AMENDED AND RESTATED
eCONNECT
NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS AND CONSULTANTS
RETAINER STOCK PLAN FOR
(Amendment No. 3)
1. Introduction.
This plan shall be known as the "Amended and Restated eConnect
Non-Employee Directors and Consultants Retainer Stock Plan
(Amendment No. 3)" and is hereinafter referred to as the "Plan".
The purposes of the Plan are to enable eConnect, a Nevada
corporation ("Company"), to promote the interests of the Company
and its shareholders by attracting and retaining non-employee
Directors and Consultants capable of furthering the future
success of the Company and by aligning their economic interests
more closely with those of the Company's shareholders, by paying
their retainer or fees in the form of shares of the Company's
common stock, par value one tenth of one cent ($0.001) per share
("Common Stock").
2. Definitions.
The following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
"Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company.
"Change of Control" has the meaning set forth in Section 12(d).
"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and
the rules and regulations thereunder. References to any provision
of the Code or rule or regulation thereunder shall be deemed to
include any amended or successor provision, rule or regulation.
"Committee" means the committee that administers the Plan, as
more fully defined in Section 13.
"Common Stock" has the meaning set forth in Section 1.
"Company" has the meaning set forth in Section 1.
"Deferral Election" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.
"Deferred Stock Account" means a bookkeeping account maintained
by the Company for a Participant representing the Participant's
interest in the shares credited to such Deferred Stock
Account pursuant to Section 7.
"Delivery Date" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.
"Director" means an individual who is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Company.
"Dividend Equivalent" for a given dividend or other distribution
means a number of shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market
Value, as of the record date for such dividend or distribution,
equal to the amount of cash, plus the fair market value on the
date of distribution of any property, that is distributed with
respect to one share of Common Stock pursuant to such dividend or
distribution; such fair market value to be determined by the
Committee in good faith.
"Effective Date" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.
"Exchange Act" has the meaning set forth in Section 13(b).
"Fair Market Value" means the mean between the highest and lowest
reported sales prices of the Common Stock on the NYSE Composite
Tape or, if not listed on such exchange, on any other national
securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed or on
NASDAQ on the last trading day prior to the date with respect to
which the Fair Market Value is to be determined.
"Participant" has the meaning set forth in Section 4.
"Payment Time" means the time when a Stock Retainer is payable to
a Participant pursuant to Section 5 (without regard to the effect
of any Deferral Election).
"Stock Retainer" has the meaning set forth in Section 5.
"Third Anniversary" has the meaning set forth in Section 6.
3. Effective Date of the Plan.
The Plan shall be effective as of November 1, 2000 ("Effective
Date"), provided that it is approved by the Board.
4. Eligibility.
Each individual who is a Director or Consultant on the Effective
Date and each individual who becomes a Director or Consultant
thereafter during the term of the Plan, shall be a participant
("Participant") in the Plan, in each case during such period as
such individual remains a Director or Consultant and is not an
employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries. Each credit
of shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Plan shall be evidenced
by a written agreement duly executed and delivered by or on
behalf of the Company and a Participant, if such an agreement is
required by the Company to assure compliance with all applicable
laws and regulations.
5. Grants of Shares.
Commencing on the Effective Date, the amount for service to
directors or consultants shall instead be payable in shares of
Common Stock ("Stock Retainer") pursuant to this Plan at the
deemed issuance price of one tenth of one cent ($0.001) per
Share.
6. Deferral Option.
From and after the Effective Date, a Participant may make an
election (a "Deferral Election") on an annual basis to defer
delivery of the Stock Retainer specifying which one of the
following way the Stock Retainer is to be delivered: (a) on the
date which is three years after the Effective Date for which it
was originally payable ("Third Anniversary"), (b) on the date
upon which the Participant ceases to be a Director or Consultant
for any reason ("Departure Date") or (c) in five equal annual
installments commencing on the Departure Date ("Third
Anniversary" and "Departure Date" each being referred to herein
as a "Delivery Date"). Such Deferral Election shall remain in
effect for each Subsequent Year unless changed, provided that,
any Deferral Election with respect to a particular Year may not
be changed less than six (6) months prior to the beginning of
such Year and provided, further, that no more than one Deferral
Election or change thereof may be made in any Year.
