SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section
14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
Filed
by the Registrant þ
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Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant ¨
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Check
the appropriate box:
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Preliminary
Proxy Statement
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Confidential, For Use of the
Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
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þ Definitive
Proxy Statement
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Definitive
Additional Materials
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Soliciting
Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
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DYNEX CAPITAL, INC.
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(Name
of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
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(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
þ No
fee required.
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¨
Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
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(1)
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Title
of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
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Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4)
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Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5)
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Total
fee paid:
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Fee
previously paid with preliminary materials.
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number,
or the form or schedule and the date of its filing.
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(1)
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Amount
Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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Dynex
Capital, Inc.
Notice of
Annual Meeting of Shareholders
and
Proxy
Statement
Annual
Meeting of Shareholders
May 14,
2008
DYNEX
CAPITAL, INC.
April 4,
2008
To Our
Shareholders:
You are
cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Dynex Capital,
Inc. (the “Company”) to be held at the Richmond Marriott West Hotel located at
4240 Dominion Boulevard, Glen Allen, Virginia on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at
9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
The
business of the meeting is to consider and act upon the election of directors
and to ratify the selection of the auditors of the Company.
Whether
or not you plan to attend the meeting, your vote is important and we encourage
you to vote promptly. You may vote your shares via a toll-free telephone number
or over the Internet. If you receive your proxy materials by mail, you may sign,
date and mail the proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. Instructions
regarding all three methods of voting are contained in the proxy card. If you
mail the proxy and are a common shareholder and desire to vote your shares of
common stock in accordance with management’s recommendations, you need not mark
your votes on the proxy but need only sign, date and return the common proxy
card in the enclosed postage-paid envelope in order to record your vote. If you
mail the proxy and are a preferred shareholder and desire to vote your shares of
Series D Preferred Stock for one or both of the preferred nominees, you must
mark your votes on the preferred proxy card and return the proxy card in the
enclosed postage-paid envelope in order to record your vote.
Sincerely,
Thomas B.
Akin
Chairman of the Board
and
Chief Executive
Officer
DYNEX
CAPITAL, INC.
4551
Cox Road, Suite 300
Glen
Allen, Virginia 23060
(804)
217-5800
____________________________
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
To Our
Shareholders:
The
Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Dynex Capital, Inc. (the “Company”) will be
held at the Richmond Marriott West Hotel located at 4240 Dominion Boulevard,
Glen Allen, Virginia on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time, to
consider and act upon the following matters:
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1.
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Holders
of our common stock will:
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A.
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Elect
three (3) directors of the Company, to hold office until the next annual
meeting and until their successors are elected and duly qualified;
and
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B.
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Vote
on the ratification of the selection of BDO Seidman, LLP, independent
certified public accountants, as auditors for the Company for the 2008
fiscal year; and
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C.
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Transact
such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any
adjournment or adjournments
thereof.
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2.
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Holders
of our Series D preferred stock
will:
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A.
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Elect
two (2) directors of the Company, to hold office until the next annual
meeting and until their successors are elected and duly qualified, or as
otherwise provided in the Company’s Articles of
Incorporation.
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Only
shareholders of record at the close of business on March 25, 2008, the record
date, will be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Management
desires to have maximum representation at the Annual Meeting. Whether or not you
plan to attend the meeting, we urge you to vote your shares via the toll-free
telephone number or over the Internet, as described in the enclosed materials.
If you receive these materials by mail, you may sign, date and mail the proxy
card in the postage-paid envelope provided. A proxy may be revoked by
a shareholder at any time prior to its use by notice in writing to the Secretary
of the Company, by submitting a later-dated proxy to the Secretary of the
Company, by changing your vote via the toll-free telephone number or over the
Internet or by attending the Annual Meeting and requesting to vote in
person.
By Order of the Board of
Directors
Stephen J.
Benedetti
Executive Vice
President,
Chief Operating
Officer and
` Secretary
Dated: April
4, 2008
DYNEX
CAPITAL, INC.
4551
Cox Road, Suite 300
Glen
Allen, Virginia 23060
(804)
217-5800
____________________________
PROXY
STATEMENT
ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
May
14, 2008
To Our
Shareholders:
This
Proxy Statement is furnished to the holders of the common stock (“Common Stock”)
and Series D 9.50% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series D Preferred
Stock”) of Dynex Capital, Inc. (the “Company”) in connection with the
solicitation by the Company’s Board of Directors of proxies to be used at the
Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be held at the Richmond
Marriott West Hotel located at 4240 Dominion Boulevard, Glen Allen, Virginia on
Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (the “Annual
Meeting”). The Annual Meeting is being held for the purposes set
forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
As
permitted by rules recently adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”), the Company is making this Proxy Statement and its annual report
available to certain of its shareholders electronically via the Internet. On
April 4, 2008, we mailed to certain shareholders a Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access this
Proxy Statement and our annual report and vote over the Internet. If you
separately received a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials by
mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials in the mail,
unless specifically requested. Instead, the Notice of Internet Availability of
Proxy Materials instructs you on how to access and review over the Internet all
of the important information contained in the Proxy Statement and annual report.
The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials also instructs you on how
you may submit your proxy over the Internet. If you received a Notice of
Internet Availability of Proxy Materials by mail and would like to receive a
printed copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for
requesting such materials included in the Notice of Internet Availability of
Proxy Materials.
Printed
copies of this Proxy Statement, the accompanying proxy card and the notice of
Annual Meeting are being mailed to shareholders who were not separately mailed a
Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials beginning on or about April
4, 2008.
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Solicitation
You have
received these proxy materials because the Company’s Board of Directors is
soliciting your proxy to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting. The costs of
this solicitation will be borne by the Company. Proxy solicitations
will be made by the Internet and the mail, and also may be made by personal
interview, telephone and e-mail by directors and officers of the
Company. Brokerage houses and nominees will be requested to forward
the proxy soliciting material to the beneficial owners of shares of Common Stock
and Series D Preferred Stock and to obtain authorization for the execution of
proxies. The Company will, upon request, reimburse such parties for
their reasonable expenses in forwarding these proxy materials to such beneficial
owners.
Voting
Rights
Common
Stock. Holders of shares of Common Stock at the close of
business on March 25, 2008, the record date, are entitled to notice of, and to
vote at, the Annual Meeting. On that date, 12,169,762 shares of
Common Stock were outstanding. Each share of Common Stock outstanding
on the record date is entitled to one vote for each
of the
three directors nominated to be elected by the holders of shares of Common Stock
and one vote on any other matter presented to such holders at the Annual
Meeting.
Series D Preferred
Stock. Holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock at the
close of business on March 25, 2008, the record date, are entitled to notice of,
and to vote at, the Annual Meeting, voting as a single class to elect two
directors to the Company’s Board of Directors. The holders of Series
D Preferred Stock are not entitled to vote on any other matter. There
were 4,221,539 shares of Series D Preferred Stock outstanding as of March 25,
2008.
Quorum
The
presence in person or by proxy of shareholders entitled to vote a majority of
the outstanding shares of Common Stock will constitute a quorum for all matters
upon which holders of shares of Common Stock are entitled to vote. The presence
in person or by proxy of shareholders entitled to vote a majority of the
outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock will constitute a quorum for the
matter upon which holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock are entitled to
vote. Shares represented by proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting,
including shares represented by proxies that reflect abstentions, will be
counted as present in the determination of a quorum. An abstention as
to any particular matter, however, does not constitute a vote “for” or “against”
such matter. “Broker non-votes” (i.e., where a broker or
nominee submits a proxy specifically indicating the lack of discretionary
authority to vote on a matter) will be treated in the same manner as
abstentions.
Information
about Voting
Shareholders can vote in person at the
Annual Meeting or by proxy. There are three ways to vote by proxy:
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By
Telephone — you can vote by telephone by calling 1-800-690-6903 and
following the instructions on the proxy
card;
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By
Internet — you can vote over the Internet at www.proxyvote.com by following the
instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or
proxy card; or
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By
Mail — if you received these proxy materials by mail, you can vote by mail
by signing, dating and mailing the enclosed proxy card in the postage-paid
envelope provided.
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Telephone
and Internet voting for shareholders of record will be available 24 hours a day
and will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 13, 2008. If you
hold shares in the Dynex Capital, Inc. 401(k) Plan, your voting instructions for
those shares must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 12, 2008 to
allow sufficient time for voting by the trustee of the plan.
If your
shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record, you
will receive voting instructions from the holder of record. You must follow the
instructions of the holder of record in order for your shares to be voted.
Telephone and Internet voting also will be offered to shareholders owning shares
through certain banks and brokers.
Voting
your shares by telephone or over the Internet or sending in a proxy card will
not affect your right to attend the Annual Meeting and to vote in
person. If your shares are not registered in your own name and you
plan to vote in person at the Annual Meeting, you should contact your broker or
agent to obtain a legal proxy or broker’s proxy card and bring it to the Annual
Meeting in order to vote in person.
Common
Stock. Holders of shares of Common Stock may vote their shares
using the “common proxy.” If you vote in time for the Annual Meeting
using the common proxy, the individuals named on the common proxy (your
“proxies”) will vote your shares of Common Stock in accordance with the choices
you specified. If you properly submit a common proxy without indicating your
instructions, the shares of Common Stock represented by such common proxy will
be voted FOR the election of the nominees named in this Proxy Statement as
common shareholder directors and FOR the appointment of BDO Seidman, LLP as the
Company's auditors for the 2008 fiscal year.
