Company: WTFCN
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0001104659-25-031671
Chunk: 29

Company: WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORP
Filing Date: 2025-04-03
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 29
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 Director Independence A Director is independent if the Board affirmatively determines that he or she has no material relationship with the Company other than serving as a Director of the Company and he or she otherwise satisfies the independence requirements of the Nasdaq listing standards. A Director is “independent” under the Nasdaq listing standards if the Board affirmatively determines that the Director has no material relationship with us directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us. Direct or indirect ownership of even a significant amount of our stock by a Director who is otherwise independent will not, by itself, bar an independence finding as to such Director. The Board has reviewed the independence of our current Directors and nominees and found that each of them are independent under the applicable Nasdaq listing standards, except Mr. Wehmer, who currently serves as our Founder and Senior Advisor, and Mr. Crane, who currently serves as our President and CEO. Accordingly, more than 86% of the members of the Board are independent, including the Chairman of the Board. Related Person Transactions We or one of our subsidiaries may occasionally enter into transactions with certain “related persons.” Related persons include our executive officers, directors, 5% or more beneficial owners of our Common Stock, immediate family members of these persons and entities in which one of these persons has a direct or indirect material interest. We refer to transactions with these related persons as “Related Person Transactions.” The Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee are jointly responsible for the review and approval of each Related Person Transaction exceeding $120,000. Such committees consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a Related Person Transaction including, without limitation, whether the terms of the proposed transaction are at least as favorable to us as those that might be achieved with an unaffiliated third party. Among other relevant factors, the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee consider the following: • the size of the transaction and the amount of consideration payable to a related person; • the nature of the interest of the applicable executive officer, Director or 5% shareholder in the transaction; • whether the transaction may involve a conflict of interest; • whether the transaction involves the provision of goods or services to us that are available from unaffiliated third parties; and • whether the proposed transaction is on terms and made under circumstances that are at least as favorable to us as would be available in comparable transactions with or involving unaffiliated third parties. Some of the executive officers and Directors of the Company are, and have been during the preceding year,