EXHIBIT 10(i)
MERRILL LYNCH & CO., INC.
1996 DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
FOR A SELECT GROUP OF ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES
DATED AS OF AUGUST 14, 1995
MERRILL LYNCH & CO., INC.
1996 DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
FOR A SELECT GROUP OF ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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I. GENERAL..................................................... 1
1.1 Purpose and Intent.......................................... 1
1.2 Definitions................................................. 1
II. ELIGIBILITY................................................. 4
2.1 Eligible Employees.......................................... 4
(a) General Rule................................................ 4
(b) Individuals First Employed During Election Year or Plan Year 4
(c) Wages Subject to Legal Process.............................. 4
III. DEFERRAL ELECTIONS; ACCOUNTS................................ 4
3.1 Deferral Elections.......................................... 4
(a) Timing and Manner of Making of Elections.................... 4
(b) Irrevocability of Deferral Election......................... 5
(c) Application of Election..................................... 5
3.2 Crediting to Accounts....................................... 5
3.3 Minimum Requirements for Deferral........................... 5
(a) Minimum Requirements........................................ 5
(b) Failure to Meet Requirements................................ 6
3.4 Benchmark Return Options; Adjustment of Accounts............ 6
(a) Selection of Benchmark Return Options....................... 6
(b) Adjustment of Accounts...................................... 6
(c) Annual Charge............................................... 7
3.5 Rescission of Deferral Election............................. 7
(a) Prior to December 1, 1995................................... 7
(b) Adverse Tax Determination................................... 7
(c) Rescission For Amounts Not Yet Earned....................... 7
IV. STATUS OF DEFERRED AMOUNTS AND ACCOUNT...................... 8
4.1 No Trust or Fund Created; General Creditor Status........... 8
4.2 Non-Assignability........................................... 8
4.3 Effect of Deferral on Benefits Under Pension and
Welfare Benefit Plans....................................... 8
V. PAYMENT OF ACCOUNT.......................................... 8
5.1 Payment Date................................................ 8
5.2 Termination of Employment................................... 9
(a) Death or Retirement......................................... 9
(b) Other Termination of Employment............................. 9
(c) Leave of Absence, Transfer or Disability.................... 9
(d) Discretion to Alter Payment Date............................ 9
5.3 Withholding of Taxes........................................ 9
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5.4 Beneficiary ............................................ 9
(a) Designation of Beneficiary.............................. 9
(b) Change in Beneficiary................................... 10
(c) Default Beneficiary..................................... 10
(d) If the Beneficiary Dies During Payment.................. 10
5.5 Hardship Distributions.................................. 10
5.6 Domestic Relations Orders............................... 11
VI. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN.............................. 11
6.1 Powers of the Administrator............................. 11
6.2 Payments on Behalf of an Incompetent.................... 11
6.3 Corporate Books and Records Controlling................. 11
VII. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS................................ 12
7.1 Litigation.............................................. 12
7.2 Headings Are Not Controlling............................ 12
7.3 Governing Law........................................... 12
7.4 Amendment and Termination............................... 12
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MERRILL LYNCH & CO., INC.
1996 DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN
FOR A SELECT GROUP OF ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES
ARTICLE I
GENERAL
1.1 PURPOSE AND INTENT.
The purpose of the Plan is to encourage the employees who are integral to
the success of the business of the Company to continue their employment by
providing them with flexibility in meeting their future income needs. It is
intended that this Plan be unfunded and maintained primarily for the purpose of
providing deferred compensation for a select group of management or highly
compensated employees within the meaning of Title I of ERISA, and all decisions
concerning who is to be considered a member of that select group and how this
Plan shall be administered and interpreted shall be consistent with this
intention.
1.2 DEFINITIONS.
For the purpose of the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated.
"Account Balance" means, as of any date, the Deferred Amounts credited to
a Participant's Account, adjusted in accordance with Section 3.4 to reflect the
performance of the Participant's Selected Benchmark Return Options, the Annual
Charge and any payments made from the Account to the Participant prior to that
date.