Series D
Preferred Stock. Holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock may vote
their shares using the “preferred proxy.” If you vote in time for the
Annual Meeting using the preferred proxy, the individuals named on the preferred
proxy (your “proxies”) will vote your shares of Series D Preferred Stock in
accordance with the
choices
you specified. If you properly submit a preferred proxy without
indicating your instructions, the shares of Series D Preferred Stock represented
by such preferred proxy will not be voted.
Revocability
of Proxy
You may
change or revoke your proxy at any time before your shares are voted at the
Annual Meeting, by any of the following methods:
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By
submitting a written notice of revocation to the Secretary of the Company
by the close of business on May 13,
2008;
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By
submitting a completed proxy card bearing a later date than your original
proxy card by the close of business on May 13,
2008;
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By
calling 1-800-690-6903 and following the instructions on the proxy card,
by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 13,
2008;
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By
visiting www.proxyvote.com and following the
instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or
proxy card, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 13, 2008;
or
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By
attending the Annual Meeting and requesting to vote in
person.
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Your most
current proxy card or telephone or Internet proxy is the one that is
counted.
If your
shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record, you
should contact the holder of record to change your vote.
Other
Matters
The
management and the Board of Directors of the Company know of no other matters to
come before the Annual Meeting other than those stated in the notice of the
Annual Meeting. However, if any other matters are properly presented
to the shareholders for action, it is the intention of the individuals named in
the proxy card to vote in their discretion on all matters on which the shares
represented by such proxy are entitled to vote.
Annual
Report on Form 10-K
The
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, including financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2007, which is available on the Internet as set forth in
the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and is being mailed
together with this Proxy Statement to shareholders who receive the proxy
materials by mail, contains financial and other information about the activities
of the Company, but is not incorporated into this Proxy Statement and is not to
be considered a part of these proxy soliciting materials.
PROPOSAL
ONE
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
General
Common Stock
Directors. Three directors of the Company are to be elected by
the holders of shares of Common Stock at the Annual Meeting to serve until the
next annual meeting and until their successors are elected and duly qualified.
On the recommendation of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee,
the Board of Directors has nominated Thomas B. Akin, Daniel K. Osborne and Eric
P. Von der Porten for election by the holders of shares of Common Stock to the
Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. Unless otherwise indicated, a common
proxy representing shares of Common Stock will be voted FOR the election of
Messrs. Akin, Osborne and Von der Porten to the Board of
Directors. Each Common Stock Director nominee has agreed to serve if
elected. Selected biographical information regarding each Common
Stock Director nominee is set forth below.
Series D Preferred Stock
Directors. Pursuant to Section 10 of Article IIID of the Company’s
Articles of Incorporation, as amended, the holders of shares of Series D
Preferred Stock are entitled to elect two directors to the Board of Directors of
the Company. Except as otherwise provided in the Company’s Articles
of Incorporation, each such director will serve until the next annual meeting of
the shareholders of the Company and until their successors are elected and duly
qualified. Leon A. Felman and Barry Igdaloff have been nominated for election by
the holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock to the Board of Directors at
the Annual Meeting. Each Preferred Stock Director nominee has agreed
to serve if elected. Selected biographical information regarding each
Preferred Stock Director nominee is set forth below.
Vote
Required
Common Stock
Directors. With regard to the election of the Common Stock
Directors, votes may be cast in favor or withheld. The three directors to be
elected by the holders of shares of Common Stock will be elected by a favorable
vote of a plurality of the shares of Common Stock represented and entitled to
vote with respect to each Common Stock Director, in person or by proxy, at the
Annual Meeting. Accordingly, abstentions or broker non-votes as to
the election of the Common Stock Directors will have no effect on the outcome of
the election. Unless instructed to the contrary, the shares
represented by each common proxy will be voted FOR the election of each of the
three Common Stock Director nominees named below. Although it is
anticipated that each Common Stock Director nominee will be able to serve as a
director, should any nominee become unavailable to serve, the shares represented
by each common proxy will be voted for another person or persons designated by
the Company’s Board of Directors. In no event will a common proxy be
voted for more than three Common Stock Directors.
Series D Preferred Stock
Directors. With regard to the election of the Preferred Stock
Directors, votes may be cast in favor or withheld. The two directors to be
elected by the holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock will be elected by
a favorable vote of a plurality of the shares of Series D Preferred Stock
represented and entitled to vote with respect to each Preferred Stock Director,
in person or by proxy, at the Annual Meeting. Accordingly, abstentions or broker
non-votes as to the election of the Preferred Stock Directors will have no
effect on the outcome of the election. If a preferred proxy is not completed in
accordance with its instructions or no choices are specified on the preferred
proxy, the shares of Series D Preferred Stock represented by such preferred
proxy will not be voted. Although it is anticipated that each
Preferred Stock Director nominee will be able to serve as a director, should any
nominee become unavailable to serve, the shares represented by each preferred
proxy will not be voted for another person or persons. In no event
will a preferred proxy be voted for more than two directors.
Common
Stock Director Nominees
The
following information sets forth as of February 29, 2008 the names, ages,
principal occupations and business experience for the Company’s Common Stock
Director nominees. Unless otherwise indicated, the business experience and
principal occupations shown for each director has extended five or more
years.
Thomas B. Akin (55) has been a
director of the Company and Chairman since 2003. Mr. Akin was appointed to Chief
Executive Officer of the Company in February of 2008. Mr. Akin has served as the
managing general partner of Talkot Capital, LLC located in Sausalito, California
since 1995 and continues to serve in this role. Talkot Capital is the general
partner for various limited partnerships investing in both private and public
companies. From
1991 to
1994, Mr. Akin was the managing director for the Western United States for
Merrill Lynch Institutional Services. He had been the regional
director of the San Francisco and Los Angeles regions for Merrill Lynch
Institutional Services from 1981 to 1991. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr.
Akin was an employee of Salomon Brothers from 1978 to 1981. He is
currently on the board of directors for Acacia Research Corporation, CombiMatrix
Corporation, and he serves as Chairman of the Board for both Advance Data
Exchange and Centiv Services, Inc. Mr. Akin holds a B.A. from the University of
California at Santa Cruz and an M.B.A. from the Anderson School of Management,
UCLA.
Daniel K. Osborne (43) has
been a director of the Company since 2005. Mr. Osborne has been Managing Member
of Vantage Pointe Capital, LLC, an investment advisory firm that serves as the
general partner of Vantage Pointe Capital Partners LP, as well as provides
research and other services to various private investment
funds. Prior to founding Vantage Pointe Capital, LLC in 2003, Mr.
Osborne was a co-founder of Apex Mortgage Capital, Inc. He was Apex
Mortgage Capital’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer from
September 1997 to September 2001. Concurrently with his role with
Apex Mortgage Capital, Inc., Mr. Osborne was a Managing Director of Trust
Company of The West from July 1994 to December 2001. Mr. Osborne
began his career with Deloitte & Touche, LLP. He holds a B.S.
degree in accounting from Arizona State University.
Eric P. Von der Porten (50)
has been a director of the Company since 2002. Since 1997, Mr. Von
der Porten has served as the managing member of Leeward Investments, LLC, the
general partner of Leeward Capital, L.P. Mr. Von der Porten earned an
A.B. from the University of Chicago and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate
School of Business.
Series
D Preferred Stock Director Nominees
The
following information sets forth as of February 29, 2008, the names, ages,
principal occupations and business experience for the Company’s Preferred Stock
Director nominees. Unless otherwise indicated, the business experience and
principal occupations shown for each director has extended five or more
years.
Leon A. Felman (73) has been a
director of the Company since 2000. Mr. Felman has been a private investor in
financial institutions since 1980. From 1968 to 1999, Mr. Felman was
President and Chief Executive Officer of Sage Systems, Inc. Mr.
Felman has served on the Board of Directors of Pulaski Financial Corporation
since June 2004. Mr. Felman was a director of Allegiant Bancorp,
Inc., a St. Louis, Missouri based bank holding company, from 1992 to 2004, and
its subsidiary, Allegiant Bank & Trust Company, Inc., from 2001 to 2004,
until their sale. Mr. Felman currently serves as a member of the
Chancellor’s Council for the University of Missouri-St. Louis and on the Board
of Directors of the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation. Mr. Felman
graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Industrial
Administration.
Barry Igdaloff (53) has been a director of
the Company since 2000. Mr. Igdaloff has been a registered investment
advisor and the sole proprietor of Rose Capital, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, since
1995. Mr. Igdaloff graduated from Indiana University in 1976 with a
B.S.B. in accounting and from The Ohio State University in 1978, with a Juris
Doctorate degree. Mr. Igdaloff is a non-practicing certified public accountant
and a non-practicing attorney.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT THE SHAREHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE DIRECTOR
NOMINEES LISTED ABOVE.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
AND
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
General
The
business and affairs of the Company are managed under the direction of the Board
of Directors in accordance with the Virginia Stock Corporation Act and the
Company’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Members of the Board
are kept informed of the Company’s business through discussions with the
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (or, in his absence, the
principal executive officer) and other officers, by reviewing materials provided
to them and by participating in meetings of the Board and its
committees. The corporate governance practices followed by the
Company are summarized below.
Director
Independence
The Board
of Directors has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that set forth the
practices of the Board with respect to its size, criteria for membership and
selection to the Board, committees of the Board, meetings and access to
management, director compensation, director orientation and continuing
education, annual performance evaluation of the Board, director
responsibilities, annual review of performance of the Chief Executive Officer
(or, in his absence, the principal executive officer) and management succession
and ethics and conduct. The Guidelines are available on the Company’s
web page at www.dynexcapital.com
under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” A printed copy is
available to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary of the
Company, 4551 Cox Road, Suite 300, Glen Allen,
Virginia 23060.
