The Corporate
Governance Committee has identified particular qualifications, attributes, skills, and experience that are important to be represented
on the Board as a whole in light of Farmer Mac’s current needs and business priorities. Farmer Mac’s business is focused primarily
on agricultural, agribusiness, and rural utilities lending. Therefore, the Corporate Governance Committee believes that the Board should
include some directors who possess knowledge of the underlying industries, as well as experience in marketing and lending. Ms. Gales and
Messrs. Brack, Junkins, and Sexton bring to the Board relevant lending expertise; Dr. Faivre and Messrs. Brack, Culver, Davidson, Sexton,
and Stones bring to the Board appropriate marketing experience; Dr. Faivre, Ms. Gales, Ms. Wilcher, and Messrs. Brack, Davidson, Dobrinski,
Sexton, and Tiarks bring to the Board experience in agricultural production; and Messrs. Dobrinski, Sexton, and Ware bring to the Board
experience with the rural infrastructure industry.
Farmer Mac’s
business also involves complicated financial transactions and complex accounting issues. The Corporate Governance Committee therefore
believes that the Board should include some directors with a high level of financial literacy or accounting training or experience, as
well as directors with knowledge of finance or capital markets. Dr. Faivre, Ms. Gales, and Messrs. Brack, Culver, Davidson, Dobrinski,
Engebretsen, Johnson, Junkins, McKissack, Sexton, Stones, Tiarks, and Ware bring financial literacy to the Board. Ms. Gales and Messrs.
Brack, Dobrinski, Engebretsen, McKissack, Sexton, Tiarks, and Ware have accounting training or experience. Ms. Gales and Messrs. Engebretsen,
Johnson, McKissack, and Sexton have knowledge of capital markets. Ms. Gales and Messrs. Brack, Davidson, Engebretsen, Johnson, McKissack,
and Sexton have knowledge of or experience with financial investments. Ms. Gales and Messrs. Brack, Culver, Dobrinski, Sexton, and Tiarks
have knowledge of or experience with agricultural finance.
As a Congressionally
chartered, highly regulated, government-sponsored enterprise, Farmer Mac must comply with a variety of regulatory and statutory requirements
and be aware of developments in the political arena. The Corporate Governance Committee therefore believes that governmental or political
expertise should be represented on the Board. That governmental or political experience is brought to the Board by Dr. Faivre, Ms. Wilcher,
Mr. Culver, Mr. Junkins, and Mr. Stones, all of whom were appointed to the Board by the President of the United States and confirmed by
the Senate, as well as Mr. Sexton.
As the landscape
of opportunities and risks facing Farmer Mac and its stakeholders changes over time, the Corporate Governance Committee believes that
it is important for the Board to have members with experience in strategic planning, risk management, and other relevant areas. Dr. Faivre,
Ms. Wilcher, and Messrs. Brack, Culver, Junkins, Sexton, Stones, and Ware have experience in strategic planning. Dr. Faivre and Messrs.
Brack, Engebretsen, Sexton, and Tiarks have experience in risk management. Ms. Wilcher and Messrs. Junkins, Sexton, and Ware bring to
the Board relevant cybersecurity experience. Messrs. Brack, Sexton, and Ware bring to the Board relevant experience in Human Resources.
Dr. Faivre, Ms. Gales, and Messrs. Brack, Culver, Davidson, Dobrinski, Engebretsen, Johnson, McKissack, Sexton, Tiarks, and Ware bring
to the Board relevant experience from current or previous service on other boards.
That a director
is not named in the discussion of a particular attribute does not mean that the director does not possess that qualification or skill,
but that it is not a specific area of focus or expertise on which the Board currently relies.
The following table sets forth the compensation
awarded during 2022 to each person who served on the Board in 2022:
In November 2022,
the Board approved (1) an increase in the base annual cash retainer payable to each director from $62,000 to $66,500 for 2023; and (2)
an increase to the targeted value for the annual equity award granted to each director from $62,000 to $66,500 for 2023. The overall targeted
total compensation per director of $133,000 per year for 2023 represented a 7.3% increase compared to the overall targeted total compensation of $124,000 per year for 2022. The Board maintained the same level of incremental annual cash retainers payable to the eight
committee chairs for 2023 as in 2022 but increased the supplemental retainer payable to the Board Chair from $40,000 to $50,000 per year
and increased the supplemental retainer payable to the Board Vice Chair from $20,000 to $25,000 per year.
On March 9, 2023,
each of the 15 sitting Board members was granted 482 RSUs. The number of RSUs granted was calculated in accordance with the Board’s
policy on equity compensation grants using a targeted value of $66,500 based on the average stock price over the previous 30 calendar
days ending March 2, 2023 (seven calendar days before the grant date). Based on the stock price at the time of these grants, the actual
value on March 9, 2023 was $65,166 to each sitting director. All of the RSUs granted to each director on March 9, 2023 will vest on March
31, 2024 if the director is serving on the Board on that date.
As of March 24, 2023,
the sitting members of the Board, nominees for election as directors, and named executive officers of Farmer Mac listed in the table below
may be considered to be “beneficial owners” of the indicated number of equity securities of Farmer Mac, as defined by SEC
rules. Farmer Mac’s Voting Common Stock may be held only by banks, insurance companies, and financial institutions and Farm Credit
System institutions, and may not be held by individuals. Thus, no director, director nominee, or named executive officer owns, directly
or indirectly, any shares of any class of Voting Common Stock. The Class C Non-Voting Common Stock has no ownership restrictions. For
information about the beneficial owners of 5% or more of the Voting Common Stock, see “—Principal Holders of Voting Common
Stock.”
*Less than 1%.
Farmer Mac has a policy
on insider trading applicable to all directors and employees (including named executive officers) that requires compliance with the federal
securities laws and adherence to Farmer Mac’s other policies and procedures (including “open windows” for sales of stock
and the adoption of Rule 10b5-1 plans). Farmer Mac’s insider trading policy prohibits any director or employee (including officers)
from engaging in any short sales of, or purchases or sales of puts, calls, or other derivative securities based on, Farmer Mac’s
securities.
To Farmer Mac’s
knowledge, as of March 31, 2023, the following institutions are the beneficial owners of either 5% or more of the outstanding shares of
Farmer Mac’s Class A Voting Common Stock or Class B Voting Common Stock, and/or 5% or more of the total number of outstanding shares
of Farmer Mac’s Voting Common Stock.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| |
Introduction
and 2022 Highlights |
The
Human Capital and Compensation Committee of Farmer Mac’s Board of Directors (“Compensation Committee”) determines
the salaries, incentive compensation, and other compensation and benefits of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers. The
Compensation Committee also recommends the compensation of directors in consultation with the Corporate Governance Committee
for approval by the Board. The members of the Compensation Committee who determined the 2022 compensation of Farmer Mac’s
directors and named executive officers were Mr. Davidson, Mr. Engebretsen, Dr. Faivre, Mr. McKissack, and Mr. Ware. Mr. Davidson
has served as chair of the Compensation Committee since June 7, 2012. No current member of Farmer Mac’s Compensation Committee
is or has been an officer or employee of Farmer Mac. As described in “Corporate Governance Matters—Director Independence,”
the Board has affirmatively determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are “independent” under:
| ● | Farmer
Mac’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, which prescribe independence criteria that
meet or exceed all general standards for director independence under applicable SEC and
NYSE rules; and |
| ● | the
added independence criteria prescribed by NYSE rules specifically for directors who
serve on the Compensation Committee. |
The
Compensation Committee and the Board review the Compensation Committee Charter annually and approve changes as appropriate. During
2022, the Compensation Committee reviewed and recommended approval of a revised Compensation Committee Charter, which the Board
approved in November 2022. The complete text of the Compensation Committee Charter, which reflects standards in SEC and NYSE
rules, is available on Farmer Mac’s website (www.farmermac.com) in the “Corporate Governance” portion of the
“Investors” section. A print copy of the Compensation Committee Charter is available free of charge upon written request
addressed to Farmer Mac’s Secretary at 1999 K Street, N.W., Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006.
The
Compensation Committee determines and approves the total compensation of executive officers
after evaluating current market compensation levels for comparable positions and assessing
each executive officer’s performance during the previous calendar year. The Compensation
Committee also consults with the chief executive officer in evaluating all other executive
officers. Neither the chief executive officer nor any other executive officer is present
during deliberations on his or her compensation by the Compensation Committee or the
Board. The Compensation Committee, in consultation with the Corporate Governance Committee,
recommends to the Board the total levels of compensation for Farmer Mac’s directors.
The Compensation Committee does not delegate any of its authority to other persons.
The
Compensation Committee engaged Aon’s Human Capital Solutions practice, a division of Aon plc (“Aon”) and otherwise
known as McLagan, as its independent compensation consultant during 2022. Aon is accountable to and reports directly to the Compensation
Committee. The Compensation Committee asked Aon to provide market data on executive and director compensation and information
about compensation trends. The Compensation Committee met with Aon during 2022 both in general committee session and in executive
session with no members of management present. The chair of the Compensation Committee also met separately with Aon with the consent
of the other Compensation Committee members.
During
2022, we agreed to extend President and Chief Executive Officer Bradford T. Nordholm’s term of employment through March
31, 2026. We agreed to grant Mr. Nordholm a one-time incentive equity award designed to retain him through that date, as well
as to promote the achievement of specified performance goals. See “Executive Compensation Governance—Executive Compensation—Agreements
with Executive Officers.”
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| | Overview
of Farmer Mac’s
Executive Compensation Practices |
Farmer
Mac has designed its executive compensation program to align with good governance practices. The program reflects our philosophy
that:
| ● | pay
should be aligned with appropriate business objectives, effective risk management, and
stockholder interests; and |
| ● | incentive
compensation should depend on company and individual performance without encouraging
undue risk-taking. |
Under
the oversight of our Compensation Committee from design to payout, our executive compensation program is based on a pay-for-performance
approach (both short-term and long-term) and executive retention. Our executive compensation program has the following key features
consistent with sound governance:
| ● | Our
short-term and long-term incentive compensation is based on balanced frameworks of metrics
that are aligned with our mission and support the safety and soundness of Farmer Mac. |
| ● | We
continue to use equity grants to remain competitive with our market for executive talent.
Our long-term incentive compensation maintains a balanced mix of stock appreciation rights
(“SARs”), performance-based restricted stock units (“RSUs”),
and time-based RSUs, placing less emphasis on SARs in the mix of long-term incentive
compensation. |
| ● | Much
of the long-term incentive compensation we award is contingent on increased stockholder
value and long-term performance through our grants of SARs and performance-based RSUs. |
| ● | Incentive
awards under our performance-based cash and equity plans are subject to caps and specific
performance minimums. |
| ● | We
do not provide our executive officers with any pension or supplemental executive retirement
plans (“SERPs”) that include an enhanced contribution formula compared to
the formula used for contributions made by Farmer Mac on behalf of other employees. Executive
officers participate in our defined contribution qualified retirement plan available
to all employees. Our “make-whole” or “restoration” nonqualified
deferred compensation plan offered to some executive officers uses the same contribution
formula used to determine Farmer Mac’s contributions to the retirement accounts
of all employees. |
| ● | We
have an employment agreement with our CEO that is a fixed term contract. None of our
other executive officers have employment contracts. |
| ● | We
provide conservative severance provisions to some executive officers, and we do not provide
any additional benefits upon a change-in-control (no “golden parachutes”). |
| ● | We
do not provide perquisites to our executive officers such as club memberships, company
cars, or car allowances. We offer limited perquisites to executive officers above and
beyond the benefits provided to all other employees, such as paid parking at our office
building located in Washington, D.C. |
| ● | Our
insider trading policy prohibits any director or employee from engaging in pledging and
specified hedging activities in Farmer Mac’s securities. |
| ● | We
have a stock ownership policy to better align the interests of officers and directors
with those of Farmer Mac’s stockholders. |
| ● | We
have a “clawback” policy that allows us to recover incentive compensation
from current or former executive officers for an accounting restatement, termination
of employment for “cause,” or an incorrect calculation of a financial measure
used to determine the value or amount of incentive compensation. |
| ● | We
evaluate our executive compensation program regularly to ensure that it does not create
incentives for employees to take material risks. |
| | Compensation
Discussion and Analysis |
This
Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) discusses our executive compensation program, mainly as it relates
to our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, and our three other most highly compensated executive officers during
2022 (“named executive officers”):
| ● | Bradford
T. Nordholm, President and Chief Executive Officer; |
| ● | Aparna
Ramesh, Executive Vice President—Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer; |
| ● | Zachary
N. Carpenter, Executive Vice President—Chief Business Officer; |
| ● | Stephen
P. Mullery, Executive Vice President—General Counsel and Secretary; and |
| ● | Marc
J. Crady, Senior Vice President—Chief Credit Officer. |
This
list of named executive officers has not changed since our CD&A for 2021.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Compensation
Philosophy
The
Board, through the Compensation Committee, has adopted a total compensation philosophy for Farmer Mac. Farmer Mac’s total
compensation philosophy is designed to maintain a compensation program that fosters a performance-oriented, results-based culture
where compensation varies based on the business results achieved and is properly aligned with an acceptable risk profile,
effective risk management, and stockholder returns. At the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to approve the compensation of
Farmer Mac’s named executive officers disclosed in Farmer Mac’s 2022 Proxy Statement, 99% of the votes cast by Farmer
Mac’s stockholders (excluding broker non-votes and abstentions) supported the compensation of the named executive officers.
The Board considered the results of this advisory vote and determined that Farmer Mac’s compensation policies and decisions
should continue to emphasize the total compensation philosophy. Specifically, Farmer Mac’s compensation program aims to:
Attract, retain, and reward employees with the skills required to accomplish
Farmer Mac’s business objectives |
Provide
accountability and incentives for achievement of those objectives |
Pay
for performance by linking significant compensation to increased stockholder value and the attainment of established corporate
performance goals |
Properly
balance Farmer Mac’s risk profile with both annual and long-term
incentives |
Align
with Farmer Mac’s business processes, such as business planning, performance management, succession planning, and risk
management |
Reward
employees for accomplishments in leadership and strategic performance in areas that can be significant drivers of long-term
stockholder value, such as progress on strategic initiatives involving environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”)
issues |
Farmer
Mac’s total compensation philosophy seeks to achieve the appropriate balance among market-based salaries, variable incentive compensation, and benefits collectively designed to motivate the named executive officers to achieve Farmer Mac’s current
and long-term business objectives and thereby enhance long-term stockholder value. This philosophy also seeks to encourage effective
risk management and prudent risk-taking within Board-established parameters with the proper balance between short-term and long-term
business performance. Farmer Mac strives to deliver a significant portion of total compensation for executive officers through
both short-term and long-term incentives that vary with actual business and personal performance.
Peer
Groups and Market Posture
Farmer
Mac is a federally chartered corporation created to establish a secondary market for agricultural and rural loans designed to:
| ● | increase
the accessibility of financing for American agriculture and rural infrastructure; |
| ● | provide
greater liquidity and lending capacity for agricultural and rural lenders; and |
| ● | facilitate
intermediate-term and long-term agricultural and rural funding across business cycles. |
Farmer
Mac is unique because it is a government-sponsored enterprise (“GSE”) regulated by the Farm Credit Administration,
but is also a publicly-traded financial services company. It is therefore difficult to identify “peer” companies for
comparison purposes. However, the Compensation Committee has worked with Aon to identify a blend of comparably-sized publicly-traded
financial services companies and other mission-focused financial institutions whose business and risk profiles align with Farmer
Mac’s. The result is a peer group that includes public banks, Farm Credit System institutions, Federal Home Loan Banks,
and National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (“CFC”), a mission-focused, financially-oriented cooperative
based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area focused on financing rural infrastructure.
The
Compensation Committee uses a peer group to assess competitive practices. Any peer group used by Farmer Mac is selected based
on criteria approved by the Compensation Committee and is designed to align the peer group with the unique attributes of Farmer
Mac. The Compensation Committee evaluated the peer group in August 2021 as part of its annual review and, based on data and
advice from Aon, approved Farmer Mac’s peer group for 2022. The 2022 peer group, like the peer group used for 2021 executive
compensation decisions, includes three segments that groups similar types of organizations for analysis – one segment composed
of 20 public banks, one segment composed of 13 Farm Credit System (“FCS”) institutions, and one segment composed of
12 Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”). The compensation paid to executives at CFC was also included in the composite
peer group data reviewed by the Compensation Committee for 2022 compensation decisions. The Compensation Committee selected the
organizations in the 2022 peer group to balance traditional asset comparisons with total employee headcount, operating expense,
complexity of operations, number of products, and realistic career opportunities. The Compensation Committee believes that this
approach to the peer group:
| ● | remains
relevant to Farmer Mac in business and organizational focus; |
| ● | provides
valuable information about relevant but distinct labor markets; |
| ● | is
of sufficient size to buffer against the effects of removals due to acquisitions and
mergers; and |
| ● | is
robust enough to ensure statistical reliability of benchmarking data. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
The
Compensation Committee used this peer group to help determine the competitive market
for 2022 executive compensation decisions:
Public
Banks
| ● | Commerce
Bancshares, Inc. |
| ● | First
Financial Bankshares, Inc. |
| ● | First
Interstate BancSystem, Inc. |
| ● | First
Merchants Corporation |
| ● | First
Midwest Bancorp Inc. |
| ● | Fulton
Financial Corporation |
| ● | Great
Western Bancorp, Inc. |
| ● | Heartland
Financial USA, Inc. |
| ● | Northwest
Bancshares, Inc. |
| ● | Pinnacle
Financial Partners, Inc. |
| ● | Prosperity
Bancshares, Inc. |
| ● | Provident
Financial Services, Inc. |
| ● | Simmons
First National Corporation |
| ● | UMB
Financial Corporation |
| ● | Umpqua
Holdings Corporation |
| ● | United
Community Banks, Inc. |
Farm
Credit System Institutions
| ● | AgCountry
Farm Credit Services, ACA |
| ● | AgFirst
Farm Credit Bank |
| ● | Farm
Credit Bank of Texas |
| ● | Farm
Credit Mid-America, ACA |
| ● | Farm
Credit Services of America, ACA |
| ● | Federal
Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation |
| ● | GreenStone
Farm Credit Services, ACA |
| ● | Northwest
Farm Credit Services, ACA |
Federal
Home Loan Banks
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Atlanta |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Boston |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Chicago |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Dallas |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Des Moines |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of New York |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of San Francisco |
| ● | Federal
Home Loan Bank of Topeka |
| ● | FHLBanks
Office of Finance |
Other
Relevant Organization Used in Composite Data
| ● | National
Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation |
The
Compensation Committee evaluated this peer group in August and November 2022 as part of its annual review and decided to make
some changes to help inform executive compensation decisions for 2023. For 2023 compensation decisions, the Committee decided
to:
| ● | maintain
the public banks segment of the peer group without change other than to reflect merger
activity; |
| ● | merge
the FHLB and FCS segments of the peer group into one combined GSE segment of 20 institutions
after removing the six smallest institutions from the previous FHLB and FCS segments
and adding one larger FCS institution; and |
| ● | continue
to use CFC’s executive compensation information in composite peer group data. |
The
Compensation Committee believes that these peer groups are useful tools to assist the Compensation Committee in assessing Farmer
Mac’s executive compensation program but provide only one perspective. Because of Farmer Mac’s unique business model
and the importance of multiple factors that should be considered in making compensation decisions, the Compensation Committee
has also concluded that competitive market data from any segment or peer group should not be the primary consideration in determining
specific pay levels, especially for positions that are not the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer. Our compensation
program aims to reward individuals for achieving our goals and to attract, retain, and motivate our executive team, whose skills
are critical to the current and long-term success of Farmer Mac. In establishing compensation for 2022, the Compensation Committee
examined pay data from the applicable peer group to stay current with market pay practices and design trends and to assess the
competitiveness of overall compensation, but the Committee did not rely only on this data. We use data from the peer groups
for reference and informational purposes but also consider factors such as proprietary broader market survey data
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
provided
by our compensation consultants and our executive officers’ individual performance, experience, and scope of role given
our unique strategy and mission. We do not specifically weight any of these criteria in making compensation decisions, nor do
we target a specific percentile of any segment or peer group. We manage total compensation to be competitive and vary the specific
components of compensation to achieve our total compensation philosophy. For each named executive officer other than Farmer
Mac’s Chief Executive Officer, the Compensation Committee considered recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer along
with the above-described factors in establishing compensation for 2022.