"Account" means the reserve account established on the books and records
of ML & Co. for each Participant to record the Participant's interest under the
Plan.
"Adjusted Compensation" means the financial consultant incentive
compensation, account executive incentive compensation or estate planning and
business insurance specialist incentive compensation, in each case exclusive of
base salary, earned by a Participant during the Fiscal Year ending in 1996, and
payable after January 1, 1996, as a result of the Participant's production
credit level, or such other similar items of compensation as the Administrator
shall designate as "Adjusted Compensation" for purposes of this Plan.
"Administrator" means the Director of Human Resources of ML & Co., or his
functional successor, or any other person or committee designated as
Administrator of the Plan by the MDCC.
"Affiliate" means any corporation, partnership, or other organization of
which ML & Co. owns or controls, directly or indirectly, not less than 50% of
the total combined voting power of all classes of stock or other equity
interests.
"Annual Charge" means the charge to the Participant's Account provided for
in Section 3.4(c).
"Benchmark Return Options" means such Merrill Lynch mutual funds or other
investment vehicles as the Administrator may from time to time designate for
the purpose of indexing Accounts hereunder. In the event a Benchmark Return
Option ceases to exist or is no longer to be a Benchmark Return Option, the
Administrator may designate a substitute Benchmark Return Option for such
discontinued option.
"Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of ML & Co.
"Code" means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time
to time.
"Company" means ML & Co. and all of its Affiliates.
"Compensation" means, as relevant, a Participant's Adjusted Compensation,
Variable Incentive Compensation and/or Sign-On Bonus. In no event shall a
Participant's base pay be considered Compensation (i.e., an amount subject to
deferral under this Plan).
"Deferral Percentage" means the percentage (which shall be in whole
percentage increments and not more than 90%), specified by the Participant to
be the percentage of each payment of Compensation he or she wishes to defer
under the Plan.
"Deferred Amounts" means, except as provided in Section 5.6, the amounts
of Compensation actually deferred by the Participant under this Plan.
"Election Year" means the 1995 calendar year.
"Eligible Compensation" means a Participant's "eligible compensation" as
determined, from time to time, for purposes of ML & Co.'s Basic Group Life
Insurance Plan.
"Eligible Employee" means an employee eligible to defer amounts under this
Plan, as determined under Section 2.1 hereof.
"ERISA" means the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended from time to time.
"Fiscal Month" means the monthly period used by ML & Co. for financial
accounting purposes.
"Fiscal Year" means the annual period used by ML & Co. for financial
accounting purposes.
"Full-Time Domestic Employee" means a full-time employee of the Company
paid from the Company's domestic based payroll (other than any U.S. citizen or
"green card" holder who is employed outside the United States).
"Full-Time Expatriate Employee" means a U.S. citizen or "green card"
holder employed by the Company outside the United States and selected by the
Administrator as eligible to participate in the Plan (subject to the other
eligibility criteria).
"Maximum Deferral" means the whole dollar amount specified by the
Participant to be the amount of Compensation he or she elects to be deferred
under the Plan.
"MDCC" means the Management Development and Compensation Committee of the
Board of Directors.
"ML & Co." means Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
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"Net Asset Value" means, with respect to each Benchmark Return Option that
is a mutual fund or other commingled investment vehicle for which such values
are determined in the normal course of business, the net asset value, on the
date in question, of the Selected Benchmark Return Option for which the value
is to be determined.
"Participant" means an Eligible Employee who has elected to defer
Compensation under the Plan.
"Plan" means this Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. 1996 Deferred Compensation
Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees.
"Plan Year" means the Fiscal Year ending in 1996.
"Remaining Deferred Amounts" means a Participant's Deferred Amounts times
a fraction equal to the number of remaining installment payments divided by the
total number of installment payments.
