Document:

Exhibit 10.1

 

As initially approved by the Board of Directors on February 15, 2007

and by the stockholders on April 20, 2007, and

as amended by the Board of Directors on February 28, 2012

 

CRA INTERNATIONAL, INC.

 

CASH INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1.                                       Purpose of the Plan.  The purpose of the CRA International, Inc. Cash Incentive Plan is to promote the growth and performance of the Company by: (i) linking a portion of the total compensation for certain key employees to attainment of such corporate, subsidiary and business unit objectives as shall be approved by the Committee for each Plan Year or other Award Period; and (ii) assisting in the attraction, retention and motivation of certain key employees.

 

2.                                       Definitions.  Wherever the following capitalized terms are used in the Plan, they shall have the meanings specified below:

 

“Affiliate” means any entity that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company or any entity in which the Company has a significant ownership interest, as determined by the Committee.

 

“Award Period” means the Plan Year under which the Performance Award relates, or such longer period as may be specified by the Company or the Committee at the time a Performance Award is granted.

 

“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

“Change of Control” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

“Committee” means a committee of the Board designated by the Board to administer the Plan which shall be comprised solely of Independent Directors.

 

“Company” means CRA International, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation.

 

“Director” means a member of the Board.

 

“Employee” means any salaried employee of the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate, including any officers or Executive Officers (whether or not a Director), who is treated as an employee in the personnel records of the Company or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates for the relevant period, but shall exclude individuals who are classified by the Company, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate as (i) otherwise employed by a third party; (ii) independent contractors; or (iii) intermittent or temporary, in each case even if any such classification is changed retroactively as a result of an audit, litigation, or otherwise.

 

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

“Executive Officer” means a Participant the Board has designated as an executive officer of the Company for purposes of reporting under the Exchange Act.

 

“Independent Director” means a Director who is not an Employee and who qualifies as (i) a “non-employee director” under Rule 16b-3(b)(3) under the Exchange Act, (ii) an “outside director” under Section 162(m) of the Code, and (iii) an “independent director” under the rules and listing standards adopted by the NASDAQ Exchange.

 

“Participant” means any Employee designated by the Board, the Committee or the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to participate in the Plan for a Plan Year, a portion of a Plan Year, or a longer period.

 

“Performance Award” means a right to receive an incentive payment payable in cash or stock at the discretion of the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

“Performance Factors” means the factors selected by the Committee from time to time, including, but not limited to, the following measures to determine whether the performance goals established by the Committee and applicable to Performance Awards have been satisfied: revenue; net revenue; revenue growth; net revenue growth; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”); funds from operations; funds from operations per share; operating income (loss); operating income growth; operating cash flow; net income; net income growth; pre- or after-tax income (loss); cash available for distribution; cash available for distribution per share; cash and/or cash equivalents available for operations; net earnings (loss); earnings (loss) per share; earnings per share growth; return on equity; return on assets; share price performance; total shareholder return; total shareholder return growth; economic value added; improvement in cash-flow; and confidential business unit objectives.

 

“Performance Formula” means, for an Award Period, the one or more objective formulas applied against the relevant Performance Factors to determine, with regard to the Performance Award of a particular Participant, whether all, some portion but less than all, or none of the Performance Award has been earned for the Award Period.

 

“Plan” means this CRA International, Inc. Cash Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time.

 

“Plan Year” means a fiscal year of the Company.

 

“Qualified Performance-Based Award” means any Performance Award or portion of a Performance Award that is intended to satisfy the requirements for “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

“Subsidiary” means any entity, either directly or indirectly, of which the Company owns or controls 50% or more of the outstanding shares of stock normally entitled to vote for the election of directors or of comparable equity participation and voting power.

 

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3.                                       Administration of Plan.

 

a.               Powers of the Committee; Discretion.  The Plan shall be administered by the Committee.  Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee shall have such powers and authority as may be necessary or appropriate for the Committee to carry out its functions as described in the Plan. The Committee shall have the authority in its discretion to determine: (i) which Employees shall receive Performance Awards; (ii) the amount and type of the Performance Awards; and (iii) the objectives and the other terms and conditions of such Performance Awards, including the Performance Factors and other terms and conditions of a Performance Award. Determinations by the Committee under the Plan, including without limitation, determinations of the Participants, the amount and timing of Performance Awards, the terms and provisions of Performance Awards, need not be uniform and may be made selectively among Participants who receive or are eligible to receive Performance Awards. The Committee shall have the full power, discretion and authority to interpret the Plan, to establish, amend, suspend and rescind any rules and regulations relating to the Plan and to make all other determinations that it deems necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee may correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or any Performance Award in the manner and to the extent it shall deem desirable to carry it into effect. All such determinations shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons (including the Company and Participants) and for all purposes.