Any Deferral Election and any change or revocation thereof shall
be made by delivering written notice thereof to the Committee no
later than six (6) months prior to the beginning of the Year in
which it is to be effected; provided that, with respect to the
Year beginning on the Effective Date, any Deferral Election or
revocation thereof must be delivered no later than the close of
business on the thirtieth (30th) day after the Effective Date.
7. Deferred Stock Accounts.
The Company shall maintain a Deferred Stock Account for each
Participant who makes a Deferral Election to which shall be
credited, as of the applicable Payment Time, the number of shares
of Common Stock payable pursuant to the Stock Retainer to which
the Deferral Election relates. So long as any amounts in such
Deferred Stock Account have not been delivered to the Participant
under Section 8, each Deferred Stock Account shall be credited as
of the payment date for any dividend paid or other distribution
made with respect to the Common Stock, with a number of shares of
Common Stock equal to (a) the number of shares of Common Stock
shown in such Deferred Stock Account on the record date for such
dividend or distribution multiplied by (b) the Dividend
Equivalent for such dividend or distribution.
8. Delivery of Shares.
(a) The shares of Common Stock in a Participant's Deferred Stock
Account with respect to any Stock Retainer for which a Deferral
Election has been made (together with dividends attributable to
such shares credited to such Deferred Stock Account) shall be
delivered in accordance with this Section 8 as soon as
practicable after the applicable Delivery Date. Except with
respect to a Deferral Election pursuant to Section 6(c), or other
agreement between the parties, such shares shall be delivered at
one time; provided that, if the number of shares so delivered
includes a fractional share, such number shall be rounded to the
nearest whole number of shares. If the Participant has in effect
a Deferral Election pursuant to Section 6(c), then such shares
shall be delivered in five equal annual installments (together
with dividends attributable to such shares credited to such
Deferred Stock Account), with the first such installment being
delivered on the first anniversary of the Delivery Date; provided
that, if in order to equalize such installments, fractional
shares would have to be delivered, such installments shall be
adjusted by rounding to the nearest whole share. If any such
shares are to be delivered after the Participant has died or
become legally incompetent, they shall be delivered to the
Participant's estate or legal guardian, as the case may be, in
accordance with the foregoing; provided that, if the Participant
dies with a Deferral Election pursuant to Section 6(c) in effect,
the Committee shall deliver all remaining undelivered shares to
the Participant's estate immediately. References to a Participant
in this Plan shall be deemed to refer to the Participant's estate
or legal guardian, where appropriate.
(b) The Company may, but shall not be required to, create a
grantor trust or utilize an existing grantor trust (in either
case, "Trust") to assist it in accumulating the shares of Common
Stock needed to fulfill its obligations under this Section 8.
However, Participants shall have no beneficial or other interest
in the Trust and the assets thereof, and their rights under the
Plan shall be as general creditors of the Company, unaffected by
the existence or nonexistence of the Trust, except that
deliveries of Stock Retainers to Participants from the Trust
shall, to the extent thereof, be treated as satisfying the
Company's obligations under this Section 8.
9. Share Certificates; Voting and Other Rights.
The certificates for shares delivered to a Participant pursuant
to Section 8 above shall be issued in the name of the
Participant, and from and after the date of such issuance the
Participant shall be entitled to all rights of a shareholder with
respect to Common Stock for all such shares issued in his or her
name, including the right to vote the shares, and the Participant
shall receive all dividends and other distributions paid or made
with respect thereto.
10. General Restrictions.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or
agreements made pursuant thereto, the Company shall not be
required to issue or deliver any certificate or certificates for
shares of Common Stock under the Plan prior to fulfillment of all
of the following conditions:
(i) Listing or approval for listing upon official notice of
issuance of such shares on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., or
such other securities exchange as may at the time be a market for
the Common Stock;
(ii) Any registration or other qualification of such shares
under any state or federal law or regulation, or the maintaining
in effect of any such registration or other qualification which
the Committee shall, upon the advice of counsel, deem necessary
or advisable; and
(iii) Obtaining any other consent, approval, or permit from any
state or federal governmental agency which the Committee shall,
after receiving the advice of counsel, determine to be necessary
or advisable.
(b) Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Company from
adopting other or additional compensation arrangements for the
Participants.