"Retirement" means a Participant's (i) termination of employment with the
Company for reasons other than for cause on or after the Participant's 65th
birthday, or (ii) resignation on or after the Participant's 55th birthday if
the Participant has at least 10 years of service, or (iii) resignation at any
age with the express approval of the Administrator, which will be granted only
if the termination is found by the Administrator to be in, or not contrary to,
the best interests of the Company.
"Selected Benchmark Return Option" means a Benchmark Return Option
selected by the Participant in accordance with Section 3.4.
"Sign-On Bonus" means a single-sum amount paid or payable to a new
Eligible Employee during the Plan Year upon commencement of employment, in
addition to base pay and other Compensation, to induce him or her to become an
employee of the Company, or any similar item of compensation as the
Administrator shall designate as "Sign-On Bonus" for purposes of this Plan.
"Variable Incentive Compensation" means the variable incentive
compensation or office manager incentive compensation that is paid in cash to
certain employees of the Company generally in January or February of the Plan
Year with respect to the prior Fiscal Year, which for purposes of this Plan is
considered earned during the Plan Year regardless of when it is actually paid
to the Participant, or such other similar items of compensation as the
Administrator shall designate as "Variable Incentive Compensation" for purposes
of this Plan.
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ARTICLE II
ELIGIBILITY
2.1 ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES.
(a) GENERAL RULE. An individual is an Eligible Employee if he or she (i)
is a Full-Time Domestic Employee or a Full-Time Expatriate Employee, (ii) has
at least $200,000 of Eligible Compensation for the Election Year, (iii) has
attained at least the title of Vice President, Director or Managing Director,
or holds a National Sales Management position with the Company (a "National
Sales Manager"), and (iv) (A) is a financial consultant or an estate planning
and business insurance specialist, who was a member in 1995 of the Chairman's
Club, the Charles E. Merrill Circle, the Society of Eagles, the Falcons Club or
the Win Smith Fellows, (B) is a National Sales Manager (C) is a member of the
International Private Banking Group, (D) is employed as an Investment Manager
for Merrill Lynch Asset Management, (E) is a non-producing employee in the
Senior Manager or Senior Consultant Band (Q Band) or above, or (F) is a
producing employee in grade 95 or above; provided, that non-producing employees
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in the Director Band (R Band) or above and producing employees in grade 97 or
above (or their executive equivalents) shall not be required to meet condition
(ii) hereof, and provided, further, that employees who were 1994 Win Smith
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Fellows shall not be required to meet condition (iii) hereof.
(b) INDIVIDUALS FIRST EMPLOYED DURING ELECTION YEAR OR PLAN YEAR. Subject
to the approval of the Administrator in his sole discretion, an individual who
is first employed by the Company during the Election Year or the Plan Year is
an Eligible Employee if his or her Eligible Compensation is greater than
$200,000 and he or she is either employed as a National Sales Manager or is to
be nominated for at least the title of Vice President, Director or Managing
Director at the first opportunity following his or her commencement of
employment with the Company.
(c) WAGES SUBJECT TO LEGAL PROCESS. An individual shall not, however, be
an Eligible Employee if as of the deadline for submission of elections
specified in Section 3.1(a) the individual's wages have been attached or are
being garnished or are otherwise restrained pursuant to legal process.
ARTICLE III
DEFERRAL ELECTIONS; ACCOUNTS
3.1 DEFERRAL ELECTIONS.
(a) TIMING AND MANNER OF MAKING OF ELECTIONS. An election to defer
Compensation for payment in accordance with Section 5.1 shall be made by
submitting to the Administrator such forms as the Administrator may prescribe.
Each election submitted must specify a Maximum Deferral and a Deferral
Percentage with respect to each category of Compensation to be deferred. All
elections by a Participant to defer Compensation under the Plan must be
received by the Administrator or such person as he may designate for the
purpose by no later than September 30 of the Election Year or, in the event
such date is not a business day, the immediately preceding business day;
provided, however, that the Eligible Employee's election to defer a Sign-On
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Bonus must be part of such Eligible Employee's terms and conditions of
employment agreed to prior to the Eligible Employee's first day of employment
with the Company.