 

b.              Board Authority.  If the Committee does not exist, or for any other reason determined by the Board, the Board may take any action under the Plan that would otherwise be the responsibility of the Committee.

 

c.               Delegation of Authority to Senior Officers.  The Committee may delegate, on such terms and conditions as it determines in its sole and plenary discretion, to one or more senior officers of the Company the authority to make grants of Performance Awards to officers (other than Executive Officers), employees and consultants of the Company and its Affiliates (including any prospective officer, employee or consultant). In the event that the Committee’s authority is delegated to senior officers in accordance with the foregoing, all references in the Plan relating to the Committee shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the foregoing by treating any such reference as a reference to such senior officer for such purpose. Any action undertaken in accordance with the Committee’s delegation of authority hereunder shall have the same force and effect as if such action was undertaken directly by the Committee and shall be deemed for all purposes of the Plan to have been taken by the Committee.

 

d.              Limitation on Liability.  No member of the Board or Committee, nor any senior officer delegated authority by the Committee, shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith by the Board, Committee or such senior officer with respect to the Plan or any Performance Award.

 

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4.                                       Eligibility; Designation of Participants.  The Committee shall, in its sole discretion, designate within the first 90 days of an Award Period (or, if shorter, within the maximum period allowed under Section 162(m) of the Code) which Participants will be eligible to receive Performance Awards in respect of such Award Period. However, designation of a Participant eligible to receive a Performance Award hereunder for an Award Period shall not in any manner entitle the Participant to receive payment in respect of any Performance Award for such Award Period. The determination as to whether or not such Participant becomes entitled to payment in respect of any Performance Award shall be decided solely in accordance with the provisions of this Plan.  Moreover, designation of a Participant eligible to receive a Performance Award hereunder for a particular Plan Year or other Award Period shall not require designation of such Participant eligible to receive a Performance Award hereunder in any subsequent Plan Year or Award Period and designation of one person as a Participant eligible to receive a Performance Award hereunder shall not require designation of any other person as a Participant eligible to receive a Performance Award hereunder in such period or in any other period.

 

5.                                       Establishment of Performance Awards.

 

a.               General.  Within the first 90 days of a Award Period (or, if shorter, within the maximum period allowed under Section 162(m) of the Code), the Committee shall, with regard to the Performance Awards to be issued for such Award Period, exercise its discretion with respect to establishing Performance Awards consistent with this Plan which shall be deemed “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code, and record the same in writing.

 

b.              Performance Factors.  Participants shall have the payout of their Performance Awards, if any, determined on the basis of the degree of achievement of Performance Factors which shall be established by the Committee in writing and which Performance Factors shall be stated in terms of the attainment of specified levels of or percentage changes (as compared to a prior measurement period) in any one or more of the Performance Factors. The Committee shall, for each Award Period, establish the Performance Factors to apply to each Participant and a formula or matrix prescribing the extent to which such Participant’s incentive award shall be earned based upon the degree of achievement of such Performance Factor or Performance Factors. The Committee may determine that the Performance Award payable to any Participant shall be based upon the attainment of Performance Factors comparable to those in whole or in part applied to the results of a Subsidiary, division or business unit.  With respect to Performance Awards intended to be Qualified Performance-Based Awards, the Committee shall determine the Performance Factors and any related formula or matrix for each Participant not later than 90 calendar days after the beginning of the Award Period (or, if shorter, within the maximum period allowed under Section 162(m) of the Code).