Approach
to Incentive Compensation
Farmer
Mac strives to deliver a significant portion of total compensation for executive officers through both short-term and long-term
incentives that vary with actual business and personal performance.
Short-Term
Incentive Compensation. The Compensation Committee establishes performance measures under the short-term incentive plan each
year in an effort to balance business volume and earnings growth with prudent risk management objectives. For 2022, the Compensation
Committee established four performance measures to quantify these objectives:
| ● | Ratio
of Substandard Assets to Regulatory Capital |
The
Compensation Committee has also included a discretionary “Leadership and Strategic Performance” measure for each
named executive officer, as discussed on page 37.
In
determining whether the targets are met, the Compensation Committee defines the performance measures as follows:
| ● | “Business
Volume”: as of any date of determination, the total outstanding amount of Farmer
Mac’s on-and off-balance sheet program assets attributable to Farmer Mac’s
lines of business, including any subordinated or non-guaranteed tranches of securitized
assets but excluding any assets held in Farmer Mac’s liquidity investment portfolio. Farmer Mac previously reported four lines of business (Farm & Ranch, USDA
Guarantees, Rural Utilities, and Institutional Credit) but recast those as two lines
of business (Agricultural Finance and Rural Infrastructure Finance) starting in fourth
quarter 2021. The Business Volume performance measure used to determine short-term incentive
compensation for 2022 used an average of month-end balances during the calendar year. |
| ● | “Earnings”:
core earnings (a non-GAAP financial measure reported by Farmer Mac described below) excluding
the after-tax effects of provisions for losses, gains or losses on fair value, or sale
of real estate owned (“REO”) property. |
| ● | “Total
Revenues”: net effective spread (a non-GAAP financial measure reported by Farmer
Mac described below) plus all other gains and fees. |
| ● | “Substandard
Assets” and “Regulatory Capital”: as reported in Farmer Mac’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K as of December 31, but excluding REO property. |
Core
earnings, as described in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
SEC on February 24, 2023, differs from GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders
by excluding the effects of fair value fluctuations and the effects of specified infrequent
or unusual transactions. In summary, the non-GAAP reconciling items between the two measures
are:
| ● | gains
or losses on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes; |
| ● | gains
or losses on hedging activities due to fair value changes; |
| ● | unrealized
gains or losses on trading securities; |
| ● | amortization
of premiums or discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value; |
| ● | the
net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives; and |
| ● | the
exclusion of the effects of specified infrequent or unusual transactions that Farmer
Mac believes are not indicative of future operating results and that may not reflect
the trends and economic financial performance of Farmer Mac’s core business, such
as the recognition of deferred issuance costs on the retirement of preferred stock. |
Farmer
Mac believes that core earnings is a better measure than GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders to evaluate Farmer
Mac’s economic performance, transaction economics, and business trends because GAAP net income attributable to common stockholders
can be affected significantly by periodic fluctuations in the fair value of the assets held by Farmer Mac. Those fluctuations
are not related to Farmer Mac’s fundamental business and are not expected to have a cumulative net impact on Farmer Mac’s
financial condition or results of operations over time because those assets are generally held to maturity.
Farmer
Mac uses net effective spread, as described in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 24,
2023, to measure the net spread Farmer Mac earns between its interest-earning assets and the related net funding costs of these
assets. Farmer Mac believes that net effective spread is a useful alternative measure that reflects the economics of the net spread
between all the assets owned by Farmer Mac and all related funding, including any associated derivatives, some of which may not
be included in GAAP net interest income. Net effective spread differs from GAAP net interest income by excluding certain items
from net interest income related to consolidated trusts and fair value changes of financial derivatives and including certain
other items related to financial derivatives that net interest income does not contain. In summary, the differences between the
two measures are:
| ● | Farmer
Mac excludes from net effective spread the interest income and interest expense associated
with consolidated trusts and the average balance of the loans underlying these trusts
to reflect management’s view that the net interest income Farmer Mac earns on
the related Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities owned by third parties is effectively
a guarantee fee. Accordingly, the excluded interest income and interest expense associated
with consolidated trusts is reclassified to guarantee and commitment fees in determining
Farmer Mac’s core earnings. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| ● | Farmer
Mac also excludes from net effective spread the fair value changes of financial derivatives
and the corresponding assets or liabilities designated in fair value hedge accounting
relationships because they are not expected to have an economic effect on Farmer Mac’s
financial performance, as we expect to hold the financial derivatives and corresponding
hedged items to maturity. |
| ● | Net
effective spread includes the accrual of income and expense related to the contractual
amounts due on financial derivatives that are not designated in hedge accounting relationships
(“undesignated financial derivatives”). For undesignated financial derivatives,
Farmer Mac records the income or expense related to the accrual of the contractual
amounts due in “Gains on financial derivatives” on the consolidated statements
of operations, but the accrual of the contractual amounts due for undesignated financial
derivatives are included in Farmer Mac’s calculation of net effective spread. |
| ● | Net
effective spread includes the net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial
derivatives. The inclusion of these items in net effective spread reflects our view of
the complete net spread between an asset and all of its related funding, including any
associated derivatives, whether or not they are designated in a hedge accounting relationship. |
The
Compensation Committee measures achievement against each of these performance measures as of year-end. Each performance measure
is weighted based on the Compensation Committee’s expectations, and the Compensation Committee establishes thresholds within
each performance measure to determine the actual levels of attainment necessary for payout. Although it is always a challenge
to narrow down to a few measures, the Compensation Committee chose these measures because they most closely represent the business
goals established by the Board and management for each year and balance the need for business volume growth, earnings, disciplined
underwriting, and continued financial stability with the enhancement of stockholder value.
Long-Term
Incentive Compensation. For long-term incentive compensation for executive officers, the Compensation Committee awards grants
of equity-based compensation in the form of SARs, performance-based RSUs, and time-based RSUs. All grants of equity-based compensation
are required to comply with a policy approved by Farmer Mac’s Board designed to:
| ● | create
a framework for a consistent process for granting equity-based awards; |
| ● | prevent
the backdating of awards; |
| ● | prohibit
the manipulation of the timing of the public release of material information or of an
award with the intent to benefit an award recipient; and |
| ● | ensure
the overall integrity and efficiency of Farmer Mac’s award process. |
Under
this policy, for grants of equity-based compensation awards in the form of RSUs, the number of RSUs awarded is based on a target
long-term incentive value approved by the Compensation Committee for the individual divided by the average closing price of Farmer
Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock over the previous 30 calendar days ending seven calendar days before the grant date.
For grants of equity-based compensation awards in the form of SARs, the number of SARs awarded is based on a target long-term
incentive value approved
by
the Compensation Committee for the individual divided by the Black-Scholes value ending
seven calendar days before the grant date based on assumptions consistent with the assumptions
Farmer Mac uses for determining stock-based compensation expense under the Financial
Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 718.
The Board policy requires the exercise price or grant price of any SAR to be the fair
value of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock on the grant date, defined
as the closing price of that stock as reported by the NYSE on the grant date.
Grants
of equity-based compensation are generally made to our named executive officers each year shortly after the filing of Farmer Mac’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K with the SEC. Awards to executive officers may also be made in special circumstances such as the start
of employment, exceptional performance, promotion, or assumption of additional duties. The equity grants to executive officers
are generally allocated as follows:
| ● | 50%
of the applicable targeted value for long-term incentive compensation in the form of
time-based RSUs; |
| ● | 25%
of the applicable targeted value for long-term incentive compensation in the form of
performance-based RSUs; and |
| ● | 25%
of the applicable targeted value for long-term incentive compensation in the form of
SARs. |
The
performance-based RSUs granted in March 2022 are linked to Farmer Mac’s performance so that the RSUs will vest on March
31, 2025 only if Farmer Mac achieves specified long-term performance goals for 3-year cumulative Earnings as of December 31, 2024,
subject to “gatekeeper” metrics related to capital and asset quality. These performance-based RSUs may increase
or decrease above or below the targeted value at the time of grant, depending on actual performance, with the potential payout
ranging from 0% to 200% of the target number of shares determined on the grant date. The Compensation Committee established
the long-term incentive performance goals to reward achievements directly related to Farmer Mac’s strategic plan to grow
Earnings while maintaining safety and soundness.
The
Compensation Committee continues to believe that grants of SARs provide a valuable way to link the executives’ long-term
incentive compensation to the interests of Farmer Mac’s stockholders. SARs only have realizable value to the extent that
the stockholders have received an increase in value while the SARs are outstanding. See “Executive Compensation Governance—Compensation
Discussion and Analysis—Total Compensation Elements—Long-Term Incentive Compensation” for more information about
the equity-based grants to named executive officers in 2022.
Total
Compensation Elements
The
total compensation package for the named executive officers consists of four elements to offer a balanced compensation package:
| ● | annual
(short-term) cash incentive compensation; |
| ● | long-term,
equity-based incentive compensation; and |
| ● | retirement
and other benefits, most of which are similarly provided to all other full-time employees. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
The
Compensation Committee believes that this reflects its philosophy of promoting a performance-oriented, results-based culture where
compensation varies based on business results achieved and is properly aligned with an acceptable risk profile, effective risk
management, and stockholder returns. Consistent with Farmer Mac’s total compensation philosophy, much of the named executive
officers’ total compensation is performance-based.
The
Compensation Committee approved the 2022 target compensation levels for the named executive officers as described in the table
below.
2022
Target Compensation Levels
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Base
Salary |
Target
Bonus |
Target
Total Cash
Compensation1 |
Target
Long-Term
Incentive Value2 |
Target
Total Direct
Compensation3 |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
$800,000 |
$800,000
(100%
of base salary) |
$1,600,000 |
$1,200,000 |
$2,800,000 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
$525,000 |
$236,250
(45%
of base salary) |
$ 761,250 |
$ 350,000 |
$1,111,250 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
$435,000 |
$326,250
(75%
of base salary) |
$ 761,250 |
$ 340,000 |
$1,101,250 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
$465,000 |
$186,000
(40%
of base salary) |
$ 651,000 |
$ 275,000 |
$ 926,000 |
Marc
J. Crady |
$385,000 |
$154,000
(40%
of base salary) |
$ 539,000 |
$ 165,000 |
$ 704,000 |
1 | Target
total cash compensation equals approved base salary plus target bonus. |
2 | Includes
the targeted value of time-based RSUs, performance-based RSUs, and SARs, allocated at 50%,
25%, and 25%, respectively, of the total equity award granted in 2022. The number of RSUs
and SARs actually granted in March 2022 was determined in accordance with the Board policy
on grants of equity-based compensation described above in “Approach to Incentive Compensation—Long-Term
Incentive Compensation.” Includes the $200,000 targeted value of a special stock award
granted to Mr. Nordholm in March 2022 in recognition of outstanding performance. |
3 | Target
total direct compensation equals target total cash compensation plus the target long-term
incentive value. |
In
determining the target compensation levels for 2022, the Compensation Committee reviewed
peer group market information provided by Aon for the compensation elements of base salary,
target total cash compensation, and target total direct compensation for each position.
The Compensation Committee also reviewed other market information related to trends in
the broader banking and financial services industry provided by Aon to provide more context.
In determining each element of target compensation for 2022, the Compensation Committee
considered the applicable market information in relation to Farmer Mac’s performance
and the relevant position in the peer group. The Compensation Committee also considered
factors unique to each individual, such as an individual’s:
| ● | performance,
expertise, experience, competencies, and skills; |
| ● | contribution
to Farmer Mac’s performance; |
| ● | scope
of responsibility and accountability within Farmer Mac; |
| ● | ethics
and integrity; and |
| ● | other
leadership attributes and accomplishments. |
The
Compensation Committee does not target a specific percentile in the peer group for each element of total direct compensation and
considers the variety of factors described above in considering the range of competitiveness for target total direct compensation.
The
Compensation Committee evaluated the total compensation package for each executive officer with a title of Senior Vice President
and higher during first quarter 2022. Based on the Compensation Committee’s review of peer group and other market data
related to the broader banking and financial services industry, the Compensation Committee approved the following changes to named
executive officer compensation for 2022 compared to 2021:
| ● | Bradford
T. Nordholm: Increased target total direct compensation by $200,000 (in the form
of a separate award of stock in recognition of outstanding performance) compared to the
2021 target agreed to in Mr. Nordholm’s amended employment agreement. This increased
Mr. Nordholm’s total target direct compensation by 7.7% for 2022 compared to his
targeted level for 2021. |
| ● | Aparna
Ramesh: Increased annual base salary by $10,000 and increased the fixed target percentage
for target bonus from 40% to 45% of base salary. Increased the targeted value of long-term
incentive awards by $25,000 compared to the 2021 grant of equity compensation. The
cumulative effect of these actions was to increase Ms. Ramesh’s total target direct
compensation by 6.2% for 2022 compared to her targeted level for 2021. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| | |
| ● | Zachary
N. Carpenter: Increased annual base salary by $10,000 and increased the fixed target
percentage for target bonus from 62.5% to 75% of base salary. Maintained the targeted
value of long-term incentive awards compared to the 2021 grant of equity compensation.
The cumulative effect of these actions was to increase Mr. Carpenter’s total target
direct compensation by 6.9% for 2022 compared to his targeted level for 2021. |
| ● | Stephen
P. Mullery: Increased annual base salary by $15,000 and maintained the fixed target percentage
for target bonus at 40% of base salary. Increased the targeted value of long-term incentive
awards by $25,000 compared to the 2021 grant of equity compensation. The cumulative effect
of these actions was to increase Mr. Mullery’s total target direct compensation by
5.2% for 2022 compared to his targeted level for 2021. |
| ● | Marc
J. Crady: Increased annual base salary by $10,000 and maintained the fixed target
percentage for target bonus at 40% of base salary. Increased the targeted value of long-term
incentive awards by $15,000 compared to the 2021 grant of equity compensation. The
cumulative effect of these actions was to increase Mr. Crady’s total target direct
compensation by 4.3% for 2022 compared to his targeted level for 2021. |
Base
Salary. We pay base salary to provide current and prospective executives with a predictable core amount of annual compensation,
regardless of Farmer Mac’s financial results, so long as the executives perform their duties in a competent, professional
manner. The Compensation Committee sets this pay element at a level that, by itself, would provide executives with a level of
financial security commensurate with the competitive market, but not at a level expected to be adequate alone to retain executives
or motivate outstanding performance. The Compensation Committee strives to balance the annual base salary with the opportunity
for executives to realize value in the form of both short-term and long-term incentive compensation, while remaining competitive relative to the peer group. The Compensation Committee reviews the base salaries of Farmer Mac’s executive officers
annually shortly after the end of the calendar year, as well as at the time of promotions or other changes in responsibilities.
Increases in salary usually take effect on January 1 unless a promotion or new hire requires a different timing.
In
March 2022, the Compensation Committee determined the 2022 annual base salaries of Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Carpenter, Mullery,
and Crady based on an evaluation of each individual’s performance, experience, level of responsibilities, level of base
salary, and peer group market data provided by Aon. The Compensation Committee approved increases to the annual base salaries
of those four individuals, which were effective retroactively to January 1, 2022:
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
2021
Annual
Base Salary |
2022
Annual
Base Salary |
2022
Annual Merit
Increase in Dollars |
2022
Annual Merit Increase
as a Percentage |
Aparna
Ramesh |
$515,000 |
$525,000 |
$10,000 |
1.9% |
Zachary Carpenter |
$425,000 |
$435,000 |
$10,000 |
2.4% |
Stephen
Mullery |
$450,000 |
$465,000 |
$15,000 |
3.3% |
Marc
Crady |
$375,000 |
$385,000 |
$10,000 |
2.7% |
The
Compensation Committee reviewed Mr. Nordholm’s base salary in early 2022 but did not increase his base salary for 2022 above
the $800,000 level agreed to in his amended employment agreement.
In
March 2023, the Compensation Committee approved the following changes to the 2023 annual base salaries, which were effective retroactively
to January 1, 2023:
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
2022
Annual
Base Salary |
2023
Annual
Base Salary |
2023
Annual Merit
Increase in Dollars |
2023
Annual Merit Increase
as a Percentage |
Zachary
Carpenter |
$435,000 |
$450,000 |
$15,000 |
3.4% |
Stephen
Mullery |
$465,000 |
$485,000 |
$20,000 |
4.3% |
Marc
Crady |
$385,000 |
$400,000 |
$15,000 |
3.9% |
Ms.
Ramesh’s annual base salary for 2023 remained at $525,000.
In
connection with the Board’s approval of the first amendment to Mr. Nordholm’s amended employment agreement in September
2022, no change was made to Mr. Nordholm’s base salary of $800,000 per year, which was the level established effective January
1, 2021 in connection with the amended employment agreement approved in December 2020, so Mr. Nordholm’s annual base salary
for 2023 remained at $800,000. The Compensation Committee will continue to review Mr. Nordholm’s base salary on an annual
basis for potential increases in the Committee’s sole discretion, but no increase in
Mr.
