Form of Change in Control Agreement b/w Oceanfirst Bank & Iantosca



 Exhibit 10.18 
  
 OCEANFIRST BANK 
 TWO YEAR CHANGE IN
CONTROL AGREEMENT 
  
 This AGREEMENT is made effective as of
February 18, 2004 by and between OceanFirst Bank (the “Bank”), a federally chartered savings institution, with its principal administrative office at 975 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, New Jersey 08753, Joseph R. Iantosca
(“Executive”), and OceanFirst Financial Corp. (the “Holding Company”), a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware which is the holding company of the Bank. 
  
 WHEREAS, the Bank wishes to protect Executive’s position for the period
provided in this Agreement; and 
  
 WHEREAS, Executive has agreed
to serve in the employ of the Bank. 
  
 NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the contribution and responsibilities of Executive, and upon the other terms and conditions hereinafter provided, the parties hereto agree as follows: 
  

	1.	TERM OF AGREEMENT. 

  
 The term of the OceanFirst Bank Two Year Change in Control Agreement (the “Agreement”) shall be deemed to have commenced as of the date first
above written and shall continue for a period of twenty-four (24) full calendar months thereafter. Commencing on the first anniversary date of this Agreement and continuing at each anniversary date thereafter, the Board of Directors of the Bank
(“Board”) may extend the Agreement for an additional year. The Board will review the Agreement and Executive’s performance annually for purposes of determining whether to extend the Agreement, and the results thereof shall be included
in the minutes of the Board’s meeting. 
  

	2.	CHANGE IN CONTROL. 

  
 (a) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control of the Bank or the Holding Company (as herein defined) followed at any time during the term of this
Agreement by the termination of Executive’s employment, other than for Cause, as defined in Section 2(c) hereof, the provisions of Section 3 shall apply. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, Executive shall have the right to elect to
voluntarily terminate his employment at any time during the term of this Agreement following any demotion, loss of title, office or significant authority, reduction in his annual compensation or benefits, or relocation of his principal place of
employment by more than 25 miles from its location immediately prior to the Change in Control. 
  
 (b) For purposes of this Plan, a “Change in Control” of the Bank or Holding Company shall mean an event of a nature that: (i) would be required to be reported in response to Item 1 of the Current Report on
Form 8-K, as in effect on the date hereof, pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); or (ii) results in a Change in Control of the Bank or the Holding Company within the meaning of the
Home Owners’ Loan Act of 1933, as amended, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, or the Rules and Regulations promulgated by the Office of Thrift Supervision (“OTS”) (or its predecessor agency), as in effect on the date hereof (provided,
that in applying the definition of change in control as set forth under the Rules and Regulations of the OTS, the Board shall substitute its judgment for that of the OTS); or (iii) without limitation such a Change in Control shall be deemed to have
occurred at such time as (A) any “person” (as the term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange 

  









 
Act) is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Bank or
the Holding Company representing 25% or more of the Bank’s or the Holding Company’s outstanding voting securities or right to acquire such securities except for any voting securities of the Bank purchased by the Holding Company in
connection with the conversion of the Bank to the stock form and any voting securities purchased by any employee benefit plan of the Bank or the Holding Company, or (B) individuals who constitute the Board on the date hereof (the “Incumbent
Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority thereof, provided that any person becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election was approved by a vote of at least three-quarters of the directors comprising the
Incumbent Board, or whose nomination for election by the Holding Company’s stockholders was approved by the same Nominating Committee serving under an Incumbent Board, shall be, for purposes of this clause (B), considered as though he were a
member of the Incumbent Board, or (C) a plan of reorganization, merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all the assets of the Bank or the Holding Company or similar transaction occurs in which the Bank or Holding Company is not the
resulting entity; provided, however, that such an event listed above will be deemed to have occurred or to have been effectuated upon the receipt of all required regulatory approvals not including the lapse of any statutory periods. 
  
