formdef14a09262008.htm
SCHEDULE
14-A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
Filed
by the Registrant [x]
Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check
the appropriate box:
[ ] Preliminary
Proxy Statement
[x] Definitive
Proxy Statement
[ ] Definitive
Additional Materials
[ ] Soliciting
Material Pursuant to §240.14a-11(c) or §240.14a-12
Greene County Bancorp,
Inc.
(Name
of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[x] No
fee required.
[ ] $125
per Exchange Act Rules 0-11(c)(1)(ii), 14a-6(i)(1), or 14a-6(j)(2).
[ ] $500
per each party to the controversy pursuant to Exchange Act Rule
14a-6(i)(3).
[ ] Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11.
1) Title of each class of securities to
which transaction applies:
........................................................................
2) Aggregate number of securities to
which transaction applies:
.......................................................................
3)
Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant
to Exchange Act Rule 0-11:
.......................................................................
4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of
transaction:
........................................................................
[ ] 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.
1)
Amount Previously Paid:
2)
Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
3)
Filing Party:
4)
Date Filed:
[GREENE
COUNTY BANCORP LETTERHEAD]
September
26, 2008
Dear
Stockholder:
We
cordially invite you to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Greene
County Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”). The Company is the holding
company of The Bank of Greene County (the “Bank”) and the Bank’s subsidiary,
Greene County Commercial Bank, and our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq
Capital Market under the symbol “GCBC.” The Annual Meeting will be
held at Columbia – Greene Community College, 4400 Route 23, Hudson, New York, at
10:00 a.m., New York Time, on Saturday, October 25, 2008. The Company
will be providing a brunch and short presentation to shareholders and
guests. Please indicate on your proxy card if you are planning to
attend. If you would like to confirm your attendance, please call the
administrative office at 518-943-2600 extension 2000.
The
enclosed Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement describe the formal
business to be transacted. During the Annual Meeting we will also
report on the operations of the Company. Directors and officers of
the Company, as well as a representative of our independent registered public
accounting firm, will be present to respond to any questions that stockholders
may have.
The
Annual Meeting is being held so that stockholders may consider the election of
directors and the ratification of the appointment of Beard Miller Company LLP as
the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year
2009. For the reasons set forth in the Proxy Statement, the Board of
Directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the election of directors and the
ratification of the appointment of Beard Miller Company LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm.
On behalf
of the Board of Directors, we urge you to sign, date and return the enclosed
proxy card as soon as possible, even if you currently plan to attend the Annual
Meeting. This will not prevent you from voting in person, but will
assure that your vote is counted if you are unable to attend the
meeting. Your vote is important, regardless of the number of shares
that you own.
Sincerely,
/s/ Donald E. Gibson
Donald E.
Gibson
President
and Chief Executive Officer
Greene
County Bancorp, Inc.
302
Main Street
Catskill,
New York 12414
(518)
943-2600
NOTICE
OF
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be
Held On October 25, 2008
Notice is hereby given that the Annual
Meeting of Stockholders of Greene County Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) will be
held at Columbia – Greene Community College, 4400 Route 23, Hudson, New York, on
Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 10:00 a.m., New York Time.
A Proxy Card and a Proxy Statement for
the Annual Meeting are enclosed.
The Annual Meeting is for the purpose
of considering and acting upon:
1. The
election of two directors to the Board of Directors;
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2.
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The
ratification of the appointment of Beard Miller Company LLP as independent
registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2009; and
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such
other matters as may properly come before the Annual Meeting, or any
adjournments thereof. The Board of Directors is not aware of any
other business to come before the Annual Meeting.
Any action may be taken on the
foregoing proposals at the Annual Meeting on the date specified above, or on any
date or dates to which the Annual Meeting may be
adjourned. Stockholders of record at the close of business on
September 9, 2008, are the stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting,
and any adjournments thereof. A list of stockholders entitled to vote
at the Annual Meeting will be available at 302 Main Street, Catskill, New York,
for a period of ten days prior to the Annual Meeting and will also be available
for inspection at the meeting itself.
EACH STOCKHOLDER, WHETHER HE OR SHE
PLANS TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, IS REQUESTED TO SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE
ENCLOSED PROXY CARD WITHOUT DELAY IN THE ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PAID
ENVELOPE. ANY PROXY GIVEN BY THE STOCKHOLDER MAY BE REVOKED AT ANY
TIME BEFORE IT IS EXERCISED. A PROXY MAY BE REVOKED BY FILING WITH
THE SECRETARY OF THE COMPANY A WRITTEN REVOCATION OR A DULY EXECUTED PROXY
BEARING A LATER DATE. ANY STOCKHOLDER PRESENT AT THE ANNUAL MEETING
MAY REVOKE HIS OR HER PROXY AND VOTE PERSONALLY ON EACH MATTER BROUGHT BEFORE
THE ANNUAL MEETING. HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE A STOCKHOLDER WHOSE SHARES
ARE NOT REGISTERED IN YOUR OWN NAME, YOU WILL NEED ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION FROM
YOUR RECORD HOLDER IN ORDER TO VOTE PERSONALLY AT THE ANNUAL
MEETING.
By Order of the Board of
Directors
/s/
Rebecca R. Main
Rebecca R. Main
Secretary
September
26, 2008
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A
SELF-ADDRESSED ENVELOPE IS ENCLOSED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. NO POSTAGE
IS REQUIRED IF MAILED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROXY
STATEMENT
Greene
County Bancorp, Inc.
302
Main Street
Catskill,
New York 12414
(518)
943-2600
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
October
25, 2008
This Proxy Statement is furnished in
connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Board of Directors
of Greene County Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) to be used at the Annual Meeting
of Stockholders of the Company (the “Annual Meeting”), which will be held at
Columbia – Greene Community College, 4400 Route 23, Hudson, New York, on
Saturday, October 25, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., New York Time, and all adjournments
of the Annual Meeting. The accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and this Proxy Statement are first being mailed to stockholders on
or about September 26, 2008.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REVOCATION
OF PROXIES
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stockholders who execute proxies in the
form solicited hereby retain the right to revoke them in the manner described
below. Unless so revoked, the shares represented by such proxies will
be voted at the Annual Meeting and all adjournments thereof. Proxies
solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company will be voted in
accordance with the directions given thereon. Where no instructions are indicated,
validly executed proxies will be voted “FOR” the proposals set forth in this
Proxy Statement for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other
matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the
accompanying proxy will vote the shares represented by such proxies on such
matters in such manner as shall be determined by a majority of the Board of
Directors.
A proxy may be revoked at any time
prior to its exercise by sending written notice of revocation to the Secretary
of the Company at the address shown above, by delivering to the Company a duly
executed proxy bearing a later date, or by attending the Annual Meeting and
voting in person. However, if you are a stockholder whose shares are
not registered in your own name, you will need appropriate documentation from
your record holder to vote personally at the Annual Meeting. The
presence at the Annual Meeting of any stockholder who had returned a proxy shall
not revoke such proxy unless the stockholder delivers his or her ballot in
person at the Annual Meeting or delivers a written revocation to the Secretary
of the Company prior to the voting of such proxy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
VOTING
PROCEDURES AND METHODS OF COUNTING VOTES
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Holders of record of the Company’s
common stock, par value $0.10 per share, as of the close of business on
September 9, 2008 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to one vote for each share
then held. As of the Record Date, the Company had 4,100,928 shares of
common stock issued and outstanding (exclusive of Treasury shares), 2,304,632 of
which were held by Greene County Bancorp, MHC (the “Mutual Holding Company”),
and 1,796,296 of which were held by stockholders other than the Mutual Holding
Company (“Minority Stockholders”). The presence in person or by proxy
of a majority of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding and
entitled to vote is necessary to constitute a quorum at the Annual
Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted for
purposes of determining that a quorum is present. In the event there
are not sufficient votes for a quorum, or to approve or ratify any matter being
presented at the time of the Annual Meeting, the Annual Meeting may be adjourned
in order to permit the further solicitation of proxies. However, the presence by
proxy of the Mutual Holding Company’s shares will assure a quorum is present at
the Annual Meeting.