Nordholm’s base salary will be required during the remaining term of his employment
agreement through March 31, 2026.
Annual
Cash Incentive Compensation. We provide annual cash incentive compensation to motivate and reward performance by the executive
officers. We measure this performance by comparing Farmer Mac’s results against specified short-term goals established by
the Compensation Committee and reviewed by the Board. In determining the performance goals and weightings for the year, the Compensation
Committee considers competitive practices for incentive design and seeks
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
to
encourage prudent risk-taking within Board-established parameters by balancing growth
in business volume, earnings, and revenues with risk management objectives. Consistent
with this philosophy, the Compensation Committee chose performance goals and weightings
for 2022 that it believed struck the appropriate balance among the corporate goals
of earnings (25% weight), revenues (15% weight), business volume (10% weight), and asset
quality (15% weight), as well as an individual’s leadership and strategic performance
(35% weight).
For
short-term incentive compensation for performance in 2022, the Compensation Committee decided to maintain the essence of the methodology
used to determine short-term incentive compensation for 2021 while incorporating some new features:
| ● | added
a new metric (Total Revenues); |
| ● | adjusted
the weightings of the metrics to reflect the addition of the new Total Revenues metric; |
| ● | set
the threshold, target, and maximum amounts for each of the Earnings, Total Revenues,
and Business Volume metrics based on varying fixed percentage increases consistent with
Farmer Mac’s 2022 Business Plan; and |
| ● | made
the asset quality metric more difficult to achieve compared to 2020 and 2021. |
These
goals most closely represent the business strategies and objectives established by the Board and management in Farmer Mac’s
business plan for 2022 and seek to reward responsible growth by balancing the need for growth in earnings, revenues, and business
volume; disciplined underwriting; and continued financial stability with enhancement of stockholder value. The Compensation
Committee believes that these short-term goals align with Farmer Mac’s long-term goals and public mission. As described
below, Farmer Mac must also achieve pre-established financial and business thresholds before any annual cash incentive compensation
will be paid.
For
2022, each of the named executive officers earned the percentages of the components of his or her annual targeted cash incentive
compensation as described in the table below. 65% of each individual’s incentive compensation for 2022 reflected Farmer
Mac’s attainment of the specified measures, which was the same for all named executive officers. The other 35% of an individual’s
cash incentive compensation reflected the Compensation Committee’s qualitative evaluation of the achievements toward the
strategic initiatives of Farmer Mac by each individual and the named executive officers as a group.
For
actual performance between threshold, target, and maximum amounts, the annual incentive award earned is interpolated on a straight-line
basis. If performance falls below the threshold amount, no payment is made. Payout for performance at or above the maximum amounts
is capped at 200%. For 2022, Farmer Mac met or exceeded:
| ● | the
amounts set forth in the target column for “Earnings,” “Ratio of Substandard
Assets to Regulatory Capital,” and “Total Revenues”; and |
| ● | the
amount set forth in the threshold column for “Business Volume.” |
The
Compensation Committee places the most weight in the short-term incentive “scorecard” on the “Leadership and
Strategic Performance” component (weighted at 35%) because the Committee believes that some accomplishments in this area
that are more subjective and not easily quantified can be significant drivers of long-term stockholder value. Some factors the
Compensation Committee considers in its qualitative evaluation of each named executive officer were an individual’s professional
skills, leadership, responsibility, work organization, initiative, creativity, dedication, resourcefulness, and level of contribution to the attainment of business plan objectives and strategic initiatives. The Compensation Committee reviewed Farmer Mac’s
2022 accomplishments and qualitatively judged, in its evaluation, the 2022 achievements by each of the named executive officers
and the named executive officers as a group, with particular focus on:
| ● | achieving
strong earnings and revenue growth while maintaining excellent credit quality and strengthening
Farmer Mac’s capital position through retained earnings; |
| ● | maintaining
strong liquidity and uninterrupted access to the debt capital markets at favorable rates; |
| ● | successfully
completing a second securitization transaction using a structure that decreased Farmer
Mac’s credit risk and improved its capital efficiency, while retaining rights to
future recurring fee income; |
| ● | improving
Farmer Mac’s operations by enhancing its internal loan servicing capabilities; |
| ● | continued
progress on developing the talent and infrastructure to handle more complex commercial
loans; |
| ● | the
outstanding leadership demonstrated by Farmer Mac’s executives in the face of
the macroeconomic disruptions as Farmer Mac continued to provide needed liquidity and
lending capacity to lenders serving rural America; |
| ● | effectively
managing a growing and dispersed workforce in a primarily remote environment while
maintaining an operating efficiency below 30%; |
| ● | further
enhancing Farmer Mac’s long-term strategic planning and the effectiveness of risk
management; |
| ● | continued
progress on strategic initiatives involving environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”)
and diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DE&I”) issues; |
| ● | strengthening
a strategic alliance with a leader in agricultural data collection and analytics; and |
| ● | Farmer
Mac’s continued compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
In
evaluating these 2022 achievements in relation to the 2022 goals for “Earnings” and “Total Revenues,”
the Committee noted that the decision to structure a large securitization transaction as on-balance sheet rather than off-balance
sheet had the effect of reducing the actual 2022 results for those two metrics due to no realized gains-on-sale that were originally
contemplated in Farmer Mac’s 2022 business plan. The Committee concluded that this decision was in the long-term best interests
of stockholder value despite the dampening effect on “Earnings” and “Total Revenues” compared to the forecast
in the 2022 business plan, so the Committee adjusted the 2022 threshold,
target,
and maximum levels for those two metrics to exclude the gains-on sale assumed for 2022 securitization transactions in Farmer Mac’s
2022 business plan.
When
combined, the level of incentive achieved by each of the named executive officers for 2022 ranged from 154.52% to 177.27% of the
applicable target bonus. Annual incentive compensation payments for 2022, which are disclosed in “Executive Compensation—Summary
Compensation Table,” were paid in March 2023.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Measure1 |
Weight |
Threshold
(Pays 50%) |
Target
(Pays 100%) |
Maximum
(Pays 200%) |
Result |
Paid |
Earnings |
25% |
$108.9
million |
$116.4
million |
$126.4
million |
$125.6
million |
48.08% |
Total
Revenues |
15% |
$242.9
million |
$260.4
million |
$280.4
million |
$275.4
million |
26.22% |
Business
Volume |
10% |
$23.75
billion |
$25.00
billion |
$26.50
billion |
$24.65
billion |
8.60% |
Ratio
of Substandard Assets to Regulatory Capital |
15% |
less
than 40% |
less
than 25% |
less
than 10% |
15.63% |
24.37% |
Leadership
and Strategic Performance |
35% |
Evaluation
by
Compensation
Committee of
Performance |
Evaluation
by
Compensation
Committee of
Performance |
Evaluation
by
Compensation
Committee of
Performance |
leadership, strategic
initiatives, risk
management, and
capital efficiency |
Varied
by individual
between 135% and
200% |
Total |
100% |
|
|
|
|
Varied
by individual
between 154.52%
and
177.27% |
| 1 | See
pages 33–34 for more detailed descriptions of these measures. |
For
2022, no annual incentive compensation would have been paid unless two criteria were met:
| ● | Farmer
Mac had positive core earnings of at least $20.0 million after the provision for losses
and preferred stock dividends; and |
| ● | the
Compensation Committee’s satisfactory evaluation of any regulatory actions taken
during the year. |
For
short-term incentive compensation for performance in 2023, the Compensation Committee decided to maintain the same design and
metrics used to determine short-term incentive compensation for 2022 while calibrating the threshold, target, and maximum amounts
with appropriate increases over 2022 results and consistent with Farmer Mac’s 2023 business plan. The Compensation Committee
made the asset quality metric more difficult to achieve in 2023 compared to 2022 by adjusting the target level of achievement
that would produce a 100% payout for that metric. For 2023, each of the named executive officers will earn percentages of the
components of his or her targeted cash bonus for 2023, determined formulaically according to the scorecard below:
|
|
|
|
|
Measure |
Weight |
Threshold
(Pays 50%) |
Target
(Pays 100%) |
Maximum
(Pays 200%) |
Earnings |
25% |
approximately
1.5% above 2022
result |
approximately
10.5% above 2022
result |
approximately
23% above 2022
result |
Total
Revenues |
15% |
approximately
1.5% above 2022
result |
approximately
12.2% above 2022
result |
approximately
23% above 2022
result |
Business
Volume |
10% |
average
outstanding business volume
for 2023 approximately 1.5% higher
than 2022 year-end number |
average
outstanding business volume
for 2023 approximately 7.5% higher
than 2022 year-end number |
average
outstanding business
volume for 2023 approximately
13.5% higher than 2022 year-
end number |
Ratio
of Substandard Assets to Regulatory Capital |
15% |
less
than 40%
(same as for 2022) |
less
than 20%
(target
was less than 25% for 2022) |
less
than 10%
(same as for 2022) |
Leadership
and Strategic Performance |
35% |
Evaluation
by Compensation
Committee of Performance |
Evaluation
by Compensation
Committee of Performance |
Evaluation
by Compensation
Committee of Performance |
Total |
100% |
|
|
|
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
The
Compensation Committee retains discretion to award no annual cash incentive pay in appropriate
circumstances regardless of the achievement against corporate performance targets.
Long-Term
Incentive Compensation. The Compensation Committee is keenly aware of the need to discourage excessive risk taking by Farmer
Mac’s executives while rewarding growth in stockholder value. The Compensation Committee therefore uses a mix of equity
compensation for executive officers designed to reward performance and properly align the interests of executive officers with
the long-term interests of stockholders through a balance of stock-based awards. In 2022, long-term incentive compensation consisted
of grants of time-based RSUs, performance-based RSUs, and SARs with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of Farmer
Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock on the date of grant. Competitive long-term incentive awards also help retain executives
over the longer term. The Compensation Committee considers the annual value of all components of the total compensation package,
including base salary, annual incentive cash compensation, long-term incentive pay, and retirement benefits and perquisites when
determining the form and level of long-term equity grants. Although there is no formula for allocation, the long-term incentive
grants are considered as part of the overall compensation package. When considering the competitive market, the Compensation
Committee looks at the annual value of long-term grants. The annual values granted reflect the intended compensation for that
year, so prior grants are considered only if there is a concern with maintaining market competitiveness.
In
March 2022, the Compensation Committee granted time-based RSUs, performance-based RSUs, and SARs to all five named executive
officers after the filing of Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2021. In setting 2022 equity awards,
the Compensation Committee determined a targeted value for the awards to each individual that was competitive and reasonable
when compared to Farmer Mac’s peer group and the practices of the broader banking and financial services industry, as well
as consistent with Farmer Mac’s performance and compensation philosophy.
| ● | The
overall targeted value for the March 2022 equity awards to Mr. Nordholm of $1,200,000
increased $200,000 compared to the targeted value of his 2021 equity awards. Besides
the $1,000,000 of long-term incentive compensation in the form of RSUs and SARs granted
to Mr. Nordholm in March 2022, the Compensation Committee granted Mr. Nordholm 1,626
shares of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock as incentive compensation
in recognition of his outstanding performance during 2021. Those 1,626 shares had a
grant date fair value of approximately $196,000. |
| ● | The
overall targeted values for the March 2022 equity awards to Ms. Ramesh ($350,000) and
to Mr. Mullery ($275,000) increased by $25,000 each compared to the targeted values of
their respective 2021 equity awards. |
| ● | The
overall targeted value for the March 2022 equity awards to Mr. Crady of $165,000 increased
by $15,000 compared to the targeted value of his 2021 equity awards. |
| ● | The
Compensation Committee maintained the overall targeted value for the March 2022 equity
awards to Mr. Carpenter at $340,000. |
Time-Based
RSUs Granted in 2022
The
Compensation Committee granted each of the named executive officers time-based RSUs in March 2022 that vest in three equal annual
installments, the first of which vested on March 31, 2023. The second and third installments of those grants will vest on March
31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, respectively, if the individuals are still employed by Farmer Mac on those dates (or have satisfied
the retirement provisions of the related award agreement). Because Mr. Nordholm and Mr. Mullery have already satisfied the retirement
provisions of the award agreements for the 2022 grants of time-based RSUs, they will vest in the remaining RSUs as scheduled in
2024 and 2025 even if they are no longer employed by Farmer Mac on the vesting dates unless either’s employment is terminated
for cause.
Performance-Based
RSUs Granted in 2022
The
performance-based RSUs granted to the named executive officers in March 2022 will be eligible to vest on March 31, 2025 in an
amount determined by the Compensation Committee for each executive officer between 0% and 200% of the target number of RSUs granted
to that executive officer. Subject to satisfaction of the “gatekeepers” described below, the number of shares of Farmer
Mac Class C Non-Voting Common Stock to be awarded for the vesting of these performance-based RSUs will be based on Farmer Mac’s
3-year cumulative Earnings as of December 31, 2024 as follows:
| ● | performance
at a 3-year cumulative Earnings of $335.4 million is required for vesting of any RSUs
and will earn the threshold level of 50% of the target number of RSUs granted; |
| ● | performance
at the target 3-year cumulative Earnings of $384.6 million will earn 100% of the target
number of RSUs granted; and |
| ● | performance
at or above 3-year cumulative Earnings of $438.4 billion will earn the maximum award
of 200% of the target number of RSUs granted. |
Performance
between these 3-year cumulative Earnings goals will earn shares in an interpolated amount of the target number of RSUs granted
(50% to 100% of the target number for performance between the threshold goal and target goal and 100% to 200% of the target number
for performance between the target goal and “stretch” goal).
The
“gatekeepers” for the March 2022 grants of performance-based RSUs are:
| ● | maintain
compliance with all applicable regulatory capital requirements during the January 1,
2022 through December 31, 2024 performance period; |
| ● | achieve
a three-year average ratio of net charge-offs to the average balance of total outstanding
on-and off-balance sheet loans, guarantees, and commitments excluding any assets held
in Farmer Mac’s liquidity investment portfolio (“Net Outstanding Business
Volume”) less than 20 basis points (0.2%); and |
● | achieve
a three-year average percentage of total 90-day delinquencies to the average balance
of Net Outstanding Business Volume of less than 1%. |
| |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
In
performing the calculations for the “gatekeepers,” “net charge-offs”
means charge-offs to Farmer Mac’s allowance for losses net of actual recoveries
plus any writedowns on real estate owned (REO) properties and any gains or losses realized
upon disposition of REO properties. Average balances are determined by calculating a
simple average of reported balances as of the end of each calendar quarter.
SARs
Granted in 2022
The
SARs granted to the named executive officers in 2022 vest in three equal annual installments, the first of which vested on March
31, 2023. The second and third installments of those grants will vest on March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, respectively, if the
individuals are still employed by Farmer Mac on those dates (or have satisfied the retirement provisions of the related award
agreement). Because Mr. Nordholm and Mr. Mullery have already satisfied the retirement provisions of the award agreements for
the 2022 grants of SARs, they will vest in the remaining SARs as scheduled in 2024 and 2025 even if they are no longer employed
by Farmer Mac on the vesting dates unless either’s employment is terminated for cause.
2023
Equity Grants
In
March 2023, the Compensation Committee granted time-based RSUs, performance-based RSUs, and SARs to each of the named executive
officers at the first Committee meeting after the filing of Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2022.
The Compensation Committee set 2023 equity awards in the same manner as it did in 2022 and in accordance with Farmer Mac’s
total compensation philosophy described above. These 2023 equity awards are described in Farmer Mac’s Current Report on
Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2023. The 2023 equity awards included the grant of a one-time incentive equity award
of 15,000 performance-based RSUs designed to retain Mr. Nordholm as Farmer Mac’s President and Chief Executive Officer through
the end of the recently extended term of his amended employment agreement (March 31, 2026), as well as to promote the achievement
of specified performance goals. The vesting date for that award is March 31, 2026. The number of shares that will actually vest
on that date will range between 0% and 200% of the 15,000 target amount depending on Farmer Mac’s 3-year average core
earnings return on common equity (as defined in the award agreement) and Farmer Mac’s relative total stockholder return
performance compared to the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Diversified Financials Index during the performance
period of January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025. The award agreement does not include the provision customary for Farmer Mac’s
grants of other RSU awards that the award will continue to vest as scheduled upon retirement from Farmer Mac after reaching
the age of 55 and having a combination of age and service of at least 65. Thus, Mr. Nordholm will not vest in any portion of this
performance-based RSU award if his employment with Farmer Mac ends before January 1, 2026 (unless employment is terminated due
to death or disability, in which case a pro rata portion of the target amount will vest).
Retirement
Plans. During 2022, Farmer Mac provided retirement benefits for all employees through a 401(k) plan that contains an employer-funded
defined contribution element. Farmer Mac annually contributes 13.2% of each employee’s base compensation up to the Social Security
wage base for the applicable year and 18.9% of each employee’s base compensation above the Social Security wage base, up to the
compensation limit for the applicable year set by the Internal
Revenue
Code (“Code”). The Social Security wage base was $147,000 for 2022, and the
compensation limit set by the Code was $305,000 for 2022. Based on these contribution
formulas and applicable limits, Farmer Mac contributed $49,266 for 2022 to the 401(k)
accounts of each of the named executive officers. Farmer Mac’s 401(k) plan also
permits employees to make their own retirement contributions, subject to applicable limits
set by the Code.
Farmer
Mac has offered a nonqualified deferred compensation plan to executive officers with a title of Executive Vice President or higher
since May 2017. The plan is designed to restore employer retirement contributions for participants to the levels they would have
otherwise been eligible to receive in employer contributions under the 401(k) plan absent the limits imposed by the Code on the
amount of compensation that can be considered under a qualified retirement plan. Under this nonqualified deferred compensation
plan, Farmer Mac credits the account of each participant with an amount equal to 18.9% of the difference between (i) the annual
compensation limit under 401(a) (17) of the Code, described above, and (ii) the participant’s annual base salary. In calculating
employer credits, a participant’s annual base salary is capped at $700,000 for Farmer Mac’s President and Chief Executive
Officer and $500,000 for all other participants. For 2022, Farmer Mac credited the accounts of Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm,
Carpenter, and Mullery in the amounts of $36,855, $74,655, $24,570 and $30,240, respectively. Farmer Mac did not credit any amount
under the nonqualified deferred compensation plan for Mr. Crady in 2022 because, as a Senior Vice President, he does not participate
in that plan. See “Executive Compensation Governance—Executive Compensation—Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Table” for more information about Farmer Mac’s nonqualified deferred compensation plan.