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(b) IRREVOCABILITY OF DEFERRAL ELECTION. Except as provided in Sections
3.5 and 5.5, an election to defer the receipt of any Compensation made under
Section 3.1(a) is irrevocable once submitted to the Administrator or his
designee. The Administrator's acceptance of an election to defer Compensation
shall not, however, affect the contingent nature of such Compensation under the
plan or program under which such Compensation is payable.
(c) APPLICATION OF ELECTION. The Participant's Deferral Percentage will
be applied to each payment of Compensation to which the Participant's deferral
election applies, provided, that the aggregate of the Participant's Deferred
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Amounts shall not exceed the Participant's Maximum Deferral. If a Participant
has made deferral elections with respect to more than one category of
Compensation, this Section 3.1(c) shall be applied separately with respect to
each such category.
3.2 CREDITING TO ACCOUNTS.
A Participant's Deferred Amounts will be credited to the Participant's
Account, as soon as practicable (but in no event later than 90 days) after the
last day of the Fiscal Month during which such Deferred Amounts would, but for
deferral, have been paid and will be accounted for in accordance with Section
3.4. No interest will accrue, nor will any adjustment be made to the Account,
for the period until the Deferred Amounts are credited.
3.3 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR DEFERRAL.
(a) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Plan, no deferral will be effected under this Plan with respect to a
Participant if:
(i) the Participant is not an Eligible Employee as of December 31, 1995,
(ii) the Participant's election as applied to the Participant's Variable
Incentive Compensation (determined by substituting the Election Year
for the Plan Year) or Adjusted Compensation (determined by
substituting the Fiscal Year immediately prior to the Fiscal Year
ending in the Election Year for the Fiscal Year ending in the Plan
Year) would have resulted in an annual deferral of less than
$15,000, or
(iii) the greater of (A) the sum of (1) the "Medicare wages" amount
listed on the Participant's W-2 form for the Plan Year and (2) any
Compensation that is accelerated which the Participant may receive in
December of the Election Year which would have been payable in the
Plan Year in the absence of the action of the Company to accelerate
the payment, and (B) the Participant's Eligible Compensation for the
Plan Year, is less than $200,000;
provided, that any Participant who first becomes an employee of the Company
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during the Plan Year shall not be required to satisfy conditions (i) and (ii).
Condition (ii) shall not be construed to require a Participant's elections to
result in an actual deferral of at least $15,000.
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(b) FAILURE TO MEET REQUIREMENTS. If the requirements of Section
3.3(a)(i) or (ii) are not met by a Participant to whom such requirements are
applicable, such Participant's Deferred Amounts, if any, will be paid to such
Participant, without adjustment to reflect the performance of any Selected
Benchmark Return Option, as soon as practicable after it has been determined
that the requirements have not been met. If the requirements of Section
3.3(a)(iii) are not met by a Participant, the greater of such Participant's
Deferred Amounts or Account Balance will be paid to such Participant as soon as
practicable after it has been determined that the requirements have not been
met.
3.4 BENCHMARK RETURN OPTIONS; ADJUSTMENT OF ACCOUNTS.
(a) SELECTION OF BENCHMARK RETURN OPTIONS. Coincident with the
Participant's election to defer Compensation, the Participant must select one
or more Benchmark Return Options and the percentage of the Participant's
Account to be adjusted to reflect the performance of each Selected Benchmark
Return Option. All elections of Selected Benchmark Return Options shall be in
multiples of 10% unless the Administrator determines that lower increments are
administratively feasible, in which case such lower increment shall apply. A
Participant may, by complying with such procedures as the Administrator may
prescribe on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis, including procedures
specifying the frequency with respect to which such changes may be effected
(but not more than twelve times in any calendar year), change the Selected
Benchmark Return Options to be applicable with respect to his or her Account.