As to the election of directors, the
Proxy Card being provided by the Board of Directors enables a stockholder to
vote FOR the election of the two nominees proposed by the Board, to WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY to vote for the nominees being proposed, or to vote FOR ALL EXCEPT one
or more of the nominees being proposed. Directors are elected by a
plurality of votes cast, without regard to either broker non-votes or proxies as
to which authority to vote for the nominees being proposed is
withheld.
As to the ratification of Beard Miller
Company LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, by
checking the appropriate box, a stockholder may: (i) vote FOR the ratification;
(ii) vote AGAINST the ratification; or (iii) ABSTAIN from voting on the
ratification. The ratification of this matter shall be determined by
a majority of the votes cast, without regard to broker non-votes or proxies
marked ABSTAIN.
Management of the Company anticipates
that the Mutual Holding Company, the majority stockholder of the Company, will
vote all of its shares in favor of all the matters set forth
above. If the Mutual Holding Company votes all of its shares in favor
of each proposal, the approval of each proposal would be assured.
Proxies solicited hereby will be
returned to the Company and will be tabulated by an Inspector of Election
designated by the Board of Directors of the Company.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Persons and groups who beneficially own
in excess of 5% of the common stock are required to file certain reports with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding such
ownership. The following table sets forth, as of the Record Date, the
shares of common stock beneficially owned by each person who was the beneficial
owner of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, and
all directors and executive officers of the Company as a group.
Amount of Shares
Owned and
Nature Percent
of Shares
Name and Address
of of
Beneficial
of
Common Stock
Beneficial
Owners Ownership
(1)
Outstanding
Principal
Stockholders:
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Greene
County Bancorp,
MHC
2,304,632
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56.2%
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302
Main Street
Catskill,
New York 12414
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Greene
County Bancorp, MHC
(2)
2,651,949
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64.7%
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and all Directors and Executive Officers
as a group (10 persons)
________________________________________
(1)
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For
purposes of this table, a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of
shares of common stock if he has shared voting or investment power with
respect to such security, or has a right to acquire beneficial ownership
at any time within 60 days from the Record Date. As used herein, “voting
power” is the power to vote or direct the voting of shares, and
“investment power” is the power to dispose of or direct the disposition of
shares. The table includes all shares held directly as well as
by spouses and minor children, in trust and other indirect ownership, over
which shares the named individuals effectively exercise sole or shared
voting and investment power.
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(2)
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With
the exception of Arthur Place, CPA, the Company’s executive officers and
directors are also executive officers and directors of Greene County
Bancorp, MHC. Excluding shares held by Greene County Bancorp,
MHC, the Company’s executive officers and directors beneficially owned an
aggregate of 347,317 shares, or 8.5% of the outstanding
shares.
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROPOSAL
1—ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The
Company’s Board of Directors is comprised of eight members. The
Company’s Bylaws provide that approximately one-third of the Company’s directors
are to be elected annually. Directors of the Company are generally
elected to serve for three-year periods and until their respective successors
have been elected and qualified. Two directors will be elected at the Annual
Meeting. The Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors has
nominated as directors Dennis R. O’Grady and Martin C. Smith, each to serve for
a three-year period and until his successor has been elected and qualified. Each
of the nominees is currently a member of the Board of Directors.
The table below sets forth certain
information as of September 9, 2008 regarding the nominees, the other current
members of the Board of Directors, and the executive officers of the Company who
are not directors. It is intended that the proxies solicited on
behalf of the Board of Directors (other than proxies in which the vote is
withheld as to one or more nominees) will be voted at the Annual Meeting for the
election of the nominees identified below. If a nominee is unable to
serve, the shares represented by all such proxies will be voted for the election
of such substitute as the Board of Directors may determine. At this
time, the Board of Directors knows of no reason why any of the nominees would be
unable to serve if elected. Except as indicated herein, there are no
arrangements or understandings between any nominee and any other person pursuant
to which such nominee was selected.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A
VOTE “FOR” EACH OF THE NOMINEES LISTED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.
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Shares
of Common Stock Beneficially Owned on Record Date (3)
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NOMINEES
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Dennis
R. O’Grady
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68
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Director
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1981
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2008
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51,520
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1.26%
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Martin
C. Smith
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63
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Chairman
of the Board
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1993
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2008
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60,177
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1.47%
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DIRECTORS
CONTINUING IN OFFICE
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J.
Bruce Whittaker
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65
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Director
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1987
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2009
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73,489
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1.79%
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Charles
H. Schaefer
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56
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Director
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2003
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2009
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31,988
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0.78%
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Arthur
Place, CPA
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64
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Director
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2004
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2009
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6,000
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0.15%
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Paul
Slutzky
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60
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Director
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1992
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2010
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34,340
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0.84%
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David
H. Jenkins, DVM
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57
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Director
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1996
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2010
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39,816
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0.97%
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Donald
E. Gibson
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43
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President
and Chief Executive Officer and Director
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2007
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2010
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14,532
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0.35%
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EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
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Michelle
M. Plummer, CPA
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42
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Executive
Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial
Officer
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N/A
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N/A
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22,196
(5)
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0.54%
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Stephen
E. Nelson
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41
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Senior
Vice President,
Chief
Lending Officer
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N/A
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N/A
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13,259
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0.32%
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All
directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)
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347,317
(6)
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8.47%
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_______________________________________
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(1)
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The
mailing address for each person listed is P.O. Box 470, 302 Main Street,
Catskill, New York 12414. With the exception of Arthur Place,
each of the directors listed is also a director of Greene County Bancorp,
MHC, which owns the majority of the Company’s issued and outstanding
shares of common stock.
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(2)
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Except
with regard to Directors Schaefer, Place and Gibson, reflects initial
appointment to the Board of Trustees of the mutual predecessor to The Bank
of Greene County.
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(3)
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See
definition of “beneficial ownership” in the table “Security Ownership of
Certain Beneficial Owners.”
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(4)
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As
of September 9, 2008.
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(5)
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Includes
shares subject to options which are currently exercisable, as
follows: Ms. Plummer 9,000. No other executive
officer or director has options currently
exercisable.
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(6)
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Includes
15,554 shares of common stock allocated to the accounts of executive
officers under the ESOP and excludes the remaining 91,791 shares of common
stock, or 2.24% of the shares of common stock outstanding, owned by the
ESOP for the benefit of employees of The Bank of Greene
County. Under the terms of the ESOP, shares of common stock
allocated to the accounts of employees are voted in accordance with the
instructions of the respective employees. Unallocated shares
are voted by the ESOP trustee in the manner calculated to most accurately
reflect the instructions it has received from the participants regarding
the allocated shares, unless its fiduciary duties require
otherwise.
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The principal occupation during the
past five years of each director, nominee for director and executive officer of
the Company is set forth below. All such persons have held their
present positions for five years unless otherwise stated.
J. Bruce
Whittaker retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company
and of The Bank of Greene County in June 2007. Mr. Whittaker has been
affiliated with the Bank in various capacities since 1972. Mr.
Whittaker was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Bank in
1987.
Paul
Slutzky is a co-owner of Hunter Mountain Ski Area and Vice President of
Frosty Land, Inc., a real estate development company.
David H.
Jenkins, DVM is a
veterinarian and the owner of Catskill Animal Hospital, Catskill, New
York.
Dennis R.
O’Grady is a graduate of Union University, Albany College of
Pharmacy. He owned and operated Mikhitarian Pharmacy for over 30
years, until its sale to Price Chopper in 1999. He has been a Board
member since 1981.
Martin C.
Smith is currently consultant to Main Bros. Oil Co., Inc., and is the
former owner of R.E. Smith Fuel Company, which was purchased by Main Bros. Oil
Co., Inc., located in Albany, New York. He became Chairman of the
Board in November 2005.