Other
Benefits. Farmer Mac provides the named executive officers participation in Farmer Mac’s standard employee benefit plans on
the same terms as other employees, which include:
| ● | medical,
dental, and vision insurance coverage with all premiums paid by Farmer Mac; |
| ● | funding
of an employee health savings account by Farmer Mac; and |
| ● | a
group term life insurance policy that provides a benefit equal to one year’s base
salary up to $300,000. |
Farmer
Mac also makes available to its executive officers paid parking in the garage beneath Farmer Mac’s headquarters.
In
limited circumstances, Farmer Mac also reimburses for reasonable relocation expenses. Farmer Mac reimbursed Mr. Nordholm $41,072
in 2021 for some of his moving expenses related to the completion of the relocation of his household to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan
area, which had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of reimbursing Mr. Crady for relocation expenses in 2021, Farmer
Mac paid him a one-time sign-on cash bonus of $100,000 and a related tax reimbursement “gross-up” amount of $72,007
related to that bonus. Instead of reimbursing Ms. Ramesh for relocation expenses in 2020, Farmer Mac paid her a one-time sign-on
cash bonus of $100,000 and a related tax reimbursement “gross-up” amount of $91,075 related to that bonus. Those payments
to Mr. Nordholm, Mr. Crady, and Ms. Ramesh are reported in the “Summary Compensation Table” on page 44 in the “All
Other Compensation” column.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Payments
in Connection with a Change-in-Control
Farmer
Mac’s multi-class capital structure established by its statutory charter substantially precludes any change-in-control through
voting rights associated with its Voting Common Stock. Thus, no provision is made for payments to named executive officers in
connection with any change-in-control, and no outstanding equity awards to the named executive officers will vest upon a change-in-control.
Post-Employment
Compensation
Mr.
Nordholm has an employment agreement that provides for severance payments if the agreement is terminated by Farmer Mac other
than for cause. Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Carpenter and Mullery currently participate in Farmer Mac’s Amended and Restated
Executive Officer Severance Plan. That plan provides for severance payments if Farmer Mac terminates employment other than for
cause. See “Executive Compensation Governance—Executive Compensation— Agreements with Executive Officers.”
Impact
of Accounting and Tax Treatment on Compensation Awards
In
general, Section 162(m) of the Code places a limit of $1 million on the amount of compensation that Farmer Mac may deduct in any
one year per person for certain executive officers of Farmer Mac. Farmer Mac has not historically made compensation decisions
based solely on the effect of the tax deductibility or accounting treatment of compensation to named executive officers, although
the Compensation Committee does balance tax deductibility with other business considerations. To the extent practicable, the
Compensation Committee intends to preserve the tax deductibility of compensation paid to executive officers but will not necessarily
limit executive compensation to what is deductible under Section 162(m) of the Code if necessary to attract, retain, and reward
high-performing executives. It is therefore possible that compensation for executive officers may exceed the per person $1 million
limitation for deductibility in any particular year. And the deductibility of some types of compensation depends on the timing
of an executive’s vesting or exercise of previously granted equity awards.
Farmer
Mac’s Policies on Stock Ownership and Trading
Stock
Ownership Policy
In
March 2019, the Board approved a policy on stock ownership applicable to Farmer Mac’s officers and directors (each, a “covered
person”) to encourage them to maintain a meaningful ownership interest in Farmer Mac, help align their interests with those
of Farmer Mac’s stockholders, and promote sound corporate governance and a long-term perspective in managing Farmer Mac.
Under the policy, each covered person is expected to beneficially own a specified amount of
Farmer
Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock, calculated as a multiple of the covered person’s annual base salary or annual
cash retainer, as described in the table below:
|
|
Title |
Minimum
Ownership Requirement |
Chief
Executive Officer |
3
times annual base salary |
Executive
Vice President |
2
times annual base salary |
Senior
Vice President |
annual
base salary |
Vice
President |
half
of annual base salary |
Non-Employee
Director |
2
times annual cash retainer |
In
determining satisfaction of the applicable minimum ownership requirement for a covered person, the policy includes the following
shares and equity rights:
| ● | shares
directly owned or beneficially owned indirectly (such as through family trusts, immediate
family members, or retirement accounts); |
| ● | shares
of unvested time-based restricted stock; and |
| ● | shares
attributable to unvested time-based RSUs. |
The
shares and equity rights that do not count toward satisfaction of the applicable minimum ownership requirement for a covered person include: unexercised vested or unvested stock options or SARs; shares of unvested performance-based restricted stock; and
shares attributable to unvested performance-based RSUs. The stock ownership policy requires covered persons to satisfy the applicable
minimum ownership requirement within five years of March 13, 2019, or within five years from the date of hire, promotion, initial
election to the Board, or initial appointment to the Board, as applicable. The Compensation Committee administers this policy
and may make exceptions to the applicable minimum ownership requirement based on personal circumstances or hardship of a covered
person. For more information on the stock ownership of our named executive officers and directors, see “Stock Ownership
of Directors, Director Nominees, Named Executive Officers, and Certain Beneficial Owners.”
Insider
Trading Policy
Farmer
Mac has a policy on insider trading applicable to all directors and employees (including named executive officers) that requires
compliance with the federal securities laws and adherence to Farmer Mac’s pre-clearance and other policies and procedures
(including “open windows” for sales of stock and adopting Rule 10b5-1 plans). Farmer Mac’s insider trading policy
prohibits any director or employee (including officers) from engaging in; (1) any pledging activities in Farmer Mac’s securities
(including the pledging of any Farmer Mac securities held in a margin account or using Farmer Mac securities as collateral for
a loan); and (2) any short sales of, or purchases or sales of puts, calls, or other derivative securities based on, Farmer Mac’s
securities.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Clawback
Policy
Under
Farmer Mac’s compensation recoupment or “clawback” policy, the Compensation Committee has the full power and
authority and sole and exclusive discretion to construe, interpret, and administer the policy. The policy provides that Farmer
Mac may recover from any current or former executive officer or controller and any other designated employee all or a portion
of previously granted incentive compensation as follows:
| ● | If
Farmer Mac is required to prepare an accounting restatement, an amount, if any, (a) in
excess of what would have been paid under the accounting restatement during the preceding
three-year period, or (b) that constitutes a reasonable estimate of the effect of the
accounting restatement if the excess amount described in (a) of this bullet cannot be
determined directly from the information in the related accounting restatement. |
| ● | If
an individual subject to the policy is terminated for “cause,” an amount
up to 100% of the incentive compensation received during the preceding three-year period
before the date of termination, with the amount to be determined by the Compensation
Committee in its sole discretion based on the conduct involved. |
| ● | During
the preceding three fiscal years, if a financial measure used to determine the value
or amount of incentive compensation received from Farmer Mac was calculated incorrectly,
any amount of the incentive compensation in excess of what would have been received based
on the recalculated measure. |
All
cash or equity incentive compensation awards granted since 2012 have been subject to Farmer Mac’s “clawback”
policy. The policy provides that if final rules or regulations are issued under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”), the Compensation Committee will amend the policy to reflect and comply with these
new rules and regulations. Farmer Mac plans to amend its “clawback” policy once the New York Stock Exchange adopts
listing standards requiring listed issuers like Farmer Mac to adopt and comply with clawback policies and to provide disclosure
about their policies and implementation consistent with a final SEC rule adopted in November 2022 to implement Section 954 the
Dodd-Frank Act.
Risk
Farmer
Mac has considered how much its compensation policies and practices influence the behaviors of our executives and other employees in taking business risks that could affect the company. We believe that our compensation policies and practices, either individually
or in the aggregate, are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Farmer Mac.
Compensation
Consultant Fees
The
Compensation Committee has engaged Aon to serve as the Compensation Committee’s independent compensation consultant since
April 2019. Aon is accountable to and reports directly to the Compensation Committee. Farmer Mac’s management had no role
in selecting Aon in the Compensation Committee’s engagement of the firm or the individuals who serve as the Compensation
Committee’s independent compensation advisors, although management did consult with other Aon advisors about compensation
benchmarking for non-executive officer employees during 2020 (but not in 2022 or 2021). Consistent with its compensation consultant
independence policy, the Compensation Committee pre-approved these additional advisory services provided to management in 2020
($26,750). For 2022, Farmer Mac incurred an aggregate amount of $88,525 in fees for the executive and director compensation advisory
services that Aon provided directly to the Compensation Committee.
The
Compensation Committee has assessed the independence of Aon under SEC rules and NYSE listing standards and concluded that no conflict
of interest exists that would have prevented or would prevent Aon from independently representing the Compensation Committee.
| | Compensation
Committee
Interlocks and Insider Participation |
Since
May 2021, the Compensation Committee has consisted of Mr. Davidson, Mr. Engebretsen, Dr. Faivre, Mr. McKissack, and Mr. Ware.
None of these current directors is, or has been, a Farmer Mac officer or employee. None of the current or former members of the
Compensation Committee had any relationship requiring disclosure by Farmer Mac as a “related person transaction”
under SEC rules. None of Farmer Mac’s current executive officers has served as a member of the Board or the Compensation
Committee (or other Board committee performing equivalent functions) or as a director of another SEC-reporting entity during the
last completed fiscal year.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| | Compensation
Committee Report |
The
following report of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material,”
or to be “filed” with the SEC, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing by Farmer Mac
under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, unless Farmer Mac specifically requests that the information be treated as soliciting
material or specifically incorporates the report by reference into a document.
The
Human Capital and Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis in this Proxy Statement
with management, and, based on that review and discussion, has recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion
and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement. This report of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee shall be deemed
“furnished” in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
Human
Capital and Compensation Committee
|
|
Richard
H. Davidson, Chair |
James
R. Engebretsen |
Sara
L. Faivre |
Eric
T. McKissack |
Todd
P. Ware |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| | Executive
Compensation |
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table provides information about the compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to Farmer Mac’s named executive
officers for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as well as the two previous fiscal years, if applicable.
Name
and
Principal Position |
Fiscal
Year |
Salary |
Equity-Based
Awards |
Non-Equity
Incentive
Compensation3,4 |
All
Other
Compensation5 |
Total |
Stock
and
RSU
Awards1 |
SARs
Awards2 |
Bradford
T. Nordholm
President and Chief Executive Officer |
2022 |
$800,000 |
$929,695 |
$245,939 |
$1,418,196 |
$138,836 |
$3,532,666 |
2021 |
800,000 |
824,103 |
270,999 |
1,146,238 |
169,816 |
$3,211,156 |
2020 |
750,000 |
658,627 |
194,321 |
993,515 |
84,332 |
$2,680,795 |
Aparna
Ramesh
Executive
Vice President—Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
2022 |
525,000 |
257,252 |
86,143 |
398,139 |
45,028 |
$1,311,562 |
2021 |
515,000 |
268,080 |
88,096 |
280,736 |
42,440 |
$1,194,352 |
2020 |
500,000 |
227,960 |
83,281 |
327,672 |
231,710 |
$1,370,623 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter
Executive Vice President—Chief Business Officer |
2022 |
435,000 |
249,668 |
83,684 |
555,521 |
33,143 |
$1,357,016 |
2021 |
425,000 |
280,495 |
92,136 |
361,993 |
28,404 |
$1,188,028 |
2020 |
410,000 |
239,460 |
87,433 |
339,451 |
23,625 |
$1,099,969 |
Stephen
P. Mullery
Executive Vice President—
General
Counsel and Secretary |
2022 |
465,000 |
201,998 |
67,655 |
303,691 |
50,820 |
$1,089,164 |
2021 |
450,000 |
206,270 |
67,766 |
239,003 |
46,435 |
$1,009,474 |
2020 |
435,000 |
182,564 |
66,624 |
282,029 |
76,872 |
$1,043,089 |
Marc
J. Crady
Senior
Vice President—
Chief Credit Officer6 |
2022 |
385,000 |
121,343 |
40,613 |
237,968 |
1,386 |
$ 786,310 |
2021 |
307,212 |
123,709 |
40,660 |
146,688 |
172,007 |
$ 790,276 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 | Represents
the aggregate grant date fair value of the performance-based and time-based RSUs awarded
in 2022, 2021, and 2020, plus, only for Mr. Nordholm in 2022, the fair value ($120.38
per share) of an award of 1,626 shares of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common
Stock. The grant date fair value of the performance-based RSUs assumes 100% as the
probable outcome of the performance metrics over the three-year performance period. The
grant date fair value for RSU awards in March 2022 was $120.38 per RSU. The grant date
fair value for RSU awards in March 2021 was $88.68 per RSU. The grant date fair value
for RSU awards in March 2020 was $75.16 per RSU. The applicable fair value used for these
stock and RSU awards is the closing price of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common
Stock on the date of the stock or RSU grant as reported by the NYSE. |
| 2 | Represents
the aggregate grant date fair value of the SARs awarded in 2022, 2021, and 2020 calculated
in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Assumptions made in the calculation of these amounts
are included in Table 9.5 of Note 9 to the financial statements in Farmer Mac’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. SARs awarded to executive
officers in March 2022 were granted at the fair value of $32.77876 per SAR. SARs awarded
to executive officers in March 2021 were granted at the fair value of $21.719909 per
SAR. SARs awarded to executive officers in March 2020 were granted at the fair value
of$ 15.04616 per SAR. |
| 3 | For
each of the named executive officers, the amounts in this column are (i) the amounts
paid in 2023 for amounts earned in 2022; (ii) the amounts paid in 2022 for amounts earned
in 2021; and (iii) the amounts paid in 2021 for amounts earned in 2020, if applicable.
Mr. Crady’s annual cash incentive award earned in 2021 was prorated based on the
number of days he was employed at Farmer Mac during 2021. |
| 4 | For
each of the named executive officers, annual cash incentive awards earned for the business
plan year ending on December 31, 2022 were calculated as described in “Compensation
Discussion and Analysis—Total Compensation Elements—Annual Cash Incentive
Compensation” on pages 36–38, and were paid in March 2023. |
| 5 | The
amounts listed for each of the named executive officers include: (i) dividend equivalents
paid in cash on RSUs that vested (a) in 2022 in the amount of $64,181 for Mr. Nordholm,
$8,173 for Ms. Ramesh, $8,573 for Mr. Carpenter, $20,242 for Mr. Mullery, and $1,386
for Mr. Crady; (b) in 2021 in the amount of $51,254 for Mr. Nordholm, $2,750 for Ms.
Ramesh, $2,889 for Mr. Carpenter, and $15,857 for Mr. Mullery; and (c) in 2020 in the
amount of $5,897 for Mr. Nordholm and $15,491 for Mr. Mullery; (ii) amounts paid on behalf
of the named executive officers for life insurance premiums, to the extent that they
previously elected to receive additional life insurance offered by Farmer Mac; and (iii)
employer contributions under Farmer Mac’s nonqualified deferred compensation plan
for 2022 in the amount of $77,655 for Mr. Nordholm, $36,855 for Ms. Ramesh, $24,570 for
Mr. Carpenter, and $30,240 for Mr. Mullery; for 2021 in the amount of $77,490 for Mr.
Nordholm, $39,690 for Ms. Ramesh, $25,515 for Mr. Carpenter, and $30,240 for Mr. Mullery;
and for 2020 in the amount of $78,435 for Mr. Nordholm, $40,635 for Ms. Ramesh, $23,625
for Mr. Carpenter, and $28,350 for Mr. Mullery. For Mr. Nordholm, the amount listed for
2021 includes $41,072 in expenses paid by Farmer Mac to reimburse Mr. Nordholm for some
of his moving expenses related to the completion of the relocation of his household to
the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, which had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Ms. Ramesh, the amount listed for 2020 includes a sign-on cash bonus of $100,000,
in lieu of relocation expenses, and a related income tax reimbursement “gross-up”
amount of $91,075 related to that bonus. For Mr. Mullery, the amount listed for 2020
includes an accrued vacation payout |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| of
$32,692. For Mr. Crady, the amount listed for 2021 includes a sign-on cash bonus of $100,000,
in lieu of relocation expenses, and a related income tax reimbursement “gross-up”
amount of $72,007 related to that bonus. The amounts listed for each of the named executive
officers do not include: (i) the costs for health insurance paid on behalf of the named executive
officers because they are the same as amounts paid for health insurance costs on behalf of
other employees who elected similar coverage (e.g., single, married, or family coverage);
(ii) premium payments made on behalf of the named executive officers for the group term life
insurance policy plan because they participate in this plan on the same terms as all other
Farmer Mac employees; and (iii) employer contributions to Farmer Mac’s 401(k) retirement
plan on behalf of the named executive officers because they participate in this plan on the
same terms as all other Farmer Mac employees. |
| |
6 | Mr.
Crady was appointed Senior Vice President – Chief Credit Officer in March 2021. |
Grants
of Plan-Based Awards Table
The
table below provides, for each of the named executive officers during 2022, more information about 2022 grants of shares of Class
C Non-Voting Common Stock (only to Mr. Nordholm), RSUs, and SARs under Farmer Mac’s Amended and Restated 2008 Omnibus Incentive
Plan and the potential range of awards that were approved for 2022 under the annual incentive compensation plan. These awards
are also described in the Summary Compensation Table above.
|
|
Estimated Future Payouts Under
Non-Equity Incentive Plan
Awards1 |
Estimated Future
Payouts
Under Equity
Incentive Plan
Awards2 |
All Other
Stock
Awards:
Number of
Shares of Stock or Units3
(#) |
All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options4
(#) |
Exercise or Base
Price of
Option
Awards5
($/Sh) |
Grant
Date Fair
Value of
Stock
and
Option
Awards6
($) |
Name |
Grant
Date |
Threshold
($) |
Target
($) |
Maximum
($) |
Threshold
(#) |
Target
(#) |
Maximum
(#) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
|
$400,000 |
$800,000 |
$1,600,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
— |
4,065 |
4,065 |
|
|
|
$ 489,345 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
1,016 |
2,032 |
4,064 |
|
|
|
$ 244,612 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,626 |
|
|
$ 195,738 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,503 |
$120.38 |
$ 245,939 |
|
$400,000 |
$800,000 |
$1,600,000 |
1,016 |
6,097 |
8,129 |
1,626 |
7,503 |
|
$1,175,634 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
|
$118,125 |
$236,250 |
$ 472,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
— |
1,425 |
1,425 |
|
|
|
$ 171,542 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
356 |
712 |
1,424 |
|
|
|
$ 85,711 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,628 |
$120.38 |
$ 86,143 |
|
$118,125 |
$236,250 |
$ 472,500
|
356 |
2,137 |
2,849 |
— |
2,628 |
|
$ 343,396 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
|
$ 93,000 |
$186,000 |
$ 372,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
— |
1,119 |
1,119 |
|
|
|
$ 134,705 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
280 |
559 |
1,118 |
|
|
|
$ 67,292 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,064 |
$120.38 |
$ 67,655 |
|
$ 93,000 |
$186,000 |
$ 372,000 |
280 |
1,678 |
2,237 |
— |
2,064 |
|
$ 269,652 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
|
$163,125 |
$326,250 |
$ 652,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
— |
1,383 |
1,383 |
|
|
|
$ 166,486 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
346 |
691 |
1,382 |
|
|
|
$ 83,183 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,553 |
$120.38 |
$ 83,684 |
|
$163,125 |
$326,250 |
$ 652,500 |
346 |
2,074 |
2,765 |
— |
2,553 |
|
$ 333,353 |
Marc
J. Crady |
|
$ 77,000 |
$154,000 |
$ 308,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
— |
672 |
672 |
|
|
|
$ 80,895 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
168 |
336 |
672 |
|
|
|
$ 40,448 |
3/9/2022 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,239 |
$120.38 |
$ 40,613 |
|
$ 77,000 |
$154,000 |
$ 308,000 |
168 |
1,008 |
1,344 |
— |
1,239 |
|
$ 161,956 |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
| 1 | These
columns show the range of potential payouts under the annual incentive compensation plan
for all named executive officers during 2022. The performance period covers January 1,
2022 through December 31, 2022. For actual performance between threshold, target, and
maximum, the annual incentive award earned is interpolated on a straight-line basis.