 

c.               Transfer of Employment.  A Participant’s Performance Factors may be changed by the Committee during the Award Period to reflect a change in responsibilities provided that, in the case of Performance Awards intended to be Qualified Performance-Based Awards, any such change shall be made in a manner consistent with Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

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d.              Modification of Performance Factors.  The Committee is authorized at any time during the first 90 days of an Award Period (or, if shorter, within the maximum period allowed under Section 162(m) of the Code), or any time thereafter (but only to the extent the exercise of such authority after such 90-day period (or such shorter period, if applicable) would not cause the Performance Awards granted to any Participant for the Award Period to fail to qualify as “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code), in its sole and plenary discretion, to adjust or modify the calculation of a Performance Factor for such Award Period to the extent permitted under Section 162(m) of the Code (A) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual or extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event or development affecting the Company, or any of its Affiliates, Subsidiaries, divisions or operating units (to the extent applicable to such Performance Factor) or (B) in recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company or any of its Affiliates, Subsidiaries, divisions or operating units (to the extent applicable to such Performance Factor), or the financial statements of the Company or any of its Affiliates, Subsidiaries, divisions or operating units (to the extent applicable to such Performance Factor), or of changes in applicable rules, rulings, regulations or other requirements of any governmental body or securities exchange, accounting principles, law or business conditions.

 

6.                                       Participation by Executive Officers.

 

a.               Qualified Performance-Based Awards.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Plan to the contrary, the following provisions shall be applicable to participation in the Plan by Executive Officers who are subject to Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

i.                  Each such Participant’s Performance Award payable under this Plan for an Award Period shall be based solely on achievement of one or more of the Performance Factors as established by the Committee pursuant to Section 5 above and the Committee shall not have the discretion provided in Section 5 to increase the amount of the Performance Award payable under this Plan, but it shall in all cases have the ability to reduce the amount of any Performance Award that would otherwise be payable (including a reduction in such amount to zero) as set forth in Section 7(d).

 

ii.               With respect to each such Participant, no Performance Award intended to be a Qualified Performance-Based Award shall be payable hereunder except upon written certification by the Committee that the Performance Factors have been satisfied to a particular extent pursuant to Section 7(c) and that any other material terms and conditions precedent to payment of the Performance Award pursuant to the Plan have been satisfied.

 

b.              Maximum Award.  Notwithstanding any provisions of the Plan to the contrary, the maximum Performance Award payable to any Participant who is an Executive Officer for any Plan Year shall be $8,000,000; provided, however, that if such a Participant is not a Participant for the entire Plan Year, the maximum amount payable shall be pro-rated based on the number of days the individual was a Participant for the Plan Year, and provided further that to the extent that the Award Period is longer than a Plan Year, the

 

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value of the Performance Award shall be pro-rated for the time in the Award Period and the amount attributable to a Plan Year shall not exceed $8,000,000.

 

7.                                       Payment of Performance Award.

 

a.               Payment of Performance Awards.  A Participant must be employed by the Company on the last day of an Award Period to be eligible for payment in respect of a Performance Award for such Award Period.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the sole discretion of the Committee, Performance Awards may be paid to Participants who have retired or whose employment has terminated after the beginning of the Award Period for which a Performance Award is made, or to the designee or estate of a Participant who died prior to the last day of an Award Period, pursuant to the terms of the Plan, including but not limited to Section 7.b below.

 

b.              Limitation.  A Participant shall be eligible to receive payments in respect of a Performance Award only to the extent that (1) the Performance Factor(s) for such Award Period are achieved and certified by the Committee in accordance with Section 7(c) and (2) the Performance Formula(s) as applied against such Performance Factor(s) determines that all or some portion of such Participant’s Performance Award has been earned for the Award Period.

 

c.               Certification.  Following the completion of an Award Period, the Committee shall meet to review and certify in writing whether, and to what extent, the Performance Factor(s) for the Award Period have been achieved and, if so, to calculate and certify in writing that amount of the Performance Award earned for the Award Period based upon the Performance Formula. The Committee shall then determine the actual size of each Participant’s Performance Award for the Award Period and, in so doing, may apply negative discretion as authorized by Section 7(d).

 

d.              Negative Discretion.  In determining the actual size of an individual Performance Award for an Award Period, the Committee may, in its sole and plenary discretion, reduce or eliminate the amount of the Performance Award earned in the Award Period, even if applicable Performance Factors have been attained.

 

e.               Timing of Award Payments.  The Performance Awards granted for an Award Period shall be paid to Participant(s) as soon as administratively possible following completion of the certifications required by Section 7(c), unless the Performance Award is deferred pursuant to Section 15.