The Board
of Directors in its business judgment has determined that all of its members are
independent as defined by New York Stock Exchange listing standards, except for
Mr. Akin. In reaching this conclusion, the Board considered whether
the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business and have other relationships
with organizations of which certain members of the Board or members of their
immediate families are or were directors or officers. Beginning in
February 2008, Mr. Akin was appointed Chief Executive Officer and is therefore
no longer considered an independent director. Consistent with the New York Stock
Exchange listing standards, the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines
establish categorical standards under which a director will not be considered to
have a material relationship with the Company if:
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during
each of the current fiscal year and three most recent fiscal years,
neither the director nor any immediate family member of the director
received more than $100,000 per year in direct compensation from the
Company, other than director and committee fees and pension or other forms
of deferred compensation for prior service (provided that such
compensation is not contingent on continued
service);
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during
each of the current fiscal year and three most recent fiscal years, the
director is not, and was not, an executive officer or an employee, or had
an immediate family member who is not, or was not, an executive officer of
another company that made payments to, or received payments from, the
Company for property or services in an amount which, in any single fiscal
year, exceeded the greater of $1,000,000 or 2% of such other company’s
consolidated gross revenues; or
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the
director serves as an executive officer of a charitable organization to
which during each of the three preceding fiscal years the Company made
charitable contributions that did not exceed the greater of $1,000,000 or
2% of such charitable organization’s consolidated gross
revenues.
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None of
the Company’s directors, except Mr. Akin, their immediate family members, or
organizations in which they are a partner, shareholder or officer, are engaged
in any relationships with the Company.
Code
of Ethics
The Board
of Directors has approved a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for directors,
officers and employees of the Company and each of its subsidiaries, including
the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (or, in his absence, the principal
executive officer) and principal financial officers. The Code
addresses such topics as compliance with applicable laws, conflicts of interest,
use and protection of Company assets, confidentiality, dealings with the press
and communications with the public, accounting and financial reporting matters,
fair dealing,
discrimination
and harassment and health and safety. It is available on the
Company’s web page at www.dynexcapital.com
under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance”. A printed copy of
the Code is available to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary
of the Company at the address set forth above.
Board
and Committee Meeting Attendance
In 2007,
there were three meetings of the Board of Directors. Each director
attended 75% or more of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and of the
committees on which he served.
Executive
Sessions
Executive
sessions where non-employee directors meet on an informal basis are scheduled
either before or after regularly scheduled Board meetings. At least
once a year the Board schedules an executive session including only independent
directors. In 2007, Thomas B. Akin, the Chairman of the Board, served
as chairman for executive sessions. Mr. Akin was appointed Chief Executive
Officer in February 2008. Since that time Leon A. Felman has been appointed Lead
Independent Director and will serve as chairman for future executive
sessions.
Communications
with Directors
Any
director may be contacted by writing to him c/o the Secretary of the Company at
the address set forth above. Communications to the non-management
directors as a group may be sent to the Chairman of the Board c/o the Secretary
of the Company at the same address. The Company promptly forwards,
without screening, all such correspondence to the indicated
director(s).
Committees
of the Board
The Board
of Directors has a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee.
Audit
Committee
The Audit
Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling the Board’s oversight
responsibility to the shareholders relating to the integrity of the Company’s
financial statements, the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements, the qualifications, independence and performance of the Company’s
independent auditor and the performance of the internal audit
function. The Committee is directly responsible for the appointment,
compensation, retention and oversight of the work of the independent auditor
engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing
other audit, review or attestation services for the Company. The
Committee operates under a written charter last amended by the Board in June
2004. The Audit Committee Charter is available on the Company’s web
page at www.dynexcapital.com
under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” A printed copy is
available to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary of the
Company at the address set forth above.
The
members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. Von der Porten (Chairman), Felman,
Igdaloff and Osborne, all of whom the Board in its business judgment has
determined are independent as defined by regulations of the SEC and the New York
Stock Exchange listing standards. The Board of Directors also has
determined that all of the Committee members are financially literate as defined
by the New York Stock Exchange listing standards and that Mr. Osborne qualifies
as an audit committee financial expert as defined by regulations of the
SEC.
The Audit
Committee met six times in 2007. For additional information
regarding the Committee, see “Audit Information – Audit Committee Report” on
page 25 of this Proxy Statement.
Compensation
Committee
The
Compensation Committee performs the responsibilities of the Board of Directors
relating to compensation of the Company’s executives. The Committee’s
responsibilities include reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives
relevant to compensation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (or, in his
absence, the principal executive officer), evaluating the Chief Executive
Officer’s performance in light of those goals and objectives and determining and
approving the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation level based on this
evaluation; reviewing and approving the compensation for senior executive
officers, including their corporate goals and objectives; producing a
Compensation Committee report as required by the rules of the SEC to be included
in the Company’s annual proxy statement; reviewing and approving any
employment-related agreement, other compensation arrangement, or transaction
with senior management; making recommendations to the Board with respect to
annual and long-term incentive compensation and equity-based plans;
administering the Company’s equity-based, deferral and other compensation plans
approved by the Board from time to time; reviewing any significant changes in
the Company’s tax-qualified employee benefit plans; and reviewing annually with
the Chief Executive Officer succession planning and management development
activities and strategies. The Compensation Committee has currently
tabled discussion of succession planning. The Compensation Committee anticipates
that it will engage in succession planning discussion in 2009. The Committee
operates under a written charter last amended by the Board in June
2004. The Charter of the Compensation Committee is available on the
Company’s web page at www.dynexcapital.com
under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” A printed copy is
available to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary of the
Company at the address set forth above.
The
members of the Compensation Committee in 2007 were Messrs. Osborne (Chairman),
Akin and Von der Porten, all of whom the Board in its business judgment has
determined were independent in 2007 as defined by the New York Stock Exchange
listing standards. In February 2008, Mr. Igdaloff replaced Mr. Akin on the
Committee upon Mr. Akin’s appointment to Chief Executive Officer. The Committee
did not hold any meetings in 2007, but instead met in November and December 2006
regarding compensation matters for 2007, and met in January and March 2008
regarding compensation matters for 2008. For additional information regarding
the Committee, see “Executive Compensation - Compensation Discussion and
Analysis” on page 15 of this Proxy Statement.
Nominating
& Corporate Governance Committee
The
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee develops qualifications for
director candidates, recommends to the Board of Directors persons to be
nominated to serve as directors of the Company and monitors developments in, and
makes recommendations to the Board concerning, corporate governance
practices. The Committee acts as the Company’s nominating
committee. The Committee operates under a written charter last
amended by the Board in June 2004. The Charter of the Nominating
& Corporate Governance Committee is available on the Company’s web page at
www.dynexcapital.com
under “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance.” A printed copy is
available to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary of the
Company at the address set forth above.
The
members of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee are Messrs.
Felman (Chairman), Igdaloff, and Von der Porten, all of whom the Board in its
business judgment has determined are independent as defined by the New York
Stock Exchange listing standards. The Committee met two times in
2007.
The
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee considers candidates for the
Board based upon several criteria, including but not limited to their
broad-based business and professional skills and experience, concern for the
long-term interest of the Company’s shareholders, personal integrity and
judgment, and knowledge and experience in the Company’s industry. The
Committee further considers each candidate’s independence, as defined by the New
York Stock Exchange listing standards. All candidates must have time
available to devote to Board duties and responsibilities.
The
Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee utilizes a variety of methods
for identifying and evaluating nominees for director. The Committee
regularly assesses the appropriate size of the Board and whether any vacancies
on the Board are expected due to retirement or otherwise. In the
event that vacancies are anticipated, or otherwise arise, the Committee will
consider various potential candidates for director. Candidates may
come to the attention of the Committee through current Board members,
professional search firms, shareholders or other persons. These
candidates are evaluated at regular or special meetings of the Committee and may
be considered at any point during the year.
Shareholders
entitled to vote for the election of directors may submit candidate
recommendations for consideration by the Nominating & Corporate Governance
Committee if the Company receives timely written notice, in proper form, for
each such recommended director candidate. If the notice is not timely
and in proper form, the Committee reserves the right to not consider the
candidate. Whether the Committee considers the nomination of such candidate
depends on the facts and circumstances of the nomination at that
time. Any shareholder desiring to recommend a candidate to be
considered by the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee for nomination
at the 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders must submit such recommendation in
writing to the Secretary of the Company no later than January 4,
2009.
In
evaluating nominations, the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
seeks to achieve a balance of knowledge, experience and capability on the
Board.
A
shareholder entitled to vote for the election of directors may directly nominate
a candidate for election at the 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders if written
notice of the shareholder’s intent to nominate such person for election as
director has been given, either by personal delivery or by certified mail,
postage prepaid, to the Secretary of the Company and received by either (i) no
later than January 4, 2009 and no earlier than October 6, 2008; or (ii) if the
date of the 2009 Annual Meeting is changed by more than 30 days from May 14,
2009, then no less than 90 days prior to the 2009 Annual Meeting. The
notice must set forth (i) as to the shareholder giving the notice, (1) the name
and address, as they appear on the Company’s stock transfer books, of such
shareholder, (2) a representation that such shareholder is a shareholder of
record and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate
the person specified in the notice, (3) the class and number of shares of stock
of the Company beneficially owned by such shareholder, and (4) a description of
all arrangements or understandings between such shareholder and the nominee and
any other person or persons pursuant to which the nomination is to be made by
the shareholder; and (ii) as to the person whom the shareholder proposes to
nominate for election as a director, (1) the name, age, business address and, if
known, residence address of such person, (2) the principal occupation or
employment of such person, (3) the class and number of shares of Company stock
beneficially owned by such person, (4) any other information relating to such
person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election
of directors or is otherwise required by the rules and regulations of the SEC
promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and (5) the written
consent of such person to be named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to
serve as a director if elected.