 (c) Executive shall not have the right to receive termination benefits
pursuant to Section 3 hereof upon Termination for Cause. The term “Termination for Cause” shall mean termination because of Executive’s personal dishonesty, incompetence, willful misconduct, any breach of fiduciary duty involving
personal profit, intentional failure to perform stated duties, willful violation of any law, rule, or regulation (other than traffic violations or similar offenses) or final cease-and-desist order, or material breach of any provision of this
Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive shall not be deemed to have been Terminated for Cause unless and until there shall have been delivered to him a Notice of Termination which shall include a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the
affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the Board of Directors of the Bank at a meeting of the Board called and held for that purpose (after reasonable notice to Executive and an opportunity for him, together with counsel, to be heard before
the Board), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board, Executive was guilty of conduct justifying Termination for Cause and specifying the particulars thereof in detail. Executive shall not have the right to receive compensation or other
benefits for any period after the Date of Termination for Cause. During the period beginning on the date of the Notice of Termination for Cause pursuant to Section 8 hereof through the Date of Termination for Cause, stock options and related limited
rights granted to Executive under any stock option plan shall not be exercisable nor shall any unvested awards granted to Executive under any stock benefit plan of the Bank, the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate thereof, vest. At the Date of
Termination for Cause, such stock options and related limited rights and any such unvested awards shall become null and void and shall not be exercisable by or delivered to Executive at any time subsequent to such Termination for Cause. 

 

	3.	TERMINATION BENEFITS. 

  
 (a) Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, followed at any time during the term of this Agreement by termination of the Executive’s employment
due to: (1) Executive’s dismissal or (2) Executive’s voluntary termination pursuant to Section 2(a), unless such termination is due to Termination for Cause, the Bank and the Holding Company shall pay Executive, or in the event of his
subsequent death, his beneficiary or beneficiaries, or his estate, as the case may be, a sum equal to two (2) times Executive’s average annual compensation for the five most recent taxable years that Executive has been employed by the Bank or
such lesser number of years in the event that Executive shall have been employed by the Bank for less than five years. Such average annual compensation shall include Base Salary, commissions, bonuses, contributions on Executive’s behalf to any
pension and/or profit sharing plan, severance payments, retirement payments, directors or committee fees, fringe benefits paid or to be paid to the Executive in any 

  









 
such year and payment of any expense items without accountability or business purpose or that do not meet the Internal Revenue Service requirements for
deductibility by the Bank; provided however, that any payment under this provision and subsection 3(b) below shall not exceed three (3) times the Executive’s average annual compensation. At the election of Executive, which
election is to be made prior to a Change in Control, such payment shall be made in a lump sum. In the event that no election is made, payment to Executive will be made on a monthly basis in approximately equal installments during the remaining term
of this Agreement. 
  
 (b) Upon the occurrence of a Change in
Control of the Bank or the Holding Company followed at any time during the term of this Agreement by Executive’s voluntary or involuntary termination of employment, other than for Termination for Cause, the Bank shall cause to be continued
life, medical and disability coverage substantially identical to the coverage maintained by the Bank or Holding Company for Executive prior to his severance, except to the extent such coverage may be changed in its application to all Bank or Holding
Company employees on a nondiscriminatory basis. Such coverage and payments shall cease upon the expiration of thirty-six (36) full calendar months from the Date of Termination. 
  
 (c) Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this Section 3, in no event shall the aggregate payments or benefits to be
made or afforded to Executive under said paragraphs (the “Termination Benefits”) constitute an “excess parachute payment” under Section 280G of the Code or any successor thereto, and in order to avoid such a result Termination
Benefits will be reduced, if necessary, to an amount (the “Non-Triggering Amount”), the value of which is one dollar ($1.00) less than an amount equal to three (3) times Executive’s “base amount,” as determined in accordance
with said Section 280G. The allocation of the reduction required hereby among the Termination Benefits provided by the preceding paragraphs of this Section 3 shall be determined by Executive. 
  

	4.	NOTICE OF TERMINATION. 

  
 (a) Any purported termination by the Bank or by Executive in connection with a Change in Control shall be communicated by Notice of Termination to the
other party hereto. For purposes of this Agreement, a “Notice of Termination” shall mean a written notice which shall indicate the specific termination provision in this Agreement relied upon and shall set forth in reasonable detail the
facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination of Executive’s employment under the provision so indicated. 
  
 (b) “Date of Termination” shall mean the date specified in the Notice of Termination (which, in the instance of Termination for Cause, shall not
be less than thirty (30) days from the date such Notice of Termination is given). 
  