 

f.                 Method of Payments.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan, the Company in its sole discretion may satisfy any amounts payable under a Performance Award in shares of common stock of the Company (“Common Stock”) with an aggregate fair market value equal to the cash amount that would otherwise be payable.  For purposes of this Plan, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock shall be the closing price per share as reported on a nationally recognized stock exchange, or, if shares of Common Stock are not listed on such an exchange, the mean of the bid and

 

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asked prices per share as reported on the principal over-the-counter market in which the shares of Common Stock are trading, or if shares of Common Stock are not traded over-the-counter, the fair market value as determined by the Committee.

 

8.                                       Unfunded Plan.  A Participant’s interest in any Performance Awards hereunder shall at all times be reflected on the Company’s books as a general unsecured and unfunded obligation of the Company subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. The Plan shall not give any person any right or security interest in any asset of the Company or any fund in which any deferred payment is deemed invested.  Neither the Company, the Board, nor the Committee shall be responsible for the adequacy of the general assets of the Company to discharge the payment of its obligations hereunder nor shall the Company be required to reserve or set aside funds therefor.

 

9.                                       Non-Alienation of Benefits; Beneficiary Designation.  All rights and benefits under the Plan are personal to the Participant and neither the Plan nor any right or interest of a Participant or any other person arising under the Plan is subject to voluntary or involuntary alienation, sale, transfer, or assignment without the Company’s consent. Subject to the foregoing, the Company shall establish such procedures as it deems necessary for a Participant to designate one or more beneficiaries to whom any payment the Committee determines to make would be payable in the event of the Participant’s death. In the event no beneficiary has been properly designated, the payment shall be made to the Participant’s surviving spouse or, if none, the Participant’s estate.

 

10.                                 Withholding for Taxes.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Plan, the Company shall have the authority to withhold from any payment made by it under the Plan such amount or amounts as may be required for purposes of complying with any Federal, state and local tax or withholding requirements.

 

11.                                 No Right to Continued Employment or to Participate.  Nothing in the Plan or in the grant of any Award shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates to terminate a Participant’s employment at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continued employment with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates. Neither the adoption of the Plan nor any action by the Committee shall be deemed to give any Employee any right to be designated as a Participant under the Plan.

 

12.                                 Non-Exclusivity of Plan.  This Plan is not intended to and shall not preclude the Board from adopting, continuing, amending or terminating such additional compensation arrangement as it deems desirable for Employees.

 

13.                                 Change of Control.  A Change of Control shall mean (i) if the Company is merged with or into or consolidated with another corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into other voting securities of the surviving entity) at least fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or (ii) if the Company is liquidated, or sells or otherwise disposes of substantially all of its assets to another corporation or entity while Performance Awards remain

 

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outstanding under the Plan. In the event of a Change of Control, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Performance Award agreement, or unless provision is made in connection with the Change of Control event for (a) assumption of Performance Awards previously granted or (b) substitution for such Performance Awards of new awards covering stock of a successor corporation or its “parent corporation” (as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code) or “subsidiary corporation” (as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code) with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kinds of shares and the exercise prices, if applicable, all Performance Awards shall be paid out as if the date of the Change of Control event were the last day of the applicable Award Period and Performance Factors had been attained.

 

14.                                 Impact of Restatement of Financial Statements upon Previous Awards.  If any of the Company’s financial statements are restated as a result of errors, omissions, or fraud, the Committee may (in its sole discretion, but acting in good faith) direct that the Company recover all or a portion of any such Performance Award or payment made to any, all or any class of Participants with respect to any Plan Year the financial results of which are negatively affected by such restatement. The amount to be recovered from any Participant shall be the amount by which the affected Performance Award or payment exceeded the amount that would have been payable to such Participant had the financial statements been initially filed as restated, or any greater or lesser amount (including, but not limited to, the entire Award) that the Committee shall determine. The Committee may determine to recover different amounts from different Participants or different classes of Participants on such basis as it shall deem appropriate. In no event shall the amount to be recovered by the Company from a Participant be less than the amount required to be repaid or recovered as a matter of law. The Committee shall determine whether the Company shall effect any such recovery (i) by seeking repayment from the Participant, (ii) by reducing (subject to applicable law and the terms and conditions of the applicable plan, program or arrangement) the amount that would otherwise be payable to the Participant under any compensatory plan, program or arrangement maintained by the Company, a Subsidiary or any of its Affiliates, (iii) by withholding payment of future increases in compensation (including the payment of any discretionary bonus amount) or grants of compensatory awards that would otherwise have been made in accordance with the Company’s otherwise applicable compensation practices, or (iv) by any combination of the foregoing or otherwise.