See “Executive Compensation Governance—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Total
Compensation Elements—Annual Cash Incentive Compensation” for a discussion
of the material terms of the total payout for 2022 under non-equity incentive plan awards
for Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm, Mullery, Carpenter, and Crady. |
| 2 | Represents
the potential payout range of shares related to RSUs granted in 2022. The grants of time-based
RSUs to Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm, Carpenter, Mullery, and Crady in March 2022
vest in three equal annual installments, the first of which vested on March 31, 2023.
The second and third installments of those grants will vest on March 31, 2024 and March
31, 2025, respectively, if those individuals are still employed by Farmer Mac on those
dates or satisfy the retirement provisions of the related award agreements. The grant
of performance-based RSUs vesting on March 31, 2025 is contingent on the achievement
of performance objectives described in more detail in “Executive Compensation Governance—Compensation
Discussion and Analysis—Total Compensation Elements—Long-Term Incentive Compensation—Performance-Based
RSUs Granted in 2022.” Performance-based RSUs that vest are settled in shares of
Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock. |
| 3 | In
addition to the grants of SARs and RSUs to Mr. Nordholm reported in this table, Mr. Nordholm
was also granted 1,626 shares of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock on
March 9, 2022 as incentive compensation in recognition of his outstanding performance
during 2021. Farmer Mac retained 782 of those shares to satisfy tax withholding requirements. |
| 4 | Represents
the number of SARs granted during 2022. The SARs granted to Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm,
Carpenter, Mullery, and Crady in March 2022 vest in three equal annual installments,
the first of which vested on March 31, 2023. The second and third installments of those
grants will vest on March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, respectively, if those individuals
are still employed by Farmer Mac on those dates or satisfy the retirement provisions
of the related award agreements. |
| 5 | The
exercise price is the closing price for a share of Class C Non-Voting Common Stock on
the date of grant as reported by the NYSE. |
| 6 | Amounts
shown represent the grant date fair values of the equity awards granted to the named
executive officers in 2022. For grants of stock and RSUs, the fair value is the market
value of the underlying stock on the grant date (which is the same price as the exercise
price for SARs). For SARs granted in March 2022, the fair value on the grant date has
been estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the assumptions set
forth in Table 9.5 of Note 9 to the financial statements in Farmer Mac’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulting in a value of approximately
$32.78 per SAR. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End
There
were no unexercised stock options previously granted to executive officers as of December 31, 2022.
The
table below provides information about unexercised SARs previously granted to Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm, Carpenter, Mullery,
and Crady as of December 31, 2022.
|
SAR Awards |
|
|
Name |
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
SARs
#
Exercisable |
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
SARs
#
Unexercisable1 |
SARs
Exercise Price |
SARs
Expiration
Date |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
10,290 |
— |
$ 82.76 |
February
27, 2029 |
8,610 |
4,305 |
75.16 |
March
3, 2030 |
4,159 |
8,318 |
88.68 |
March
2, 2031 |
— |
7,503 |
120.38 |
March
9, 2032 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
— |
1,845 |
$ 75.16 |
March
3, 2030 |
1,352 |
2,704 |
88.68 |
March
2, 2031 |
— |
2,628 |
120.38 |
March
9, 2032 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
3,780 |
— |
$ 33.90 |
April
2, 2024 |
5,610 |
— |
32.39 |
April
1, 2025 |
7,125 |
— |
35.75 |
March
15, 2026 |
3,381 |
— |
60.84 |
March
14, 2027 |
2,445 |
— |
86.15 |
March
13, 2028 |
3,309 |
— |
82.76 |
February
27, 2029 |
2,952 |
1,476 |
75.16 |
March
3, 2030 |
1,040 |
2,080 |
88.68 |
March
2, 2031 |
— |
2,064 |
120.38 |
March
9, 2032 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
— |
1,937 |
$ 75.16 |
March
3, 2030 |
— |
2,828 |
88.68 |
March
2, 2031 |
— |
2,553 |
120.38 |
March
9, 2032 |
Marc
J. Crady |
624 |
1,248 |
$ 88.68 |
March
2, 2031 |
— |
1,239 |
120.38 |
March
9. 2032 |
| 1 | Unexercisable
SARs with an exercise price of $120.38 per share vest in three equal annual installments,
the first of which vested on March 31, 2023. The second and third installments will vest
on March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, respectively, if the applicable individuals are
still employed by Farmer Mac on those dates or satisfy the retirement provisions of the
related award agreements. Unexercisable SARs with an exercise price of $88.68 per share
vest in three equal annual installments, the first and second of which vested on March
31, 2022 and March 31, 2023, respectively, and the third of which will vest on March
31, 2024 if the applicable individuals are still employed by Farmer Mac on those dates
or satisfy the retirement provisions of the related award agreements. Unexercisable SARs
with an exercise price of $75.16 per share vested in full on March 31, 2023 (with the
previous two installments having already vested on March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2022). |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
The
following table provides information about unvested RSUs previously granted to Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm, Carpenter, Mullery,
and Crady as of December 31, 2022.
|
Stock
Awards |
|
Name |
Number
of Shares or
Units of Stock that
Have Not Vested |
Market
Value of
Shares or Units of
Stock that Have
Not Vested1 |
Vesting Date2 |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
7,593 |
$ 855,807 |
March
31, 2023 |
6,518 |
734,644 |
March
31, 2024 |
3,387 |
381,749 |
March
31, 2025 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
2,936 |
$ 330,917 |
March
31, 2023 |
2,154 |
242,777 |
March
31, 2024 |
1,187 |
133,787 |
March
31, 2025 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
2,322 |
$ 261,713 |
March
31, 2023 |
1,665 |
187,662 |
March
31, 2024 |
932 |
105,046 |
March
31, 2025 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
3,043 |
$ 342,977 |
March
31, 2023 |
2,218 |
249,991 |
March
31, 2024 |
1,152 |
129,842 |
March
31, 2025 |
Marc
J. Crady |
534 |
$ 60,187 |
March
31, 2023 |
999 |
112,597 |
March
31, 2024 |
560 |
63,118 |
March
31, 2025 |
| 1 | Calculated
based on a price of $112.71 per share (the closing price for the Class C Non-Voting Common
Stock on the last trading day of 2022 as reported by the NYSE). |
| 2 | For
the RSUs vesting in March 2023: (i) vesting of one-third of each of the grants of time-based
RSUs made in 2020, 2021, and 2022 (only the grants made in 2021 and 2022 to Mr. Crady); and
(ii) with respect to the grants of performance-based RSUs awarded to Ms. Ramesh and Messrs.
Nordholm, Carpenter, and Mullery in March 2020, vesting was contingent on the achievement
of performance objectives related to Net Outstanding Business Volume, subject to “gatekeeper”
metrics related to capital and asset quality for the performance period of January 1, 2020
through December 31, 2022, as described in more detail in Farmer Mac’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 10, 2020. In March 2023, the Compensation Committee
determined that the specified gatekeeper metrics were satisfied and that Farmer Mac’s
Net Outstanding Business Volume was $25.902 billion as of December 31, 2022. That level of
Net Outstanding Business Volume was between the target level of $25.323 billion (100% of
target award) and the $31.004 billion level that would have earned the maximum 200% of target
award. That resulted in an interpolated amount of 110.1884% of the target number of performance-based
RSUs granted in March 2020 vesting on March 31, 2023 for Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm,
Carpenter, and Mullery. |
For
the RSUs vesting in March 2024: (i) vesting of one-third of each of the grants of time-based RSUs made in 2021 and 2022; and (ii)
the target amount of performance-based RSUs eligible to vest as determined by the Compensation Committee for each executive officer
contingent on the achievement of performance objectives related to business volume, subject to “gatekeeper” metrics
related to capital and asset quality for the performance period of January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023, as described in
more detail in Farmer Mac’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 8, 2021.
For
the RSUs vesting in March 2025: (i) vesting of one-third of each of the grants of time-based RSUs made in 2022; and (ii) the target
amount of performance-based RSUs eligible to vest as determined by the Compensation Committee for each executive officer contingent
on the achievement of performance objectives related to Earnings before Credit, subject to “gatekeeper” metrics related
to capital and asset quality for the performance period of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024, as described in more detail
in “Executive Compensation Governance—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Total Compensation Elements—Long-Term
Incentive Compensation—Performance-Based RSUs Granted in 2022.”
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
SAR
Exercises and Stock Vested
The
following table provides information about SARs exercised during 2022 by Ms. Ramesh, Mr. Carpenter, and Mr. Mullery, who were
the only named executive officers to exercise SARs during the year. The value realized upon exercise of the SARs is the difference
between (1) the fair market value of the Class C Non-Voting Common Stock on the date of exercise
and (2) the SARs grant price, then multiplied by the number of SARs exercised, excluding the amounts retained by Farmer Mac to
satisfy tax withholding requirements arising from the exercises.
|
|
|
|
Name |
Number
of
SARs
Exercised
(#) |
Number
of Shares
Acquired
Upon
Exercise (#)1 |
Value
Realized
Upon
Exercise ($)1 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
1,845 |
383 |
48,418 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
6,545 |
2,506 |
291,922 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
5,288
|
871
|
102,653
|
| 1 | The
table above reflects shares and the value of shares (including cash paid for any fractional
shares) that were delivered to the identified individuals during 2022 and does not include
shares that were retained by Farmer Mac to satisfy tax withholding requirements arising
from each SARs exercise. |
The
following table provides information about RSUs that vested during 2022 and were issued to the named executive officers.
|
|
|
Name1 |
Number
of Shares
Acquired on Vesting
(#) |
Value
Realized on Vesting
($)2 |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
3,998 |
444,031 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
695 |
77,278 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
729 |
81,010 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
1,227 |
136,298 |
Marc
J. Crady |
161 |
17,953 |
| 1 | The
table above reflects shares and the value of shares (including cash paid for any fractional
shares) that were delivered to the applicable named executive officer upon vesting and does
not include shares that were retained by Farmer Mac to satisfy tax withholding requirements
arising from the vesting of these shares. |
| 2 | The
value realized upon vesting of the RSUs reflects the cash paid for any fractional shares
and the number of shares vested multiplied by $111.05, which was the closing price of the
Class C Non-Voting Common Stock on the business day before the vesting date as reported by
the NYSE. |
Nonqualified
Deferred Compensation Table
The
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (“NQDC Plan”) is a nonqualified
deferred compensation plan designed to comply with the provisions of Section 409A of the Code and became effective on May 1, 2017.
The purpose of the NQDC Plan is to:
| ● | restore
retirement contributions by Farmer Mac on behalf of each of its current executive officers
with the title of Executive Vice President or higher to the level those individuals would
have otherwise been |
eligible
to receive in employer contributions under Farmer Mac’s 401(k) retirement plan without the limits imposed by Section 401(a)(17)
of the Code on the amount of annual compensation that can be considered in determining employer contributions under a qualified
retirement plan; and
| ● | permit
each of Farmer Mac’s current executive officers with the title of Executive Vice
President or higher to elect to defer a portion of compensation without reference to
the limitations in Farmer Mac’s 401(k) plan or those imposed by Section 415(c)(1)(A)
of the Code for qualified defined contribution retirement plans. |
Under
the NQDC Plan, Farmer Mac credits the account of each participant each calendar year with an amount equal to 18.9% of the difference between (i) the annual compensation limit under 401(a)(17) of the Code, which was $305,000 for 2022, and (ii) a participant’s
annual base salary, which in calculating employer credits under the NQDC Plan is capped at $700,000 for Farmer Mac’s Chief
Executive Officer and $500,000 for all other participants. This fixed contribution percentage is the same formula used for determining
employer contributions to Farmer Mac’s 401(k) plan based on an employee’s annual base salary that is above the applicable
Social Security wage base for that year.
In
addition to employer credits to the accounts of each participant and subject to applicable tax laws, participants in the NQDC
Plan may elect to defer up to 80% of their base salary and up to 80% of any short-term incentive cash bonus scheduled to be received
in any one year. A participant may elect to defer compensation until a fixed and determinable date that must be at least two years
after the first day of the year in which the deferral election became effective. A participant will be fully vested in non-elective
employer credits upon the earliest to occur of: (i) death, (ii) disability, or (iii) three years following the effective date
of participation in the NQDC Plan. A participant will be immediately fully vested in all amounts credited attributable to elective
deferrals of compensation.
The
earliest to occur of the following events will trigger the distribution of all amounts credited to a participant’s account,
including both non-elective employer credits and elective deferrals: (i) death, (ii) disability, and (iii) the later to occur
of the participant’s separation from service (as defined in Section 409A of the Code) or attaining the age of 65. A participant
may elect to receive these payments in a single lump sum cash payment or in annual installments for a period of up to ten years,
although account balances will become payable immediately in a single lump sum cash payment upon a participant’s death
or disability. A participant also can request a distribution in the event of an unforeseen emergency (as defined in Section 409A
of the Code).
Account
balances under the NQDC Plan earn or lose value based on the investment performance of one or more of the investment funds offered
under the NQDC Plan and selected by the participants, which are generally similar to the investment options offered under Farmer
Mac’s 401(k) retirement plan available to all employees. The returns on the funds in each current participant’s account
ranged from negative 22.6% to negative 10.6% for the year ended December 31, 2022.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
All
amounts credited to a participant’s account under the NQDC Plan represent Farmer Mac’s contractual obligation to pay
future benefits and will not be secured by any segregated assets, thereby putting NQDC Plan participants in a similar position
to the unsecured general creditors of Farmer Mac.
The
following table shows the benefits accrued under the NQDC Plan by Farmer Mac’s named executive officers that participated
in the NQDC Plan as of December 31, 2022.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Aggregate
Balance at End of
2021 |
Executive
Contributions1
in 2022 |
Farmer
Mac’s
Contributions2
in 2022 |
Aggregate
Earnings3
in 2022 |
Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions |
Aggregate
Balance4
at
End of 2022 |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
$826,539 |
$709,098 |
$74,655 |
$(74,903) |
$— |
$1,535,389 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
$ 88,017 |
$ — |
$36,855 |
$(15,346) |
$— |
$ 109,526 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
$178,985 |
$ — |
$30,240 |
$(29,346) |
$— |
$ 179,879 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
$ 50,443 |
$ — |
$24,570 |
$(11,244) |
$— |
$ 63,769 |
| 1 | Mr.
Nordholm elected to defer 50% of his non-equity incentive compensation award for 2022,
which was not determined until March 2023, under the NQDC Plan. The full amount of this
award is reported in the “Summary Compensation Table” on page 44 in the “Non-Equity
Incentive Compensation” column. |
| 2 | The
amounts listed represent the amounts credited for 2022 by Farmer Mac to the accounts
of the named executive officers under the NQDC Plan. These amounts are also reported
in the “Summary Compensation Table” on page 44 in the “All Other Compensation”
column. |
| 3 | The
amounts listed represent the net amounts debited from the accounts of the named executive
officers during 2022 under the NQDC Plan as a result of the performance of the investment
vehicles in which their accounts were deemed invested, as more fully described in the
narrative disclosure above. These amounts do not represent above-market or preferential
earnings and therefore are not reported in the “Summary Compensation Table”
on page 44. |
| 4 | The
amounts listed represent the amounts of the NQDC Plan balances at the end of 2022 for
each of the named executive officers other than Mr. Crady, who does not participate in
the NQDC Plan. The following employer contribution amounts were previously reported as
compensation for each named executive officer in the “Summary Compensation Table”
in 2021: $77,490 for Mr. Nordholm; (ii) $39,690 for Ms. Ramesh; (iii) $25,515 for Mr.
Carpenter; and (iv) $30,240 for Mr. Mullery; and in 2020: (i) $78,435 for Mr. Nordholm;
(ii) $40,635 for Ms. Ramesh; (iii) $23,625 for Mr. Carpenter; and (iv) $28,350 for Mr.
Mullery. For Mr. Nordholm, the amount shown reflects his elective deferral of 50% of
his non-equity incentive compensation award for 2022 even though that amount was not
credited to his NQDC account until March 2023. |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Agreements
with Executive Officers
Mr.
Nordholm is the only current executive officer who is party to an employment agreement with Farmer Mac. Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Carpenter
and Mullery participate in the Amended and Restated Executive Officer Severance Plan. Farmer Mac’s Board revised this Severance
Plan in January 2020 and designated Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Carpenter and Mullery for continued participation in that Plan. Mr. Crady
does not participate in the Amended and Restated Executive Officer Severance Plan.
Employment
Agreement with Farmer Mac’s President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr.
Nordholm, Farmer Mac’s President and Chief Executive Officer, is party to an amended employment agreement dated December 23, 2020
and further amended on September 28, 2022 (“Agreement”) with Farmer Mac through March 31, 2026, subject to earlier termination as provided in the Agreement. The Agreement does not contemplate any extensions to Mr. Nordholm’s term beyond March 31,
2026. Under the Agreement, Farmer Mac and Mr. Nordholm have agreed to the following terms, among others:
| ● | Base
Salary. Mr. Nordholm’s annual base salary under the Agreement was set at
$800,000 starting January 1, 2021, less applicable withholding for taxes and similar items.
This base salary has not been increased since then, but will be reviewed by Farmer Mac at
the beginning of each year and may be increased in the sole discretion of the Board or the
Compensation Committee of the Board. Under the Agreement, no increase in the base salary
is required during the remainder of the term, although Mr. Nordholm’s annual base salary
may not be decreased below $800,000. |
| ● | Annual
Incentive Compensation. The Agreement set Mr. Nordholm’s target annual cash
incentive payment at 100% of his base salary for work performed starting January 1, 2021.