(b) ADJUSTMENT OF ACCOUNTS. While each Participant's Account does not
represent the Participant's ownership of, or any ownership interest in, any
particular assets, the Account shall be adjusted to reflect the investment
experience of the Participant's Selected Benchmark Return Options in the same
manner as if investments in accordance with the Participant's elections had
actually been made through the ML Benefit Services Platform and ML II Core
Recordkeeping System, or any successor system used for keeping records of
Participants' Accounts (the "ML II System"). In adjusting Accounts, the timing
of receipt of Participant instructions by the ML II System shall control the
timing and pricing of the notional investments in the Participant's Selected
Benchmark Return Options in accordance with the rules of operation of the ML II
System and its requirements for placing corresponding investment orders, as if
orders to make corresponding investments were actually to be made, except that
in connection with the crediting of Deferred Amounts to the Participant's
Account and distributions from the Account, appropriate deferral allocation
instructions shall be treated as received from the Participant prior to the
close of transactions through the ML II System on the relevant day. Each
Selected Benchmark Return Option shall be valued using the Net Asset Value of
the Selected Benchmark Return Option as of the relevant day; provided, that, in
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valuing a Selected Benchmark Return Option for which a Net Asset Value is not
computed, the value of the security involved for determining Participants'
rights under the Plan shall be the price reported for actual transactions in
that security through the ML II System on the relevant day, without giving
effect to any transaction charges or costs associated with such transactions;
provided, further, that, if there are no such transactions effected through the
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ML II System on the relevant day, the value of the security shall be:
(i) if the security is listed for trading on one or more national
securities exchanges, the average of the high and low sale prices
for that day on the principal exchange for such security, or if
such security is not traded on such principal exchange on that
day, the average of the high and low sales prices on such
exchange on the first day prior thereto on which such security
was so traded;
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(ii) if the security is not listed for trading on a national
securities exchange but is traded in the over-the-counter
market, the average of the highest and lowest bid prices for
such security on the relevant day; or
(iii) if neither clause (i) nor (ii) applies, the value
determined by the Administrator by whatever means he considers
appropriate in his sole discretion.
(c) ANNUAL CHARGE. As of the last day of each Fiscal Year or such earlier
day in December as the Administrator shall determine, an Annual Charge of 2.0%
of the Participant's Deferred Amounts (exclusive of any appreciation or
depreciation determined under Section 3.4 (b)) shall be applied to reduce the
Account Balance (but not below zero). In the event that the Participant elects
to have the Account Balance paid in installments, this Annual Charge will be
charged on the Remaining Deferred Amounts after giving effect to the
installment payments. In the event that the Account Balance is paid out
completely during a Fiscal Year prior to the date that the Annual Charge is
assessed, a pro rata Annual Charge will be deducted from amounts to be paid to
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the Participant to cover that fraction of the Fiscal Year that Deferred Amounts
(or Remaining Deferred Amounts in the case of installment payments) were
maintained hereunder. The Annual Charge shall be applied as a pro rata
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reduction of the portion of the Account Balance indexed to each of the
Participant's Selected Benchmark Return Options. In applying the Annual
Charge, the pricing principles set forth in Section 3.4(b) will be followed.
3.5 RESCISSION OF DEFERRAL ELECTION.
(a) PRIOR TO DECEMBER 1, 1995. A deferral election hereunder may be
rescinded at the request of a Participant only (i) on or before December 1,
1995, and (ii) if the Administrator, in his sole discretion and upon evidence
of such basis that he finds persuasive (including a material applicable change
in the Participant's U.S. Federal and/or foreign income tax rate during the
period between October 1, 1995 and November 30, 1995), agrees to the rescission
of the election. In the event the Administrator agrees to the recission, the
Deferred Amounts, if any, credited to the Participant's Account will be paid to
the Participant as soon as practicable thereafter subject to reduction for any
applicable withholding taxes.