Annual
Meeting Attendance
The
Company encourages members of the Board of Directors to attend the annual
meeting of shareholders. All of the directors attended the 2007
Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Directors’
Compensation
Each
non-employee director receives an annual fee of $25,000, plus $1,000 for each
meeting of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee he attends and $750 for
each meeting of all other committees he attends. The Chairman of the
Board receives an additional annual fee of $15,000, so long as he is not an
employee of the Company, and the Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an
additional fee of $3,000.
Directors
are reimbursed expenses related to their attendance at Board of Director or
committee meetings.
In
addition, the independent directors receive annually a grant of stock options
for 5,000 shares of Common Stock, under the Company’s 2004 Stock Incentive
Plan. The stock options are fully-vested at the grant date, have a
five-year term and are granted at a strike price at 10% above the closing market
price on the date of grant. The grant date is the first Friday
following each year’s annual meeting of shareholders.
The
following table shows the compensation earned by each of the directors during
2007 *:
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION FOR 2007
Name
|
Fees
Earned or Paid in Cash
($)
|
Option
Awards
($)
(1)
(2)
|
All
Other Compensation
($)
|
Total
($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
B. Akin, Chairman (3)
|
46,750
|
8,466
|
-
|
55,216
|
Leon
A. Felman
|
38,500
|
8,466
|
-
|
46,966
|
Barry
Igdaloff
|
42,250
|
8,466
|
-
|
60,052
|
Daniel
K. Osborne
|
37,000
|
8,466
|
-
|
56,302
|
Eric
P. Von der Porten
|
42,250
|
8,466
|
-
|
60,802
|
___________
|
* Columns for “Stock
Awards”, “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation”, and “Change in Pension
Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings” have been omitted
because they were not applicable
|
|
(1)
|
As
of December 31, 2007, each of the above directors had an aggregate
outstanding 15,000 stock options, except Mr. Felman who had 10,000
outstanding stock options, as he exercised 5,000 stock options in February
2007.
|
|
(2)
|
The
amounts in this column reflect the dollar amount recognized for financial
statement reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2007, in accordance with SFAS 123(R) of option awards pursuant to the
Company’s 2004 Stock Incentive Plan. For this purpose, the fair
value of each option award was estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option valuation model based on an expected volatility of
15.7% and a risk-free rate of 4.8%.
|
|
(3)
|
In
connection with his appointment to Chief Executive Officer, beginning in
February 2008, Mr. Akin no longer receives compensation for his services
as a director of the Company.
|
OWNERSHIP
OF STOCK
Management
and Certain Beneficial Owners
The
following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of
each of shares of Common Stock and shares of Series D Preferred Stock as of
February 29, 2008, by: (a) each director of the Company, (b) the named executive
officer, (c) all directors and executive officers of the Company as a group, and
(d) all other shareholders known by the Company to be beneficial owners of more
than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class of the Company’s stock. Unless
otherwise indicated, each person has sole investment and sole voting power with
respect to the securities shown.
|
|
Common Stock
|
|
|
Series D Preferred Stock
|
|
Name
|
|
Shares (1)
|
|
|
Percentage (2)
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Percentage (3)
|
|
Thomas
B. Akin (4)
4551
Cox Road, Suite 300
Glen
Allen, Virginia 23060
|
|
|
1,876,670 |
|
|
|
14.69 |
% |
|
|
594,145 |
|
|
|
14.07 |
% |
Stephen
J. Benedetti (5)
|
|
|
41,848 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
-- |
|
Leon
A. Felman (6)
|
|
|
170,390 |
|
|
|
1.39 |
% |
|
|
67,086 |
|
|
|
1.59 |
% |
Barry
Igdaloff (7)
4551
Cox Road, Suite 300
Glen
Allen, Virginia 23060
|
|
|
572,771 |
|
|
|
4.55 |
% |
|
|
416,218 |
|
|
|
9.86 |
% |
Daniel
K. Osborne (8)
|
|
|
51,969 |
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
25,108 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Eric
P. Von der Porten (9)
|
|
|
180,621 |
|
|
|
1.48 |
% |
|
|
11,813 |
|
|
|
* |
|
All
directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons)
|
|
|
2,894,269 |
|
|
|
21.67 |
% |
|
|
1,114,370 |
|
|
|
26.40 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rockwood
Partners, L.P. (10)
Rockwood
Asset Management, Inc.
Demeter
Asset Management, Inc.
Jay
Buck
35
Mason Street
Greenwich,
Connecticut 06830
|
|
|
941,333 |
|
|
|
7.63 |
% |
|
|
164,066 |
|
|
|
3.89 |
% |
Wellington
Management (11)
Company,
LLP
75
State Street
Boston,
Massachusetts 02109
|
|
|
671,500
|
|
|
|
5.52 |
%
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
Arthur
D. Lipson (12)
Western
Investment LLC
Western
Investment Hedged Partners, LP
Western
Investment Institutional Partners, LLC
Western
Investment Total Return Master Fund, Ltd
2855
East Cottonwood Parkway
Suite
110
Salt
Lake City, UT 84121
|
|
|
1,173,493 |
|
|
|
9.51 |
% |
|
|
172,522 |
|
|
|
4.09 |
% |
_______________
* Percentage
of ownership is less than one percent of the outstanding shares of the
applicable class.
For
purposes of this table, beneficial ownership has been determined in accordance
with the provisions of Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(“Exchange Act”) under which, in general, a person is deemed to be the
beneficial owner of a security if he or she has or shares the power to vote or
direct the voting of the security or the power to dispose of or direct the
disposition of the security, or if he or she has the right to acquire beneficial
ownership of the security within 60 days (“presently exercisable”).
(1)
|
All
amounts include both shares of Common Stock and shares of Series D
Preferred Stock, which are convertible into shares of Common Stock, on a
one-for-one basis, at the option of its
holder.
|
(2)
|
Each
percentage is based on 12,169,762 shares of Common Stock issued and
outstanding and is calculated based on the assumption that the beneficial
owner has converted all shares of Series D Preferred Stock into shares of
Common Stock and has executed all presently exercisable stock
options.
|
(3)
|
Each
percentage is based on 4,221,539 shares of Series D Preferred Stock issued
and outstanding.
|
(4)
|
Amount
includes 632,938 shares of Common Stock and 360,064 shares of Series D
Preferred Stock owned by Talkot Crossover Fund, L.P., of which Mr. Akin is
the managing general partner. Amount also includes 15,000 shares of Common
Stock that Mr. Akin has the right to acquire through the exercise of
presently exercisable stock
options.
|
(5)
|
Amount
includes 9,125 restricted shares of Common Stock over which Mr. Benedetti
does not have investment power until such shares
vest.
|
(6)
|
Amount
reflects 6,589 shares of Common Stock and 10,848 shares of Series D
Preferred Stock owned by the Leon A. Felman IRA Rollover, 43,447 shares of
Common Stock and 30,826 shares of Series D Preferred Stock owned by the
Homebaker Brand Profit Sharing Plan, 11,137 shares of Common Stock and
9,614 shares of Series D Preferred Stock owned by the Leon A. Felman Keogh
Profit Sharing Plan, 22,078 shares of Common Stock and 11,840 shares of
Series D Preferred Stock owned by The Felman Family Trust, 4,420 shares of
Common Stock and 2,555 shares of Series D Preferred Stock owned by HLF
Corporation, 278 shares of Common Stock and 626 shares of Series D
Preferred Stock owned by the Harriet Felman IRA and 355 shares of Common
Stock and 777 shares of Series D Preferred Stock owned by the Leon A.
Felman IRA, and 10,000 shares of Common Stock that Mr.
Felman has the right to acquire through the exercise of presently
exercisable stock options.
|
(7)
|
Amount
includes 77,663 shares of Common Stock and 206,902 shares of Series D
Preferred Stock owned by clients of Rose Capital, Inc., of which Mr.
Igdaloff is the sole proprietor. Mr. Igdaloff shares the power
to vote and dispose of such shares. Amount also includes 15,000 shares of
Common Stock that Mr. Igdaloff has the right to acquire through the
exercise of presently exercisable stock
options.
|
(8)
|
Amount
reflects 11,322 shares of Common Stock and 23,325 shares of Series D
Preferred Stock owned by Vantage Pointe Capital Partners LP, of which Mr.
Osborne is the managing member of its general partner, and 539 shares of
Common Stock and 1,783 shares of Series D Preferred Stock held in Mr.
