General policy senior-management remuneration
Background
The prime objective of the remuneration policy is to enable the company to recruit and retain qualified and expert leaders. The remuneration package supports a performance-driven culture that aligns ING’s objectives with those of its stakeholders. ING rewards performance on the basis of previously determined, challenging, measurable and influenceable short-term and long-term targets.
ING’s remuneration policy is based on five key principles that apply throughout ING. These principles are:
- Total compensation levels are benchmarked against relevant markets in which ING competes for talent.
- ING aims for total compensation at the median level in the relevant market, allowing only for above-median compensation in the event of outstanding performance.
- The remuneration package includes variable-pay components (short-term and long-term incentives) to ensure that executive remuneration is linked to ING’s short-term and long-term business performance.
- To enhance the effectiveness of the short-term incentive plan, clear, measurable and challenging targets are set at the beginning of each year.
- Long-term incentives ensure a focus on longer-term strategic targets and create alignment of management with the interests of shareholders. A broad selection of ING’s senior leaders participate in the plan to ensure a common focus on ING’s overall performance.
Remuneration structure
Total compensation throughout ING consists of three basic components:
- Fixed or base salary, which represents the total guaranteed annual income.
- Short-term incentive (STI) in cash, which compensates for past performance measured over one year.
- Long-term incentive (LTI) in stock options and/or performance shares, which compensates for performance measured over multiple years and is forward-looking.
In addition to the base salary and incentive plan participation, senior management and Executive Board members enjoy benefits similar to most other comparable employees of ING Group. These include benefits such as the use of company cars, contributions to company savings plans and, if applicable, expatriate allowances.
Base salary
The base salaries of the Executive Board should be sufficient to attract and retain high calibre management needed to achieve our business objectives. The Supervisory Board assesses the experience, background, responsibilities, performance and leadership competencies of the CEO and the members of the Executive Board when making decisions on base-salary levels.
To ensure that base-salary levels are in line with the relevant market for talent, the Supervisory Board reviews the base-salary levels of the Executive Board on an annual basis.
Short-term incentive plan
The short-term incentive plan (STIP) is a key component of ING’s performance-driven culture. The short-term incentive is paid in cash. The ‘at target’ bonus opportunity is expressed as a percentage of base salary. The target levels are based on benchmarks reflecting external market competitiveness as well as internal objectives. Three financial parameters were used in the 2007 STIP for the members of the Executive Board and top senior management across the organisation (the top-200 executives) to measure performance at Group level. These financial parameters are: underlying net profit, underlying operating expenses and economic profit/embedded value profit (excluding financial variances). The quantitative elements of the targets are considered stock price sensitive and competition sensitive; accordingly these are not disclosed.
We believe that by combining a profit, a cost and a return parameter, the overall performance of ING is properly reflected. Each element is weighted equally to determine the final award. The three performance targets are set by the Supervisory Board at the beginning of the performance period. Under the short-term incentive plan, the actual payout in any year may vary between 0% and 200% of the target level.
In addition to the financial targets, part of the short-term incentive award is based on individual performance, assessed over pre-defined measurable targets set for each senior executive. These targets depend on the specific responsibilities of the individual Executive Board members and are determined and assessed by the Supervisory Board. The Executive Board sets the targets for senior management. For this layer directly reporting to the Executive Board, the emphasis is on individual performance in their primary business-related responsibility.
Short-term incentive: relative weight of Group and individual performance
| Group performance | Individual performance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Board | 70% of total bonus | 30% of total bonus | |
| Top senior management in business | 15% of total bonus | 85% of total bonus | |
| Top senior management in Group staff | 30% of total bonus | 70% of total bonus | |
Long-term incentive plan
The long-term incentive plan (LTIP) at ING includes both stock options and performance shares. LTIP awards are granted to ensure alignment of senior management with the interests of shareholders, and to retain top management over a longer period of time. The LTIP awards will be granted with a total ‘fair value’ split between stock options and performance shares. The LTI plan was tabled and approved during the General Meeting of Shareholders on 27 April 2004.
The ING stock options have a total term of ten years and a vesting period of three years after which they can be exercised for the remaining seven years. After three years, the options will vest only if the option holder is still employed by ING. The exercise price of the stock options is equal to the Euronext Amsterdam by NYSE Euronext market price of the ING depositary receipts on the grant date. For members of the Executive Board the grant date is a specific date during the first ‘open period’ after the General Meeting of Shareholders.
Performance shares are conditionally granted. The number of ING depositary receipts that is ultimately granted at the end of a three-year performance period depends on ING’s Total Shareholder Return (TSR) performance over three years (return in the form of capital gains and reinvested dividends that shareholders receive in that period) relative to the TSR performance of a pre-defined peer group. The criteria used to determine the performance peer group are: a) considered comparable and relevant by the Supervisory Board, b) representing ING’s current portfolio of businesses (e.g. banking, insurance and asset management) and ING’s geographical spread, c) global players, d) listed and with a substantial free float.