11. Shares Available.
Subject to Section 12 below, the maximum number of shares of
Common Stock which may in the aggregate be paid as Stock
Retainers pursuant to the Plan is Twenty-Five Million
(25,000,000). Shares of Common Stock issueable under the Plan
may be taken from treasury shares of the Company or purchased on
the open market.
12. Adjustments; Change of Control.
(a) In the event that there is, at any time after the Board
adopts the Plan, any change in corporate capitalization, such as
a stock split, combination of shares, exchange of shares,
warrants or rights offering to purchase Common Stock at a price
below its fair market value, reclassification, or
recapitalization, or a corporate transaction, such as any merger,
consolidation, separation, including a spin-off, or other
extraordinary distribution of stock or property of the Company,
any reorganization (whether or not such reorganization comes
within the definition of such term in Section 368 of the Code) or
any partial or complete liquidation of the Company (each of the
foregoing a "Transaction"), in each case other than any such
Transaction which constitutes a Change of Control (as defined
below), (i) the Deferred Stock Accounts shall be credited with
the amount and kind of shares or other property which would have
been received by a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock
held in such Deferred Stock Account had such shares of Common
Stock been outstanding as of the effectiveness of any such
Transaction, (ii) the number and kind of shares or other property
subject to the Plan shall likewise be appropriately adjusted to
reflect the effectiveness of any such Transaction and (iii) the
Committee shall appropriately adjust any other relevant
provisions of the Plan and any such modification by the Committee
shall be binding and conclusive on all persons.
(b) If the shares of Common Stock credited to the Deferred Stock
Accounts are converted pursuant to Section 12(a) into another
form of property, references in the Plan to the Common Stock
shall be deemed, where appropriate, to refer to such other form
of property, with such other modifications as may be required for
the Plan to operate in accordance with its purposes. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, references to delivery
of certificates for shares of Common Stock shall be deemed to
refer to delivery of cash and the incidents of ownership of any
other property held in the Deferred Stock Accounts.
(c) In lieu of the adjustment contemplated by Section 12(a), in
the event of a Change of Control, the following shall occur on
the date of the Change of Control: (i) the shares of Common
Stock held in each Participant's Deferred Stock Account shall be
deemed to be issued and outstanding as of the Change of Control;
(ii) the Company shall forthwith deliver to each Participant who
has a Deferred Stock Account all of the shares of Common Stock or
any other property held in such Participant's Deferred Stock
Account; and (iii) the Plan shall be terminated.
(d) For purposes of this Plan, Change of Control shall mean any
of the following events:
(i) The acquisition by any individual, entity or group (within
the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) (a
"Person") of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule
13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 20% or more of
either (a) the then outstanding shares of common stock of the
Company ("Outstanding Company Common Stock") or (b) the combined
voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the
Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors
("Outstanding Company Voting Securities"); provided, however,
that the following acquisitions shall not constitute a Change of
Control: (a) any acquisition directly from the Company
(excluding an acquisition by virtue of the exercise of a
conversion privilege unless the security being so converted was
itself acquired directly from the Company), (b) any acquisition
by the Company, (c) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan
(or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any
corporation controlled by the Company or (d) any acquisition by
any corporation pursuant to a reorganization, merger or
consolidation, if, following such reorganization, merger or
consolidation, the conditions described in clauses (a), (b) and
(c) of paragraph (iii) of this Section 12(d) are satisfied; or
(ii) Individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the
Board of the Company (as of the date hereof, "Incumbent Board")
cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the
Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director
subsequent to the date hereof whose election, or nomination for
election by the Company's shareholders, was approved by a vote of
at least a majority of the directors then comprising the
Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual
were a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this
purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office
occurs as a result of either an actual or threatened election
contest (as such terms are used in Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A
promulgated under the Exchange Act) or other actual or threatened
solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person
other than the Board; or
(iii) Approval by the shareholders of the Company of a
reorganization, merger, binding share exchange or consolidation,
unless, following such reorganization, merger, binding share
exchange or consolidation (a) more than sixty percent (60%) of,
respectively, the then outstanding shares of common stock of the
corporation resulting from such reorganization, merger, binding
share exchange or consolidation and the combined voting power of
the then outstanding voting securities of such corporation
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors is then
beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by all or
substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the
beneficial owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Company
Common Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities
immediately prior to such reorganization, merger, binding share
exchange or consolidation in substantially the same proportions