The target amount for annual cash incentive payments has not been increased since then, but
will be reviewed periodically by Farmer Mac and may be modified in the sole discretion of
the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board. |
| ● | Long-Term
Incentive Compensation. Under the Agreement, Mr. Nordholm is eligible to receive
awards of long-term incentive compensation from time to time in a form, and subject to such
conditions, as determined by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board in its
sole discretion. On March 9, 2022 (when 2022 long-term incentive awards were made to other
senior executives of Farmer Mac), the Board granted Mr. Nordholm long-term equity compensation
valued at approximately $1,000,000 under the methodology prescribed in Farmer Mac’s
policy on grants of equity-based compensation and subject to similar terms and conditions
as apply to similar 2022 annual long-term incentive grants made to other senior executives
of Farmer Mac. This target amount for the value of annual long-term incentive compensation
awarded in future years will be reviewed periodically by Farmer Mac and may be modified in
the sole discretion of the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board. The Agreement
provides that Mr. Nordholm shall not be entitled to receive an award of long-term incentive
compensation in 2026 even though other senior executives of Farmer Mac may receive annual
long-term incentive grants in 2026. |
Besides
the $1,000,000 of long-term incentive compensation in the form of RSUs and SARs granted to Mr. Nordholm on March 9, 2022, the Compensation
Committee granted Mr. Nordholm 1,626 shares of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock as incentive compensation in recognition
of his outstanding performance during 2021 (of which Farmer Mac retained 782 shares to satisfy tax withholding requirements). This
additional incentive award was not required by the terms of the Agreement.
The
Agreement, as amended in September 2022, also contemplates the grant of a one-time incentive equity award of 15,000 performance-based
RSUs designed to retain Mr. Nordholm as Farmer Mac’s President and Chief Executive Officer through March 31, 2026, as well as to
promote the achievement of specified performance goals. The Compensation Committee approved that award in March 2023, which is described
in more detail in “Executive Compensation Governance—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Total Compensation Elements—Long-Term
Incentive Compensation — 2023 Equity Grants.”
| ● | Expense
Reimbursement. Farmer Mac will reimburse actual reasonable and necessary business expenses
incurred by Mr. Nordholm in carrying out his duties under the Agreement, in each case in
accordance with Farmer Mac’s policies as in effect from time-to-time and subject to
Mr. Nordholm’s compliance with the terms of those policies. |
| ● | Benefits.
Mr. Nordholm is eligible to participate in the welfare benefit plans and programs, incentive,
savings, and retirement compensation programs, and other employee benefits generally available
to other senior executives of Farmer Mac and on terms no less favorable than for other senior
executives of Farmer Mac. Mr. Nordholm is also entitled to five weeks of paid vacation per
year. |
| ● | Events
of Termination. Mr. Nordholm’s employment will terminate upon his death
or disability and may be terminated at any time by Farmer Mac with or without “cause”
(as defined in the Agreement), or by Mr. Nordholm voluntarily or if Farmer Mac materially
breaches, and fails to cure, its obligations under the Agreement. |
| ● | Payment
of Accrued Compensation. If Mr. Nordholm’s employment is terminated for
any reason (including upon expiration of the term of the Agreement), Farmer Mac will pay
to Mr. Nordholm all base salary and expense reimbursements as of the date of termination.
These accrued and unpaid amounts shall not include any amount related to accrued vacation
pay or annual cash incentive payments (other than amounts earned but not yet paid for Mr.
Nordholm’s service during a prior entire completed fiscal year). |
| ● | Payments
Upon Disability. Upon the termination of Mr. Nordholm’s employment due to a “disability”
(as defined in the Agreement), if Mr. Nordholm is not eligible for, or is otherwise not covered
by, disability insurance and if Mr. Nordholm (or his estate or heirs) executes a full release
of claims in favor of Farmer Mac substantially in the form attached to the Agreement (the
“Release”), Farmer Mac will continue to pay Mr. Nordholm (or his estate or heirs)
for 12 months, his then-current base salary. |
| ● | Severance
Pay. If Farmer Mac terminates Mr. Nordholm’s employment other than for “cause”
(as defined in the Agreement), or Mr. Nordholm terminates his employment in connection with
an uncured material breach of the Agreement by Farmer Mac, subject to Mr. Nordholm’s
execution of a Release, Farmer Mac shall, to the extent permitted by law and regulation,
pay Mr. Nordholm the |
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
following
severance benefits: (i) an aggregate lump sum amount in cash equal to the sum of (a) Mr. Nordholm’s base salary and (b) his base
salary multiplied by the incentive compensation target (currently 100%), and (ii) continuation of health care coverage pursuant to
COBRA, at Farmer Mac’s expense, until the earlier of (a) the date that is one year from the date of termination of his employment
or (a) the date that he becomes eligible for medical insurance coverage through another employer, which obligation shall not be
affected by Mr. Nordholm’s eligibility for Medicare. Any severance pay received by Mr. Nordholm from Farmer Mac under the Agreement
will not be mitigated by any subsequent earnings by Mr. Nordholm from any other source. Mr. Nordholm shall not be entitled to severance
pay under the Agreement due to the termination of employment upon the expiration of the term.
| ● | Constructive
Termination. Mr. Nordholm’s ability to terminate his employment and receive
severance pay in connection with an uncured material breach of the Agreement by Farmer Mac
does not include the ability to do so for a diminution of scope of authority due to the appointment
of a successor CEO during a CEO succession process initiated by the Board as long as Mr.
Nordholm’s compensation owing under the Agreement is not reduced. |
| ● | Post-Termination
Restrictive Covenants. In connection with any termination of employment of Mr. Nordholm
for any reason under the Agreement, he has agreed (i) not to compete with Farmer Mac, other
than with Farmer Mac’s written permission, for a period of two years; (ii) not to solicit
any of Farmer Mac’s “members of management” (as defined in the Agreement)
or employees for two years; (iii) not to disclose or use Farmer Mac’s “confidential
information” (as defined in the Agreement); and (iv) not to disparage or diminish the
reputation of Farmer Mac, its products, services, officers, directors, or employees. Upon
the termination of Mr. Nordholm’s employment other than for cause, Farmer Mac has agreed
that its Board shall instruct its officers not to make any public statement or publish on
behalf of Farmer Mac any statement that disparages or tends to diminish the reputation of
Mr. Nordholm. |
| ● | Service
on Outside Boards. Farmer Mac has consented to Mr. Nordholm continuing to serve
as a member of certain outside boards of directors so long as the Board does not determine,
in its sole discretion at any time, that any such role interferes with Mr. Nordholm’s
job duties at Farmer Mac or that any such role presents a conflict of interest to serving
as an employee or officer of Farmer Mac. |
| ● | Arbitration.
Farmer Mac and Mr. Nordholm have agreed to resolve all legally actionable disputes that
arise under the Agreement by binding arbitration before a panel of three arbitrators experienced
in employment law. Any arbitration will be conducted in accordance with the rules applicable
to employment disputes of the Model Employment Rules of the American Arbitration Association
and the laws applicable to the claim. |
| ● | Indemnification.
Farmer Mac has agreed that it will not amend Article VIII of its By-Laws (indemnification
provisions) or reduce Farmer Mac’s Directors’ and Officers’ insurance coverage,
in either case in a manner disproportionately adversely affecting Mr. Nordholm without his
prior written consent. |
Amended
and Restated Executive Officer Severance Plan
In
June 2012, Farmer Mac’s Board adopted an Executive Officer Severance Plan (“Original Plan”). The primary purpose of
the Original Plan was to provide executive officers with reasonable compensation in the event of their termination of employment with
Farmer Mac. In November 2016, Farmer Mac’s Board adopted an Amended and Restated Executive Officer Severance Plan (“2016
Plan”). In January, 2020, Farmer Mac’s Board approved revisions to the Amended and Restated Executive Officer Severance Plan
(“Current Plan”), which retained most of the substantive provisions of the 2016 Plan, but revised the “Cause”
definition to more closely track the employment agreement of Farmer Mac’s Chief Executive Officer, clarified the terms under which
an executive may terminate employment on an adverse change in conditions of employment, removed payment of accrued vacation and accrued
annual incentive pay from the severance payment, and made other administrative and modernizing changes. Farmer Mac’s Board also
approved a new form of participation agreement with enhanced and clarified restrictions on competition, solicitation, and disparagement,
made other procedural changes, and updated the form of release attached to the participation agreement. Of the named executive officers,
Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Carpenter and Mullery are the only participants in the Current Plan.
Under
the Current Plan, if Farmer Mac terminates a Participant’s employment other than for “Cause” (as defined in the Current
Plan) or if the Participant terminates his or her employment with Farmer Mac after an “Adverse Change in Conditions of Employment”
(as defined in the Current Plan), upon execution of a valid release agreement that becomes effective and irrevocable, the Participant
will be entitled to:
| ● | an
amount equal to the sum of the Participant’s annual base salary and annual target bonus,
payable in one lump sum; |
| ● | for
12 months, Farmer Mac’s payment of the cost of premiums for the Participant and the
Participant’s eligible dependents for continuing health, dental, and vision benefits
under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (COBRA), which
amounts shall be limited to the excess over what Farmer Mac’s active employees are
then required to pay for comparable benefits sponsored by the company and the payment of
which shall also be subject to the Participant’s continued compliance with the terms
of the Participation Agreement, with payment ceasing if the individual becomes eligible for
a new employer’s coverage; and |
| ● | payment
of any accrued and unpaid annual base salary and any unpaid expense reimbursements incurred
by the Participant for ordinary and reasonable business expenses incurred in the course of
conducting Farmer Mac business (but not including any accrued vacation pay or any accrued
annual target bonus other than amounts not yet paid for service during an entire completed
fiscal year, subject to discretion exercised in the ordinary course). |
Under
the Current Plan, these payments and benefits will be in lieu of any other severance payments to Participants.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Upon
termination of a Participant’s employment due to disability (as defined in the Current Plan), Farmer Mac will pay, during the 12
months following termination, the difference between the Participant’s base salary and the amount of disability insurance payments
received by the Participant under Farmer Mac’s long-term disability policy if and to the extent that those Farmer Mac payments
will not cause a reduction in or offset of the policy payments. If a Participant dies after the start of those payments, the balance
will be payable in accordance with the beneficiary designation provisions of the Current Plan.
Under
the terms of a separately executed Participation Agreement (the “Participation Agreement”), upon termination of a Participant’s
employment for any reason under the Current Plan, Participants have agreed (i) not to compete with Farmer Mac, other than with Farmer
Mac’s written permission, for a period of one year; (ii) not to solicit any of Farmer Mac’s “members of management”
(as defined in the Participation Agreement) or employees for two years; (iii) not to disclose or use Farmer Mac’s “confidential
information” (as defined in the Participation Agreement); and (iv) not to disparage or diminish the reputation of Farmer Mac, its
products, services, officers, directors, or employees.
Participants
are not required to mitigate amounts of payments by seeking employment or otherwise, and payments under the Current Plan will not be
offset by amounts payable from new employment for services rendered during the 12 months following termination of employment with Farmer
Mac. However, the Participant’s eligibility for the continuation of COBRA will immediately cease upon the start of the new employment.
Amounts
payable to any Participant under the Current Plan are subject to any recoupment or clawback policy as may be implemented and interpreted
by Farmer Mac, including those implemented to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act, or any other applicable law and regulation.
Potential
Payments upon Termination and Change-in-Control
Other
than Mr. Crady, each of the current named executive officers would have been eligible to receive payments upon a termination without
cause or upon a termination without cause due to disability, occurring as of December 31, 2022. None of these individuals would have
been eligible to receive any payments upon resignation or retirement as of December 31, 2022.
The following
table shows the total that would be payable to each of Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm, Carpenter, and Mullery upon a termination without
cause occurring as of December 31, 2022:
Name1 |
Base
Salary |
Non-Equity
Incentive
Compensation |
Total |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
$800,000 |
$800,000 |
$1,600,000 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
$525,000 |
$236,250 |
$
761,250 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
$435,000 |
$326,250 |
$
761,250 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
$465,000 |
$186,000 |
$
651,000 |
1 |
As of December 31, 2022, each of Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Nordholm,
Carpenter, and Mullery would have also received all base salary accrued and unpaid as of the applicable date of termination and also
would have been entitled to continuation of health care coverage under COBRA at Farmer Mac’s expense for 12 months. |
The following table
shows the total that would be payable to each of the current named executive officers upon a termination without cause due to disability
occurring as of December 31, 2022:
Name1 |
Base
Salary |
Non-Equity
Incentive
Compensation |
Total |
Bradford
T. Nordholm |
$800,000 |
$0 |
$800,000 |
Aparna
Ramesh |
$525,000 |
$0 |
$525,000 |
Zachary
N. Carpenter |
$435,000 |
$0 |
$435,000 |
Stephen
P. Mullery |
$465,000 |
$0 |
$465,000 |
1 |
In the event of a termination without cause due to a disability,
Farmer Mac would pay each of Ms. Ramesh and Messrs. Carpenter and Mullery the difference between her or his current base salary and
the amount of disability insurance payments received by her or him under Farmer Mac’s long-term disability policy during the
12 months following termination. If Mr. Nordholm is not eligible for, or is otherwise not covered by, disability insurance, upon execution
of a separation agreement, Farmer Mac would continue to pay Mr. Nordholm’s then-current base salary during the 12 months following
termination. |
None
of the named executive officers are eligible to receive additional payments upon a change-in-control of Farmer Mac.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION GOVERNANCE
Equity Compensation
Plans
The following
table provides information relating to compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized to be issued as of December 31,
2022:
Plan
category |
Number
of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options
or SARs or vesting
of RSUs |
Weighted
average
exercise price of
outstanding options
and SARs (per share) |
Number
of securities
remaining available
for future issuance
under equity
compensation plans |
Equity
compensation plans not approved by stockholders |
— |
— |
— |
Equity
compensation plans approved by stockholders |
232,188 |
$75.82 |
1,113,278 |
As
of December 31, 2022, SARs covering 513,582 shares (net of canceled shares, shares retained by Farmer Mac to satisfy withholding obligations,
and shares disposed to Farmer Mac upon exercise) and 873,140 shares related to the vesting of RSUs (net of canceled shares) had been
granted under the Amended and Restated 2008 Omnibus Incentive Plan, leaving 1,113,278 shares of Class C Non-Voting Common Stock available
for future issuance of grants under the plan as of that date. SARs granted under the Amended and Restated 2008 Omnibus Incentive Plan
during 2022 have a weighted average exercise price of $75.82 per share.
CEO
Pay Ratio
Median
Employee
Under
regulations implemented by the SEC under the Dodd-Frank Act, Farmer Mac must disclose the ratio of annual total compensation of its Chief
Executive Officer to the median total compensation of all of Farmer Mac’s employees (excluding the Chief Executive Officer) for
the most recently completed fiscal year. Farmer Mac is using the same median employee in its pay ratio calculation from the prior fiscal
year because there has been no change in that employee’s circumstances that Farmer Mac believes would result in a significant change
in its pay ratio disclosure. Farmer Mac’s employee population remained materially consistent and its employee compensation arrangements
have not materially changed between 2021 and 2022, so the use of the same median employee did not result in a significant change to our
pay ratio disclosure. Excluding Farmer Mac’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Farmer Mac employed 158 individuals as of the
determination date. The year-to-date gross earnings consisted of the following for each individual employed by Farmer Mac as of the determination
date: base salary, annual short-term incentive compensation received for service during 2022, and the grant date fair value of any equity
award granted during 2022.
Ratio
of Annual Total Compensation of CEO to Median Employee
Farmer
Mac’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nordholm, served in that role for all of 2022, and his total annual
compensation has been set forth in the Summary Compensation Table in this proxy statement. The annual total compensation for the
median employee has been calculated using the same methodology used for our
named executive officers in the Summary Compensation
Table in this proxy statement. The calculations of annual total compensation for Mr. Nordholm and Farmer Mac’s median employee
are $3,532,666 and $159,500, respectively. Thus, Farmer Mac’s reasonable estimate of the 2022 CEO to median employee pay ratio
is 22:1. In light of the many different methodologies, assumptions, adjustments, and estimates that companies may apply under the
regulations implemented by the SEC under the Dodd-Frank Act, this information should not be used as a basis for comparison to other
companies.
Pay
Versus Performance Table
As
described in the CD&A, Farmer Mac’s executive compensation program is based on a pay-for-performance approach, meaning that
a significant portion of executive compensation is variable and closely tied to both individual performance and Farmer Mac’s financial
performance. The table below provides standardized data on executive compensation in a format prescribed by the SEC, which is intended
to be easier to link to company performance than the amounts already disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table (“SCT”)
and CD&A. The table compares the total compensation from the SCT to the compensation actually paid (“CAP”) for the
principal executive officer (“PEO”) and the average CAP paid to the other non-PEO named executive officers (“NEOs”)
during 2022 and the two previous years. CAP is based on the total compensation figures presented in the SCT, but adjusted to reflect
the change in actual value of outstanding equity-based awards (e.g., SARs and RSUs). For comparative purposes, the table also includes
for the same three-year period: (1) Farmer Mac’s total shareholder return (“TSR”) based on the performance of its Class
C Non-Voting Common Stock; (2) the TSR of the selected peer group (the S&P 500 Diversified Financials Index); (3) Farmer Mac’s
results for GAAP net income; and (4) Farmer Mac’s results for Core Earnings before Credit (a non-GAAP measure), which is Farmer
Mac’s company-selected metric for pay versus performance disclosures. The SCT amounts and the CAP amounts presented in the table
below do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to Farmer Mac’s named executive officers during the applicable
years, but rather are amounts determined in accordance with Item 402 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. See the CD&A above
for a more complete description of how executive compensation relates to Farmer Mac’s performance and how the Compensation Committee
makes its decisions.
|
1 |
1,2 |
1 |
1,2 |
3 |
4 |
|
5 |
|
Value
of Initial Fixed $100
Investment Based On: |
|
Year |
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
PEO1 |
Compensation
Actually Paid
to PEO1,2 |
Average
Summary
Compensation
Table Total for
Non-PEO NEOs1 |
Average
Compensation
Actually Paid to
non-PEO NEOs1,2 |
Farmer
Mac’s
TSR3 |
Peer
Group
TSR4 |
Net
Income |
Earnings5 |
2022 |
$3,532,666 |
$3,094,824 |
$1,136,013 |
$1,033,285 |
$152 |
$134 |
$178,144,000 |
$125,598,000 |
2021 |
$3,211,156 |
$5,060,035 |
$1,045,533 |
$1,465,036 |
$161 |
$151 |
$136,089,000 |
$111,842,000 |
2020 |
$2,680,795 |
$2,445,320 |
$1,117,787 |
$1,022,015 |
$
93 |
$111 |
$114,376,000 |
$106,639,000 |
1 |
Mr.