Osborne’s spouse’s IRA account. Amount also includes 15,000 shares of
Common Stock that Mr. Osborne has the right to acquire through the
exercise of presently exercisable stock
options.
|
(9)
|
Amount
reflects 153,808 shares of Common Stock and 11,813 shares of Series D
Preferred Stock owned by Leeward Capital, L.P. Mr. Von der
Porten is the managing member of Leeward Investments, LLC, which is the
general partner of Leeward Capital, L.P. Amount also includes 15,000
shares of Common Stock that Mr. Von der Porten has the right to acquire
through the exercise of presently exercisable stock
options.
|
(10)
|
Based
on a Company inquiry, as of December 31, 2007, each of Rockwood Partners,
L.P., Rockwood Asset Management, Inc., Demeter Asset Management,
Inc. and Jay Buck has shared power to vote and dispose of 777,267 shares
of Common Stock and 164,033 shares of Series D Preferred
Stock. Rockwood Asset Management, Inc. is the general partner
of Rockwood Partners, L.P., an investment limited partnership that owns
all of the shares reported. Demeter Asset Management, Inc.
provides investment management services to Rockwood Partners, L.P., and
Mr. Buck is the owner of both Rockwood Asset Management, Inc. and Demeter
Asset Management, Inc.
|
(11)
|
Wellington
Management Company, LLP indicated on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on
February 14, 2006 that, in its capacity as investment adviser, it may be
deemed to beneficially own shares of Common Stock held of record by its
clients.
|
(12)
|
Based
on a Company inquiry, as of December 31, 2007, the amount reflects 142,470
shares of Common Stock owned by Western Investment Hedged Partners LP,
808,256 shares of Common Stock and 172,522 shares of Preferred Stock owned
by Western Investment Institutional Partners LLC, 26,137 shares of Common
Stock owned by Western Investment Total Return Master Fund Ltd, and 24,108
shares of Common Stock individually owned by Mr.
Lipson.
|
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Exchange Act, requires our directors and executive officers, and
any persons who own more than 10% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock or
Series D Preferred Stock, to file with the SEC reports of ownership and changes
in ownership of Common Stock and Series D Preferred Stock. Directors
and executive officers are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company
with copies of all Section 16(a) reports that they file. Generally, we
will prepare all Section 16(a) filings with the SEC for our directors and
executive officers. Based solely on review of the copies of such
reports filed with the SEC, we noted that: Form 4s were not filed until June 1,
2007 on reportable transactions related to the annual director stock option
grants of Common Stock on May 25, 2007 for Messrs. Akin, Felman, Igdaloff,
Osborne, and Von der Porten; a Form 4 for Mr. Felman was filed late to report
one transaction for HLF Corporation; a Form 4 for Mr. Buck, Strategic Advisor to
the Company, was filed late to report three transactions for Rockwood Partners,
L.P. In addition, a Form 5 for Mr. Akin was filed late to report eight
transactions for Hochster Trust, Andrews Trust, and Mr. Akin’s direct holdings
of common and preferred stock.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Compensation
Committee Report
The
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, which is composed of the
non-employee directors listed below, is responsible for the development,
oversight and implementation of our compensation program for executive officers,
including the executive officer named in the Summary Compensation
Table. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Compensation
Committee annually reviews and establishes the compensation of our executive
officers, including annual salary levels and bonuses to be paid. The
Compensation Committee also makes recommendations to the Board of Directors
regarding the issuance of stock incentive awards to the executive officers and
other compensation related matters.
The
primary objective of our executive compensation program is to attract and retain
highly skilled and motivated executive officers who will manage the Company in a
manner to promote our growth and profitability and advance the interest of our
shareholders. As such, the compensation program is designed to
provide levels of compensation that are reflective of both the individual’s and
the Company’s performance in achieving our goals and objectives. The
Compensation Committee seeks to provide a mix of compensation that will align
the short- and long-term interests of our executive officers with that of our
shareholders.
A
discussion of the principles, objectives, components and determinations of the
Compensation Committee with respect to executive compensation is included in the
Compensation Discussion and Analysis that follows this Committee report. The
specific decisions of the Compensation Committee regarding the compensation of
our named executive officers are reflected in the compensation tables and
narrative that follow the Compensation Discussion and Analysis.
The
Compensation Committee has reviewed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis
included in this Proxy Statement and discussed it with management. Based on this
review and discussion, the Compensation Committee recommended that the
Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and this Proxy
Statement.
Compensation
Committee
Daniel K.
Osborne, Chairman
Barry
Igdaloff
Eric P.
Von der Porten
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
No member
of the Compensation Committee is a current or former officer or employee of the
Company or any of our subsidiaries. In addition, there are no
compensation committee interlocks with other entities with respect to any such
member.
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis
The
Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors reviews and establishes the
salary and other compensation of our executive officers and provides oversight
of our compensation programs. The Compensation Committee consists
entirely of non-employee, independent members of our Board of Directors and
operates under a written charter approved by the Board of
Directors.
Information
on the Compensation Committee’s processes and procedures for the consideration
and determination of executive and director compensation is included under the
caption “Corporate Governance and the Board of Directors – Committees of the
Board – Compensation Committee.”
Our
Chairman of the Board, Thomas B. Akin, was appointed Chief Executive Officer of
the Company in February 2008. During 2007, we did not have a Chief
Executive Officer or President, and had only one executive officer, Stephen J.
Benedetti, our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Accordingly, this Compensation Discussion and Analysis and the executive
compensation tables following focus on Mr. Benedetti's compensation as our only
named executive officer during 2007. Mr. Benedetti did not participate in
determining compensation for our executive officers other than to provide the
Committee with his perspective on his salary requirements and his view on our
success during the calendar year in achieving our goals and objectives set forth
at the beginning of the calendar year. Beginning February 2008, Mr. Akin has a
similarly limited role in the determination of executive officer
compensation.
Compensation
Objectives and Philosophy
The
primary objective of our executive compensation program is to attract and retain
highly skilled and motivated officers who will manage the Company in a manner to
promote our growth and profitability and advance the interests of our
shareholders. The Compensation Committee understands that the
specialized nature and complexities of the Company’s investment activities and
REIT structure require individuals with unique skills and
experience. The Committee strives to establish competitive
compensation packages which strike a balance between recognition of recent
achievements and aligning the interests of management on a longer-term basis
with that of the Company’s shareholders. Further, it is the intent of
the Compensation Committee, and executive management, that the compensation
philosophy be applied throughout the organization and that the types of
compensation and benefits described herein provided to the executive officers be
provided in similar fashion to all other employees.
Executive
Compensation Principles
Our
executive compensation program consists of base salaries, annual cash incentive
payments in the form of discretionary annual bonuses and long-term equity
incentives in the form of stock appreciation rights and restricted stock grants.
These components of executive compensation are used together in an attempt to
strike an appropriate balance between cash and stock-based compensation and
between short-term and long-term incentives. We expect a meaningful
portion of an executive officer’s total compensation to be at risk, tied both to
our annual and long-term performance as well as to the creation and protection
of shareholder value. In particular, we believe that short-term
annual
cash compensation should be tied directly to both corporate performance and
individual performance for the fiscal year, including the achievement of
identified goals as they pertain to the areas of our operations for which the
executive officer is personally responsible and accountable. In
contrast, we believe that the value of long-term incentive compensation should
be tied directly to long-term corporate performance and an increase in
shareholder value. Under our policy, performance above identified
goals results in increased total compensation, and performance below identified
goals results in decreased total compensation.
When we
have more than one executive officer, we differentiate compensation to executive
officers based on the principle that total compensation should increase with an
executive officer’s position and responsibility, while at the same time a
greater percentage of total compensation should be tied to corporate and
individual performance, and therefore be at risk, as position and responsibility
increases. For example, Mr. Benedetti’s annual discretionary bonus is
currently set at a maximum of 75% of his salary, and is determined based on the
achievement of certain objectives, primarily corporate objectives in a given
year, and including some individual objectives. In addition, as an
executive officer’s position and responsibility increases, the use of long-term
incentive compensation should increase where our executive officers have the
greatest influence on our strategic performance over time.
We
presently do not have a policy for adjustment or recovery of payments and awards
made to our executive officers in the event that our financial statements were
to be restated in the future in a manner that would have impacted the size or
payment of the award at the time of payment.
How
Executive Pay Levels are Determined
The
Compensation Committee annually reviews our executive compensation program and
its elements. All decisions by the Compensation Committee relating to
the compensation of our executive officer are reported to the full Board of
Directors. Periodically, the Committee may solicit third party reviews of our
programs, though it did not solicit such review for 2007.
All
executive officer compensation for 2007 was established by the
Committee. Mr. Benedetti, our Chief Operating Officer and only
executive officer in 2007, assisted the Committee in assessing the achievement
of organizational goals for that year, and provided the Committee with market
information regarding executive compensation for similarly situated companies as
requested. Mr. Benedetti also was responsible for setting base
salaries for senior management, as ratified by the Committee, and made
recommendations with respect to stock incentive awards for senior
management.
Beginning
February 2008 with the appointment of Mr. Akin as Chief Executive Officer, Mr.
Akin will largely handle the activities previously handled by Mr. Benedetti for
assisting the Committee in setting executive officer compensation. Compensation
for senior management excluding executive officers will be set by Mr. Akin with
input from Mr. Benedetti and any other executive officers employed by the
Company.
In
determining the compensation of our executive officers, the Committee evaluates
total overall compensation, as well as the mix of salary, cash bonus incentives,
equity incentives, and potential severance amounts using a number of factors
including the following:
|
·
|
Historical
cash and equity compensation levels
|
|
·
|
The
financial and operating performance of the Company, as compared to
specific objectives established at the beginning of the calendar
year
|
|
·
|
The
specific performance of the executive officer as it relates to the
achievement of identified goals for the
year
|
|
·
|
Comparative
industry and market data, if deemed
necessary
|
With
respect to comparative industry data, the Compensation Committee may review
executive salaries, compensation structures and the financial performance of
comparable companies in a designated peer group established by the Compensation
Committee, with assistance from its executive officers. The peer
group used for comparison purposes may change from year to year, but focuses
principally on public companies in the financial services industry that have a
similar business as us or are similar to us in complexity, and companies with
similar market capitalizations and other characteristics.