On the basis of these criteria the performance peer group established in 2004 is composed as follows:
- Citigroup, Fortis, Lloyds TSB (bank/insurance companies);
- ABN AMRO, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Banco Santander, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC (banks);
- Aegon, AIG, Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Prudential UK, Hartford Financial Services, Munich Re (insurance companies); Invesco (asset manager).
The Supervisory Board has determined that in light of the disappearance of ABN AMRO from the peer group, it will be replaced by Unicredito Italiano. This replacement is based upon a thorough replacement process using the above objective criteria to determine the performance peer group.
ING’s TSR ranking within this group of companies determines the final number of performance shares that vest at the end of the three-year performance period. The initial number of performance shares granted is based on a mid-position ranking of ING. This initial grant will increase or decrease (on a linear basis) on the basis of ING’s TSR position after the three-year performance period as specified in the table below.
Number of shares awarded after each three-year performance period related to peer group
| ING ranking | Number of shares |
|---|---|
| 1 – 3 | 200% |
| 4 – 8 | Between 200% and 100% |
| 9 – 11 | 100% |
| 12 – 17 | Between 100% and 0% |
| 18 – 20 | 0% |
The Supervisory Board reviews the peer group before each new three-year performance period. The performance test itself will be carried out at the end of every three-year performance period by an independent third party.
The Executive Board members are not allowed to sell depositary receipts obtained either through the stock-option or the performance-shares plan within a period of five years from the grant date. They are only allowed to sell part of their depositary receipts at the date of vesting to pay tax over the vested performance share award. Depositary receipts obtained from exercised stock options may only be sold within a period of five years from the grant date of the options to pay tax over the exercised award.
Remuneration levels
Every year a compensation benchmark analysis is performed based upon a peer group of companies. This peer group, established in 2003, is a mix of European financial services companies and Dutch-based multinationals. The peer group reflects ING’s business structure and environment. ING competes with these companies for executive talent. The following companies are part of this compensation peer group: ABN AMRO, Aegon, Ahold, AXA, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Fortis, KPN, Royal Bank of Scotland, Société Générale.
Considering the disappearance of ABN AMRO and the natural evolvement of the companies in the compensation peer group, the Supervisory Board has undertaken a review of this group. The composition of the adjusted peer group is based upon a thorough review process using objective criteria and reflects the evolved environment and ING’s business structure. The Supervisory Board has decided to adjust to a European financial industry peer group effective as of compensation year 2009. This financial industry peer group will comprise of the following companies: Aegon, Allianz, AXA, Banco Santander, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Fortis, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Société Générale, Unicredito Italiano, Zurich Financial Services.
In line with ING’s overall remuneration policy, the Supervisory Board has focused on increasing variable (performance-driven) pay components which has resulted in a gradual convergence of the Executive Board total compensation to the median benchmark over a period of four years. This has been achieved by raising the target levels of both the short-term and long-term incentives. This ensures that future payouts more directly reflect short-term and long-term performance. As a result, the mix of total target compensation (in case of at-target performance) is divided equally between each component (i.e. 1/3rd base salary, 1/3rd short-term incentives, and 1/3rd long-term incentives). This balance of variable remuneration provides the right amount of focus on both the short and long term.
Pensions Executive Board members
At the General Meeting of Shareholders on 25 April 2006, it was agreed to amend the Executive Board remuneration policy with respect to pensions. This revised pension plan applies to all members of the Executive Board regardless of the time of appointment to the Executive Board except for John Hele, Tom McInerney and Cees Maas (retired 1 June 2007). The revised pension plan does not apply to a) Cees Maas, who was born before 1 January 1950 and who therefore continued to participate in the previous Executive Board defined-benefit pension scheme, and b) John Hele and Tom McInerney as they participate in the US pension plans. The pensions of the Executive Board are now based on a defined-contribution plan, which are insured through a contract with Nationale-Nederlanden Levensverzekering Maatschappij N.V. Starting in 2006, members of the Executive Board have been required to pay a portion of their pension premium. The Employment Contract will terminate by operation of law in case of retirement (‘Standard Retirement’), which will take place on the first day of the month that the individual reaches the age of 65. The retirement age has been changed from previous years (age 60) as a result of the Dutch tax reform.
Employment contract for newly appointed Board members
The contract of employment for Executive Board members appointed after 1 January 2004 provides for an appointment for a period of four years (the appointment period) and allows for reappointment by the General Meeting of Shareholders.
In the case of an involuntary exit, Executive Board members will be entitled to an amount which has been set at a multiple of their Executive Board member base salary, preserving their existing rights. These rights slightly exceed the exit-arrangement provision in the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, i.e. no more than two times base salary (first appointment period) or one time base salary (all other situations).
As existing contracts cannot be adapted unilaterally, Executive Board members appointed before 2004 remain appointed for an indefinite period of time and, in case of an involuntary exit remain entitled to an exit payment of three years base salary.
The term of notice for Executive Board members is three months for the employee and six months for the employer.