Charles H.
Schaefer is a partner of the law firm, Deily & Schaefer, Catskill,
New York.
Arthur Place,
CPA is a Senior Partner of Arthur Place & Co., an accounting firm
located in Albany, New York.
Donald E.
Gibson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company
and the Bank in June 2007. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Gibson
served as Senior Vice President of the Company and the Bank since 2003 and has
been employed by the Bank since 1987. Mr. Gibson obtained a Master of
Business Administration from the College of Saint Rose.
Executive Officers of the Company who
are not Directors
Michelle M.
Plummer, CPA was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Operating
Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank in June
2007. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Plummer served as Chief
Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank since May 1999 and Chief Financial
Officer and Treasurer since January 2002. Prior to that time, Ms.
Plummer held positions with KPMG LLP and with the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York. Ms. Plummer obtained a Master of Science from Pace
University.
Stephen E.
Nelson was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of
the Company and the Bank during 2008. Prior to this appointment, Mr.
Nelson served as Senior Vice President of the Company and Bank since 2001 and
has served in various capacities with the Bank since 1988. Mr. Nelson
obtained a Master of Business Administration from the College of Saint
Rose.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
The common stock of the Company is
registered with the SEC pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The officers and directors
of the Company and beneficial owners of greater than 10% of the Company’s common
stock (“10% beneficial owners”) are required to file reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5
with the SEC disclosing beneficial ownership and changes in beneficial ownership
of the common stock. SEC rules require disclosure in the Company’s
Proxy Statement or Annual Report on Form 10-KSB of the failure of an officer,
director or 10% beneficial owner of the Company’s common stock to file a Form 3,
4, or 5 on a timely basis. Based on the Company’s review of such
ownership reports, except for the failure of Director Arthur Place to timely
file a Form 4 for one transaction for which he purchased 1,000 shares of common
stock, no officer or director of the Company failed to timely file such
ownership reports for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008.
Board
Independence
The Board
of Directors has determined that, except for Mr. Gibson, Mr. Whittaker and Mr.
Schaefer, each member of the Board is an “independent director” within the
meaning of Rule 4200(a)(15) of the NASDAQ corporate governance listing
standards. Mr. Gibson is not considered independent because he is
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the
Bank. Mr. Whittaker is not considered independent because he is a
retired executive officer of the Company. Mr. Schaefer is not
considered independent because he is a partner in the law firm, Deily &
Schaefer, from which the Company uses various services in the normal course of
business. In determining the independence of the other directors
listed above there were no transactions reviewed by the Board of Directors which
were not required to be reported under “—Transactions With Certain Related
Persons,” below.
Meetings
and Committees of the Board of Directors
General. The business of
the Company is conducted at regular and special meetings of the full Board and
its standing committees. The standing committees include the Executive,
Nominating and Audit Committees. During the year ended June 30, 2008, the Board
of Directors held twelve regular meetings and one special
meetings. No member of the Board or any committee thereof attended
fewer than 75% of the aggregate of: (i) the total number of meetings of the
Board of Directors (held during the period for which he has been a director);
and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the Board on
which he served (during the periods that he served). Executive sessions of the
independent directors are held on a regularly scheduled basis; there were twelve
such sessions during fiscal year 2008.
While the
Company has no formal policy on director attendance at annual meetings of
stockholders, all directors are encouraged to attend. All of the
Company’s directors attended the 2007 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders.
Executive
Committee. The Executive
Committee consists of the entire Board of Directors. The Executive
Committee meets as necessary when the Board is not in session to exercise
general control and supervision in all matters pertaining to the interests of
the Company, subject at all times to the direction of the Board of
Directors. The Executive Committee did not meet during the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2008.
Nominating
Committee. The Nominating Committee consists of Directors
O’Grady, Jenkins and Slutzky. Each member of the Nominating Committee is
considered “independent” as defined in the NASDAQ corporate governance listing
standards. The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter for the
Committee, which is available at the Company’s website at
www.tbogc.com. The Committee met one time during the fiscal year
ended June 30, 2008.
The
functions of the Nominating Committee include the following:
·
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to
lead the search for individuals qualified to become members of the Board
and to select director nominees to be presented for stockholder
approval;
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·
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to
review and monitor compliance with the requirements for board
independence;
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·
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to
review the committee structure and make recommendations to the Board
regarding committee membership;
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·
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to
develop and recommend to the Board for its approval a set of corporate
governance guidelines; and
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·
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to
develop and recommend to the Board for its approval a self-evaluation
process for the Board and its
committees.
|
The
Nominating Committee identifies nominees by first evaluating the current members
of the Board of Directors willing to continue in service. Current
members of the Board with skills and experience that are relevant to the
Company’s business and who are willing to continue in service are first
considered for re-nomination, balancing the value of continuity of service by
existing members of the Board with that of obtaining a new
perspective. If any member of the Board does not wish to continue in
service, or if the Committee or the Board decides not to re-nominate a member
for re-election, or if the size of the Board is increased, the Committee would
solicit suggestions for director candidates from all Board
members. In addition, the Committee is authorized by its charter to
engage a third party to assist in the identification of director
nominees. The Nominating Committee would seek to identify a candidate
who at a minimum satisfies the following criteria:
·
|
has
the highest personal and professional ethics and integrity and whose
values are compatible with the
Company’s;
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·
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has
had experiences and achievements that have given him or her the ability to
exercise and develop good business
judgment;
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·
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is
willing to devote the necessary time to the work of the Board and its
committees, which includes being available for Board and committee
meetings;
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·
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is
familiar with the communities in which the Company operates and/or is
actively engaged in community
activities;
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·
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is
involved in other activities or interests that do not create a conflict
with his or her responsibilities to the Company and its stockholders;
and
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·
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has
the capacity and desire to represent the balanced, best interests of the
stockholders of the Company as a group, and not primarily a special
interest group or constituency.
|
Finally,
the Nominating Committee will take into account whether a candidate satisfies
the criteria for “independence” under the NASDAQ corporate governance listing
standards, and if a nominee is sought for service on the audit committee, the
financial and accounting expertise of a candidate, including whether the
individual qualifies as an audit committee financial expert.
There
have been no material changes to these procedures since they were previously
disclosed in the proxy statement for the Company’s 2007 annual meeting of
stockholders.
Procedures for
the Nomination of Directors by Stockholders. The Nominating
Committee has adopted procedures for the submission of director nominees by
stockholders. If a determination is made that an additional candidate
is needed for the Board, the Nominating Committee will consider candidates
submitted by the Company’s stockholders. Stockholders can submit qualified names
of candidates for director by writing to our Corporate Secretary, at P.O. Box
470, 302 Main Street, Catskill, New York 12414. The Corporate
Secretary must receive a submission not less than ninety (90) days prior to the
anniversary date of the Company’s proxy materials for the preceding year’s
annual meeting. The submission must include the following
information:
·
|
the
name and address of the stockholder as they appear on the Company’s books,
and number of shares of the Company’s common stock that are owned
beneficially by such stockholder (if the stockholder is not a holder of
record, appropriate evidence of the stockholder’s ownership will be
required);
|
·
|
the
name, address and contact information for the candidate, and the number of
shares of common stock of the Company that are owned by the candidate (if
the candidate is not a holder of record, appropriate evidence of the
stockholder’s ownership will be
required);
|
·
|
a
statement of the candidate’s business and educational
experience;
|
·
|
such
other information regarding the candidate as would be required to be
included in the proxy statement pursuant to SEC Rule
14A;
|
·
|
a
statement detailing any relationship between the candidate and the
Company;
|
·
|
a
statement detailing any relationship between the candidate and any
customer, supplier or competitor of the
Company;
|
·
|
detailed
information about any relationship or understanding between the proposing
stockholder and the candidate; and
|
·
|
a
statement that the candidate is willing to be considered and willing to
serve as a director if nominated and
elected.
|
Submissions
that are received and that meet the criteria outlined above are forwarded to the
Chairman of the Nominating Committee for further review and
consideration. A nomination submitted by a stockholder for
presentation by the stockholder at an annual meeting of stockholders must comply
with the procedural and informational requirements described in this proxy
statement under the heading “Stockholder Proposals.”