In
connection with the establishment of Mr. Benedetti’s compensation for 2007, Mr.
Benedetti prepared an analysis of the compensation structures of several public
companies consisting of Capstead Mortgage, MFA Mortgage, Redwood Trust, Saxon
Capital, and United Dominion Realty for the Committee’s use. The
Committee reviewed the amounts and forms of executive compensation and only used
these companies as a general guide in reviewing Mr. Benedetti’s compensation
structure in 2007. Mr. Benedetti’s overall compensation package was
lower than that of all five of the companies selected for similarly situated
officers. The Committee viewed the level of Mr. Benedetti’s compensation as
adequate given our activities and size versus the activities and size of other
companies reviewed. The Committee anticipates that Mr. Benedetti’s compensation
will be adjusted as the Company begins to be a more active investor than it has
been in the past several years.
Components
of Executive Compensation
The
elements of the our compensation program in 2007 included base annual salary,
bonus compensation and long-term incentives through stock-based awards under our
2004 Stock Incentive Plan, all of which are consistent with our compensation
program in prior years. We provide certain retirement benefits
through our 401(k) savings plan and non-qualified 401(k) overflow
plan. We also provide health and welfare benefits that include
participation in our health, dental and vision plans and various insurance
plans, including disability and life insurance.
Each of
the three principal components of executive compensation is designed to reward
and provide incentives to the executive officers consistent with our overall
policies and principles on executive compensation. These components and the
rationale and methodology for each are described below. Specific information on
the amounts and types of compensation earned by the named executive officer
during 2007 can be found in the Summary Compensation Table and other tables and
narrative disclosures following this discussion.
Base Salary.
Our base salary philosophy is to provide reasonable current income to our
executive officers in amounts that will attract and retain individuals with a
broad, proven track record of performance. The Compensation Committee
establishes the annual salary range for executive officers. In
establishing these ranges, the Compensation Committee balances the need to offer
salaries that are competitive with peer companies with the need to maintain
careful control of salary and benefits expense. For 2007, the
Committee also attempted to balance the fact that Mr. Benedetti was our sole
executive officer, which meant that retention was especially
important.
Mr.
Benedetti’s annual salary for 2007 was $236,000, an increase of $11,000, or 5%,
from his annual salary in 2006. Mr. Benedetti received a 5% increase
in base salary in part to reflect an increase in his responsibilities and in
part to reflect his performance for 2006.
Annual
Bonuses. For 2007, Mr.
Benedetti had the opportunity to earn an annual cash bonus up to 75% of base
salary based on achievement of Company performance goals and individual goals.
In addition to promoting the achievement of corporate performance goals, the
bonus awards are designed to align the interests of senior management into a
common objective.
The
actual amount awarded to Mr. Benedetti is in the discretion of the Compensation
Committee and is based on the achievement of certain corporate goals during the
year, including increases in adjusted common book value, other quantitative and
qualitative goals, and individual goals. These goals are established
at the beginning of the calendar year, and may be changed by the Committee based
on changes in the markets in which the Company invests and operates. As it
relates to Mr. Benedetti’s 2007 bonus, the Committee evaluated the performance
of Mr. Benedetti based on the Company’s financial performance, principally as it
related to growth in adjusted common book value per share relative to the target
of 7.5% for 2007, achievements in sourcing and making long-term investment
opportunities, achievements in resolving all litigation contingencies,
achievements in sourcing joint venture opportunities, ensuring our
compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the personal
observations of Mr. Benedetti’s performance by the members of the Compensation
Committee. The Committee weighed Mr. Benedetti’s performance during
the year as an executive officer in general in determining the bonus amount as
well, with no particular weight given to any single identified
goal.
The
Compensation Committee may also consider the award of individual bonus amounts
to executive officers outside of the annual discretionary
bonuses. Such bonus amounts are also discretionary, and would be
predicated on achievement of extraordinary individual or corporate
results. No such bonus was paid to Mr. Benedetti for
2007.
In
January 2008, the Compensation Committee approved a 2007 cash bonus of $106,000
to Mr. Benedetti, which was paid also in January 2008. Such bonus
amounted to 47% of Mr. Benedetti’s base salary for 2007. Mr.
Benedetti’s bonus was $29,000 or approximately 27%, lower in 2007 than in 2006.
The primary reason for the decrease in the 2007 bonus versus the 2006 bonus paid
to Mr. Benedetti was the unsuccessful achievement of certain of the objectives
by Mr. Benedetti as set forth above.
Long-Term Equity
Incentives. The Compensation Committee may provide equity
incentives to executive officers through long-term awards. Long-term equity
incentives historically have been made available to executive officers in the
form of stock appreciation rights payable in cash only. The goal of
the Compensation Committee in granting equity incentives is to directly link an
executive’s compensation opportunities with shareholder value
creation. Stock appreciation rights require stock price appreciation
in order for executive officers to realize any benefit, thus directly aligning
executive and shareholder interests. In 2008, the Committee made long-term
equity incentive awards in the form of restricted stock grants. The Committee
believes restricted stock grants will further align the executive officers’
interests with those of the shareholders, while providing an incentive to
executive officers to remain with the Company for a period of
years.
The
Compensation Committee uses multiyear vesting of equity incentive awards.
Multiyear vesting focuses executive officers on consistent long-term growth in
shareholder value and requires executive officers to remain employed with us for
extended periods to receive the full benefit of the awards. Equity
incentive awards are made pursuant to our 2004 Stock Incentive Plan. Recent
awards of stock appreciation rights have four-year vesting periods, with a
seven-year term.
As
discussed further below, the Committee awarded Mr. Benedetti 25,000 stock
appreciation rights in December 2006 with an effective grant date as of January
3, 2007. These stock appreciation rights had an estimated fair value
at the time of grant of approximately $67,250. The Committee did not award stock
appreciation rights in 2008. Instead the Committee awarded Mr. Benedetti 10,000
shares of restricted stock in February 2008. Of this amount, 3,500 shares of
restricted stock were in lieu of a raise for 2008 (and vest 25% each quarter in
2008) and 6,500 shares of restricted stock were granted for Mr. Benedetti’s
long-term compensation. These shares vest 25% annually over the next four
years.
Timing of
Long-Term Incentive Awards. We are aware that the release of
our quarterly financial results may have an impact on the market price of our
common stock, and therefore the value of the stock appreciation rights awarded
to our executive officers and stock option grants awarded to non-employee
directors, depending on whether the information is favorable or unfavorable. Our
general practice with respect to the timing of long-term incentive awards to our
executive officers and senior management is to approve grants of stock
appreciation rights and grants of restricted stock to executive officers once
each year in December. The grants are effective as of the close of
business on the first official business day in January of the following
year. The approval date and grant date are slightly different
as it has generally been our policy to price the grant on the first business day
of the new calendar year to avoid possible pricing issues with respect to our
common stock that may occur in December (for example, a lower price on the
common stock as a result of tax loss selling) and to avoid any potential issues
with respect to the announcement of our quarterly and annual results. For 2007,
the Committee did not meet until January 2008 and the grants of restricted stock
were not approved by the Board until February 2008.
Non-employee
directors receive annual grants of stock options in connection with the annual
meeting of shareholders, generally in May or June of each year. These
grants of stock options are based on the 110% of the closing price of our common
stock on the first Friday following the Annual Meeting.
In the
case of grants to our non-employee directors, we believe that the annual meeting
of shareholders is an appropriate time during the year to make option grants and
that a consistent application of our option granting practices from year to year
regardless of the content of the first quarter earnings release is also
appropriate. The stock options granted by the Compensation Committee are
designed to create incentives for the creation of long-term shareholder value
and contain delayed vesting provisions that prevent recipients of stock options
from taking advantage of short-term fluctuations in the market price of our
common stock.
We have
not planned in the past, nor do we plan in the future, to time the release of
material non-public information for the purpose of affecting the value of
executive compensation. We do not have a practice of setting the exercise price
of options or stock appreciation rights based on the stock price on any date
other than the grant
date, nor
do we use a formula or any other method to select a price based on a period
before, after or surrounding the grant date. All stock incentive
awards are granted at the closing price of our common stock on the effective
date of grant.
Retirement
Plans. We provide additional compensation to our executive
officers through various plans which are also available to some or all of our
employees. The Compensation Committee oversees these plans and the
Compensation Committee considers these plans when reviewing an executive’s total
annual compensation and determining the annual and long-term compensation
components described above.
We have a
401(k) Savings Plan for all of our employees. The 401(k) Savings Plan
allows eligible employees to defer up to 25% of their income on a pretax
basis. We match on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to 6% of an
employee’s eligible compensation, subject to limitations imposed by the Internal
Revenue Code. We also have a non-qualified 401(k) Overflow Savings
Plan where employees who maximize their contributions to the 401(k) Savings Plan
can contribute amounts on an after-tax basis. We also match the
employee’s contributions to this plan up to 6% of their eligible compensation,
although there are currently no active participants in this plan.
Severance
Plans. The Compensation Committee evaluates the potential
payment to executive officers under various arrangements that provide for
severance payments, including termination and change-of-control arrangements, in
connection with its annual review of executive compensation. As our
only executive officer in 2007, Mr. Benedetti has a severance agreement as
further discussed below. The Committee and the Board feels that such
an agreement is important given that Mr. Benedetti was our only executive
officer during 2007. In hiring Mr. Akin, the Committee expects that Mr. Akin
will enter into an employment agreement with us and not a severance agreement.