 

15.                                 Deferral.

 

a.               Section 162(m) Related Deferral.  Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, in the event that all or a portion of a Participant’s Performance Award shall be ineligible for treatment as “qualified performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee, in its sole discretion and pursuant to Section 409A of the Code, may provide that any amount payable pursuant to such Performance Award that would not be deductible by the Company as a result of the application of Section 162(m) shall be deferred and paid to the Participant in the first year in which the compensation is deductible for tax purposes.

 

b.              Deferrals.  The Committee may, in its discretion, permit a Participant to defer the receipt of payment of cash that would otherwise be due to the Participant. If any such deferral is

 

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to be permitted by the Committee, the Committee shall establish rules and procedures relating to such deferral in a manner intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, including, without limitation, the time when an election to defer may be made, the time period of the deferral and the events that would result in payment of the deferred amount, and the interest or other earnings attributable to the deferral.

 

16.                                 Amendment or Termination.  Until such time as a “Change of Control” shall have occurred, the Board or the Committee may, in its sole discretion, amend, suspend or terminate the Plan from time to time, subject to any requirement for shareholder approval imposed by applicable law, including Section 162(m) of the Code, and the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Exchange. Except as provided in Section 5(d) no such termination or amendment shall alter a Participant’s right to receive a distribution as previously earned, as to which this Plan shall remain in effect following its termination until all such amounts have been paid, except as the Company may otherwise determine.

 

17.                                 Application of Code Section 409A.  To the extent applicable, this Plan is intended to be administered and interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no particular tax result with respect to any income recognized by a Participant in connection with the Plan is guaranteed and each Participant shall be responsible for any taxes imposed on him in connection with the Plan.

 

18.                                 Tax Penalty Avoidance.  The provisions of this Plan are not intended, and should not be construed, to be legal, business or tax advice. The Company and any other party having any interest herein are hereby informed that the U.S. federal tax advice contained in this document (if any) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to any party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

 

19.                                 Governing Law and Interpretation.  The validity, construction, and effect of the Plan and any rules and regulations relating to the Plan shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to the conflict of law principles thereof. Unless otherwise indicated, all “Section” references are to sections of the Plan. References to any law, rule or regulation shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing, supplementing, or interpreting such law, rule or regulation.

 

20.                                 Severability.  Notwithstanding any other provision or Section of the Plan, if any provision of the Plan is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or as to any person or award, or would disqualify the Plan or any award under any law deemed applicable by the Board or the Committee, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to the applicable laws (but only to such extent necessary to comply with such laws), or if it cannot be construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Board or the Committee, materially altering the intent of the Plan or award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction, person or award and the remainder of the Plan and any such award shall remain in full force and effect.

 

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21.                                 Effective Date.  The Plan was initially effective for the Company’s 2007 fiscal year.  If this Plan is approved at the 2012 annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders (or any special meeting held in lieu thereof), it will remain effective until the first annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders (or any special meeting held in lieu thereof) held in the 2017 fiscal year, subject to any further shareholder approvals (or reapprovals) mandated for qualified performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code, and subject to the right of the Board to terminate the Plan, on a prospective basis only, at any time. If this Plan is not approved at the 2012 annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders (or any special meeting held in lieu thereof), it will remain effective until the annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders (or any special meeting held in lieu thereof) held in the 2012 fiscal year, subject to the right of the Board to terminate the Plan, on a prospective basis only, at any time.  The foregoing notwithstanding, if the Plan is terminated as a result of not being approved or re-approved by the Company’s shareholders as mandated for qualified performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code, (i) any award granted pursuant to this Plan that is outstanding as of such termination shall remain subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, and (ii) any award granted pursuant to this Plan that was intended to be Qualified Performance-Based Compensation and that is outstanding as of such termination shall remain Qualified Performance-Based Compensation to the extent permitted by Section 162(m) of the Code and the United States Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

10Exhibit 10.1

 

Confidential Treatment Requested

 

Certain material (indicated by asterisks) has been omitted from this document and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to a request for confidential treatment.