(b) ADVERSE TAX DETERMINATION. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section
3.5(a), a deferral election may be rescinded at any time if (i) a final
determination is made by a court or other governmental body of competent
jurisdiction that the election was ineffective to defer income for purposes of
U.S. Federal, state, local or foreign income taxation and the time for appeal
from this determination has expired, and (ii) the Administrator, in his sole
discretion, decides, upon the Participant's request and upon evidence of the
occurrence of the events described in (i) hereof that he finds persuasive, to
rescind the election. Upon such rescission, the Account Balance, including any
adjustment for performance of the Selected Benchmark Return Options will be
paid to the Participant as soon as practicable, and no additional amounts will
be deferred pursuant to this Plan.
(c) RESCISSION FOR AMOUNTS NOT YET EARNED. Upon the Participant's written
request, the Administrator may in his sole discretion terminate any deferral
elections made hereunder with respect to Compensation not yet earned and no
further amounts will be deferred. Amounts previously deferred will continue to
be governed by the terms of this Plan.
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ARTICLE IV
STATUS OF DEFERRED AMOUNTS AND ACCOUNT
4.1 NO TRUST OR FUND CREATED; GENERAL CREDITOR STATUS.
Nothing contained herein and no action taken pursuant hereto will be
construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary
relationship between ML & Co. and any Participant, the Participant's
beneficiary or estate, or any other person. Title to and beneficial ownership
of any funds represented by the Account Balance will at all times remain in ML
& Co.; such funds will continue for all purposes to be a part of the general
funds of ML & Co. and may be used for any corporate purpose. No person will,
by virtue of the provisions of this Plan, have any interest whatsoever in any
specific assets of the Company. TO THE EXTENT THAT ANY PERSON ACQUIRES A RIGHT
TO RECEIVE PAYMENTS FROM ML & CO. UNDER THIS PLAN, SUCH RIGHT WILL BE NO
GREATER THAN THE RIGHT OF ANY UNSECURED GENERAL CREDITOR OF ML & CO.
4.2 NON-ASSIGNABILITY.
The Participant's right or the right of any other person to the Account
Balance or any other benefits hereunder cannot be assigned, alienated, sold,
garnished, transferred, pledged, or encumbered except by a written designation
of beneficiary under this Plan, by written will, or by the laws of descent and
distribution.
4.3 EFFECT OF DEFERRAL ON BENEFITS UNDER PENSION AND WELFARE BENEFIT PLANS.
The effect of deferral on pension and welfare benefit plans in which the
Participant may be a participant will depend upon the provisions of each such
plan, as amended from time to time.
ARTICLE V
PAYMENT OF ACCOUNT
5.1 PAYMENT DATE.
A Participant's Account Balance will be paid by ML & Co., as elected by
the Participant at the time of his or her deferral election, either in a single
payment to be made, or in the number of annual installments (not to exceed 15)
chosen by the Participant to commence, (i) in the month following the month of
the Participant's Retirement or death, (ii) in any month and year selected by
the Participant after the end of 1996 or (iii) in any month in the calendar
year following the Participant's Retirement; provided that no election may
result in the payment (in the case of a single payment) or commencement of
payment (in the case of installment payments) later than the month following
the Participant's 70th birthday. The amount of each annual installment, if
applicable, shall be determined by multiplying the Account Balance as of the
last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which the payment is
to be made by a fraction, the numerator of which is one and the denominator of
which is the number of remaining installment payments (including the
installment payment to be made).
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5.2 TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT.
(a) DEATH OR RETIREMENT. Upon a Participant's death or Retirement prior
to payment, the Account Balance will be paid, in accordance with the
Participant's elections and as provided in Section 5.1, to the Participant (in
the event of Retirement) or to the Participant's beneficiary (in the event of
death); provided, however, that in the event that a beneficiary of the
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Participant's Account is the Participant's estate or is otherwise not a natural
person, the applicable portion of the Account Balance will be paid in a single
payment to such beneficiary notwithstanding any election of installment
payments.
(b) OTHER TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. If the Participant's employment
terminates at any time for any reason other than death or Retirement, the
Account Balance will be paid to the Participant, in a single payment, as soon
thereafter as is practicable, notwithstanding the Participant's elections
hereunder.