The Committee has not yet determined whether it will enter into an employment
agreement with Mr. Benedetti or whether it will retain the use of a severance
agreement for Mr. Benedetti.
The terms
of the severance agreement provide generally that a lump sum payment will be
made to Mr. Benedetti under certain circumstances upon his termination of
employment with us. These circumstances include the termination of
employment by Mr. Benedetti for “good reason” (as defined in the agreement) or
the termination of his employment by the Company without “cause” (as defined in
the agreement). In such events, Mr. Benedetti will have the right to
receive a lump sum payment equal to the sum of (i) his base salary and bonus
that has accrued but has not been paid, (ii) the equivalent of his annual base
salary of one year for every fifty months that Mr. Benedetti has been employed
by the Company prorated for any period of less than fifty months and (iii) any
other amounts or benefits Mr. Benedetti is entitled to receive under any
plan, program, policy or practice or contract or agreement of the
Company. Mr. Benedetti also will become fully vested in any
options, stock appreciation rights or other forms of incentive stock
compensation granted to Mr. Benedetti under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan if he
terminates his employment for good reason or if he is terminated without
cause. Finally, in such events, the Company is obligated to provide
continued coverage to Mr. Benedetti at its expense under the Company’s medical,
dental, life insurance and disability policies or arrangements for a period of
12 months following termination of employment, which may be limited in certain
circumstances.
If Mr.
Benedetti’s employment is terminated for “cause”, the Company will only be
obligated to pay to Mr. Benedetti (i) his annual base salary through the
date of termination, (ii) any bonus to the extent already earned by Mr.
Benedetti, but unpaid, (iii) the amount of any compensation previously deferred
by Mr. Benedetti, and (iv) any other amounts or benefits Mr. Benedetti
would be entitled to receive under any plan, program, policy or practice or
contract or agreement of the Company.
If
Mr. Benedetti voluntarily terminates his employment for other than “good
reason”, the Company will be obligated to pay him (i) his annual base salary
through the date of termination, (ii) any bonus to the extent already earned by
Mr. Benedetti, but unpaid, and (iii) any other amounts or benefits
Mr. Benedetti would be entitled to receive under any plan, program, policy
or practice or contract or agreement of the Company.
In all
circumstances, any amounts paid by the Company pursuant to the severance
agreement will be limited to the maximum amount deductible under Section 280G of
the Internal Revenue Code (and any successor provision). See further discussion
at “Severance Agreement” below.
New
Chief Executive Officer
Effective
February 4, 2008, Thomas B. Akin was appointed to Chief Executive Officer of the
Company. Pursuant to an employment agreement entered into with Mr.
Akin on March 31, 2008. Mr. Akin will receive a compensation package
consisting of a base salary, annual cash incentive payments in the form of
discretionary annual bonuses and long-term equity incentives in the form of
restricted stock. Mr. Akin’s annual base salary for 2008 is $300,000. Mr.
Akin is eligible for a bonus of up to 100% of his base salary based 50% on our
earnings performance as measured by return on adjusted common equity and 50% on
to-be determined qualitative objectives set by the Committee. Mr. Akin will also
participate in a bonus pool equal to 1% of the total common equity capital
raised during 2008 if at least $100 million of equity capital is raised in 2008.
The Compensation Committee felt these amounts were appropriate based on the
responsibilities assumed by Mr. Akin and to compensate Mr. Akin for his
continued service as Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Akin
is also entitled to the same benefits as other employees under our 401(k)
Savings Plan and 401(k) Overflow Plan, and is entitled to participate in our
health, dental and vision plans and various insurance plans, including
disability and life insurance, to the same extent as other employees should he
so elect. In connection with his appointment as an officer of the Company, Mr.
Akin will no longer receive separate compensation for his service as a
member of the Board of Directors.
Annual
Compensation of Executive Officer
Compensation
for our executive officers is administered under the direction of our
Compensation Committee. In the tables and discussion below, we summarize
the compensation earned during 2007 and 2006 by Mr. Benedetti, our only
executive officer during 2007. As previously indicated, we had no other
executive officers during 2007.
Summary
Compensation Table *
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and Principal
Position
|
Year
|
Salary
($)
|
Bonus
($)
|
Options
Awards ($) (1)
|
All
Other Compensation ($) (2)
|
Total
($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
J. Benedetti
Executive
Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Secretary and
Treasurer
|
2007
2006
|
236,000
225,000
|
106,000
135,000
|
67,643
67,250
|
13,920
13,530
|
423,563
440,780
|
______________
|
* Columns
for “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation”, “Change in Pension Value and
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings” and “Stock Awards” have been
omitted because they were not
applicable.
|
(1)
|
The
amounts in this column reflect the dollar amount recognized for financial
statement reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007
or 2006, respectively, in accordance with SFAS 123R of stock appreciation
rights awards pursuant to the Company’s 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, and
includes amounts from awards granted in prior years. The assumptions used
in the calculation of these amounts are an average volatility of 25% for
2007 and 2006 awards, using the volatility assumptions required by SFAS
123R.
|
(2)
|
Amount
for 2007 consisted of matching contributions to the Company’s 401(k)
Savings Plan in the amount of $13,410 and group term life insurance
premiums in the amount of $510.
|
We have
not entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Benedetti. All
compensation that we have paid to him is determined as described above in our
“Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section.
The
following table contains information concerning grants of stock appreciation
rights to the named executive officer during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2007.
Grants
of Plan-Based Awards for 2007*
Name
|
Grant
Date(1)
|
Approval
Date
|
All
Other Options Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options
(#)
|
Exercise
or Base Price of Option Awards ($)
|
Grant
Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ($) (2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
J. Benedetti
|
1-3-2007
|
12-19-2006
|
25,000
|
7.06
|
67,643
|
___________
* Columns
for “Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards”,
“Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards” and “All Other
Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units” have been omitted because they
were not applicable.
(1)
|
This
award was also reported in the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table in the
Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2007 Annual
Meeting.
|
(2)
|
The
amount in this column reflects the grant date fair value of the award,
computed in accordance with SFAS
123R.
|
The
approval date and grant date of plan-based awards are slightly different as it
has generally been our policy to price the grant on the first business day of
the new calendar year to avoid possible pricing issues with respect to our
common stock which may occur in December (for example, a lower price on the
common stock as a result of tax loss selling). We have not in recent years
granted associated dividend equivalent rights. Stock appreciation
rights awards will typically vest ratably over a four year period, and expire
approximately seven years from the grant date.
Holdings
of Stock-Based Awards
In the
table below, we list information on the holdings of exercisable and
unexercisable stock appreciation rights option awards as of December 31, 2007
for our named executive officer.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at 2007 Fiscal Year-End *
Option
Awards (1)
Name
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
Exercisable
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
Option
Exercise Price
($)
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
J. Benedetti
|
-
6,250
30,000
|
25,000
18,750
30,000
|
7.06
6.61
7.81
|
12-31-13
12-31-12
12-31-11
|
___________
* Columns
for “Equity Incentive Plan Awards”, and all columns related to “Stock Awards”
have been omitted because they were not applicable.
(1) The
table reflects stock appreciation rights held by Mr. Benedetti. Mr. Benedetti
did not have stock options or restricted stock awards at December 31,
2007.
Each of
the above stock appreciation rights awards has a seven-year term and vests
ratably over a four-year period based on the anniversary date of the grant
(generally at the close of the first business day of the subsequent calendar
year).
Option
Exercises and Stock Vested
No
options or stock appreciation rights were exercised by Mr. Benedetti in 2007.
Mr. Benedetti did not have any restricted stock during 2007.
401(k)
Overflow Plan
Certain
executives, including the named executive officer, are eligible to defer salary
and portions of bonus awards pursuant to the Company’s 401(k) Overflow Plan, in
excess of deferral limits on the Company’s 401(k) Plan. An executive
may defer a portion of his or her base salary and annual bonus.
The
following table provides information regarding our named executive officer’s
participation in the Company’s 401(k) Overflow Plan.
|
Nonqualified
Deferred Compensation for 2007
|
Name
|
Executive
Contributions in Last FY (1)
($)
|
Company
Contributions in Last FY
($)
|
Aggregate
Earnings in Last FY
($)
|
Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
($)
|
Aggregate
Balance at Last FYE (2)
($)
|
Stephen
J. Benedetti
|
--
|
--
|
$12,617
|
--
|
$136,998
|
(1)
|
Mr.
Benedetti did not make any contributions to the 401(k) Overflow Plan
during 2007.
|
(2)
|
The
aggregate balance for Mr. Benedetti includes $42,122, which was reported
as compensation in the Company’s Summary Compensation Table in prior
years.
|
Other
Compensation
We do not
offer any pension benefit plans or deferred compensation plans to our executive
officers or other employees, other than what is discussed under the Retirement
Plans section of “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” above.
Severance
Agreement
As
previously indicated, Mr. Benedetti has a Severance Agreement which provides for
payments and acceleration of outstanding and unvested stock options upon his
termination without cause or for his resignation with good
reason. Mr. Benedetti will receive amounts based on a formula set
forth in the Severance Agreement. Items considered good reason
include a change-of-control of the Company, a material change in Mr. Benedetti’s
responsibilities or compensation, or a change in the headquarters location of
the Company. Change-of-control includes among other things, an
acquisition of more than 20% of our common stock by an unrelated entity, a
material change in the composition of our Board of Directors, a merger or other
business combination, or a vote by our shareholders to liquidate or dissolve
us.