 

EXECUTION VERSION

 

January 26, 2012

 

The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.
 One Marcus Square

1618 Main Street

Dallas, Texas 75201

Attention: General Counsel

 

Re:            Consent to Sale and Assignment Subject to Post-Assignment Termination Right

 

To Whom it May Concern:

 

Reference is hereby made to the Amended and Restated Credit Card Agreement, dated as of September 23, 2010 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from to time, the “Program Agreement”),  by and among The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. (“Neiman Marcus”),  Bergdorf Goodman, Inc. (“Bergdorf”)  (Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf, collectively, “NMG”),  HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A. (“HBON”)  and HSBC Card Services, Inc. (“HCSI”)  (HBON and HCSI, collectively, “HSBC”).  Reference is hereby further made to the Amended and Restated Servicing Agreement, dated as of September 23, 2010 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified, the “Servicing Agreement” and collectively with the Program Agreement, the “Agreements”),  by and between HBON and Neiman Marcus. All capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Program Agreement.

 

On August 10, 2011, pursuant to a Purchase and Assumption Agreement, dated as of such date (the “COF Purchase Agreement”), between HSBC Finance Corporation (“HSBC Finance”),  certain of its affiliates and Capital One Financial Corporation (“COF”),  HSBC Finance and certain of its affiliates agreed to sell certain assets and liabilities related to HSBC Finance’s U.S. credit card and retail services business (the sale and assumption to be consummated pursuant to the COF Purchase Agreement, the “Capital One Transaction”)  to COF, pending regulatory approval and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions set forth in the COF Purchase Agreement. In connection with the Capital One Transaction, HSBC has requested that NMG consent to an assignment of certain of HSBC’s rights and obligations under the Agreements to COF, Capital One, National Association or Capital One (USA), National Association (as applicable, the “Capital One Assignee”),  upon closing of the Capital One Transaction pursuant to the COF Purchase Agreement.

 

NMG, HSBC, COF and Bank Parent hereby agree as follows:

 

1.               NMG hereby irrevocably grants its consent, pursuant to Section 19.3 and Section 19.4 of the Program Agreement and Section 8.16 of the Servicing Agreement to (i) HSBC’s assignment to the Capital One Assignee, at the closing of the Capital One Transaction pursuant to the COF Purchase Agreement, of all of HSBC’s rights and obligations in, to and under the

 

 

Agreements, including all rights and obligations of the Bank thereunder, and (ii) the sale by HSBC to the Capital One Assignee of all of HSBC’s right, title and interest, if any, in, to and under the Accounts, the Gross Receivables and all associated assets and obligations of HSBC (the “Associated Assets and Obligations”), provided, however, that such consent and any such assignment shall not affect any claims NMG or its Affiliates may have against HSBC or its Affiliates, whether now existing or hereafter arising, to the extent relating to matters existing or arising prior to such assignment or any claims in respect of any obligations or liabilities arising under the Agreements that are not assumed by the Capital One Assignee (collectively, the “Retained Obligations”).

 

2.               (a) This letter agreement shall constitute any notice that may be required under Section 11.5(b) of the Program Agreement, and this letter agreement shall constitute any other notice, consent or agreement that may be required from NMG or its Affiliates under or in connection with the Agreements in order for HSBC to effectuate the Permitted Actions. (b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Agreements or this letter agreement, the Permitted Actions shall not constitute a breach of the Agreements, nor shall the Permitted Actions create any liability of HSBC or its Affiliates to NMG. (c) For purposes of this letter agreement “Permitted Actions”  means (i) the assignment of rights and obligations of HSBC and its Affiliates under the Agreements and the Associated Rights and Obligations as contemplated by this letter agreement, and (ii) the Capital One Transaction in and of itself; for the avoidance of doubt, the term shall not include any other acts or omissions by HSBC or the Capital One Assignee or their respective Affiliates, including any failure of any of such Persons to perform their respective obligations under the Agreements.

 

3.               Except as provided in Sections 2(a), 2(b), 4 and 6 of this letter agreement, the foregoing consent and this letter agreement shall in no way affect the rights and obligations of NMG and the Bank pursuant to the Agreements or with respect to the Associated Assets and Obligations and shall not constitute an impairment, transfer or relinquishment of any of NMG’s rights under the Agreements or with respect to the Cardholder Data or NMG Shopper Data or any other Associated Assets or Obligations, all of which rights shall be as set forth in the Agreements.