Stockholder
Communications with the Board. A stockholder of
the Company who wishes to communicate with the Board or with any individual
director may write to the Corporate Secretary of the Company, P.O. Box 470, 302
Main Street, Catskill, New York 12414, Attention: Board
Administration. The letter should indicate that the author is a
stockholder and if shares are not held of record, should include appropriate
evidence of stock ownership. Depending on the subject matter,
management will:
·
|
forward
the communication to the director or directors to whom it is
addressed;
|
·
|
attempt
to handle the inquiry directly, for example where it is a request for
information about the Company or a stock-related matter;
or
|
·
|
not
forward the communication if it is primarily commercial in nature, relates
to an improper or irrelevant topic, or is unduly hostile, threatening,
illegal or otherwise inappropriate.
|
At each
Board meeting, management will present a summary of all communications received
since the last meeting that were not forwarded and make those communications
available to the directors.
The Audit
Committee. The
Audit Committee consists of Directors Jenkins, O’Grady, Slutzky and Place. Each
member of the Audit Committee is considered “independent” as defined in the
NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards and under SEC Rule 10A-3. The
Board of Directors has determined that Arthur Place qualifies as an “audit
committee financial expert” as that term is defined by the rules and regulations
of the SEC. The duties and responsibilities of the Audit Committee include,
among other things:
·
|
retaining,
overseeing and evaluating an independent registered public accounting firm
to audit the Company’s annual financial
statements;
|
·
|
in
consultation with the independent registered public accounting firm and
the internal auditor, reviewing the integrity of the Company’s financial
reporting processes, both internal and
external;
|
·
|
approving
the scope of the audit in advance;
|
·
|
reviewing
the consolidated financial statements and the audit report with management
and the independent registered public accounting
firm;
|
·
|
considering
whether the provision by the external auditors of services not related to
the annual audit and quarterly reviews is consistent with maintaining the
auditor’s independence;
|
·
|
reviewing
earnings and financial releases and quarterly reports filed with the
SEC;
|
·
|
consulting
with the internal audit staff and reviewing management’s administration of
the system of internal accounting
controls;
|
·
|
approving
all engagements for audit and non-audit services by the independent
registered public accounting firm;
and
|
·
|
reviewing
the adequacy of the audit committee
charter.
|
The Audit
Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended June 30,
2008. The Audit Committee reports to the Board on its activities and
findings. The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter for
the Audit Committee, which is available at the Company’s website at www.tbogc.com.
Audit
Committee Report
The following Audit Committee Report is
provided in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. Pursuant to
such rules and regulations, this report shall not be deemed “soliciting
material,” filed with the SEC, subject to Regulation 14A or 14C of the SEC or
subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.
Management
has the primary responsibility for the Company’s internal controls and financial
reporting processes. The independent registered public accounting
firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of the Company’s
consolidated financial statements in accordance with auditing standards
generally accepted in the United States and issuing a report
thereon. The Audit Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and
oversee these processes.
The Audit Committee has prepared the
following report for inclusion in this Proxy Statement:
As part of its ongoing activities, the
Audit Committee has:
|
•
|
Reviewed
and discussed with management the Company’s audited consolidated financial
statements for the fiscal year ended June 30,
2008;
|
|
•
|
Discussed
with the independent registered public accounting firm the matters
required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, Communications with Audit
Committees, as amended; and
|
|
•
|
Received
the written disclosures and the letter from the independent registered
public accounting firm required by Independence Standards Board Standard
No. 1, Independence
Discussions with Audit Committees, and has discussed with the
independent registered public accounting firm their
independence. In addition, the Audit Committee approved the
appointment of Beard Miller Company LLP as the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30,
2009, subject to the ratification of the appointment by the
stockholders.
|
Based on the review and discussions
referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors
that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended June 30,
2008.
This report shall not be deemed
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 Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically
incorporates this information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed
filed under such Acts.
This report has been provided by the
Audit Committee:
Arthur Place, CPA
(Chairman)
David H. Jenkins, DVM
Dennis R. O’Grady
Paul Slutzky
Code
of Ethics
The Company has adopted a Code of
Ethics that is applicable to the Company’s officers, directors and employees,
including its principal executive officer, principal financial officer,
principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar
functions. The Code of Ethics is available on the Company’s website at
www.tbogc.com. Amendments to and waivers from the Code of Ethics will also be
disclosed on the Company’s website.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The independent directors of the
Company, consisting of every director except for Donald E. Gibson, J. Bruce
Whittaker and Charles H. Schaefer, meet in executive session to determine the
salaries to be paid each year to the officers of the Company.
Executive
Compensation
The
Company’s philosophy is to align executive compensation with the interests of
its stockholders and to determine appropriate compensation levels that will
enable it to meet the following objectives:
·
|
To
attract, retain and motivate an experienced, competent executive
management team;
|
·
|
To
reward the executive management team for the enhancement of shareholder
value based on annual earnings performance and the market price of the
Company’s stock;
|
·
|
To
provide compensation rewards that are adequately balanced between
short-term and long-term performance
goals;
|
·
|
To
encourage ownership of the Company’s common stock through stock-based
compensation to all levels of management;
and
|
·
|
To
maintain compensation levels that are competitive with other financial
institutions, and particularly those in the Company’s peer group based on
asset size and market area.
|
The
Company considers a number of factors in its decisions regarding executive
compensation, including, but not limited to, the level of responsibility and
performance of the individual executive officers, the overall performance of the
Company and a peer group analysis of compensation paid at institutions of
comparable size and complexity. The Company also considers the
recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer with respect to the compensation
of executive officers other than the Chief Executive Officer. The
Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer review the same information
in connection with this recommendation.
The base salary levels for the
Company’s executive officers are set to reflect the duties and levels of
responsibilities inherent in the position and to reflect competitive conditions
in the banking business in the Company’s market area. Comparative
salaries paid by other financial institutions are considered in establishing the
salary for the given executive officer. In setting salaries for
fiscal 2008, the Board of Directors utilized bank compensation surveys compiled
by the America’s Community Bankers as well as other survey prepared by trade
groups and independent benefit consultants including Clark
Consulting. In setting the base salaries, the Board of Directors also
considers a number of factors relating to the executive officers, including
individual performance, job responsibilities, experience level, ability and the
knowledge of the position. These factors are considered subjectively
and none of the factors are accorded a specific weight.
Executive
Compensation
The
following table sets forth for the year ended June 30, 2008 certain information
as to the total remuneration paid by us to Mr. Gibson, who serves as President
and Chief Executive Officer, and the two most highly compensated executive
officers of the Company and The Bank of Greene County other than Mr. Gibson (the
“Named Executive Officers”).
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
|
Name
and principal position
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-equity
incentive plan compensation ($)
|
Nonqualified
deferred compensation earnings ($)
|
All
other compensation ($) (1)
|
|
Donald
E. Gibson
|
2008
2007
|
147,800
88,500
|
---
5,000
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
25,600
19,500
|
173,400
113,000
|
Michelle
M. Plummer
|
2008
2007
|
139,300
118,000
|
---
6,900
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
27,100
24,300
|
166,400
149,200
|
Stephen
E. Nelson
|
2008
2007
|
104,400
100,200
|
1,100
5,900
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
---
---
|
18,200
14,700
|
123,700
120,800
|
(1)
|
Includes
employer matching contributions of $6,700; $6,300; and $4,700 allocated in
fiscal 2008 to the accounts of Mr. Gibson, Ms. Plummer and Mr. Nelson,
respectively, under The Bank of Green County 401(k) plan, and the fair
market value at June 30, 2008 of the shares of common stock allocated
pursuant to the employee stock ownership plan in fiscal 2008, representing
$10,200; $11,400; and $9,600 for each of Mr. Gibson, Ms. Plummer and Mr.
