former employees who were transferred to FAFC. We remain responsible for liabilities under the Pension Restoration Plan relating to the accrued benefits of employees who were not transferred to FAFC, which are now payable pursuant to the terms of the CoreLogic, Inc. Pension Restoration Plan, the successor plan to the original Pension Restoration Plan. The new plan is intended to govern the benefits payable to participants under the plan as of June 1, 2010 and is not intended to grant additional benefits to the participants in excess of their benefits accrued under the original Pension Restoration Plan.
Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan
The Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan provides retirement benefits for, and
pre-retirement
death benefits with respect to, certain key management personnel. The plan was originally adopted in 1985 and has been amended a number of times since then. Under the plan, as originally adopted, upon retirement at normal retirement date (the later of age 65 or completion of 10 years of service) the participant received a joint life and 50% survivor annuity benefit equal to 35% of “final average compensation.” “Final average compensation” was determined for those three calendar years out of the last 10 years of employment preceding retirement in which final average compensation is the highest. Final average compensation includes base salary and commissions, cash bonuses and stock bonuses that are granted to compensate for past services (such as annual incentive bonus RSUs).
Under the original plan, the benefit was reduced by 5% for each year prior to normal retirement date in which retirement occurs and, until age 70, increased by 5% (compounded in order to approximate the annuitized value of the benefit had retirement occurred at age 65) for each year after such date in which retirement occurs. With respect to such postponed retirement, the plan took into account covered compensation received until age 70, so that the retirement benefit of an executive who retires after normal retirement date is determined as the greater of the annuitized benefit or the benefit calculated using final average compensation until age 70.
To be eligible to receive benefits under the plan, a participant must be at least age 55, have been an employee of us or one of our subsidiaries for at least 10 years and covered by the plan for at least five years. A
pre-retirement
death benefit is provided consisting of 10 annual payments, each of which equals 50% of final average compensation. Subject to applicable legal rules, the Board can, in its discretion, pay the participant or beneficiary in an actuarial equivalent lump sum or other form of benefit. In the event of a “change in control” (as defined in the plan) of us, a participant who retires after the change in control shall receive the same benefits as if he were retiring upon the attainment of normal retirement date.
The Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan was amended in September 2005 to provide that participants who thereafter engage in competition with us, either during their employment with or following their departure, forfeit their right to receive any vested benefits under the plan. Competition includes the misappropriation, sale, use or disclosure of our trade secrets, confidential or proprietary information and solicitation of our customers.
To reduce the costs of the plan to us, the plan was further amended in October 2007. Among other changes, this amendment (i) reduced the normal retirement date to the latest of age 62, the date on which the participant completes 10 years of service with us and the date on which the participant was covered, in combination, by the plan or FAC Management Supplemental Benefit Plan for five years; (ii) changed the period over which “final average compensation” is determined to the five calendar years preceding retirement; (iii) reduced the maximum benefit payable to a joint life and 50% survivor annuity benefit equal to 30% of final average compensation; (iv) eliminated any increased benefit for postponed retirement beyond the normal retirement date; and (v) provided for accelerated vesting only upon a change in control that is not approved by our incumbent Board. The benefit is reduced by 5.952% for each year prior to age 62 in which retirement actually occurs. Participants who were vested as of the effective date of the amendment, November 1, 2007, are entitled to receive the higher of the benefit as calculated under the amended plan and the benefit to which the participant would have been entitled had he retired on October 31, 2007.
In connection with the Separation, we transferred sponsorship and administration of a portion of the Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan to FAFC. As part of this transfer, FAFC assumed the liabilities under the portion of the plan covering employees and former employees who were transferred to FAFC. Following the Separation, we remained responsible for the liabilities under the portion of the Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan relating to our employees and former employees who were not transferred to FAFC. We maintain the CoreLogic, Inc. Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan as the successor to the original Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan in satisfaction of its liabilities to such employees who were participants and accrued benefits under the Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan but were not transferred to FAFC. The CoreLogic, Inc. Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan is intended to provide future benefits for our employees on and after June 1, 2010 and is intended to govern the benefits payable to such employees both before and after June 1, 2010.
Effective December 31, 2010, the CoreLogic, Inc. Executive Supplemental Benefit Plan was frozen and amended to, among other things: (i) close the plan to new participants; (ii) freeze the average pay calculation as of December 31, 2010 (compensation after December 31, 2010 will not be taken into consideration in calculating benefits); (iii) amend the amount and form of the
pre-retirement
death benefit to provide for payment to a participant’s designated beneficiary in an amount equal to the survivor portion of a 50% joint and survivor annuity for the life of the beneficiary, or if the participant’s beneficiary is someone other than the participant’s spouse or domestic partner, for a maximum of twenty years; and (iv) apply a proration factor to the benefit amount payable, the numerator of which is a participant’s service at December 31, 2010 and the denominator of which is the participant’s service that would have accrued as of his or her early retirement date if the participant was not early retirement eligible as of December 31, 2010.