(c) LEAVE OF ABSENCE, TRANSFER OR DISABILITY. The Participant's
employment will not be considered as terminated if the Participant is on an
approved leave of absence or if the Participant transfers or is transferred but
remains in the employ of the Company or if the Participant is eligible to
receive disability payments under the ML & Co. Basic Long-Term Disability Plan.
(d) DISCRETION TO ALTER PAYMENT DATE. Notwithstanding the provisions of
Sections 5.2(a) and (b), if the Participant's employment terminates for any
reason, the Administrator may, in his sole discretion, direct that the Account
Balance be paid at some other time or that it be paid in installments;
provided, that no such direction that adversely affects the rights of the
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Participant or his or her beneficiary under this Plan shall be implemented
without the consent of the affected Participant or beneficiary. This direction
may be revoked by the Administrator at any time in his sole discretion.
5.3 WITHHOLDING OF TAXES.
ML & Co. will deduct or withhold from any payment to be made or deferred
hereunder any U.S. Federal, state or local or foreign income or employment
taxes required by law to be withheld or require the Participant or the
Participant's beneficiary to pay any amount, or the balance of any amount,
required to be withheld.
5.4 BENEFICIARY.
(a) DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARY. The Participant may designate, in a
writing delivered to the Administrator or his designee before the Participant's
death, a beneficiary to receive payments in the event of the Participant's
death. The Participant may also designate a contingent beneficiary to receive
payments in accordance with this Plan if the primary beneficiary does not
survive the Participant. The Participant may designate more than one person as
the Participant's beneficiary or contingent beneficiary, in which case (i) no
contingent beneficiary would receive any payment unless all of the primary
beneficiaries predeceased the Participant, and (ii) the surviving beneficiaries
in any class shall share in any payments in proportion to the percentages of
interest assigned to them by the Participant.
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(b) CHANGE IN BENEFICIARY. The Participant may change his or her
beneficiary or contingent beneficiary (without the consent of any prior
beneficiary) in a writing delivered to the Administrator or his designee before
the Participant's death. Unless the Participant states otherwise in writing,
any change in beneficiary or contingent beneficiary will automatically revoke
prior such designations of the Participant's beneficiary or of the
Participant's contingent beneficiary, as the case may be, under this Plan only;
and any designations under other deferral agreements or plans of the Company
will remain unaffected.
(c) DEFAULT BENEFICIARY. In the event a Participant does not designate a
beneficiary, or no designated beneficiary survives the Participant, the
Participant's beneficiary shall be the Participant's surviving spouse, if the
Participant is married at the time of his or her death and not subject to a
court-approved agreement or court decree of separation, or otherwise the person
or persons designated to receive benefits on account of the Participant's death
under the ML & Co. Basic Group Life Insurance Plan (the "Life Insurance Plan").
However, if an unmarried Participant does not have coverage in effect under the
Life Insurance Plan, or the Participant has assigned his or her death benefit
under the Life Insurance Plan, any amounts payable to the Participant's
beneficiary under the Plan will be paid to the Participant's estate.
(d) IF THE BENEFICIARY DIES DURING PAYMENT. If a beneficiary who is
receiving or is entitled to receive payments hereunder dies after the
Participant dies, but before all the payments have been made, the portion of
the Account Balance to which that beneficiary was entitled will be paid as soon
as practicable in one lump sum to such beneficiary's estate and not to any
contingent beneficiary the Participant may have designated.
5.5 HARDSHIP DISTRIBUTIONS.
ML & Co. may pay to the Participant, on such terms and conditions as the
Administrator may establish, such part or all of the Account Balance as he may,
in his sole discretion based upon substantial evidence submitted by the
Participant, determine necessary to alleviate hardship caused by an
unanticipated emergency or necessity outside of the Participant's control
affecting the Participant's personal or family affairs. Such payment will be
made only at the Participant's written request and with the express approval of
the Administrator and will be made on the date selected by the Administrator in
his sole discretion. The balance of the Account, if any, will continue to be
governed by the terms of this Plan. Hardship shall be deemed to exist only on
account of expenses for medical care (described in Code Section 213(d)) of the
Participant, the Participant's spouse or the Participant's dependents
(described in Code Section 152); payment of unreimbursed tuition and related
educational fees for the Participant, the Participant's spouse or the
Participant's dependents; the need to prevent the Participant's eviction from
or, foreclosure on, the Participant's principal residence; unreimbursed damages
resulting from a natural disaster; or such other financial need deemed by the
Administrator in his sole discretion to be immediate and substantial.