 

4.               In connection with the closing of the Capital One Transaction in accordance with the terms conditions of the COF Purchase Agreement, the Capital One Assignee will enter into a written assignment and assumption agreement with HSBC Finance and/or certain of its affiliates pursuant to which the Capital One Assignee shall assume the full performance of all of the covenants, obligations and liabilities of the Bank and its Affiliates arising under the Agreements to the extent arising from and after the closing of the Capital One Transaction and the full payment and performance of the Payment Obligations (as defined below) (such covenants, obligations and liabilities and such Payment Obligations, collectively, the “Included Obligations and Liabilities”). Effective upon such assumption by the Capital One Assignee, NMG shall unconditionally and fully release HSBC from any and all obligations and liabilities arising under the Agreements from and after the closing of the Capital One Transaction and so assumed by the Capital One Assignee (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any Retained Obligations), and shall substitute the Capital One Assignee for HSBC with respect to any and all such obligations and liabilities so assumed by the Capital One Assignee. For the avoidance of doubt, the Capital

 

 

One Assignee shall assume the obligation to make any payments that HSBC is required to make under the Agreements after the Agreements are assigned to the Capital One Assignee (“Payment Obligations”), which Payment Obligations shall be considered Included Obligations and Liabilities assumed by the Capital One Assignee, even if such payments relate in whole or in part to a time before the assignment of the Agreements to the Capital One Assignee. The release of HSBC and the substitution of the Capital One Assignee, as provided in this Section 4, shall occur automatically upon the closing of the Capital One Transaction and the assumption of the Included Obligations and Liabilities by the Capital One Assignee as described in this letter agreement, without the requirement of any other action by HSBC, the Capital One Assignee or NMG.

 

5.             Except as provided in Sections 2(a), 2(b), 4 and 6(c), the aforementioned assignment and this letter agreement shall not affect or impair any claims NMG may have against HSBC or its Affiliates, whether now existing or hereafter arising, to the extent relating to or arising out of obligations or liabilities not assumed by the Capital One Assignee pursuant to the Capital One Transaction as described in Sections 1 and 4 of this letter agreement.

 

6.             (a) In consideration for the agreements of NMG set forth in this letter agreement and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Agreements, at any time during the six- (6-) month period following the date that is one hundred eighty (180) days after assignment of the Agreements to the Capital One Assignee upon consummation of the Capital One Transaction, NMG shall have the right, upon written notice delivered to the Capital One Assignee, to terminate the Program Agreement at NMG’s election. Any such termination shall be deemed for all purposes of the Agreements to be a termination by NMG pursuant to Section 16.2(b) of the Program Agreement, and the Agreements (including Section 16.2(b) thereof) shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to permit such termination at the election of NMG following the assignment of the Agreements as described herein. (b) Except as provided in Section 6(c), the consent to assignment by NMG referred to in this letter agreement is not intended as, and shall not be deemed to be, a relinquishment by NMG of any termination rights NMG may have under the Agreements, whether existing as of the date hereof or arising in the future and whether or not such termination rights shall have existed under the Program Agreement in absence of the amendment thereof set forth in this Section 6. (c) Notwithstanding anything in the Agreements or this letter agreement, the termination right set forth in Section 6(a) hereof shall be deemed to supersede any termination right of NMG under the Agreements that is triggered solely by the occurrence of the Permitted Actions, including any termination right set forth in Section 16.2(b) of the Program Agreement, which for the avoidance of doubt is hereby waived by NMG for all purposes in connection with the Permitted Actions.

 

7.             In further consideration of the agreements of NMG set forth in this letter agreement, (a) Section 2.2(d)(iii) of the Program Agreement is hereby amended effective as of the date of this letter agreement as follows:

 

(i) by replacing the reference to [***] in clause (2) thereof with a reference to [***]; and 

 

 

(ii) by replacing the reference to [***] in the second sentence of such Section with a reference to [***]; and

 

(b) Section 16.3(d) is hereby amended effective as of the date of this letter agreement by replacing each reference to [***] with a reference to [***].

 

8.           COF hereby consents to the amendments to the Program Agreement set forth in Sections 6 and 7 of this Letter Agreement, including for purposes of Section 6.2(b)(viii) of the COF Purchase Agreement.