Nelson, respectively. Includes employer matching contributions
of $3,800; $5,000; and $4,300 allocated in fiscal 2007 to the accounts of
Mr. Gibson, Ms. Plummer and Mr. Nelson, respectively, under The Bank of
Green County 401(k) plan, and the fair market value at June 30, 2007 of
the shares of common stock allocated pursuant to the employee stock
ownership plan in fiscal 2007, representing $7,500; $9,900; and $8,600 for
each of Mr. Gibson, Ms. Plummer and Mr. Nelson,
respectively. The Bank also provides each qualifying employee,
including Mr. Gibson, life insurance equal to one times the employee’s
salary with a maximum benefit of $50,000. The Bank also
provides each qualifying employee with short-term and long-term disability
coverage, medical and dental coverage for the employee and their spouse
and dependents. The employee contributes 25% for the cost of
the premium for the medical
coverage.
|
Salary for the Named Executive Officers
is paid pursuant to Employment Agreements, which are discussed below under
“—Employment Agreements.”
Employment
Agreements. Donald E. Gibson
and Michelle M. Plummer have each entered into a substantially identical
employment agreement with the Bank and the Company. The employment agreements
were effective July 1, 2007. Mr. Gibson’s employment agreement provides for a
base salary of $165,000 and Ms. Plummer’s employment agreement provides for a
base salary of $145,000. Each agreement has a term of 36 months from July 1,
2007. Commencing on July 1, 2008, and continuing on each July 1st thereafter,
each agreement shall renew for an additional year such that the remaining term
shall be 36 full calendar months, unless written notice is provided to the
executive at least ten days and not more than 60 days prior to any such
anniversary date that his or her employment shall cease at the end of 36 months
following such anniversary date. Prior to each notice period for
non-renewal, the disinterested members of the Board of Directors of the Bank
will conduct a comprehensive performance evaluation and review of the executive
for purposes of determining whether to extend the agreement.
Under each agreement, the executive’s
base salary will be reviewed annually, and the base salary may be increased but
not decreased. In addition to the base salary, the executive will be
provided all such other benefits as are provided uniformly to permanent
full-time employees of the Bank. In addition, the Bank will provide the
executive with employee benefit plans, arrangements and perquisites
substantially equivalent to those in which the executive was participating or
otherwise deriving benefit. The executive will be entitled to participate in or
receive benefits under any employee benefit plans, including but not limited to,
retirement plans, supplemental retirement plans, pension plans, profit-sharing
plans, health-and-accident plans, medical coverage or any other employee benefit
plan or arrangement made available by the Bank in the future to its senior
executives and key management employees.
Each agreement provides for termination
by the Bank for cause at any time. If the agreement is terminated for cause, the
executive will not receive any compensation or other benefits from the Bank or
the Company. Under each agreement, if the executive’s employment is terminated
for any reason other than for cause, death, disability or retirement, including
resignation upon, among other things, failure to reappoint the executive to his
or her office, a material diminution of the executive’s duties or a breach of
the agreement by the Bank, or if the executive voluntarily resigns his or her
employment on or after a change in control of the Company or the Bank during the
term of the agreement, then the Bank is obligated to pay to the executive a lump
sum equal to three times the sum of the then current base salary and the highest
rate of bonus awarded to the executive during the prior three years. If such
amount is determined to constitute an “excess parachute payment,” the amount
would be reduced so as not to trigger an excess parachute payment.
In the event of the executive’s
disability for a period of six months, the Bank may terminate the agreement,
provided that the Bank will be obligated to pay the executive his or her base
salary for the remaining term of the agreement or one year, whichever is longer
(provided such payments are reduced to the extent of any disability insurance
payments). In the event of the executive’s death during the term of the
agreement, the Bank will pay his or her base salary to the named beneficiaries
for one year following the date of death. In the event the executive
retires, he or she will be entitled to any vested benefits under any retirement
plan of the Bank.
Each
agreement provides that, following the termination of the executive’s employment
as a result of which the Bank is paying the executive termination benefits
(other than termination upon a change in control), the executive will not
compete with the Bank for a period of one year in any city or county in which
the Bank has an office or has filed an application for regulatory approval to
establish an office.
Defined
Contribution Plan. The Bank has adopted
The Bank of Greene County Employees’ Savings & Profit Sharing Plan and Trust
(the “Plan”) in order to permit the investment of Plan assets in common stock of
the Company. Employees are eligible to join the Plan on the first of the month
following completion of three months of continuous employment (during which 250
hours are completed). The first year eligibility period runs from the
date of hire to the anniversary of such date. If an employee does not
satisfy the eligibility requirements during such period then the next
eligibility period shall be the calendar year. Employees are eligible
to contribute, on a pre-tax basis, up to 25% of their eligible salary, in
increments of 1%. .Effective January 1, 2007, the Bank matched employee
contributions dollar for dollar for the first 3% and then 50% of the employee
contribution up to the next 3%. In addition, the Bank may make an
additional discretionary contribution allocated among members’ accounts on the
basis of compensation. All employee contributions and earnings
thereon under the Plan are at all times fully vested. A member vests
in employer matching and discretionary contributions at the rate of 20% per year
beginning in the second year of employment and continuing until the member is
100% vested after six years of employment. Employees are entitled to
borrow, within tax law limits, from amounts allocated to their
accounts.
Plan benefits will be paid to each
member in a lump sum or in equal payments over a fixed period upon termination,
disability or death. In addition, the Plan permits employees to
withdraw salary reduction contributions prior to age 59-1/2 or termination in
the event the employee suffers a financial hardship. In certain
circumstances, the Plan permits employees to withdraw the Bank’s matching
contributions to their accounts. The Plan permits employees to direct the
investment of their own accounts into various investment options.
At December 31, 2007, the market value
of the Plan trust fund was approximately $4.2 million. The total
contribution (i.e., both the employee and Bank contributions) to the Plan for
the Plan year ended December 31, 2007, was approximately $507,000.
Defined Benefit
Pension Plan. The Bank
maintains the Financial Institutions Retirement Fund, which is a qualified,
tax-exempt multi-employer defined benefit plan (the “Retirement
Plan”). During fiscal 2006, the Board of Directors approved changes
to the Retirement Plan. Effective January 1, 2006, the Board of
Directors of the Bank resolved to exclude from membership in the Retirement Plan
employees hired on or after January 1, 2006 and elected to cease additional
benefit accruals to existing Retirement Plan participants effective July 1,
2006. All employees age 21 or older who have worked at the Bank for a
period of one year in which they have 1,000 or more hours of service were
eligible for membership in the Retirement Plan. Once eligible, an
employee must have been credited with 1,000 or more hours of service with the
Bank during the year in order to accrue benefits under the Retirement
Plan. The Bank annually contributes an amount to the Retirement Plan
necessary to supplement full funding requirements in accordance with the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”).
The regular form of all retirement
benefits (i.e., normal, early or disability) is a life annuity with a guaranteed
term of 10 years. For a married participant, the normal form of
benefit is a joint and survivor annuity where, upon the participant’s death, the
participant’s spouse is entitled to receive a benefit equal to the commuted
value of such unpaid installments paid in lump sum. Either the member
or beneficiary may elect to have this benefit paid in the form of
installments. Where death occurs prior to a member’s benefit
commencement, in no event shall the death benefit be less than the amount
payable under the lump sum settlement options. An optional form of
benefit may be selected instead of the normal form of benefits. These
optional forms include various annuity forms as well as a lump sum payment after
age 55. Benefits payable upon death may be made in a lump sum,
installments over 10 years, or a lifetime annuity.
