Company: ASB
Filing Date: 2025-03-17
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000007789-25-000025
Chunk: 114

Company: ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP
Filing Date: 2025-03-17
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 114
---
ified Stock Option.

Notwithstanding the foregoing and Sections 3.2(p) and 11.2, the Committee may, without the consent of the Grantee, at any

time before the exercise of an Option (whether or not an Incentive Stock Option), take any action necessary to prevent such

Option from being treated as an Incentive Stock Option.

8.6. Exercise and Payment .

(a) Exercise . Except as may otherwise be provided by the Committee in an Award Agreement, Options shall be

exercised by the delivery of an electronic notice to the Company setting forth the number of Shares to be exercised,

accompanied by full payment (including any applicable tax withholding) for the Shares made by any one or more of the

following means on the Exercise Date (or such other date as may be permitted in writing by the Secretary of the Company):

(i) in cash or by cash equivalent acceptable to the Committee; or

(ii) to the extent permitted by the Committee in its sole discretion in an Award Agreement or otherwise:

(A) in Shares valued at the Fair Market Value of such Shares on the Exercise Date;

(B) through an open-market, broker-assisted sales transaction pursuant to which the Company

is promptly delivered the amount of proceeds necessary to satisfy the Exercise Price;

(C) by reducing the number of Shares otherwise deliverable upon the exercise of the Option by

the number of Shares having a Fair Market Value on the Exercise Date equal to the Exercise Price;

(D) by a combination of the methods described above; or

(E) by such other method as may be approved by the Committee and set forth in the Award

Agreement.

(b) Payment . Upon the Committee’s determination that an Option has been properly exercised by the Grantee in

accordance with Section 8.6(a) above, the Company shall distribute to the Grantee the applicable number of Shares specified in

the exercise notice for which full payment has been made. The Company shall distribute such Shares as soon as practically

possible following the Exercise Date.

(c) Exercise Timing . Unless an Option is cancelled and forfeited earlier in accordance with the terms of this Plan

and the applicable Award Agreement, the Grantee shall forfeit the Option to the extent it is not exercised by the end of the

Term. However, an Award Agreement may provide for an automatic exercise of the Option at the end of the Term if certain

conditions are met. If an Award Agreement contains such a provision, the Option shall be deemed exercised in accordance with