Under the
Severance Agreement, Mr. Benedetti will have the right to receive a lump sum
payment equal to the sum of (i) Mr. Benedetti’s base salary and bonus that has
accrued but has not been paid, (ii) the equivalent of Mr. Benedetti’s
annual base salary of one year for every fifty months that Mr. Benedetti has
been employed by the Company prorated for any period of less than fifty months
and (iii) any other amounts or benefits Mr. Benedetti is entitled to
receive under any plan, program, policy or practice or contract or agreement of
the Company. Mr. Benedetti also will become fully vested in the
stock appreciation rights granted to him under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan if
he terminates his employment for good reason or if he is terminated without
cause. If Mr. Benedetti had been terminated without cause or had
terminated his employment effective December 31, 2007 with good reason,
inclusive of the $106,000 in bonus paid in January 2008 for his 2007
performance, Mr. Benedetti would have received a lump sum payment of
$856,480. In addition, the value of previously unvested stock
appreciation rights would have been approximately $130,675 (based on a closing
stock price on December 31, 2007 of $8.87). Also, the cost to the
Company of providing continued benefits for 12 months would have been
approximately $16,659.
There are
no arrangements that provide for the payment of severance or similar benefits to
Mr. Benedetti in connection with a termination of employment for any other
reason.
Related
Person Transactions
We
recognize that maintaining the independence in fact and appearance for our
directors and officers is critical. Therefore, we have certain policies and
procedures in place to critically evaluate each transaction that could impact
the independence of directors and officers. Our Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics provides that directors and officers are expected to make
appropriate disclosures to the Board and to take appropriate steps to recuse
themselves from Board decisions with respect to transactions or other matters
involving us as to which they are interested parties or with respect to which a
real or apparent conflict of interest exists. Our Corporate Governance
Guidelines also provide that directors and officers are to refrain from entering
contracts with Board members and their immediate family members or providing
support directly or indirectly to their organizations with whom a Board member
may be affiliated. In the event that we deem it appropriate to enter
transactions with a Board member or a member of their immediate family, the
terms of the transaction must be made in the ordinary course of business and on
substantially the same terms as those prevailing at the time of a comparable
transaction with a non-affiliated person. The Board will evaluate each of these
transactions when the independence of the director is determined.
In
addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews any
potential related party transactions, regardless of the dollar amount involved.
The policies and procedures for the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee review and approval of such transactions are not currently
written.
The
Company’s Chief Operating Officer is the sole owner of ICD Holding,
Inc. which has a wholly-owned subsidiary DCI Commercial, Inc. The
Company’s Chief Operating Officer became the sole owner of ICD Holding in 2002.
The Company and DCI Commercial have been jointly named in litigation regarding
the activities of DCI Commercial while it was an operating subsidiary of an
affiliate of the Company. DCI Commercial has entered into a Litigation Cost
Sharing Agreement with the Company whereby the Company agreed to fund all costs
of litigation against the Company and DCI Commercial, including DCI Commercial’s
portion of the cost of the litigation. To date, DCI Commercial’s
cumulative portion of costs associated with litigation and funded by the Company
is $3.28 million and is secured by the proceeds of any counterclaims that DCI
Commercial may receive in the litigation. Litigation costs paid by the Company
on behalf of DCI Commercial carry interest at the rate of Prime plus 8% per
annum. At December 31, 2007, the total amount due the Company under the
Litigation Cost Sharing Agreement,
including
interest, was $5.66 million. ICD Holding has no assets other than its interest
in DCI Commercial. Neither ICD Holding nor the Company’s Chief Operating
Officer expect to derive any monetary benefit from the arrangement other than
the funding of the litigation costs. Neither ICD Holding nor DCI
Commercial has made any payments to the Company.
PROPOSAL
TWO
RATIFICATION
OF THE SELECTION
OF
THE COMPANY’S AUDITORS
The Board
of Directors has selected, the firm of BDO Seidman, LLP as independent certified
public accountants to audit the consolidated financial statements of the Company
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008. BDO Seidman, LLP
audited the financial statements of the Company for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The affirmative vote by a majority
of the votes cast by holders of the Common Stock is required for the
ratification of the selection of the auditors for the Company.
In the
event that shareholders do not ratify the selection of BDO Seidman, LLP, the
Board of Directors will consider making a change in auditors for the Company for
the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009.
Representatives
of BDO Seidman, LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, will have
an opportunity to make a statement, if they desire to do so, and are expected to
be available to respond to appropriate questions from shareholders.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT THE SHAREHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE SELECTION OF
BDO SEIDMAN, LLP AS INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING
DECEMBER 31, 2008.
AUDIT
INFORMATION
Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees
The
following information is furnished with respect to fees billed for professional
services rendered to the Company by BDO Seidman, LLP for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.
|
|
Fiscal
Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
(1)
|
|
$ |
309,500 |
|
|
$ |
215,590 |
|
Audit-Related
Fees (2)
|
|
|
– |
|
|
|
– |
|
Tax
Fees (3)
|
|
|
– |
|
|
|
– |
|
All
Other Fees (4)
|
|
|
8,480 |
|
|
|
11,100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ |
317,980 |
|
|
$ |
226,690 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Both
2007 and 2006 Audit Fees include: (i) the audit of the Company’s
consolidated financial statements included in its annual report on Form
10-K and services attended to, or required by, statute or regulation; (ii)
reviews of the interim consolidated financial statements included in the
Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q; (iii) comfort letters, consents
and other services related to SEC and other regulatory
filings. Audit fees for 2007 also include the audit of the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting as required by Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
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(2)
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Audit-Related
Fees represent professional services for assurance and related services
that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of
the Company’s consolidated financial statements and not reported under the
heading “Audit Fees.”
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(3)
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Tax
Fees include tax compliance, tax planning, tax advisory and related
services.
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(4)
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During
2007 and 2006, BDO Seidman, LLP performed certain agreed upon procedures
related to the Company’s master servicing responsibilities on certain
securitization financing issuances.
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Pre-Approval
Policies and Procedures
In
accordance with the Audit Committee Charter, all audit (including audit-related)
and non-audit services performed by BDO Seidman, LLP, as described above, were
pre-approved by the Audit Committee, which concluded that the provision of such
services by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm was
compatible with the maintenance of that firm’s independence in the conduct of
its auditing functions. The Charter authorizes the Audit Committee to delegate
to one or more of its members pre-approval authority with respect to permitted
services. The decisions of any Audit Committee member to whom
pre-approval authority is delegated must be presented to the full Audit
Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
Audit
Committee Report
The
following Audit Committee Report shall not be deemed to be soliciting material
or to be incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by
reference this proxy statement into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the
extent the Company specifically incorporates this Report therein, and shall not
otherwise be deemed filed under such Acts.
The Audit
Committee makes recommendations concerning the engagement of independent public
accountants, reviews with the independent public accountants the plans and
results of any audits, reviews other professional services provided by the
independent public accountants, reviews the independence of the independent
public accountants, considers the range of audit and non-audit fees and reviews
the adequacy of internal accounting controls. The Audit Committee is
composed of four directors, each of whom is independent for audit committee
purposes, as defined by the regulations of the SEC and the New York Stock
Exchange listing standards.
The Audit
Committee has reviewed and discussed with management and the independent
accountants the Company’s audited financial statements and the results of their
examination and evaluation of the Company’s internal controls for fiscal year
2007. In addition, the Committee has communicated with the
independent accountants the matters required to be communicated by Statement of
Auditing Standards No. 61, “Communication with Audit Committees,” as
amended.
The Audit
Committee has received from the independent accountants written disclosures and
a letter concerning the independent accountants’ independence from the Company,
as required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, “Independence
Discussions with Audit Committees.” These disclosures have been
reviewed by the Committee, and the Committee has discussed with the independent
accountant the independent accountant’s independence.
Based on
these reviews and discussions, the Committee recommended to the Board that the
audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for fiscal year 2007 for filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Audit
Committee
Eric P.
Von der Porten, Chairman
Leon A.
Felman
Barry
Igdaloff
Daniel K.
Osborne
SHAREHOLDER
PROPOSALS
If any
shareholder desires to make a proposal to be acted upon at the 2009 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders, written notice of such proposal must be received, in
proper form, by the Secretary of the Company no later than January 4, 2009 and
no earlier than October 6, 2008. The proxy solicited by the Board of
Directors for the 2009 Annual Meeting will confer discretionary authority to
vote on any shareholder proposal presented at the meeting if the Company has not
received notice of such proposal within this time period, in writing delivered
to the Company’s Secretary. If any shareholder intends to
present a proposal to be considered for inclusion in the Company’s proxy
materials in connection with the 2009 Annual Meeting, the proposal must be in
proper form and must be received by the Company’s Secretary, at the Company’s
principal office, on or before December 5, 2008.
OTHER
MATTERS
The
Company’s 2007 Annual Report to Shareholders (the “Annual Report”), which
includes a copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2007 (excluding exhibits), as filed with the SEC, is being
mailed with this Proxy Statement to shareholders who are receiving these proxy
materials by mail. A copy of the Annual Report may also be obtained without
charge by writing to Dynex Capital, Inc., 4551 Cox Road, Suite 300,
Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. The Annual Report is not part of the proxy
solicitation materials.
By the order of the
Board of Directors
Stephen J.
Benedetti
Executive Vice
President,
Chief Operating
Officer and Secretary
April 4,
2008