The normal retirement benefit payable
at or after age 65, is an amount equal to 1.5% multiplied by years of benefit
service (not to exceed 30) times average compensation based on the average of
the five years providing the highest average. A reduced benefit is
payable upon retirement at age 55 at or after completion of five years of
service. A member is fully vested in his account upon completion of
five or more years of employment or upon attaining normal retirement
age.
The following table indicates the
annual retirement benefit that would be payable under the Retirement Plan upon
retirement at age 65 in calendar year 2007, expressed in the form of a single
life annuity for the average salary and benefit service classifications
specified below.
Highest Five-Year
Average
Years of Service and Benefit
Payable at Retirement(1)
Compensation 15 20 25 30
|
$ 50,000
|
$11,300
|
$15,000
|
$18,800
$22,500
|
|
$ 75,000
16,900
|
22,500
|
28,100
|
|
33,800
|
|
$100,000 22,600
|
30,000
|
37,500
|
|
45,000
|
|
$125,000
28,100
|
37,500
|
46,900
|
|
56,300
|
|
$150,000
33,800
|
45,000
|
56,300
|
|
67,500
|
|
$175,000
39,400
|
52,500
|
65,600
|
|
78,800
|
|
$200,000
45,000
|
60,000
|
75,000
|
|
90,000
|
|
$225,000
50,600
|
67,500
|
84,400
|
|
101,300
|
___________________________________
(1)
|
No
additional credit is received for years of service in excess of 30;
however, increases in compensation after 30 years will generally cause an
increase in benefits.
|
As of June 30, 2008, Mr. Gibson had 19
years, Ms. Plummer had seven years, and Mr. Nelson had 17 years of credited
service (i.e., benefit
service) under the Retirement Plan.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Year End. The following table sets forth
information with respect to outstanding equity awards as of June 30, 2008 for
the Named Executive Officers.
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT JUNE 30, 2008 (1)
|
|
|
|
Number
of securities underlying unexercised options (#)
exercisable
|
Number
of securities underlying unexercised options (#)
unexercisable
|
Equity
incentive plan awards: number of securities underlying
unexercised unearned options (#)
|
Option
exercise price ($)
|
|
Number
of shares or units of stock that have not vested (#)
|
Market
value of shares or units of stock that have not vested
($)
|
Equity
incentive plan awards: number of unearned shares, units or other rights
that have not vested (#)
|
Equity
incentive plan awards: market or payout value of unearned shares, units or
other rights that have not vested ($)
|
Donald
Gibson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michelle
Plummer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
E. Nelson
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
________________
(1)
|
All
equity awards noted in this table were granted pursuant to the 2000 Stock
Option Plan and the 2000 Recognition and Retention Plan, which were
approved by stockholders on March 28, 2000, and represent all awards held
at June 30, 2008 by the Named Executive Officers. On March 28,
2000, the Named Executive Officers were granted shares of restricted stock
and stock options. Shares of restricted stock vested at a rate
of 20% per year commencing on March 28, 2000. Stock options
vested at a rate of 20% per year commencing on March 28, 2000 have an
exercise price of $3.9375, the closing price (adjusted for a subsequent
2-for-1 stock split) on the date of grant, and expire ten years from the
date of grant.
|
Employee Stock
Ownership Plan and Trust. The Bank has
established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Related Trust (“ESOP”) for
eligible employees. The ESOP is a tax-qualified plan subject to the
requirements of ERISA and the Code. Persons who have been employed by
the Bank for 12 months during which they worked at least 1,000 hours and who
have attained age 21, are eligible to participate. The ESOP has
borrowed funds from the Company and has purchased or been issued a total of
72,760 shares of common stock. An additional 7,276 shares were issued
to the ESOP as a result of the 10% stock dividend effective August
1999. Accordingly, the ESOP originally owned 80,036 shares in
total. The ESOP had 107,345 undistributed shares in the Plan as of
June 30, 2008 (reflective of the 2-for-1 stock split effective on May 31,
2005). When fully vested employees retire or leave the Company, they
may take from the ESOP their portion of allocated shares or cash; as a result of
this, the overall number of shares remaining in the ESOP has
decreased. The common stock held by the ESOP is collateral for the
loan. The loan will be repaid principally from the Bank’s
contributions to the ESOP over a period of up to ten years. The
interest rate for the loan is a floating rate equal to the Prime Rate as
published in The Wall Street
Journal from time to time. Shares purchased by the ESOP are
held in a suspense account for allocation among participants as the loan is
repaid.
Contributions to the ESOP and shares
released from the suspense account in an amount proportional to the repayment of
the ESOP loan will be allocated among participants on the basis of compensation
in the year of allocation, up to an annual adjusted maximum level of
compensation. Benefits generally become vested after five years of
credited service. Forfeitures will be reallocated among remaining
participating employees in the same proportion as
contributions. Benefits may be payable upon death, retirement, early
retirement, disability or separation from service. The Company’s
contributions to the ESOP will not be fixed, so benefits payable under the ESOP
cannot be estimated.
A committee consisting of David
Jenkins, Dennis O’Grady and Paul Slutzky administers the ESOP. The
ESOP also has an unrelated corporate trustee who is appointed as a fiduciary
responsible for administration of the ESOP assets and who votes the ESOP
shares. The committee may instruct the trustee regarding investment
of funds contributed to the ESOP. The ESOP trustee generally will
vote all shares of common stock held by the ESOP in accordance with the written
instructions of the committee. In certain circumstances, however, the
ESOP trustee must vote all allocated shares held in the ESOP in accordance with
the instructions of the participating employees, and unallocated shares and
shares held in the suspense account in a manner calculated to most accurately
reflect the instructions the ESOP trustee has received from participants
regarding the allocated stock, subject to and in accordance with the fiduciary
duties under ERISA owed by the ESOP trustee to the ESOP
participants. Under ERISA, the Secretary of Labor is authorized to
bring an action against the ESOP trustee for the failure of the ESOP trustee to
comply with its fiduciary responsibilities.
Stock Option
Plan. The Board of Directors of the Company adopted the 2000
Stock Option Plan, which has been approved by the stockholders. Certain
directors, officers and employees of the Bank and the Company are eligible to
participate in the Stock Option Plan. The Stock Option Plan is
administered by a committee of outside directors (the
“Committee”). The Stock Option Plan authorizes the grant of stock
options to purchase 181,898 shares of common stock (reflective of the 2-for-1
stock split effective on May 31, 2005). The Stock Option Plan
provides, among other things, for the grant of options to purchase common stock
intended to qualify as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code,
and options that do not so qualify (“nonstatutory
options”). Options must be exercised within 10 years from the date of
grant. The exercise price of the options must be at least 100% of the
fair market value of the underlying common stock at the time of the
grant.
Equity Incentive
Plan. The Board of Directors of the Company has adopted
the Greene County Bancorp, Inc. 2008 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity Plan”)
to provide officers, employees and directors of the Company and the Company’s
affiliates, including the Bank, with additional incentives to promote the growth
and performance of the Company. The Equity Plan was approved by stockholders in
July 2008. As of June 30, 2008, no awards had been made to employees, officers
or directors of the Company or any affiliate of the Company.
The Equity Plan authorizes the issuance
of up to 180,000 shares of Company common stock pursuant to the exercise by
award recipients of grants of incentive and non-statutory stock options, and
stock appreciation rights. Employees and outside directors of the
Company or its subsidiaries are eligible to receive awards under the Equity
Plan, except that non-employees may not be granted incentive stock
options. Stock options are either “incentive” stock options or
“non-qualified” stock options. Only employees are eligible to receive
incentive stock options. Stock appreciation rights give the recipient
the right to receive a payment in cash, shares of Company common stock, or a
combination thereof, of an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value
of a specified number of shares of common stock on the date of the exercise of
the stock appreciation rights over the fair market value of the common stock on
the date of grant of the stock appreciation rights, as set forth in the
recipient’s award agreement and subject to Board approval.
The
Equity Plan provides that neither the Committee nor the Board is authorized to
make any adjustment or amendment that reduces or would have the effect of
reducing the exercise price of a stock option or a stock appreciation right
previously granted.