 (c) If, within thirty (30) days after any Notice of Termination is given, the party receiving such Notice
of Termination notifies the other party that a dispute exists concerning the termination, the Date of Termination shall be the date on which the dispute is finally determined, either by mutual written agreement of the parties, by a binding
arbitration award, or by a final judgment, order or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction (the time for appeal therefrom having expired and no appeal having been perfected) and provided further that the Date of Termination shall be extended by
a notice of dispute only if such notice is given in good faith and the party giving such notice pursues the resolution of such dispute with reasonable diligence. Notwithstanding the pendency of any such dispute in connection with a Change in
Control, in the event the Executive is terminated for reasons other than Termination for Cause, the Bank will continue to pay Executive his full compensation in effect when the notice giving rise to the dispute was given (including, but not limited
to his annual salary) and continue him as a participant in all compensation, benefit and insurance plans in which he was participating when the notice of dispute was given, until the earlier of: (1) the resolution of the dispute in accordance with
this Agreement or (2) the expiration of the remaining term of this Agreement as determined as of the Date of Termination. 
  

	5.	SOURCE OF PAYMENTS. 

  
 It is intended by the parties hereto that all payments provided in this Agreement shall be paid in cash or check from the general funds of the Bank.
Further, the Holding Company guarantees such payment and provision of all amounts and benefits due hereunder to Executive and, if such amounts and benefits due from the Bank are not timely paid or provided by the Bank, such amounts and benefits
shall be paid or provided by the Holding Company. 
  

	6.	EFFECT ON PRIOR AGREEMENTS AND EXISTING BENEFIT PLANS. 

  
 This Agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement between the Bank and Executive, except that
this Agreement shall not affect or operate to reduce any benefit or compensation inuring to Executive of a kind elsewhere provided. No provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted to mean that Executive is subject to receiving fewer benefits
than those available to him without reference to this Agreement. 
  
 Nothing in this Agreement shall confer upon Executive the right to continue in the employ of Bank or shall impose on the Bank any obligation to employ or retain Executive in its employ for any period. 
  

	7.	NO ATTACHMENT. 

  
 (a) Except as required by law, no right to receive payments under this Agreement shall be subject to anticipation, commutation, alienation, sale,
assignment, encumbrance, charge, pledge, or hypothecation, or to execution, attachment, levy, or similar process or assignment by operation of law, and any attempt, voluntary or involuntary, to affect any such action shall be null, void, and of no
effect. 
  
 (b) This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure to
the benefit of, Executive, the Bank and their respective successors and assigns. 
  










	8.	MODIFICATION AND WAIVER. 

  
 (a) This Agreement may not be modified or amended except by an instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto. 
  
 (b) No term or condition of this Agreement shall be deemed to have been
waived, nor shall there be any estoppel against the enforcement of any provision of this Agreement, except by written instrument of the party charged with such waiver or estoppel. No such written waiver shall be deemed a continuing waiver unless
specifically stated therein, and each such waiver shall operate only as to the specific term or condition waived and shall not constitute a waiver of such term or condition for the future or as to any act other than that specifically waived.

  

	9.	REQUIRED REGULATORY PROVISIONS. 

  
 (a) The board of directors may terminate Executive’s employment at any time, but any termination by the board of directors, other than Termination
for Cause, shall not prejudice Executive’s right to compensation or other benefits under this Agreement. Executive shall not have the right to receive compensation or other benefits for any period after Termination for Cause as defined in
Section 2 hereinabove. 
  
 (b) If Executive is suspended from
office and/or temporarily prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by a notice served under Section 8(e)(3) or 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. §1818(e)(3) or (g)(1)), the Bank’s
obligations under this contract shall be suspended as of the date of service, unless stayed by appropriate proceedings. If the charges in the notice are dismissed, the Bank may in its discretion (i) pay Executive all or part of the compensation
withheld while their contract obligations were suspended and (ii) reinstate (in whole or in part) any of the obligations which were suspended. 
  
 (c) If Executive is removed and/or permanently prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by an order issued under Section
8(e)(4) or 8(g)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. §1818(c)(4) or (g)(1)), all obligations of the Bank under this contract shall terminate as of the effective date of the order, but vested rights of the contracting parties shall
not be affected. 
  
 (d) If the Bank is in default as defined in
Section 3(x)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, all obligations of the Bank under this contract shall terminate as of the date of default, but this paragraph shall not affect any vested rights of the contracting parties. 
  
 (e) All obligations under this contract shall be terminated, except to the
extent determined that continuation of the contract is necessary for the continued operation of the institution: (i) by the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision (or his or her designee) at the time the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
enters into an agreement to provide assistance to or on behalf of the Bank under the authority contained in Section 13(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act; or (ii) by the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision (or his or her designee) at
the time the Director (or his or her designee) approves a supervisory merger to resolve problems related to operation of the Bank or when the Bank is determined by the Director to be in an unsafe or unsound condition. Any rights of the parties that
have already vested, however, shall not be affected by such action. 
  