 

9.           This letter agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and such executed counterparts may be delivered by mail, courier, facsimile (receipt confirmed) or by email to the undersigned signatories at their respective addresses, facsimile numbers or email addresses, as applicable, indicated below. Upon execution and delivery of the acknowledgement of this letter agreement by each of HSBC, HSBC Finance, NMG and COF to the other parties hereto, this letter agreement shall become a binding agreement of the parties hereto governed by the law of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed in such state. References herein to the “COF Purchase Agreement” shall include amendments or other modifications thereto, except to the extent that (i) an amendment or other modification materially changes the fundamental intent of the parties to transfer the CRS Business to COF, and (ii) HSBC has not obtained NMG’s prior written consent to such amendment or other modification.

 

10.         Effective upon the release of HSBC pursuant to Section 4, and without the requirement for any further action by NMG, NMG hereby releases Bank Parent from its obligations under the Bank Guarantee solely to the extent such obligations constitute a guarantee of obligations of HSBC or its Affiliates that were released pursuant to this letter agreement. Bank Parent acknowledges and agrees that it is not being released from, and shall continue to irrevocably and unconditionally guarantee, in accordance with the terms of the Bank Guarantee, all obligations of HSBC and its Affiliates not being so released pursuant to this letter agreement.

 

 

	
 
    	
 
    	
Yours   sincerely,
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
HSBC BANK   NEVADA, N.A.
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
By: 
    	
/s/ Steven. C. Mattics
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Name: Steven. C. Mattics
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Title: SVP
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Address: 26525 n.   Riverwoods Blvd., Mettawa, IL 60045
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Facsimile   No.: 224-552-6251
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Email   Address: steven.c.matticseus.hsbc.com
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
HSBC CARD   SERVICES, INC.
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
By: 
    	
/s/ Steven C. Mattics
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Name:   Steven C. Mattics
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Title: VP
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Address: 26525 n.   Riverwoods Blvd., Mettawa, IL 60045
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Facsimile   No.: 224-552-6251
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Email   Address: steven.c.matticseus.hsbc.com
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
HSBC FINANCE   CORPORATION 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
By: 
    	
/s/ Brian   D. Hughes
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Name: Brian   D. Hughes
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Title: EVP
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Address: 26525 n.   Riverwoods Blvd., Mettawa, IL 60045
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Facsimile   No.: 224-552-6193
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
Email   Address: Brian.d.Hugheseus.hsbc.com
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Acknowledged   and agreed:
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
THE   NEIMAN MARCUS GROUP, INC.
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
By:
    	
/s/   Stacie Shirley
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Name:   Stacie Shirley
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Title:   SVP, Treasurer
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Address:   1201 Elm Street, Suite 2900, Dallas TX 75270
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Facsimile   No.: 214-757-2961
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Email   Address: stacie_shirley@neimanmarcus.com
    	
 
    	
 
    
					

 

 

	
BERGDORF   GOODMAN, INC.
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
By:
    	
/s/ Stacie   Shirley
    	
 
    
	
Name:   Stacie Shirley
    	
 
    
	
Title:   SVP, Treasurer
    	
 
    
	
Address:   1201 Elm Street, #2900, Dallas TX 75270
    	
 
    
	
Facsimile   No.: 214-757-2961
    	
 
    
	
Email   Address: stacie_shirley@neimanmarcus.com
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
CAPITAL   ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
By: 
    	
/s/   Bradley R. Thayer
    	
 
    
	
Name: Bradley R. Thayer
    	
 
    
	
Title: Managing Vice President
    	
 
    
	
Address: 1680 Capital One Drive, Mclean,   VA22102
    	
 
    
	
Facsimile No.: 703-720-2313
    	
 
    
	
Email Address: brad.thayer@capitalone.com
    	
 
    

 

Cc:

 

The Neiman Marcus Group, Inc.

One Marcus Square

1618 Main Street

Dallas, Texas 75201

Attention: Credit Card Program Manager 

Facsimile: (212) 743-7646

 

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 

425 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10017 

Attention: Maripat Alpuche, Esq. 

Facsimile: (212) 455-2502

 

Murray Abrams

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development 

John G. Finneran, Jr.,

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Capital One Financial Corporation

1680 Capital One Drive

McLean, Virginia

Facsimile: (703) 720-1094

 

 

Matthew M. Guest, Esq. 

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz 

51 W. 52nd Street

New York, New York 10019 

Facsimile: (212) 403-2000

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