The
Equity Plan is designed so that stock options and stock appreciation rights will
be considered performance-based compensation, whether or not such awards vest on
the basis of satisfaction of specific performance measures. It is
expected that the grant of stock options and stock appreciation rights will be
conditioned on the satisfaction of performance measures as selected by the
Committee. Such performance measures may include earnings; financial
return ratios; capital; increases in revenue, operating or net cash flows; cash
flow return on investment; total stockholder return; market share; net operating
income; operating income or net income; debt load reduction; expense management;
economic value added; stock price; assets, asset quality level, charge offs,
loan reserves, non-performing assets, loans, deposits, growth of loans, deposits
or assets; liquidity; interest sensitivity gap levels; regulatory compliance or
safety and soundness; improvement of financial rating; and achievement of
balance sheet or income statement objectives and strategic business objectives,
consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specific targets, such as
business expansion goals and goals relating to acquisitions or divestitures.
Performance measures may be based on the performance of the Company as a whole
or of any one or more subsidiaries or business units of the Company or a
subsidiary and may be measured relative to a peer group, an index or a business
plan.
If the
vesting of an award under the Equity Plan is conditioned on the completion of a
specified period of service with the Company or its subsidiaries, without the
achievement of performance measures or objectives, then unless otherwise
determined by the Committee and evidenced in an award agreement, the required
period of service for full vesting shall not be less than three years for a
participant, subject to acceleration in the event of death, disability,
retirement, involuntary termination of employment or service following a change
in control of the Company.
Unless otherwise provided in an award
agreement, in the event of a participant’s termination of service for any reason
other than disability, retirement, death or termination for cause, then any
stock options and stock appreciation rights shall be exercisable only as to
those awards that were vested on the date of termination of service and only for
a period of three months following termination (or the remaining term, if
less).
In the event of termination for cause,
any awards that have not vested, or that have vested but have not been exercised
(in the case of stock options and stock appreciation rights) shall expire and
shall be forfeited.
Unless otherwise provided in an award
agreement, upon termination of service due to retirement, death or disability,
all stock options and stock appreciation rights shall be exercisable as to all
shares subject to an outstanding award, whether or not then
exercisable. Stock options and stock appreciation rights may be
exercised for a period of one year following such termination of service (or the
remaining term, if less), provided, however, that an incentive stock option that
is not exercised within three months of termination of service due to retirement
will become a non-qualified stock option by operation of law. Under
the Internal Revenue Code, no stock option is eligible for treatment as an
incentive stock option in the event such option is exercised more than one year
following termination of service due to disability, and in order to obtain
incentive stock option treatment by heirs or devisees of an optionee, the
optionee’s death must have occurred while employed or within three months of
termination of service.
Unless
otherwise stated in an award agreement, upon the occurrence of an involuntary
termination of employment or service following a change in control of the
Company, all outstanding options and stock appreciation rights then held by a
participant will become fully exercisable. In the event of a change
in control, any performance measure attached to an award under the Equity Plan
shall be deemed satisfied as of the date of the change in control.
Equity
Compensation Plans. Other than our employee stock ownership
plan, we do not have any equity compensation plans that were not approved by
stockholders. The following table sets forth information with respect
to the Company’s equity compensation plans effective June 30, 2008.
|
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options and
rights
|
|
Number
of securities remaining available for issuance under plan
|
Stock
options
|
41,944
|
$5.00
|
---
|
Shares of
restricted stock
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
Total
|
41,944
|
$5.00
|
---
|
(1)
|
Reflects
weighted average exercise price of stock options
only.
|
Directors’
Compensation
The following table sets forth for the
year ended June 30, 2008 certain information as to the total remuneration we
paid to the Company’s directors other than Mr. Gibson. Compensation
paid to Mr. Gibson for his services as a director is included in “Executive
Compensation—Summary Compensation Table.” It should also be noted
that Mr. Ingalls became an unpaid Director Emeritus in November
2007.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION TABLE FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30,
2008
|
|
Fees
earned or paid in cash ($)
|
|
|
Non-equity
incentive plan compensation ($)
|
Nonqualified
deferred compensation earnings ($)
|
All
other compensation ($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
Slutzky
|
$29,000
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$29,000
|
David
H. Jenkins, DVM
|
$30,000
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$30,000
|
Charles
H. Schaefer
|
$30,000
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$30,000
|
Arthur
Place, CPA
|
$35,000
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$35,000
|
Dennis
R. O’Grady
|
$30,000
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$30,000
|
Martin
C. Smith
|
$36,000
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$36,000
|
J.
Bruce Whittaker
|
$27,500
|
---
|
----
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$27,500
|
Walter
Ingalls
|
$12,500
|
---
|
----
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
$12,500
|
Directors’
Compensation
Directors of The Bank of Greene County
(other than the Board and Audit Committee Chairmen) receive an annual retainer
of $18,000 and a fee of $1,000 per Board meeting. The Chairman of the
Board and Audit Committee Chairman receive an annual retainer of $24,000 and a
fee of $1,000 per Board meeting. No separate compensation is
currently paid to directors for service on the Board of the
Company. Directors of the Bank and the Company who are also employees
of the Bank and the Company are not entitled to receive Board
fees. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, the Bank paid a total
of $230,000 in director fees.
Directors are eligible to participate
in the 2000 Stock Option Plan and the 2000 Recognition and Retention
Plan. On March 28, 2000, each outside director serving at that time
was granted a non-qualified stock option to purchase 5,400 shares of common
stock (reflective of a 2-for-1 stock split effective May 31,
2005). All granted options vested at the rate of 20% per year over a
five-year period and are currently 100% vested. The options must be
exercised within 10 years from the date of grant, and the exercise price of the
options must be at least 100% of the fair market value of the underlying common
stock at the date of grant.
On March
28, 2000, restricted stock awards for 3,200 shares of common stock (reflective
of a 2-for-1 stock split effective May 31, 2005) were granted to each outside
director serving at that time. These awards also vested in 20%
increments over a five-year period beginning on the grant date and are currently
100% vested.
Directors
are eligible to participate in the Equity Plan. As of June 30, 2008,
no awards had been made to directors under the Equity Plan.
Transactions
with Certain Related Persons
In the
ordinary course of business, the Bank makes loans available to its directors,
officers and employees. These loans are made in the ordinary course
of business on substantially the same terms, including interest rate and
collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable loans with persons
not related to the Bank. Management believes that these loans neither
involve more than the normal risk of collectibility nor present other
unfavorable features.
Section 402
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 generally prohibits an issuer from:
(1) extending or maintaining credit; (2) arranging for the extension
of credit; or (3) renewing an extension of credit in the form of a personal
loan for an officer or director. There are several exceptions to this
general prohibition, one of which is applicable to the
Company. Sarbanes-Oxley does not apply to loans made by a depository
institution that is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and is
subject to the insider lending restrictions of the Federal Reserve
Act. All loans to the Company’s directors and officers are made in
conformity with the Federal Reserve Act and applicable regulations.
In
accordance with the listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market, any
transactions that would be required to be reported under this section of this
proxy statement must be approved by the Company’s Audit Committee or another
independent body of the Board of Directors. In addition, any
transaction with a director is reviewed by and subject to approval of the
members of the Board of Directors who are not directly involved in the proposed
transaction to confirm that the transaction is on terms that are no less
favorable as those that would be available to the Company from an unrelated
party through an arms-length transaction.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROPOSAL
2—RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors of the Company has approved the engagement of Beard Miller Company LLP
to be the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2009
fiscal year, subject to the ratification of the engagement by the Company’s
stockholders. At the Meeting, stockholders will consider and vote on
the ratification of the engagement of Beard Miller Company LLP for the Company’s
fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. A representative of Beard Miller
Company LLP is expected to attend the Meeting to respond to appropriate
questions and to make a statement, if deemed appropriate.