Nordholm served as the PEO in all three years presented. The Non-PEO NEOs included for 2021 and 2022 consisted of Ms. Ramesh, Mr.
Carpenter, Mr. Crady, and Mr. Mullery. The Non-PEO NEOs included for 2020 consisted of Ms. Ramesh, Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Mullery, and
former executive officer John C. Covington. |
2 |
To
calculate CAP, the amounts shown below were deducted from and added to total compensation shown in the SCT. Farmer Mac has no pension
plans or other defined benefit programs that affect the recalculation of the compensation disclosed under the SCT. Dividend equivalents
paid in cash on vested RSUs are already included in the SCT totals for the PEO and the other NEOs. |
3 |
Farmer
Mac’s TSR is based on the performance of its Class C Non-Voting Common Stock. |
4 |
Farmer
Mac selected the companies included in the S&P 500 Diversified Financials Index as the peer group to show a peer group TSR compared
to Farmer Mac’s TSR. Farmer Mac has presented the performance of the S&P 500 Diversified Financials Index in the performance
graphs included in its annual reports to stockholders since 2007. Farmer Mac’s relative performance against the S&P 500
Diversified Financials Index is also one of the metrics used in the March 9, 2023 award of performance-based RSUs to Mr. Nordholm
designed to retain him as Farmer Mac’s PEO through early 2026 and to reward performance. |
5 |
As
described in more detail in the CD&A, “Earnings” (sometimes referred to as “Core Earnings Before Credit”)
is the non-GAAP financial measure of “core earnings” reported by Farmer Mac, excluding the after-tax effects of provisions
for losses, gains or losses on fair value, or sale of REO property. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Approach
to Incentive Compensation—Short-Term Incentive Compensation.” For a reconciliation of Farmer Mac’s GAAP net income
attributable to common stockholders to non-GAAP core earnings, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations” in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2022. |
Reconciliation
of PEO’s SCT Total to PEO’s CAP:
Year |
SCT
Total |
Cumulative
Deductions
from SCT Totali |
Cumulative
Additions to SCT
Totalii |
CAP |
2022 |
$3,532,666 |
$1,574,299 |
$1,136,457 |
$3,094,824 |
2021 |
$3,211,156 |
$1,095,102 |
$2,943,981 |
$5,060,035 |
2020 |
$2,680,795 |
$1,093,672 |
$
858,197 |
$2,445,320 |
i |
Represents
the grant date fair value of equity-based awards granted each year. No change in pension value is reported for any of the years reflected
in this table. More detail about the specific deductions and additions to the SCT totals to arrive at the CAP totals is presented
in the separate “Adjustments” table below. |
ii |
Reflects
the value of equity calculated in accordance with SEC methodology for determining CAP for each year shown. More detail about the
specific deductions and additions to the SCT totals to arrive at the CAP totals is presented in the separate “Adjustments”
table below. |
Reconciliation
of Average Non-PEO NEO SCT Total to Average Non-PEO NEO CAP:
Year |
SCT
Total |
Cumulative
Deductions
from SCT Totali |
Cumulative
Additions to SCT
Totalii |
CAP |
2022 |
$1,136,013 |
$368,737 |
$266,009 |
$1,033,285 |
2021 |
$1,045,533 |
$291,803 |
$711,306 |
$1,465,036 |
2020 |
$1,117,787 |
$385,762 |
$289,990 |
$1,022,015 |
i |
Represents
the grant date fair value of equity-based awards granted each year. No change in pension value is reported for any of the years reflected
in this table. More detail about the specific deductions and additions to the SCT totals to arrive at the CAP totals is presented
in the separate “Adjustments” table below. |
ii |
Reflects
the value of equity calculated in accordance with SEC methodology for determining CAP for each year shown. More detail about the
specific deductions and additions to the SCT totals to arrive at the CAP totals is presented in the separate “Adjustments”
table below. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjustments |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
PEO |
Average of
Other NEOs |
PEO |
Average of
Other NEOs |
PEO |
Average of
Other NEOs |
SCT
Amounts |
$ |
3,532,666 |
|
$ |
1,136,013 |
|
$ |
3,211,156 |
|
$ |
1,045,533 |
|
$ |
2,680,795 |
|
$ |
1,117,787 |
|
Adjustments
for defined benefit and actuarial pension plans |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Subtract):
Aggregate change in actuarial present value included in SCT Amounts for the covered fiscal year |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
Add:
Service cost for the covered fiscal year |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
Add:
Prior service cost for the covered fiscal year |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
Adjustments
for stock and option awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Subtract):
Aggregate value for stock awards and option awards included in SCT Amounts for the covered fiscal year |
$ |
(1,175,634) |
|
$ |
(277,089) |
|
$ |
(1,095,102) |
|
$ |
(291,803) |
|
$ |
(852,948) |
|
$ |
(285,622) |
|
Add:
Fair value at year end of awards granted during the covered fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal
year end |
$ |
940,719 |
|
$ |
266,009 |
|
$ |
1,716,391 |
|
$ |
457,320 |
|
$ |
858,197 |
|
$ |
289,990 |
|
Add/(Subtract):
Year-over-year change in fair value at covered fiscal year end of awards granted in any prior fiscal year that were outstanding and
unvested at the covered fiscal year end |
$ |
(149,823) |
|
$ |
(41,443) |
|
$ |
892,796 |
|
$ |
200,666 |
|
$ |
(139,027) |
|
$ |
(28,588) |
|
Add:
Vesting date fair value of awards granted and vested during the covered fiscal year |
$ |
195,738 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
Add/(Subtract):
Change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year for
which vesting conditions were satisfied during the covered fiscal year |
$ |
(248,843) |
|
$ |
(50,205) |
|
$ |
334,795 |
|
$ |
53,320 |
|
$ |
(101,697) |
|
$ |
(71,553) |
|
(Subtract):
Fair value at end of prior fiscal year of awards granted in any prior fiscal year that failed to meet the applicable vesting conditions
during the covered fiscal year |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
Add:
Dividends or other earnings paid on stock or option awards in the covered fiscal year prior to vesting if not otherwise included
in the total compensation for the covered fiscal year |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
CAP
Amounts (as calculated) |
$ |
3,094,824 |
|
$ |
1,033,285 |
|
$ |
5,060,035 |
|
$ |
1,465,036 |
|
$ |
2,445,320 |
|
$ |
1,022,015 |
|
3 |
Farmer
Mac’s TSR is based on the performance of its Class C Non-Voting Common Stock. |
4 |
Farmer
Mac selected the companies included in the S&P 500 Diversified Financials Index as the peer group to show a peer group TSR compared
to Farmer Mac’s TSR. Farmer Mac has presented the performance of the S&P 500 Diversified Financials Index in the performance
graphs included in its annual reports to stockholders since 2007. Farmer Mac’s relative performance against the S&P 500
Diversified Financials Index is also one of the metrics used in the March 9, 2023 award of performance-based RSUs to Mr. Nordholm
designed to retain him as Farmer Mac’s PEO through early 2026 and to reward performance. |
5 |
As
described in more detail in the CD&A, “Earnings” (sometimes referred to as “Core Earnings Before Credit”)
is the non-GAAP financial measure of “core earnings” reported by Farmer Mac, excluding the after-tax effects of provisions
for losses, gains or losses on fair value, or sale of REO property. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Approach
to Incentive Compensation—Short-Term Incentive Compensation.” For a reconciliation of Farmer Mac’s GAAP net income
attributable to common stockholders to non-GAAP core earnings, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations” in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2022. |
Most
Important Measures to Determine 2022 CAP
In
Farmer Mac’s assessment, the seven metrics listed below represent the most important financial performance measures that Farmer
Mac used to link each NEO’s compensation to Farmer Mac’s performance in 2022. Each of the listed financial measures was either
used in the balanced “scorecard” to determine annual short-term incentive compensation awards for performance in 2022 or
to determine the vesting of long-term performance-based RSUs that vested in 2022:
Earnings
(Core Earnings before Credit) |
Total
Revenues |
Business
Volume |
Ratio
of Substandard Assets to Regulatory Capital |
Compliance
with applicable capital requirements |
Net
charge-offs |
90-day
delinquencies |
These
measures are not listed or ranked in any particular order and are further described above in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Approach
to Incentive Compensation,” “—Total Compensation Elements—Annual Cash Incentive Compensation” and “—Total
Compensation Elements—Long-Term Incentive Compensation.” Although it is always a challenge to narrow down to a few measures, the Compensation Committee chose these measures because they most closely represent the business goals established by the Board
and management for 2022 and balance the need for business volume growth, earnings, disciplined underwriting, high credit quality, and
continued financial stability with the enhancement of stockholder value. Farmer Mac believes that Earnings (sometimes referred to as
Core Earnings before Credit) is the most important financial performance measure tied to executive compensation. Earnings is used to
determine 25% of annual short-term incentive compensation awards and most appropriately reflects Farmer Mac’s overall performance
over the short-term. Cumulative three-year Earnings is also the primary measure used to determine the vesting of performance-based
RSUs granted to the NEOs in 2022 and 2023.
Description
of Pay Versus Performance Relationships
Company
TSR versus Peer Group TSR. Farmer Mac’s three-year cumulative TSR for 2020-2022 outperformed the companies included in the
S&P 500 Diversified Financials Index selected as the peer group. The peer group TSR was higher than Farmer Mac’s TSR in 2020,
but Farmer Mac’s TSR was higher in both 2021 and 2022.
CAP
versus Company TSR. The CAP for the PEO and the average CAP for the non-PEO NEOs were aligned with Farmer Mac’s TSR during
2020-2022, as fluctuations in the stock price of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting Common Stock is a significant driver of the calculation
of
CAP.
All those measures increased significantly in 2021 compared to 2020 but then decreased from 2021 to 2022. During 2021, Farmer Mac experienced
significant price appreciation in the shares of its Class C Non-Voting Common Stock, increasing from about $74 at the end of 2020 to
about $124 at the end of 2021. By the end of 2022, Farmer Mac’s stock price had decreased to about $113 at the end of 2022. Those
changes in stock price during the three-year period were consistent with the changes in CAP to both the PEO and non-PEO NEOs, as the
significant stock price increase in 2021 resulted in a significant increase in CAP for that year, primarily because of the effect of
the higher stock price on the fair value of unvested equity awards for 2021. This relationship is by design, as the value of Farmer Mac’s
equity-based incentive awards are tied directly to stock price in addition to the company’s financial performance.
CAP
versus Net Income and Earnings. As described in more detail in the CD&A, non-GAAP Earnings is derived from GAAP net income attributable
to common stockholders (which is GAAP net income less dividends paid on preferred stock and any losses on the retirement of preferred
stock), and Farmer Mac uses Earnings as a financial metric to determine payouts in both its short-term and long-term incentive programs.
The CAP for the PEO and the average CAP for the non- PEO NEOs were not completely aligned with Farmer Mac’s consistently improving
GAAP net income and non-GAAP Earnings during 2020- 2022. Both of those financial metrics increased significantly each year during the
three-year period, particularly from 2021 to 2022. In contrast, the PEO’s and other NEOs’ CAP varied each year during that
period, increasing significantly from 2020 to 2021 but then decreasing from 2021 to 2022. This is due in large part to the significant
emphasis that Farmer Mac places on equity-based incentive compensation, which is sensitive to changes in stock price as discussed in
the section above. Each of net income and Earnings may or may not have an overall impact on CAP as calculated in accordance with applicable
rules for a variety of reasons, including: (1) short-term incentive performance payments, while at risk and connected to performance,
are only one component of CAP, and the other components of CAP can, in the aggregate, have a greater influence on the result than any
one metric; and (2) a substantial amount of the variation in year-over-year executive CAP is tied to changes in Farmer Mac’s stock
price. Although Farmer Mac’s stock price is often positively correlated with the company’s profitability and core performance,
that is not always the case. As a result, above-target performance on the financial measures evaluated by Farmer Mac’s short- and
long-term performance programs may be otherwise negated by a negative trend in the share price of Farmer Mac’s Class C Non-Voting
Common Stock in the calculation of CAP. Many factors can affect Farmer Mac’s stock price that may not be directly, indirectly,
or related at all to Farmer Mac’s profitability and performance, including trading volume, the individual decisions of investors,
and general economic and market conditions, all of which Farmer Mac and the NEOs have no control over.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS
| | Review
of Related Person Transactions |
The
Board has adopted a written Related Person Transactions Approval Policy that is administered by the Corporate Governance Committee. This
policy applies to any transaction or series of transactions in which Farmer Mac or any of its subsidiaries is a participant, the amount
involved exceeds $120,000, and a “related person” has a direct or indirect material interest. The policy requires each director,
director nominee, or executive officer involved in such a transaction to notify the General Counsel of each such transaction. Farmer
Mac reviews all relationships and transactions in which Farmer Mac and its directors, director nominees, and executive officers or their
immediate family members are participants to determine whether those persons have a direct or indirect material interest. Farmer Mac’s
legal staff is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of processes and controls to obtain information from the
directors and executive officers regarding related person transactions. Under the policy, the General Counsel will determine whether
a transaction meets the requirements of a “related person transaction” requiring review by the Corporate Governance Committee.
Transactions that fall within this definition will be referred to the Corporate Governance Committee for approval, ratification, or other
action. Based on its consideration of all of the relevant facts and circumstances, the Corporate Governance Committee will decide whether
or not to approve the transaction and will approve only those transactions that are in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests
of Farmer Mac and its stockholders. If Farmer Mac becomes aware of an existing related person transaction that has not been approved
under this policy, the matter will be referred to the Corporate Governance Committee, which will then evaluate all options available,
including ratification, revision, or termination of the transaction. A related person transaction entered into without the Corporate
Governance Committee’s pre-approval will not violate this policy, or be invalid or unenforceable, so long as the transaction is
brought to the Corporate Governance Committee as promptly as reasonably practical after it is entered into. Transactions that are determined
to be directly or indirectly material to Farmer Mac or a related person are disclosed in Farmer Mac’s Proxy Statement as required
by SEC rules.
| | Transactions
with Related
Persons in 2022 |
From
time to time, Farmer Mac purchases or commits to purchase qualified loans, USDA-guaranteed portions of loans, or AgVantage® securities
from, or enters into other business relationships with, institutions that own 5% or more of a class of Farmer Mac’s Voting Common
Stock or that have an employee, officer, or director who is also a member of Farmer Mac’s Board. These transactions are conducted
in the ordinary course of business, with terms and conditions comparable to those applicable to entities unaffiliated with Farmer Mac.
To the extent these transactions involve indebtedness issued by the related person, those transactions were made on substantially the
same terms as those prevailing at the time for comparable loans with persons not related to Farmer Mac and did not involve more than
the normal risk of collectability or present other unfavorable features. Although Farmer Mac entered into transactions with related persons
in 2022, it was determined that none of those transactions resulted in a related person having a direct or indirect material interest
that would require disclosure as a “related person transaction” under SEC rules. For more information about transactions
between Farmer Mac and related persons, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results
of Operations—Related Party Transactions” and Note 3 in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2022.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The
following report of the Audit Committee shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material,” or to be “filed” with
the SEC, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing by Farmer Mac under the Securities Act or the Exchange
Act, except to the extent that Farmer Mac specifically requests that the information be treated as soliciting material or specifically
incorporates the report by reference into a document.
The
Audit Committee and the Board review the Audit Committee Charter annually and approve changes as appropriate. During 2022, the Audit
Committee reviewed and recommended approval of a revised Audit Committee Charter, which the Board approved in November 2022. The complete
text of the Audit Committee Charter, which reflects standards set forth in SEC regulations and NYSE listing requirements, is available
on Farmer Mac’s website, www.farmermac.com, in the “Corporate Governance” portion of the “Investors” section.
A print copy of the Audit Committee Charter is available free of charge upon written request to Farmer Mac’s Secretary at 1999
K Street, N.W., Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006.
In
March 2023, the Board determined that: (1) all of the directors who serve on the Audit Committee
are “independent,” as defined in Farmer Mac’s Corporate Governance Guidelines,
which incorporate the heightened independence requirements set forth under applicable SEC
and NYSE rules for directors serving on the Audit Committee; and (2) James Engebretsen
is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in SEC rules. Mr. Engebretsen
is not an auditor or accountant for Farmer Mac, does not perform field work, and is not an
employee of Farmer Mac. In accordance with the SEC’s safe harbor relating to audit
committee financial experts, a person designated or identified as an audit committee financial
expert will not be deemed to be an “expert” for purposes of the federal securities
laws. Also, the designation or identification as an audit committee financial expert does
not impose on a director any duties, obligations, or liabilities that are greater than those
imposed on that director as a member of the Audit Committee and Board in the absence of that
designation or identification, and does not affect the duties, obligations, or liabilities
of any other member of the Audit Committee or Board.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
Audit Committee
Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2022
To Our Stockholders:
Management
is primarily responsible for establishing and maintaining the financial public reporting process, including the system of internal accounting
controls, and for the preparation of Farmer Mac’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States. The Audit Committee, on behalf of the Board, monitors Farmer Mac’s financial reporting
processes and systems of internal accounting control, the independence and performance of the independent auditor, and the performance
of the internal audit function. Farmer Mac’s independent auditor is responsible for auditing those consolidated financial statements
and expressing an opinion as to their conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and on management’s assessment of
the effectiveness of Farmer Mac’s internal control over financial reporting. The independent auditor will also express its own
opinion on the effectiveness of Farmer Mac’s internal control over financial reporting.
Management
has represented to the Audit Committee that Farmer Mac’s audited consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed Farmer Mac’s audited
consolidated financial statements with both management and Farmer Mac’s independent auditor before their issuance. The Audit Committee
has discussed with the independent auditor its evaluation of the accounting principles, practices, and judgments applied by management,
and the Audit Committee has discussed any items required to be communicated to it by the independent auditor under rules and regulations
promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the standards established
by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, including matters required to be discussed under PCAOB Auditing Standard No.
1301 (Communications With Audit Committees).
As
to Farmer Mac’s independent auditor, the Audit Committee, among other things, received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP the written
disclosures as required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent accountants’ communications with the
Audit Committee concerning independence, and discussed with them their independence from Farmer Mac and its management. The Audit Committee
has reviewed and pre-approved the audit fees of the independent auditor. It also has approved non-audit services and reviewed fees
for services to assure compliance with applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and applicable rules and regulations to assure compliance with the auditor independence requirements that prohibit independent auditors from performing specified services that might impair
their independence, as well as compliance with Farmer Mac’s and the Audit Committee’s policies.