 (f) Any payments made to Executive pursuant to this Agreement, or otherwise, are subject to and conditioned upon compliance with 12 U.S.C. §1828(k) and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. 
  










	10.	REINSTATEMENT OF BENEFITS UNDER SECTION 9(b). 

  
 In the event Executive is suspended and/or temporarily prohibited from participating in the conduct of the Bank’s affairs by a notice described in
Section 9(b) hereof (the “Notice”) during the term of this Agreement and a Change in Control, as defined herein, occurs, the Bank will assume its obligation to pay and Executive will be entitled to receive all of the termination benefits
provided for under Section 3 of this Agreement upon the Bank’s receipt of a dismissal of charges in the Notice. 
  

	11.	SEVERABILITY. 

  
 If, for any reason, any provision of this Agreement, or any part of any provision, is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect any other provision
of this Agreement or any part of such provision not held so invalid, and each such other provision and part thereof shall to the full extent consistent with law continue in full force and effect. 
  

	12.	HEADINGS FOR REFERENCE ONLY. 

  
 The headings of sections and paragraphs herein are included solely for convenience of reference and shall not control the meaning or interpretation of any
of the provisions of this Agreement. In addition, references to the masculine shall apply equally to the feminine. 
  

	13.	GOVERNING LAW. 

  
 The validity, interpretation, performance, and enforcement of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey but only to the
extent not preempted by Federal law. 
  

	14.	ARBITRATION. 

  
 Any dispute or controversy arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be settled exclusively by arbitration, conducted before a panel of
three arbitrators sitting in a location selected by Executive within fifty (50) miles from the location of the Bank’s main office, in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in effect. Judgment may be entered on
the arbitrator’s award in any court having jurisdiction; provided, however, that Executive shall be entitled to seek specific performance of his right to be paid until the Date of Termination during the pendency of any dispute or controversy
arising under or in connection with this Agreement. 
  

	15.	PAYMENT OF COSTS AND LEGAL FEES. 

  
 All reasonable costs and legal fees paid or incurred by Executive pursuant to any dispute or question of interpretation relating to this Agreement shall
be paid or reimbursed by the Bank (which payments are guaranteed by the Holding Company pursuant to Section 5 hereof) if Executive is successful on the merits pursuant to a legal judgment, arbitration or settlement. 
  

	16.	INDEMNIFICATION. 

  
 (a) The Bank shall provide Executive (including his heirs, executors and administrators) with coverage under a standard directors’ and officers’
liability insurance policy at its expense, and shall indemnify Executive (and his heirs, executors and administrators) as permitted under federal law against all expenses and liabilities reasonably incurred by him in connection with or arising out
of any action, suit or proceeding in which he may be involved by 

  









 
reason of his having been a director or officer of the Bank (whether or not he continues to be a director or officer at the time of incurring such expenses
or liabilities), such expenses and liabilities to include, but not be limited to, judgments, court costs and attorneys’ fees and the cost of reasonable settlements. 
  
 (b) Any payments made to Executive pursuant to this Section are subject to and conditioned upon compliance with 12
C.F.R.§ 545.121 and any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder. 
  

	17.	SUCCESSOR TO THE BANK 

  
 The Bank shall require any successor or assignee, whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, to all or substantially all
the business or assets of the Bank, expressly and unconditionally to assume and agree to perform the Bank’s obligations under this Agreement, in the same manner and to the same extent that the Bank would be required to perform if no such
succession or assignment had taken place. 
  
 SIGNATURES 
  
 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, OceanFirst Bank and OceanFirst Financial Corp. have
caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized officers, and Executive has signed this Agreement, on the 18th day of February, 2004. 
  

									
	 ATTEST:
	 	 	 	 OCEANFIRST BANK

				
	 	 	 	 	 By:
	 	 
	
	 	 	 	 	 	

	 Secretary
	 	 	 	 	 	 Officer


  
 SEAL 
  

									
	 ATTEST:
	 	 	 	 OCEANFIRST FINANCIAL CORP.
             (Guarantor)

				
	 	 	 	 	 By:
	 	 
	
	 	 	 	 	 	

	 Secretary
	 	 	 	 Officer


  
 SEAL 
  

									
	WITNESS:	 	 	 	 	 	 
				
	 	 	 	 	 	 	 
	
	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	 Executive