Set forth below is certain information
concerning aggregate fees billed by Beard Miller Company LLP for professional
services rendered during fiscal years 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Audit
Fees. During the past two fiscal years the fees billed for
professional services rendered by Beard Miller Company LLP for the audit of the
Company’s annual financial statements and for the review of the Company’s Forms
10-QSB were $74,000 for 2008 and $70,000 for 2007.
Audit-Related
Fees. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2008 and 2007,
fees billed for professional services by Beard Miller Company LLP that were
reasonably related to the performance of the audit were $4,000 and $5,000,
respectively.
Tax
Fees. During the past two fiscal years the fees billed for
professional services by Beard Miller Company LLP for tax services were $13,000
and $12,000 for 2008 and 2007, respectively.
All Other
Fees. During the year ended June 30, 2008 and 2007, $4,000 and
$1,000, respectively, in fees were billed to the Company by Beard Miller Company
LLP that are not described above.
The Audit Committee considered whether
the provision of non-audit services was compatible with maintaining the
independence of its auditors. The Audit Committee concluded that
performing such services in fiscal 2008 did not affect the auditors’
independence in performing their function as auditors of the
Company.
Policy
on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services of Independent
Auditor
The Audit Committee’s policy is to
pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent
registered public accounting firm. These services may include audit services,
audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval
is generally provided for up to one year and any pre-approval is detailed as to
particular service or category of services and is generally subject to a
specific budget. The Audit Committee has delegated pre-approval
authority to its Chairman when expedition of services is
necessary. The independent registered public accounting firm and
management are required to periodically report to the full Audit Committee
regarding the extent of services provided by the independent registered public
accounting firm in accordance with this pre-approval, and the fees for the
services performed to date. All of fees paid in the audit related,
tax and all other categories were approved per the pre-approval
policies.
In order to ratify the selection of
Beard Miller Company LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm
for the 2009 fiscal year, the proposal must receive at least a majority of the
votes cast “FOR” or “AGAINST”, either in person or by proxy, in favor of such
ratification. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of Beard Miller Company LLP, as
independent registered public accounting firm for the 2009 fiscal
year.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In order to be eligible for inclusion
in the proxy materials for next year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, any
stockholder proposal to take action at such meeting must be received at the
Company’s executive office, P.O. Box 470, 302 Main Street, Catskill, New York
12414, no later than May 22, 2009. Any such proposals shall be subject to the
requirements of the proxy rules adopted under the Exchange Act.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTHER
MATTERS
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Board of Directors is not aware of
any business to come before the Annual Meeting other than the matters described
above in this Proxy Statement. However, if any matters should
properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is intended that holders of the
proxies will act as directed by a majority of the Board of Directors, except for
matters related to the conduct of the Annual Meeting, as to which they shall act
in accordance with their best judgment. The Board of Directors
intends to exercise its discretionary authority to the fullest extent permitted
under the Exchange Act.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ADVANCE
NOTICE OF BUSINESS TO BE BROUGHT BEFORE AN ANNUAL MEETING
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The
Bylaws of the Company provide an advance notice procedure for certain business
or nominations to the Board of Directors to be brought before an annual meeting.
In order for a stockholder to properly bring business before an annual meeting,
or to propose a nominee to the Board, the stockholder must give written notice
to the Secretary of the Company not less than five days prior to the date of the
annual meeting. No other proposal shall be acted upon at the annual
meeting. A stockholder may make any other proposal at the annual
meeting and the same may be discussed and considered, but unless stated in
writing and filed with the Secretary at least five days prior to the annual
meeting, the proposal will be laid over for action at an adjourned, special or
annual meeting taking place 30 days or more thereafter.
The date on which the next Annual
Meeting of Stockholders is expected to be held is October 24,
2009. Accordingly, advance written notice of business or nominations
to the Board of Directors to be brought before the 2009 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders must be made in writing and delivered to the Secretary of the
Company no later than October 24, 2009.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MISCELLANEOUS
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The cost of solicitation of proxies
will be borne by the Company. The Company will reimburse brokerage
firms and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for reasonable expenses
incurred by them in sending proxy materials to the beneficial owners of common
stock. In addition to solicitations by mail, directors, officers and
regular employees of the Company may solicit proxies personally or by telegraph
or telephone without additional compensation.
The Company’s 2008 Annual Report to
Stockholders has been mailed to all stockholders of record as of the Record
Date. Any stockholder who has not received a copy of such Annual
Report may obtain a copy by writing the Company. Such Annual Report
is not to be treated as a part of the proxy solicitation material nor as having
been incorporated herein by reference.
A COPY OF THE COMPANY’S ANNUAL REPORT
ON FORM 10-KSB FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2008, WILL BE FURNISHED
WITHOUT CHARGE TO STOCKHOLDERS AS OF THE RECORD DATE UPON WRITTEN OR TELEPHONIC
REQUEST TO REBECCA R. MAIN, CORPORATE SECRETARY, GREENE COUNTY BANCORP, INC.,
P.O. BOX 470, 302 MAIN STREET, CATSKILL, NEW YORK 12414, OR CALL AT
518-943-2600.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
/s/ Rebecca R. Main
Rebecca R. Main
Corporate Secretary
Catskill,
New York
September
26, 2008
REVOCABLE
PROXY
GREENE
COUNTY BANCORP, INC.
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
October
25, 2008
The undersigned hereby appoints the
official proxy committee consisting of the Board of Directors with full powers
of substitution to act as attorneys and proxies for the undersigned to vote all
shares of common stock of the Company that the undersigned is entitled to vote
at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“Annual Meeting”) to be held at Columbia
– Greene Community College, 4400 Route 23, Hudson, New York on October 25, 2008,
at 10:00 a.m. The official proxy committee is authorized to cast all
votes to which the undersigned is entitled as follows:
|
FOR
|
VOTE
WITHHELD
|
|
|
|
(except
as marked to the contrary below)
|
|
|
|
1. The
election as directors of all nominees listed below, each to serve for the
term set forth following his name:
Dennis
R. O’Grady (three-year term)
Martin
C. Smith (three-year term)
INSTRUCTION: To
withhold your vote for one or more nominees, write the name of the
nominee(s) on the line(s) below.
________________________
________________________
|
o
|
o
|
|
|
|
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
|
2. The
ratification of Beard Miller Company LLP as the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30,
2009.
|
o
|
o
|
o
|
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” Proposal 1 and Proposal
2.
THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED, BUT IF NO INSTRUCTIONS ARE SPECIFIED, THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR PROPOSALS 1 AND 2. IF ANY OTHER BUSINESS IS
PRESENTED AT SUCH ANNUAL MEETING, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED BY A
MAJORITY OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. AT THE PRESENT TIME, THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS KNOWS OF NO OTHER BUSINESS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL
MEETING.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
Should
the undersigned be present and elect to vote at the Annual Meeting or at any
adjournment thereof and after notification to the Secretary of the Company at
the Annual Meeting of the stockholder’s decision to terminate this proxy, then
the power of said attorneys and proxies shall be deemed terminated and of no
further force and effect. This proxy may also be revoked by sending
written notice to the Secretary of the Company at the address set forth on the
Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or by the filing of a later proxy
prior to a vote being taken on a particular proposal at the Annual
Meeting.
The
undersigned acknowledges receipt from the Company prior to the execution of this
proxy of notice of the Annual Meeting, a proxy statement dated September 26,
2008, and audited financial statements.
Dated:
_________________________
o Check
Box if You Plan
to Attend Annual Meeting
_______________________________ ___________________________________
PRINT
NAME OF
STOCKHOLDER
PRINT NAME OF STOCKHOLDER
_______________________________ ___________________________________
SIGNATURE
OF
STOCKHOLDER
SIGNATURE OF STOCKHOLDER
Please
sign exactly as your name appears on this card. When signing as
attorney, executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, please give your full
title.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please
complete and date this proxy and return it promptly
in
the enclosed postage-prepaid envelope.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________