The
Audit Committee discussed with Farmer Mac’s independent auditor the overall scope of and plans for its audit. Finally, the Audit
Committee continued to monitor the scope and adequacy of Farmer Mac’s internal auditing program, including proposals for adequate
staffing and to strengthen internal procedures and controls where appropriate.
In
reliance upon these reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Board approve the inclusion
of Farmer Mac’s audited consolidated financial statements in Farmer Mac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2022 for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as filed on February 24, 2023.
Audit
Committee
Dennis
L. Brack, Chair
Everett M. Dobrinski |
|
James
R. Engebretsen |
Eric T. McKissack |
|
Charles A. Stones |
AUDIT
MATTERS
AUDIT
MATTERS
| | Audit
Fees |
Farmer
Mac incurred an aggregate of $2,215,000 in fees for 2022 and $1,940,000 in fees for 2021 for professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP for the audit of Farmer Mac’s 2022 and 2021 annual financial statements included in Farmer Mac’s annual reports on Form
10-K, the audit of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting under Section 404
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and the review of the financial statements included in Farmer Mac’s quarterly reports on Form
10-Q during 2022 and 2021. Farmer Mac did not incur any fees for out-of-pocket expenses billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for 2022
or 2021 in connection with providing these services.
| | Audit-Related
Fees |
Farmer
Mac incurred an aggregate of $ 195,000 in fees for 2022 and $260,000 in fees for 2021 for the services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, including the issuance of comfort letters and consultations on various accounting matters and other technical
issues for assurance, that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit of Farmer Mac’s annual financial statements
and the review of the financial statements included in Farmer Mac’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and not reported in
“—Audit Fees” above.
| | Tax
Fees |
Farmer Mac incurred
an aggregate of $ 190,000 in fees for 2022 and $90,000 in fees for 2021 for professional services for tax compliance, tax advice,
and tax planning rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
| | All
Other Fees |
Farmer Mac incurred
an aggregate of $ 125,000 in fees for 2022 and $5,000 in fees for 2021 for use of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s research and
analytics tools.
| | Audit
Committee
Pre-Approval Policies |
Under
the Audit Committee Charter and the Audit Committee’s pre-approval policy and consistent with SEC policies on auditor independence,
the Audit Committee considers and pre-approves, as appropriate, all auditing and permissible non-auditing services provided by Farmer
Mac’s independent auditor before the engagement of the independent auditor for those services. The Audit Committee handled the
audit fee negotiations associated with the retention of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Farmer Mac’s independent auditor for 2023.
The Audit Committee has delegated the authority to grant pre-approvals to the chair of the Audit Committee if pre-approval is necessary
for business purposes and the convening of a meeting of the Audit Committee is not practicable. The chair’s decisions to grant
any pre-approval must be presented to the full Audit Committee at its scheduled meetings. All of the services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP in 2022 and 2021 were pre-approved by the Audit Committee or the chair of the Audit Committee, in accordance with the Audit Committee’s
pre-approval policy.
PROPOSAL
2: SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT AUDITOR
PROPOSAL
2:
SELECTION
OF INDEPENDENT AUDITOR
The
By-Laws of Farmer Mac provide that the Audit Committee shall select Farmer Mac’s independent auditor “annually in advance
of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and [that selection] shall be submitted for ratification or rejection at such meeting.”
The Audit Committee reviews the scope and results of the audits, the accounting principles being applied, and the effectiveness of internal
controls. The Audit Committee also ensures that management fulfills its responsibilities in the preparation of Farmer Mac’s financial
statements.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP has served as Farmer Mac’s independent auditor since March 2010. In determining whether to reappoint PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP as Farmer Mac’s independent auditor for 2023, the Audit Committee considered many factors, including:
| ● | the
professional qualifications of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the lead engagement partner,
including their technical expertise and industry knowledge; |
| ● | PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP’s independence from Farmer Mac and its processes for maintaining its independence; |
| ● | PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP’s depth of understanding of Farmer Mac’s business, accounting policies and
practices, and internal control over financial reporting; |
| ● | the
quality of the Audit Committee’s ongoing discussions with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and its evaluation of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s prior performance; |
| ● | PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP’s tenure and the impact on Farmer Mac of changing auditors; and |
| ● | an
evaluation of the lead audit partner, who the Audit Committee ensures is rotated at least
every five years in accordance with SEC rules and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s policies. |
Based
on these factors and in accordance with the By-Laws, the Audit Committee has unanimously selected and recommended to the stock- holders
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Farmer Mac’s independent auditor for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.
This
proposal is presented to the stockholders for approval as provided in the By-Laws and in conformity with the current practice of seeking stockholder approval of the selection of the independent auditor. The ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
as Farmer Mac’s independent auditor requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the holders of shares of Farmer
Mac’s Voting Common Stock entitled to vote and represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting. Representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP are expected to attend the Meeting. They will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and will be available
to answer appropriate questions from stockholders present at the Meeting.
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the proposal to ratify the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent auditor
for Farmer Mac for 2023. Proxies solicited by the Board will be so voted unless holders of Farmer Mac’s Voting Common Stock
specify to the contrary on their proxies, or unless authority to vote is withheld.
PROPOSAL
3: ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF FARMER MAC‘S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
PROPOSAL
3:
ADVISORY
VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF
FARMER MAC’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
In
accordance with SEC rules adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act, Farmer Mac is seeking from its voting stockholders an advisory vote to approve
the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers as described in this Proxy Statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the related tabular disclosures, and the accompanying narrative disclosures.
The
Dodd-Frank Act requires Farmer Mac to hold an advisory vote to approve the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers
at least once every three years. Consistent with the vote of its stock- holders at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Farmer Mac
is presenting this non-binding vote to its stockholders on an annual basis.
Farmer
Mac’s executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate, and retain highly qualified executive officers who are able
to achieve corporate objectives, fulfill Farmer Mac’s public policy mission, and enhance stockholder value. The Compensation Committee
believes that Farmer Mac’s executive compensation program reflects a strong pay-for-performance philosophy that is consistent with
the risk tolerance of Farmer Mac and reflects the long-term interests of stockholders. The Compensation Discussion and Analysis section
beginning on page 30 provides a more detailed discussion of Farmer Mac’s executive compensation philosophy and program.
The
Compensation Committee believes that Farmer Mac’s executive compensation program has been effective at attracting and retaining
a high-performing executive team that is appropriately motivated to achieve the strategic, financial, and operational goals established
by the Board.
Voting
stockholders are being asked to vote on the following resolution:
RESOLVED,
that the voting stockholders of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of Farmer
Mac’s named executive officers, as described in this Proxy Statement pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC,
including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the related tabular disclosures, and the accompanying narrative disclosures.
This
advisory vote to approve the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers is not binding. The outcome of the vote on this
proposal by stockholders will not require Farmer Mac’s Board or the Compensation Committee to take any action on Farmer Mac’s
executive compensation practices. However, the Board values the opinions of Farmer Mac’s stockholders as expressed through their
votes and communications and will consider the result of the vote when determining future executive compensation arrangements.
Adoption
of this non-binding resolution will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by the holders of shares of Farmer Mac’s
Voting Common Stock entitled to vote and represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting. The Board of Directors recommends a vote
FOR adoption of the resolution approving, on an advisory basis, the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers, as described
in this Proxy Statement, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the related tabular disclosures, and the accompanying narrative
disclosures. Proxies solicited by the Board will be so voted unless holders of Farmer Mac’s Voting Common Stock specify to
the contrary on their proxies, or unless authority to vote is withheld.
PROPOSAL
4: ADVISORY VOTE TO SELECT FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON THE COMPENSATION OF FARMER MAC‘S
NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
PROPOSAL
4:
ADVISORY
VOTE TO SELECT FREQUENCY OF FUTURE
ADVISORY VOTES ON THE COMPENSATION OF FARMER
MAC’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
In
addition to providing stockholders with the opportunity to cast an advisory vote on executive compensation, Farmer Mac is seeking from
its stockholders, in accordance with the rules of the SEC adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act, an advisory vote on whether an advisory vote
on the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers should occur every one, two, or three years.
Stockholders
are being asked to cast a vote on their preferred voting frequency by choosing the option of one year, two years, or three years, or
to abstain from voting when voting in response to the resolution set forth below:
RESOLVED,
that the option of once every one year, two years, or three years that receives the highest number of votes cast for this resolution
will be determined to be the preferred frequency with which Farmer Mac should hold a stockholder vote to approve, on an advisory basis,
the compensation of its named executive officers, as disclosed at the time.
The
option of one year, two years, or three years that receives the highest number of votes cast by stockholders will be deemed to be the
frequency for the advisory votes on compensation of named executive
officers
that has been selected by stockholders. However, because this vote is advisory and not binding on Farmer Mac’s Board of Directors
or Farmer Mac, Farmer Mac’s Board may decide that it is in the best interests of Farmer Mac’s stockholders and Farmer Mac
to hold an advisory vote on executive compensation more or less frequently than the option selected by the highest number of votes cast
by Farmer Mac’s voting stockholders.
The
Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote for a frequency of one year for future stockholder advisory votes to approve the
compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers. Farmer Mac believes that holding this vote every year will allow the
Board of Directors and the Human Capital and Compensation Committee the opportunity to implement any changes they deem appropriate
in response to the vote results before the next executive compensation cycle. Proxies solicited by the Board of Directors will be so
voted unless holders of Farmer Mac’s Voting Common Stock specify to the contrary on their proxies, or unless authority to vote
is withheld.
SOLICITATION
OF PROXIES
SOLICITATION
OF PROXIES
Farmer
Mac will pay the cost of the Meeting and the costs of soliciting proxies, including the cost of mailing the proxy materials. Farmer Mac
has retained D.F. King & Co., Inc. to act as Farmer Mac’s proxy solicitation firm for a fee of $6,500 plus expenses. Besides
solicitation by mail, employees of D.F. King may solicit proxies by telephone, electronic mail, or personal interview. Brokerage houses,
nominees, fiduciaries, and other custodians will be requested to forward solicitation material to the beneficial owners of shares of
Voting Common Stock held of record by them, and Farmer Mac will reimburse them for their reasonable expenses.
OTHER
MATTERS
In
addition to the scheduled items of business set forth in this Proxy Statement, the enclosed proxy confers on the Proxy Committee discretionary authority to vote the shares represented thereby in accordance with its members’ best judgment on all other matters
that may be brought before the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof and matters incident to the Meeting. The Board does
not know of any other matter that may properly be presented for action at the Meeting. If any other matters not known at the time this
Proxy Statement was printed are properly brought before the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Meeting, the Proxy Committee
intends to vote proxies in accordance with its members’ best judgment.
Upon
written request, Farmer Mac will furnish, without charge, to each person whose proxy is being solicited a copy of its Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as filed with the SEC, which includes financial statements. Written requests should
be directed to Farmer Mac’s Secretary at 1999 K Street, N.W., Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006. A copy of Farmer Mac’s
most recent Form 10-K is also available on its website (www.farmermac.com) in the “Financial information” portion of the
“investors” section. Please note that all references to www.farmermac.com and www.sec.gov in this Proxy Statement are inactive
textual references only and that the information contained on these websites is not incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement.
The giving of your proxy will
not affect your right to vote your shares personally if you attend the Meeting. In any event, it is important that you complete, sign,
and return the enclosed proxy card promptly to ensure that your shares are voted.
|
|
By
order of the |
|
|
Board
of Directors, |
|
|
|
April
14, 2023 |
|
Stephen
P. Mullery |
|
|
|
Washington,
D.C. |
|
Secretary |
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION May 18, 2023 NOTICE OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIAL:
The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement, Proxy Card, and 2022 Annual Report are available at www.farmermac.com/investors/financial-information/
Please sign, date and mail your proxy card in the envelope provided as soon as possible. Signature of Stockholder Date: Signature of Stockholder
Date: Note: Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When
signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please
sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership
name by authorized person. To change the address on your account, please check the box at right and indicate your new address in the address
space above. Please note that changes to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted via this method. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF ALL NOMINEES, FOR PROPOSAL 2, FOR PROPOSAL 3, AND 1 YEAR FOR PROPOSAL 4. PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN
PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE x Please detach along perforated line and
mail in the envelope provided. 20530304000000001000 2 051823 GO GREEN e-Consent makes it easy to go paperless. With e-Consent, you can
quickly access your proxy material, statements and other eligible documents online, while reducing costs, clutter and paper waste. Enroll
today via www.astfinancial.com to enjoy online access. 1. Election of Directors: O (01) Dennis L. Brack _______ O (02) James R. Engebretsen
_______ O (03) Mitchell A. Johnson _______ O (04) Eric T. McKissack _______ O (05) Todd P. Ware _______ 2. Proposal to ratify the selection
of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent auditor for Farmer Mac for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. 3. Proposal to approve,
on an advisory basis, the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers disclosed in the Proxy Statement. 4. Proposal to
approve, on an advisory basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers.
In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting. This
proxy when properly executed will be voted as directed herein by the undersigned stockholder. If no direction is made, this proxy will
be voted FOR the election of all nominees, FOR proposal 2, FOR proposal 3, and 1 YEAR for proposal 4. *INSTRUCTIONS TO CUMULATE YOUR VOTE:
To cumulate your vote for one or more of the listed nominees, write the manner in which such votes shall be cumulated by indicating the
allocation by percentage or number of votes in the space to the right of the nominee name(s). The cumulative number of votes you have
is 5 times the number of shares of Class A Voting Common Stock you owned on March 24, 2023. All of your votes may be cast for a single
nominee or may be distributed among any number of nominees. If you are cumulating your vote, do not mark the circle to the left of the
name of the nominee(s) for whom you are voting. If you withhold authority to vote for any nominee(s), your votes will be allocated equally
among the remaining nominees unless you specify a different allocation in accordance with these instructions. FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN FOR
ALL NOMINEES WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ALL NOMINEES FOR ALL EXCEPT (See instructions below) NOMINEES: MARK “X” HERE IF YOU PLAN
TO ATTEND THE MEETING. INSTRUCTIONS: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “FOR ALL EXCEPT” and fill in the circle next
to each nominee you wish to withhold, as shown here: TO CUMULATE YOUR VOTE, SEE INSTRUCTION AT RIGHT.
FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION PROXY FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS, MAY 18, 2023 THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The undersigned hereby appoints Stephen P. Mullery, Bradford T. Nordholm, and Aparna Ramesh and any of them, as
Proxies for the undersigned and to vote all of the shares of Class A Voting Common Stock of the FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION
(“Farmer Mac”) that the undersigned is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Farmer Mac to be held at
8:00 a.m. on May 18, 2023 at the Boardroom, 1999 K Street, N.W., Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006, and at any adjournment or postponement
thereof. IN THEIR DISCRETION, THE PROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING. THIS PROXY
IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED AS INSTRUCTED HEREIN. IF NO INSTRUCTIONS ARE
GIVEN, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF ALL NOMINEES, FOR PROPOSAL 2, FOR PROPOSAL 3, AND 1 YEAR FOR PROPOSAL 4. PLEASE VOTE,
DATE, AND SIGN ON REVERSE SIDE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. (Continued and to be signed on the reverse side)
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION May 18, 2023 NOTICE OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIAL:
The Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement, Proxy Card, and 2022 Annual Report are available at www.farmermac.com/investors/financial-information/
Please sign, date and mail your proxy card in the envelope provided as soon as possible. Signature of Shareholder Date: Signature of Shareholder
Date: Note: Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When
signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please
sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership
name by authorized person. To change the address on your account, please check the box at right and indicate your new address in the address
space above. Please note that changes to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted via this method. INSTRUCTIONS: To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “FOR ALL EXCEPT” and fill in the circle next to each nominee
you wish to withhold, as shown here: TO CUMULATE YOUR VOTE, SEE INSTRUCTION AT RIGHT. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE
ELECTION OF ALL NOMINEES, FOR PROPOSAL 2, FOR PROPOSAL 3, AND 1 YEAR FOR PROPOSAL 4. PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED
ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE x Please detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope provided.
20530304000000001000 2 051823 GO GREEN e-Consent makes it easy to go paperless. With e-Consent, you can quickly access your proxy material,
statements and other eligible documents online, while reducing costs, clutter and paper waste. Enroll today via www.astfinancial.com to
enjoy online access. 1. Election of Directors: O (01) Richard H. Davidson _______ O (02) Everett M. Dobrinski _______ O (03) Amy H. Gales
_______ O (04) Robert G. Sexton _______ O (05) Roy H. Tiarks _______ FOR ALL NOMINEES WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ALL NOMINEES FOR ALL EXCEPT
(See instructions below) NOMINEES: MARK “X” HERE IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING. 2. Proposal to ratify the selection of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent auditor for Farmer Mac for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. 3. Proposal to approve,
on an advisory basis, the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers disclosed in the Proxy Statement. 4. Proposal to
approve, on an advisory basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of Farmer Mac’s named executive officers.
In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting. This
proxy when properly executed will be voted as directed herein by the undersigned stockholder. If no direction is made, this proxy will
be voted FOR the election of all nominees, FOR proposal 2, FOR proposal 3, and 1 YEAR for proposal 4. *INSTRUCTIONS TO CUMULATE YOUR VOTE:
To cumulate your vote for one or more of the listed nominees, write the manner in which such votes shall be cumulated by indicating the
allocation by percentage or number of votes in the space to the right of the nominee name(s). The cumulative number of votes you have
is 5 times the number of shares of Class B Voting Common Stock you owned on March 24, 2023. All of your votes may be cast for a single
nominee or may be distributed among any number of nominees. If you are cumulating your vote, do not mark the circle to the left of the
name of the nominee(s) for whom you are voting. If you withhold authority to vote for any nominee(s), your votes will be allocated equally
among the remaining nominees unless you specify a different allocation in accordance with these instructions.
FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION PROXY FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS, MAY 18, 2023 THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The undersigned hereby appoints Stephen P. Mullery, Bradford T. Nordholm, and Aparna Ramesh and any of them, as
Proxies for the undersigned and to vote all of the shares of Class B Voting Common Stock of the FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION
(“Farmer Mac”) that the undersigned is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Farmer Mac to be held at
8:00 a.m. on May 18, 2023 at the Boardroom, 1999 K Street, N.W., Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006, and at any adjournment or postponement
thereof. IN THEIR DISCRETION, THE PROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING. THIS PROXY
IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED AS INSTRUCTED HEREIN. IF NO INSTRUCTIONS ARE
GIVEN, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF ALL NOMINEES, FOR PROPOSAL 2, FOR PROPOSAL 3, AND 1 YEAR FOR PROPOSAL 4. PLEASE VOTE,
DATE, AND SIGN ON REVERSE SIDE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. (Continued and to be signed on the reverse side)
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