as their ownership, immediately prior to such reorganization,
merger, binding share exchange or consolidation, of the
Outstanding Company Common Stock and Outstanding Company Voting
Securities, as the case may be, (b) no Person (excluding the
Company, any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the
Company or such corporation resulting from such reorganization,
merger, binding share exchange or consolidation and any Person
beneficially owning, immediately prior to such reorganization,
merger, binding share exchange or consolidation, directly or
indirectly, twenty percent (20%) or more of the Outstanding
Company Common Stock or Outstanding Company Voting Securities, as
the case may be) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly,
twenty percent (20%) or more of, respectively, the then
outstanding shares of common stock of the corporation resulting
from such reorganization, merger, binding share exchange or
consolidation or the combined voting power of the then
outstanding voting securities of such corporation entitled to
vote generally in the election of directors and (c) at least a
majority of the members of the board of directors of the
corporation resulting from such reorganization, merger, binding
share exchange or consolidation were members of the Incumbent
Board at the time of the execution of the initial agreement
providing for such reorganization, merger, binding share exchange
or consolidation; or
(iv) Approval by the shareholders of the Company of (a) a
complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or (b) the
sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company, other than to a corporation, with respect
to which following such sale or other disposition, (x) more than
sixty percent (60%) of, respectively, the then outstanding shares
of common stock of such corporation and the combined voting power
of the then outstanding voting securities of such corporation
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors is then
beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by all or
substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the
beneficial owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Company
Common Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities
immediately prior to such sale or other disposition in
substantially the same proportion as their ownership, immediately
prior to such sale or other disposition, of the Outstanding
Company Common Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities,
as the case may be, (y) no Person (excluding the Company and any
employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or such
corporation and any Person beneficially owning, immediately prior
to such sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, twenty
percent (20%) or more of the Outstanding Company Common Stock or
Outstanding Company Voting Securities, as the case may be)
beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, twenty percent (20%)
or more of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common
stock of such corporation and the combined voting power of the
then outstanding voting securities of such corporation entitled
to vote generally in the election of directors and (z) at least a
majority of the members of the board of directors of such
corporation were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of
the execution of the initial agreement or action of the Board
providing for such sale or other disposition of assets of the
Company.
13. Administration; Amendment and Termination.
(a) The Plan shall be administered by a committee consisting of
three members who shall be the current directors of the Company
or senior executive officers or other directors who are not
Participants as may be designated by the Chief Executive Officer
("Committee"), which shall have full authority to construe and
interpret the Plan, to establish, amend and rescind rules and
regulations relating to the Plan, and to take all such actions
and make all such determinations in connection with the Plan as
it may deem necessary or desirable. (b) The Board may from time
to time make such amendments to the Plan, including to preserve
or come within any exemption from liability under Section 16(b)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act"), as it may deem proper and in the best interest of the
Company without further approval of the Company's stockholders,
provided that, to the extent required under Nevada law or to
qualify transactions under the Plan for exemption under Rule 16b-
3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, no amendment to the Plan
shall be adopted without further approval of the Company's
stockholders and, provided, further, that if and to the extent
required for the Plan to comply with Rule 16b-3 promulgated under
the Exchange Act, no amendment to the Plan shall be made more
than once in any six (6) month period that would change the
amount, price or timing of the grants of Common Stock hereunder
other than to comport with changes in the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of 1974, as amended, or the regulations thereunder. (c) The
Board may terminate the Plan at any time by a vote of a majority
of the members thereof.
14. Micellaneous.
(a) Nothing in the Plan shall be deemed to create any obligation
on the part of the Board to nominate any Director for reelection
by the Company's shareholders or to limit the rights of the
shareholders to remove any Director.
(b) The Company shall have the right to require, prior to the
issuance or delivery of any shares of Common Stock pursuant to
the Plan, that a Participant make arrangements satisfactory to
the Committee for the withholding of any taxes required by law to
be withheld with respect to the issuance or delivery of such
shares, including without limitation by the withholding of shares
that would otherwise be so issued or delivered, by withholding
from any other payment due to the Participant, or by a cash
payment to the Company by the Participant.
15. Governing Law.
The Plan and all actions taken thereunder shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Nevada.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Plan has been executed as of the 1st day
of November, 2000.
eConnect
By: /s/ Thomas S. Hughes
Thomas S. Hughes, President