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5.6 DOMESTIC RELATIONS ORDERS.
Notwithstanding the Participant's elections hereunder, ML & Co. will pay
to, or to the Participant for the benefit of, the Participant's spouse or
former spouse the portion of the Participant's Account Balance specified in a
valid court order entered in a domestic relations proceeding involving the
Participant's divorce or legal separation. Such payment will be made net of
any amounts the Company may be required to withhold under applicable federal,
state or local law. After such payment, references herein to the Participant's
"Deferred Amounts" (including, without limitation, for purposes of determining
the Annual Charge applicable to any remaining Account Balance) shall mean the
Participant's original Deferred Amounts times an amount equal to one minus a
fraction, the numerator of which is the gross amount (prior to withholding)
paid pursuant to the order, and the denominator of which is the Participant's
Account Balance immediately prior to payment.
ARTICLE VI
ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN
6.1 POWERS OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.
The Administrator has full power and authority to interpret, construe and
administer this Plan so as to ensure that it provides deferred compensation for
the Participant as a member of a select group of management or highly
compensated employees within the meaning of Title I of ERISA. The
Administrator's interpretations and construction hereof, and actions hereunder,
including any determinations regarding the amount or recipient of any payments,
will be binding and conclusive on all persons for all purposes. The
Administrator will not be liable to any person for any action taken or omitted
in connection with the interpretation and administration of this Plan unless
attributable to his willful misconduct or lack of good faith. The
Administrator may designate persons to carry out the specified responsibilities
of the Administrator and shall not be liable for any act or omission of a
person as designated.
6.2 PAYMENTS ON BEHALF OF AN INCOMPETENT.
If the Administrator finds that any person who is entitled to any payment
hereunder is a minor or is unable to care for his or her affairs because of
disability or incompetency, payment of the Account Balance may be made to
anyone found by the Administrator to be the committee or other authorized
representative of such person, or to be otherwise entitled to such payment, in
the manner and under the conditions that the Administrator determines. Such
payment will be a complete discharge of the liabilities of ML & Co. hereunder
with respect to the amounts so paid.
6.3 CORPORATE BOOKS AND RECORDS CONTROLLING.
The books and records of the Company will be controlling in the event a
question arises hereunder concerning the amount of Adjusted Compensation,
Incentive Compensation, Sign-On Bonus, Eligible Compensation, the Deferred
Amounts, the Account Balance, the designation of a beneficiary, or any other
matters.
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ARTICLE VII
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
7.1 LITIGATION.
The Company shall have the right to contest, at its expense, any ruling or
decision, administrative or judicial, on an issue that is related to the Plan
and that the Administrator believes to be important to Participants, and to
conduct any such contest or any litigation arising therefrom to a final
decision.
7.2 HEADINGS ARE NOT CONTROLLING.
The headings contained in this Plan are for convenience only and will not
control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the terms or provisions
of this Plan.
7.3 GOVERNING LAW.
To the extent not preempted by applicable U.S. Federal law, this Plan will
be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New
York as to all matters, including, but not limited to, matters of validity,
construction, and performance.
7.4 AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION.
ML & Co., through the Administrator, reserves the right to amend or
terminate this Plan at any time, except that no such amendment or termination
shall adversely affect the right of a Participant to his or her Account Balance
(as reduced by the current year's Annual Charge, or pro rata portion thereof,
as set forth in Section 3.4(c)) as of the date of such amendment or
termination.
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